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Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1
Own the manga thrill ride that changed global comics and inspired the James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez's cyberpunk action film Alita: Battle Angel ! This new paperback edition features an updated translation in six affordable, 300-page volumes.
In a dump in the lawless settlement of Scrapyard, far beneath the mysterious space city of Zalem, disgraced cyber-doctor Daisuke Ido makes a strange find: the detached head of a cyborg woman who has lost all her memories. He names her Alita and equips her with a powerful new body, the Berserker. While Alita remembers no details of her former life, a moment of desperation reawakens in her nerves the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst. In a place where there is no justice but what people make for themselves, Alita decides to become a hunter-killer, tracking down and taking out those who prey on the weak. But can she hold onto her humanity as she begins to revel in her own bloodlust?
In a dump in the lawless settlement of Scrapyard, far beneath the mysterious space city of Zalem, disgraced cyber-doctor Daisuke Ido makes a strange find: the detached head of a cyborg woman who has lost all her memories. He names her Alita and equips her with a powerful new body, the Berserker. While Alita remembers no details of her former life, a moment of desperation reawakens in her nerves the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst. In a place where there is no justice but what people make for themselves, Alita decides to become a hunter-killer, tracking down and taking out those who prey on the weak. But can she hold onto her humanity as she begins to revel in her own bloodlust?
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 3, 2021
18 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Yukito Kishiro
339 books373 followersYukito Kishiro (Japanese: 木城ゆきと) is a Japanese manga artist born in Tokyo in 1967 and raised in Chiba. As a teenager he was influenced by the mecha anime Armored Trooper Votoms and Mobile Suit Gundam, in particular the designs of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, as well as the works of manga artist Rumiko Takahashi. He began his career at age 17, with his debut manga, Space Oddity, in the Weekly Shonen Sunday. He is best known for the cyberpunk series Battle Angel Alita.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 27, 2021
Fantastic manga. I watched the anime of Alita decades ago. Then I saw the movie, now I’ve started enjoying the manga. I can’t say reading, because you don’t really read a manga. Good manga books are a lesson in visual storytelling. Sometimes there are no words for several pages, but once you get used to it, the story flows perfectly with no words. Did the anime follow the book? How about the movie?
Well, the anime strays a little from the manga, the film seems to be based off the anime but draws from more volumes of the manga and strays a little further for cinematic effect.
I’d say Alita is a great introduction to manga, especially if you enjoyed the movie and want to explore the story in more depth. There’s something deeply cathartic about enjoying a manga, it’s a really relaxing way to read. I started getting into manga because my daughter likes Naruto and My Hero Acadamia. Now we lend each other manga books! :)
Ps: quick plug - if you like fantasy, you should check out my Deathsworn Arc novels. The whole series is on Kindle Unlimited at the time if writing, as is my awesome YA vampire novel Ofelia.
Martyn Stanley
Well, the anime strays a little from the manga, the film seems to be based off the anime but draws from more volumes of the manga and strays a little further for cinematic effect.
I’d say Alita is a great introduction to manga, especially if you enjoyed the movie and want to explore the story in more depth. There’s something deeply cathartic about enjoying a manga, it’s a really relaxing way to read. I started getting into manga because my daughter likes Naruto and My Hero Acadamia. Now we lend each other manga books! :)
Ps: quick plug - if you like fantasy, you should check out my Deathsworn Arc novels. The whole series is on Kindle Unlimited at the time if writing, as is my awesome YA vampire novel Ofelia.
Martyn Stanley
August 15, 2021
Really really loved this, like I was blown away by how damn good this is.
January 11, 2022
Loved every second of reading this, if you've watched the live action movie you realize that this was a great adaptation. As you have Ido finding Alita giving her a body, taking her in and then her being targeted by a monster. It's really thrilling stuff we even get the introduction of a love interest and some hunter warrior stuff.
It's jammed packed with goodies, I can see No Guns Life, Vol. 1 being heavily inspired by Alita as there are a lot of parallels story wise. Even though this is an older manga, it didn't feel dated at all.
I would say the only negative I have about this, is finding the format this was released. You have Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1 and Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1, which neither has the same page count, haven't got a clue what the additional pages are but this is the most recent Kodansha release, such a pain to find!
It's jammed packed with goodies, I can see No Guns Life, Vol. 1 being heavily inspired by Alita as there are a lot of parallels story wise. Even though this is an older manga, it didn't feel dated at all.
I would say the only negative I have about this, is finding the format this was released. You have Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1 and Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1, which neither has the same page count, haven't got a clue what the additional pages are but this is the most recent Kodansha release, such a pain to find!
February 28, 2023
I haven’t seen the film based on this series so I came to it unbiased but curious.
In a dystopian world, people, cyborgs and machines eke out difficult livings. Savage creatures prey on human beings and highly paid hunters track them down, kill them and collect the bounty.
Ido seems a pleasant enough gentleman at first. But he swiftly strikes you as being odd. He scavenges a machine girl’s head and then cobbles together a body for her. He names her after his dead cat and showers her with affection. You’re not entirely certain of his motivation. He can’t be lonely; he has a partner Gonzu who helps him financially with selling food. Ido’s job is an enigma at first, one that makes the emerging Alita curious and then alarmed.
Alita looks like a teenager but has the bright spirit of a child. She’s also defiant when Ido tries to keep her out of the bounty hunting business. But she proves herself capable—until she meets her match with the murderous brain-munching Makaku.
The story is full of action, paternal tenderness, derring-do and a burgeoning romance. This is an ugly world crowded with pipes and pumping the underground with filthy sewer bilge and garbage. But the author manages to bring moments of sweetness and joy and much of that comes from the titular character.
I’m sorry it’s a series. While I’d like to know more about Alita and her continuing adventures, I don’t have the time. Still, I wouldn’t say no if the sequels fell into my fleshy hands.
In a dystopian world, people, cyborgs and machines eke out difficult livings. Savage creatures prey on human beings and highly paid hunters track them down, kill them and collect the bounty.
Ido seems a pleasant enough gentleman at first. But he swiftly strikes you as being odd. He scavenges a machine girl’s head and then cobbles together a body for her. He names her after his dead cat and showers her with affection. You’re not entirely certain of his motivation. He can’t be lonely; he has a partner Gonzu who helps him financially with selling food. Ido’s job is an enigma at first, one that makes the emerging Alita curious and then alarmed.
Alita looks like a teenager but has the bright spirit of a child. She’s also defiant when Ido tries to keep her out of the bounty hunting business. But she proves herself capable—until she meets her match with the murderous brain-munching Makaku.
The story is full of action, paternal tenderness, derring-do and a burgeoning romance. This is an ugly world crowded with pipes and pumping the underground with filthy sewer bilge and garbage. But the author manages to bring moments of sweetness and joy and much of that comes from the titular character.
I’m sorry it’s a series. While I’d like to know more about Alita and her continuing adventures, I don’t have the time. Still, I wouldn’t say no if the sequels fell into my fleshy hands.
November 30, 2021
This is where it all began. In a junkyard. No - I'm not talking about Real Steel, I'm talking about Gally, or as we know her in North America - Alita (because we apparently couldn't handle the name Gally).
I watched the anime ...a looong time ago. I watched the live action film (not bad). So I wanted to read about the original adventures. My verdict? Fun.
Now I will say, I don't read a lot of Manga and I know why. The story telling style is a bit off from my usual expectations and it throws me off. As an example, in the 300+ page graphic novel we get here - 100 pages are devoted to a fight. That's a lot of fight. It is a good fight. It is a well developed fight but man was it long.
What did I like? A lot of great characters (which are a little 2D but still fun). Good action. Great pace. And there is some good character development of Alita.
What did I not love? The world building is a bit weak - it is the future...and...there is a city that floats above the slums where our story is set...and there are demon hunters. Not much more.
Overall? A lot of fun and I look forward to seeing where this goes.
I watched the anime ...a looong time ago. I watched the live action film (not bad). So I wanted to read about the original adventures. My verdict? Fun.
Now I will say, I don't read a lot of Manga and I know why. The story telling style is a bit off from my usual expectations and it throws me off. As an example, in the 300+ page graphic novel we get here - 100 pages are devoted to a fight. That's a lot of fight. It is a good fight. It is a well developed fight but man was it long.
What did I like? A lot of great characters (which are a little 2D but still fun). Good action. Great pace. And there is some good character development of Alita.
What did I not love? The world building is a bit weak - it is the future...and...there is a city that floats above the slums where our story is set...and there are demon hunters. Not much more.
Overall? A lot of fun and I look forward to seeing where this goes.
February 18, 2024
This was good, but could have been better with a bit more emotional investment/narrative hook. It does a great job of introducing the world, the MC Alita, and her supporting cast, but it doesn't give you much in the way of a larger, overarching narrative. There are some questions that I'd like the answers to- what/who is Alita in her lost memories? What will she do about her crush actually being a criminal? What's up in Zalem? - but I'm not deeply invested in any of these. Still, I enjoyed the premise of bounty hunting, the amnesiac but somehow uber-powerful fighter, the grungy setting of cyberpunk scrapyard and hardscrabble world in the shadow of a suspended 'utopia', and the themes of self-actualisation and self-determination. Overall, a lot to like. Pet peeve: Alita's hair; it moves in an absolutely nonsensical way that belies physics and distracted me throughout the volume. Other than that though, the art was pretty good.
Read
March 5, 2024I love the movie. In fact, I basically made a meme with my friends who totally refuse to watch it. Whatever the hell we're talking about or doing I'll cut in saying, "Hey, have you heard of Alita - Battle Angel?" for whatever reason I thought it was the bomb. It's gotta be the good ole story of an innocent plunged into the world. For the same reasons the manga kicks butt. The art is of its time. The story could possibly be timeless? Who knows. With robots becoming a reality these stories might just feel super dated in a decade. I still feel a diamond hidden in the rough here.
If you can stomach the art style this would be a wonderful start to one's journey into manga. Worth the glance.
If you can stomach the art style this would be a wonderful start to one's journey into manga. Worth the glance.
September 14, 2021
I've decided I'm gonna start buying the series in the new paperback deluxe editions and re-read back to the point where I left off. And I have to say, the physical edition makes a lot of difference. Better translation, much better paced. I can confidently say I enjoyed this A LOT more on a second read. It's amazing how much difference one edition can make, but it was enough to more or less 180 my opinions. This was an amazing read.
November 11, 2022
Finally watched Alita: Battle Angel, then decided that I wanted to read Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita, 6 volume graphic novel series, enjoyed it and want too read more in the manga genre. Like the fantasy world he created, like the Alita character, the Doc character is also interesting, bounty hunters, the graphic's though black and white are real good and it's a nice change from reading words
December 28, 2024
This came as an AI recommendation searching for a continuation of my readings into cyberpunk distopian novels and manga after finishing Neuromancer, Snow Crash and Count Zero along with the BLAME! manga series. A spot on recommendation as it includes heavy cyberpunk elements mixed with the confusion of young love.
August 23, 2021
No tengo quejas respecto a la historia sino más bien mi queja es respecto a la edición... No incluye páginas a color lo cual me parece terrible y pues parece un simple tankobon que solo trae más páginas y ya. Creo que mejor compren la edición de Ivrea no más.
January 1, 2025
I wasn’t sure at the beginning, but the story picked up in depth and world building as the volume progressed.
The art style is of an era, but the big panoramas are neat. And the mecha is assorted and interesting.
It really is a manga cyberpunk classic and is an enjoyable read.
The art style is of an era, but the big panoramas are neat. And the mecha is assorted and interesting.
It really is a manga cyberpunk classic and is an enjoyable read.
November 11, 2025
i was only about half done with this volume when i decided to go get the other five. the art is amazing, and alita is a badass. this is somehow only my second sci fi manga besides gantz and ig evangelion
September 3, 2021
Incredible writing, beautiful artwork, and finally, in an affordable package!
September 19, 2021
I always wanted to read this series so decided to pick up the new paperback edition. It's cyber punk with a heart. Lots of action and nice character development.
December 19, 2024
Wow! What an exciting start to a manga series! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The action is fantastic! Now I really want to read the rest in the series and watch the anime.
August 12, 2023
I was first exposed to Battle Angel Alita through the live action movie that came out some years ago. I thought it was pretty good, and when I learned that the movie was based off a manga series, I wanted to read the manga. It’s taken me some time to get to the series, but I’m glad I did. This was a very good volume and the world and characters intrigued me, and made me want more. Great series so far.
October 13, 2022
Absolutely fantastic. I devoured this book and will be buying the rest of them as soon as possible. The art is exquisite and the world bleak, yet entrancing. One of the best cyberpunk properties I’ve experienced because it has a ton of heart and doesn’t let the dystopian atmosphere overwhelm the narrative.
It’s been a while since I couldn’t put a book down like this, but it was worth the wait for Alita.
It’s been a while since I couldn’t put a book down like this, but it was worth the wait for Alita.
March 9, 2023
Quiero ser Gally x2
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews