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銃夢 [Gunnm] #2
Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 2: Tears of an Angel
After Daisuke Ido discovers the head of a cyborg in a trash dump, he reconstructs her body and names her Alita.
207 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 1992
539 people are currently reading
939 people want to read
About the author
Yukito Kishiro
340 books375 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 - 30 of 226 reviews
August 28, 2023
For me this is many levels above the first volume.
I remember the final moment in the movie, when i thought this is it the movie is done but then there was more, you will not be getting this feeling in the manga though, because it ends with Hugo falling from incredible height.
I just love alita, i love to see her in love, i loved listening to her thoughts to what she would love to do for him.
I wasn't really fond of hugo though, because whatever the reason he was an outlaw, he stole those spinal columns, even if he called ido to fix his victims, he was still the reason they were broken in the first place.
The villain of this issue was a bitter mercenary, or whatever they call him, he wanted so bad to spite alita that it turned on him in the end.
I can't believe i finished two volumes this fast already, but i am ready for more and its going to be a great journey <3
I remember the final moment in the movie, when i thought this is it the movie is done but then there was more, you will not be getting this feeling in the manga though, because it ends with Hugo falling from incredible height.
I just love alita, i love to see her in love, i loved listening to her thoughts to what she would love to do for him.
I wasn't really fond of hugo though, because whatever the reason he was an outlaw, he stole those spinal columns, even if he called ido to fix his victims, he was still the reason they were broken in the first place.
The villain of this issue was a bitter mercenary, or whatever they call him, he wanted so bad to spite alita that it turned on him in the end.
I can't believe i finished two volumes this fast already, but i am ready for more and its going to be a great journey <3
February 18, 2019
This was a great second installment! Everything seems so much deeper and developed in this one. We are treated to a new character called Yugo, and Alita takes an instant shine to him. I cannot say I'm enjoying his character as yet, but there is definitely still time! I do think that the supporting characters in Alita make Alita's character so much more interesting, and I just love the fight scenes. I love her courage and just how fierce she is. I can't wait to get stuck in to the next installment!
August 3, 2019
An improvement over the first volume, thanks to it being a more emotional read.
Kishiro lets Alita fall in love with a human being that also happens to be a scrapper who dispossesses cyborgs of their spinal columns to earn money for his move up to Zalem (the city towering above the scrapyard). This way he's asking some tough questions of his heroine, who’s already struggling with her very existence anyway.
This second volume offers a much deeper story and successfully walks the fine line between showing Alita’s weaknesses as well as her growing strength. There’s again a nice upgrowth to see in the main character.
We get a lot more details on the world these characters live in, which positions the series clearer as dystopian fiction than the first volume did.
While still being strong in both look and style
this volume now also gets the reader more invested in the characters as they are facing some hardships.
I even had a moment of sympathy for the antagonist of the last volume, who makes a somewhat surprising appearance here.
Hard to believe if you’ve only read volume 1 of the series, I know.
Overall a very good second book.
Me likey.
Kishiro lets Alita fall in love with a human being that also happens to be a scrapper who dispossesses cyborgs of their spinal columns to earn money for his move up to Zalem (the city towering above the scrapyard). This way he's asking some tough questions of his heroine, who’s already struggling with her very existence anyway.
This second volume offers a much deeper story and successfully walks the fine line between showing Alita’s weaknesses as well as her growing strength. There’s again a nice upgrowth to see in the main character.
We get a lot more details on the world these characters live in, which positions the series clearer as dystopian fiction than the first volume did.
While still being strong in both look and style
this volume now also gets the reader more invested in the characters as they are facing some hardships.
I even had a moment of sympathy for the antagonist of the last volume, who makes a somewhat surprising appearance here.
Hard to believe if you’ve only read volume 1 of the series, I know.
Overall a very good second book.
Me likey.
September 3, 2018
Clichès abound here, but second volume of Gunnm/Alita is just far better, deeper and sadder than previous one.
And poor, dreaming Yugo and his backstory are just impossible to forget.
May 17, 2020
I enjoyed this one as much as I liked the first one. Not too sure if I like Yugo all that much what with his flexible moral outlook. Alita is a total bada** though and I love how loyal and fierce she is. The plot was creative and I look forward to seeing what happens.
April 26, 2019
Lots of volume 2 was in the movie adaptation so there were not plot surprises. Still as enjoyable, even if I care nothing for the love interest. I can't tell if it's a hold over from the movie, but considering he's a short-sighted spine stealer in the original, it's probably safe to say I just dislike him. I still think the action gets a little muddled in the panels, but Alita is great and a good balance in a dark and violent manga.
July 23, 2020
An improvement over the first volume. Tears of an Angel develops the character of the protagonist to a deeper level, and explores her emotions. The supporting characters, both new and old, are interesting and complement the series well.
I only read the first volume because of its fame as a classic manga, and because of the film adaptation, but after reading the second volume, I'm genuinely invested in the series.
I only read the first volume because of its fame as a classic manga, and because of the film adaptation, but after reading the second volume, I'm genuinely invested in the series.
June 19, 2025
second review: 01-22-2025
Esta obra realmente me ha gustado, las pasiones, traiciones y deseos se enmarcan en una relación destinada a la catástrofe, los sueños son imposible de sostener pero las ideas difíciles de modificar.
Los sueños de Yugo se contraponen con los deseos de Gally, la ambición de Vector corrompe los propósitos de Yugo, y orgullo herido destruye el alma de Gally.
Una obra realmente maravillosa, no existe una única ética dentro de Salem.
third review: 02-08-2025
tercera vez revisado, tercera vez que he sufrido.
la humanización que se le ha dado a cada uno de los personajes ha tocado profundamente mi corazón, los sueños de Yugo, las ilusiones de Gally, los deseos y aspiraciones de Daisuke Ido, junto con el orgullo Zapam, arman el coctel perfecto para las desgracias, resentimientos y desilusiones.
En la ciudad de los desperdicios no existe lugar para la esperanza, y mucho menos para la felicidad, la sobrevivencia es lo primero aquí y en cualquier lugar.
fourth review: 06-09-2025
A varios días de haber leído esta obra, solamente queda una pregunta que responder ¿qué es lo que quieres de esta vida?
Esta es una de las tantas preguntas que se trata de responder en la obra de Yukito Kishiro, para algunos son los sueños, para otros la curiosidad, para los obstinados la moral, y finalmente para muchos otros el orgullo y la sobrevivencia, pero cuando tratas de encontrar una segunda oportunidad en Salem, ninguna de estas es la respuesta correcta, la ciudad de los desperdicios no da treguas y Salem tampoco esta dispuesto a bajar la guardia, lo que nació mancillado estará así para el resto de su vida.
A diferencia de Gally que nos enseño en el volumen anterior el orgullo, pero por sobre todo el bien y el mal, Yugo, un chico nacido en la ciudad de los desperdicios nos enseña a encontrar una segunda oportunidad, un nuevo comienzo, a pesar de la paradoja en su propia vida, sabe que no está del todo limpio, su propia historia al igual que sus actos están corruptos de alguna manera, quiere huir y escapar de la realidad que le asecha y eso mismo lo que se convierte en finalmente en su tumba.
¿De verdad existe una segunda oportunidad para todos?
Esta obra realmente me ha gustado, las pasiones, traiciones y deseos se enmarcan en una relación destinada a la catástrofe, los sueños son imposible de sostener pero las ideas difíciles de modificar.
Los sueños de Yugo se contraponen con los deseos de Gally, la ambición de Vector corrompe los propósitos de Yugo, y orgullo herido destruye el alma de Gally.
Una obra realmente maravillosa, no existe una única ética dentro de Salem.
third review: 02-08-2025
tercera vez revisado, tercera vez que he sufrido.
la humanización que se le ha dado a cada uno de los personajes ha tocado profundamente mi corazón, los sueños de Yugo, las ilusiones de Gally, los deseos y aspiraciones de Daisuke Ido, junto con el orgullo Zapam, arman el coctel perfecto para las desgracias, resentimientos y desilusiones.
En la ciudad de los desperdicios no existe lugar para la esperanza, y mucho menos para la felicidad, la sobrevivencia es lo primero aquí y en cualquier lugar.
fourth review: 06-09-2025
A varios días de haber leído esta obra, solamente queda una pregunta que responder ¿qué es lo que quieres de esta vida?
Esta es una de las tantas preguntas que se trata de responder en la obra de Yukito Kishiro, para algunos son los sueños, para otros la curiosidad, para los obstinados la moral, y finalmente para muchos otros el orgullo y la sobrevivencia, pero cuando tratas de encontrar una segunda oportunidad en Salem, ninguna de estas es la respuesta correcta, la ciudad de los desperdicios no da treguas y Salem tampoco esta dispuesto a bajar la guardia, lo que nació mancillado estará así para el resto de su vida.
A diferencia de Gally que nos enseño en el volumen anterior el orgullo, pero por sobre todo el bien y el mal, Yugo, un chico nacido en la ciudad de los desperdicios nos enseña a encontrar una segunda oportunidad, un nuevo comienzo, a pesar de la paradoja en su propia vida, sabe que no está del todo limpio, su propia historia al igual que sus actos están corruptos de alguna manera, quiere huir y escapar de la realidad que le asecha y eso mismo lo que se convierte en finalmente en su tumba.
¿De verdad existe una segunda oportunidad para todos?
August 7, 2018
Alita gets a boyfriend! But he has an unsavory side job and when he incurs a bounty, Alita has to make a difficult decision: bring in his head or help him escape and become a fugitive herself. This is the story arc I remember best, probably because it was adapted for the animated production years ago, which I have watched at least a couple times. Much better than the first volume.
December 4, 2018
I'm really liking this series. I love Alita. She's great. In this volume Alita finds a love interest. She's figuring out who she is all while being badass. I love it.
March 8, 2025
Second read and so it finally gets the 5th star so yeah let's go.
Wow, let's clear this is 4.5, so there's that. Now, I am flowing through these to try to finish them before watching the movie, and so far, it's wonderful, at least in the Manga world. This is even better than the last one, and here obviously Alita falls for a human and then wonders about her form and desires and more. This one is sadder and more gripping than the first book, but that's not such a huge stretch, as now the character was established and now we are getting the character development. Here's also my mind is understanding that the movie can't be based on a single issue because one volume, when it can be read in an hour, won't translate to a movie. So the movie will span multiple volumes and pick its story with the characters there. I liked Hugo, liked how Vector looks just like Mahershala Ali, just perfect. Now I will be moving on to the next issues, and why not after all my mission is to Keep on Reading, and also gotta finish the series before watching the movie, preferably in IMAX.
And huge yeses so pick this series now and read before the movie too and then just Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I can and I have. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and I hope you will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
Wow, let's clear this is 4.5, so there's that. Now, I am flowing through these to try to finish them before watching the movie, and so far, it's wonderful, at least in the Manga world. This is even better than the last one, and here obviously Alita falls for a human and then wonders about her form and desires and more. This one is sadder and more gripping than the first book, but that's not such a huge stretch, as now the character was established and now we are getting the character development. Here's also my mind is understanding that the movie can't be based on a single issue because one volume, when it can be read in an hour, won't translate to a movie. So the movie will span multiple volumes and pick its story with the characters there. I liked Hugo, liked how Vector looks just like Mahershala Ali, just perfect. Now I will be moving on to the next issues, and why not after all my mission is to Keep on Reading, and also gotta finish the series before watching the movie, preferably in IMAX.
And huge yeses so pick this series now and read before the movie too and then just Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I can and I have. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and I hope you will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
December 18, 2019
c/w: body horror and a dash of gore
The second volume of Battle Angel Alita, a series also known as Gunnm, picks up where the first left off: young, namesake cyborg Alita, under the care of cyberneticist Dr. Ido, has become a bounty hunter in hopes that the ensuing battles will aid in her quest to find out who she really is. One day, she meets a boy named Yugo who lives among the scraps and rubble, and she gradually begins to take a liking to him - a liking that could have disastrous results. However, there is a hidden side to Yugo that isn't exactly beautiful or admirable...
In the areas where the first volume failed to keep my interest, the second volume succeeded. The art style complemented the tale (which I found to be more absorbing than its predecessor) beautifully, and the characters were so incredibly memorable this time around. (Not sure how popular of an opinion this is, but I did like Yugo, actually! And I cried when that chapter happened. Fucking hell, you didn't have to do the kids dirty like that...)
I'm definitely falling in love with this series, flaws and all.
The second volume of Battle Angel Alita, a series also known as Gunnm, picks up where the first left off: young, namesake cyborg Alita, under the care of cyberneticist Dr. Ido, has become a bounty hunter in hopes that the ensuing battles will aid in her quest to find out who she really is. One day, she meets a boy named Yugo who lives among the scraps and rubble, and she gradually begins to take a liking to him - a liking that could have disastrous results. However, there is a hidden side to Yugo that isn't exactly beautiful or admirable...
In the areas where the first volume failed to keep my interest, the second volume succeeded. The art style complemented the tale (which I found to be more absorbing than its predecessor) beautifully, and the characters were so incredibly memorable this time around. (Not sure how popular of an opinion this is, but I did like Yugo, actually! And I cried when that chapter happened. Fucking hell, you didn't have to do the kids dirty like that...)
I'm definitely falling in love with this series, flaws and all.
June 29, 2012
Another of my favourite manga series that initially got me interested in Japanese manga and anime, Battle Angel Alita is another classic Japanese manga from the early 1990s.
This series tells the story of an amnesiac female cyborg named Alita, whose head and upper torso are found in a state of suspended animation by cybermedic/bounty hunter Daisuke Ido while he is searching for useful scrap, and follows her as she recovers her past.
Working as a hunter-warrior (Bounty-hunter) Alita meets a young boy who dreams of leaving the Scrapyard for Tiphares. Alita finds herself falling in love with the boy, although she deosn't know what his feelings towards her are.
It soon becomes clear that Hugo is not the innocent he seems, and Alita is forced to make a choice between fulfilling her hunter-warrior code, or becoming a traitor by falling in love with a boy with a bounty on his head.
This series tells the story of an amnesiac female cyborg named Alita, whose head and upper torso are found in a state of suspended animation by cybermedic/bounty hunter Daisuke Ido while he is searching for useful scrap, and follows her as she recovers her past.
Working as a hunter-warrior (Bounty-hunter) Alita meets a young boy who dreams of leaving the Scrapyard for Tiphares. Alita finds herself falling in love with the boy, although she deosn't know what his feelings towards her are.
It soon becomes clear that Hugo is not the innocent he seems, and Alita is forced to make a choice between fulfilling her hunter-warrior code, or becoming a traitor by falling in love with a boy with a bounty on his head.
August 11, 2020
Pretty solid volume! This has been sitting in my 'currently reading' shelf for a while, as I took a bit of break from Manga, but I'm back on this series in full. This volume basically just tells us the story of Alita meeting Hugo, and the main plotline from the film. It was nice to see how this piece of the story played out in the manga and it makes me appreciate the film more as I feel it fleshed out the relationship between these two a bit more than here in the book. The artwork is still very cool, especially when it's a full-page drawing, where you get a lot more detail! Excited to read the next volume!
February 6, 2017
So, spoiler alert, but in this one, at one point, from a panel to the next, a teenager gets his arm ripped off and his girlfriend cuts off his head to keep him alive. That's a new one.
July 31, 2018
While this volume has a deeper story than the first, and the art is just as amazing, it's just not quite as fun. Still damn good, mind, and a worthwhile read for any manga or cyberpunk fan.
February 3, 2019
Mucho mejor que el primer tomo!!
September 24, 2018
Que buena historia. Pero sobre todo, que interesante planteamiento, en el cual expone la cosificación del ser humano, al grado tal, de correr el riesgo de desvalorar la propia vida por priorizar lo material y junto con ello la perdida de la dignidad, así como de valores tan necsarios como la solidaridad, el respeto, la compasión y el amor mismo.
En los ojos de "Galy", nuestra querida andride, descubrimos a profudidad lo complejo y paradojico que son nuestros propios sentimientos. Pero en ella esta esa esperanza que es necesaria recobrar por encima de todas las cosas.
En los ojos de "Galy", nuestra querida andride, descubrimos a profudidad lo complejo y paradojico que son nuestros propios sentimientos. Pero en ella esta esa esperanza que es necesaria recobrar por encima de todas las cosas.
October 4, 2020
Lots more violence in this one. A darker side to the story is unfolding. And also a small hint of romance. While Alita is very smart and skilled, she is still quite naive in many ways. Girl can kick some serious butt, but I question her love interest. He has a dark secret of his own. Although learning of his childhood was so sad. Look forward to continuing!
February 19, 2018
Even better than the first one! I loved the introduction of the new characters and the development of the old ones.
December 16, 2020
I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first volume. Overall the plot was good but I found the romance between Alita and Yugo unbelievable and pretty unnecessary which just ended up irritating me.
January 11, 2020
Overall I enjoyed the second volume of Battle Angel. The story was familiar to me from the old school anime, but the manga added so much more to it I was pleasantly surprised and quite happy with how things turned out.
The artwork is immaculate as always, and shows a very well done dystopian cyberpunk world, with the blending of machine and organics handled really well and drawn in very detailed precision.
I would easily recommend this manga to anyone interested in reading or writing cyberpunk material, or anyone looking for a strong female lead who doesn't follow the standard moe plotlines that you see in a lot of manga like this.
All in all, I recommend you read this series. The world is rich and well thought out, the characters are wonderful and go through actual growth that you can see, and the art is simply magical in just how amazing it is. Well worth it if you can track down the physical books as they would be a treasure in anyone's collection.
The artwork is immaculate as always, and shows a very well done dystopian cyberpunk world, with the blending of machine and organics handled really well and drawn in very detailed precision.
I would easily recommend this manga to anyone interested in reading or writing cyberpunk material, or anyone looking for a strong female lead who doesn't follow the standard moe plotlines that you see in a lot of manga like this.
All in all, I recommend you read this series. The world is rich and well thought out, the characters are wonderful and go through actual growth that you can see, and the art is simply magical in just how amazing it is. Well worth it if you can track down the physical books as they would be a treasure in anyone's collection.
July 7, 2018
Warning! Warning! Really dumb romance ahead! In this volume, Alita falls in love with a street kid named Yugo. She doesn't seem to have any particular reason for falling in love with him except a shallow crush, but then she (SPOILERS PEOPLE) just decides to throw away her life to follow him even before the brat has said anything about his feelings for her... and the fact that he is literally stealing people's spines for the underground market.
Basically, Alita is an idiot. I still like the art, the world building is cool (reminds me a lot of Ghost in the Shell with all the comments on the bottom), and I still think the characters are interesting... but still I can't quite love it.
Basically, Alita is an idiot. I still like the art, the world building is cool (reminds me a lot of Ghost in the Shell with all the comments on the bottom), and I still think the characters are interesting... but still I can't quite love it.
February 12, 2017
Relevant inclusion of technology in the story world and it all fits together (see some of the explanation at the end of this volume (appendixes are many times better than slowing down the plot with info dumps, many times disguised as dialogue). For example, I like the little footnotes describing the technology behind Alita's different fighting abilities and some of the situations.
So cute. Alita falls in love.
So cute. Alita falls in love.
March 17, 2019
An excellent follow-up to Alita’s story that has its cyberpunk action 🤖 , as well as introducing a love interest 💕 for her and a supposed main villain 🕶 (Grade: A).
January 22, 2023
Segundo tomo y que decir..
¡¡¡ES BRUTAAAAAL!!!
Su mundo, su sociedad sucia y cruel, las escenas gores, este manga es la ostia.
Tengo que decir que Alita se enamora demasiado rápido y de una forma muy compulsiva, pero es una niña y es "su primer amor" lo puedo llegar a entender.
Ahora, cualquiera le rompe el corazón, te destroza viv@ 😂😂
¡¡¡ES BRUTAAAAAL!!!
Su mundo, su sociedad sucia y cruel, las escenas gores, este manga es la ostia.
Tengo que decir que Alita se enamora demasiado rápido y de una forma muy compulsiva, pero es una niña y es "su primer amor" lo puedo llegar a entender.
Ahora, cualquiera le rompe el corazón, te destroza viv@ 😂😂
January 20, 2026
Emotional entrapment
A very good book showing her emotional side, and how it is used against her.
Alita has been racking up the bounties, but what happens when she has her first crush and heart break? I have more or less caught up to the animated movie.
A more emotional story bits of action but heart breaking betrayals. An extremely emotionally charged book.
A very good book showing her emotional side, and how it is used against her.
Alita has been racking up the bounties, but what happens when she has her first crush and heart break? I have more or less caught up to the animated movie.
A more emotional story bits of action but heart breaking betrayals. An extremely emotionally charged book.
December 2, 2024
Совершенно неожиданно для меня второй том был посвящён любовной истории. Галли познакомилась с сорванцом Юго и влюбилась в него. Юго мечтает попасть в недоступный город Салем, за что готов заплатить любые деньги. А деньги в городе-свалке обычно зарабатываются не очень честным путём. Галли стоит перед настоящей дилеммой.
Забавный момент есть в томике, когда Галли с грустью спрашивает у своего опекуна, может ли человек полюбить киборга. На ��то тот с улыбкой отвечает, что вокруг почти все люди имеют имплантаты, поэтому ничем не отличаются от киборгов.
Отличная история, в которой можно найти и драму, и комедию, и боевик, и триллер. Ну и немного расчленёнки, куда ж без неё... 9/10.
Забавный момент есть в томике, когда Галли с грустью спрашивает у своего опекуна, может ли человек полюбить киборга. На ��то тот с улыбкой отвечает, что вокруг почти все люди имеют имплантаты, поэтому ничем не отличаются от киборгов.
Отличная история, в которой можно найти и драму, и комедию, и боевик, и триллер. Ну и немного расчленёнки, куда ж без неё... 9/10.
May 1, 2020
I have actually had this volume, published by Viz Media in 1994, sitting on my shelf since... 1994. After I saw the movie last year, I'm finally getting around to reading this.
Battle Angel Alita is very much the sort of "waifu" character that weaboos have long obsessed over: she's tiny, adorable, has a sweet and spunky personality, and she's also an unstoppable death machine. She falls in love with an ordinary scrub named Hugo for no other reason than that he's a cute teenage boy, and she devotes all of her unstoppable death machine powers to protecting him, saving him, and doing his laundry. (Yes, really.)
If you read Alita's story as a long character arc, this is an important stage in her development. In book one, her ancient, indestructible cyborg body is salvaged by Doc Ito, and she awakens and starts learning about the world. Now, she's starting to have normal teenage girl feelings, but she's still an unstoppable death machine in a cyborg body. Hugo is a dreamer with his own tragic backstory, who aspires to get to the sky city of Tiphares. He's been manipulated by Vector, a shady underworld figure who told him that for a ridiculous amount of money, he could get Hugo there. This is clearly (to everyone but Hugo) a scam, but Hugo has devoted himself to this task for three years, and actually accumulated the necessary money... by doing illegal things, which will eventually lead Alita, a law-enforcing Hunter-Warrior, to a no-win situation.
There's actually a fair amount of character development and tragedy conveyed in this sparse volume, despite it being dominated by pages-long mostly speechless manga battles. While it's YA in theme, the graphic novel is quite graphic, in the style of many manga, with bloody dismemberments, decapitations, eviscerations, crushed heads, and so on. Alita manages to constantly look like a perky cutie even when covered in blood and brains.
If you've seen the movie, then you should know it basically compacted the first three volumes of the Battle Angel Alita manga (including this one) into one story. Volume 1 was Alita's origin story, Volume 2 is Alita's first romance, and Volume 3 is Alita becoming a rollerball champion. We get all that at once in James Cameron's movie, which made it rather "busy," plotwise. I think he was trying to cram too much into one movie, but maybe he was worried that he wouldn't get a multiple-movie arc to tell her story. Possibly this became a self-fulfilling prophecy, given the way the movie tanked.
Battle Angel Alita is very much the sort of "waifu" character that weaboos have long obsessed over: she's tiny, adorable, has a sweet and spunky personality, and she's also an unstoppable death machine. She falls in love with an ordinary scrub named Hugo for no other reason than that he's a cute teenage boy, and she devotes all of her unstoppable death machine powers to protecting him, saving him, and doing his laundry. (Yes, really.)
If you read Alita's story as a long character arc, this is an important stage in her development. In book one, her ancient, indestructible cyborg body is salvaged by Doc Ito, and she awakens and starts learning about the world. Now, she's starting to have normal teenage girl feelings, but she's still an unstoppable death machine in a cyborg body. Hugo is a dreamer with his own tragic backstory, who aspires to get to the sky city of Tiphares. He's been manipulated by Vector, a shady underworld figure who told him that for a ridiculous amount of money, he could get Hugo there. This is clearly (to everyone but Hugo) a scam, but Hugo has devoted himself to this task for three years, and actually accumulated the necessary money... by doing illegal things, which will eventually lead Alita, a law-enforcing Hunter-Warrior, to a no-win situation.
There's actually a fair amount of character development and tragedy conveyed in this sparse volume, despite it being dominated by pages-long mostly speechless manga battles. While it's YA in theme, the graphic novel is quite graphic, in the style of many manga, with bloody dismemberments, decapitations, eviscerations, crushed heads, and so on. Alita manages to constantly look like a perky cutie even when covered in blood and brains.
If you've seen the movie, then you should know it basically compacted the first three volumes of the Battle Angel Alita manga (including this one) into one story. Volume 1 was Alita's origin story, Volume 2 is Alita's first romance, and Volume 3 is Alita becoming a rollerball champion. We get all that at once in James Cameron's movie, which made it rather "busy," plotwise. I think he was trying to cram too much into one movie, but maybe he was worried that he wouldn't get a multiple-movie arc to tell her story. Possibly this became a self-fulfilling prophecy, given the way the movie tanked.
September 5, 2025
This volume taught me a lot about Alita's character. Despite how destructive she is, she's very innocent and without her memories, new to the world. So, when she had her first crush, despite not knowing much about him, she fell hard. In my opinion, this humanized her quite a bit. We also get to learn a little bit more about Ido and more about the world they all live in.
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