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銃夢 [Gunnm] #1-9
Battle Angel Alita Complete Collection
Includes print with new art by Yukito Kishiro, plus two additional prints, featuring beautiful metallic coating! The complete cyberpunk classic, now a major Hollywood film! This box set includes all five volumes of Battle Angel Alita plus a brand new book of short stories - more than 2,000 pages of manga - in a collector's box set with special extras.
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 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 those who prey on the weak.
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 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 those who prey on the weak.
2000 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2002
10 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
Yukito Kishiro
340 books374 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 2, 2019
I read this as part of a reading challenge, for which I needed to find a book that has a movie based on it coming out in 2019. I loved Avatar, and knew that I wanted to see Alita: Battle Angel, so this was a no brainer. I'm a graphic novel person, but I've never really gravitated to Manga before, other than a brief infatuation with Planetes, Volume 1. So it is genuinely with surprise that I need to report I fell for Gunnm *hard*, while the movie left me feeling pretty *meh*.
It wasn't a love-at-first sight thing. The first storyline of Gunnm left me yawning a little, and not terribly invested in this world. The plot felt mostly like an excuse for fighting, and some of the more annoying manga tropes - a sexy female lead with no other women in sight, and a visual style that is all about whipping hair and big eyes, and world-building that seem unnecessarily weird, just annoyed me.
But from the second story arc, my infatuation grew. A story arc which comes across as painfully emo and irritating in the movie, is much more mature (and yes, darker) in the manga, the very ridiculousness and immaturity of the love interest driving the plot into more poignant, not less, territory. It takes a certain flair to introduce a love interest who hijacks and rips peoples spines out for money, and the shifting moral universe that Alita/Gunnm has to navigate moves to centrestage at this point, driving character development and audience engagement for the rest of this collection. As the action scenes decrease in frequency, Kishiro gets more innovative with panel layouts, and the simplicity and power of the art became a real draw for me. The book starts to draw (heh!) a much wider range of female characters, and the growing cast gives the sense of shifting understandings of goodies and baddies, what survival choices are acceptable and which are not, and even what strategies to create change are useful and which are not - and how you recover from a bad choice, and a devastating outcome.
And yes, it is still manga. So somehow this is explored through plots which are totally cheesy (but never predictable!), worldbuilding which is both very detailed and yet based on whacky ideas about technology, and not infrequent boobs (and abs) shots. The fan service was more mild than I expected, though, more gender equal than I expected, and not particularly irritating to me. YMMV. Oh, and a lot of whipping hair.
I honestly could care less if there is a sequel to Alita: Battle Angel, but I've already bought Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (Omnibuses). I haven't felt this invigorated around graphic storytelling for quite some time.
**Read for 2019 Reading Challenge #1. A book becoming a movie in 2019
It wasn't a love-at-first sight thing. The first storyline of Gunnm left me yawning a little, and not terribly invested in this world. The plot felt mostly like an excuse for fighting, and some of the more annoying manga tropes - a sexy female lead with no other women in sight, and a visual style that is all about whipping hair and big eyes, and world-building that seem unnecessarily weird, just annoyed me.
But from the second story arc, my infatuation grew. A story arc which comes across as painfully emo and irritating in the movie, is much more mature (and yes, darker) in the manga, the very ridiculousness and immaturity of the love interest driving the plot into more poignant, not less, territory. It takes a certain flair to introduce a love interest who hijacks and rips peoples spines out for money, and the shifting moral universe that Alita/Gunnm has to navigate moves to centrestage at this point, driving character development and audience engagement for the rest of this collection. As the action scenes decrease in frequency, Kishiro gets more innovative with panel layouts, and the simplicity and power of the art became a real draw for me. The book starts to draw (heh!) a much wider range of female characters, and the growing cast gives the sense of shifting understandings of goodies and baddies, what survival choices are acceptable and which are not, and even what strategies to create change are useful and which are not - and how you recover from a bad choice, and a devastating outcome.
And yes, it is still manga. So somehow this is explored through plots which are totally cheesy (but never predictable!), worldbuilding which is both very detailed and yet based on whacky ideas about technology, and not infrequent boobs (and abs) shots. The fan service was more mild than I expected, though, more gender equal than I expected, and not particularly irritating to me. YMMV. Oh, and a lot of whipping hair.
I honestly could care less if there is a sequel to Alita: Battle Angel, but I've already bought Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (Omnibuses). I haven't felt this invigorated around graphic storytelling for quite some time.
**Read for 2019 Reading Challenge #1. A book becoming a movie in 2019
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May 20, 2025
Alita is a remarkably well-developed character. Initially innocent and curious, she quickly reveals an innate warrior spirit and an ancient martial art known as Panzer Kunst. Her quest to understand her origins and purpose drives the narrative, making her both empathetic and incredibly fierce. She grapples with themes of humanity, identity and the meaning of life in a world where organic and mechanical merge.
March 16, 2019
Круто продуманий всесвіт... цікава манга но трішки в середині затягнута...
June 13, 2021
2.5
liked the first two volumes a lot, but the rest was just so messy. nice art though.
liked the first two volumes a lot, but the rest was just so messy. nice art though.
March 22, 2018
All nine volumes of the manga series, comprising around 2,000 pages. A classic of Japanese cyberpunk SF, with countless fans and a litany of works it influenced. The story follows the exploits of a cyborg girl with incredible talent for combat in a grim far-future undercity called the Scrapyard. Her adventures see her taking on various roles: vigilante, sports star, freedom fighter, assassin, mercenary - and each of the nine volumes and eight story arcs is filled with memorable supporting characters. The artwork starts impressive and only improves, with Kishiro able to capture both sweeping vistas and complex, minute details (though the T&A quotient rises also). While a lot of the stories focus on ideas of humanity, or lack thereof, the most interesting lens I found to read it through was a political one. The world of Alita is a grotesquely unequal one, but within that clear haves-versus-have-nots dynamic, Kishiro paints an awful lot of nuance with different characters' perspectives, aspirations and ideologies. Also recurring are questions of who is allowed - and able - to weild both destructive and creative power.
On top of all of that, of course, is an enormous amount of action. Martial arts with cyborg combatants features a staggering amount of detailed and grisly violence and gore, and even minor conflicts can get obscenely graphic. Combined with the exaggerated, cartoonish ugliness of so many of the supporting cast, Kishiro is able to really bring out feelings of revulsion.
My praise isn't unreserved, though. While the action and fight scenes are visually impressive, the pacing can drag, and the viscera can get stale when Alita's opponent has been reduced to putty but keep on fighting through some trick or other. There is also, for a lot of the series, a fixation on women and girls who are "damaged" in some way: serious physical and psychological trauma are common throughout the cast, but only with the female characters is this trauma something that can be supported through paternal or romantic love. It's not until Alita's operator Lou in the last third of the series that we get a woman other than the main character who has much self-determination.
All that said, it's a hell of a read, even with its length (and this is just the first THIRD of the Alita story!!). I can see why it was such a big hit, and so influential. Maybe someday I'll pick up part two.
On top of all of that, of course, is an enormous amount of action. Martial arts with cyborg combatants features a staggering amount of detailed and grisly violence and gore, and even minor conflicts can get obscenely graphic. Combined with the exaggerated, cartoonish ugliness of so many of the supporting cast, Kishiro is able to really bring out feelings of revulsion.
My praise isn't unreserved, though. While the action and fight scenes are visually impressive, the pacing can drag, and the viscera can get stale when Alita's opponent has been reduced to putty but keep on fighting through some trick or other. There is also, for a lot of the series, a fixation on women and girls who are "damaged" in some way: serious physical and psychological trauma are common throughout the cast, but only with the female characters is this trauma something that can be supported through paternal or romantic love. It's not until Alita's operator Lou in the last third of the series that we get a woman other than the main character who has much self-determination.
All that said, it's a hell of a read, even with its length (and this is just the first THIRD of the Alita story!!). I can see why it was such a big hit, and so influential. Maybe someday I'll pick up part two.
September 29, 2022
What is to be a human being? Is what I asked myself once I finished reading this book.
Alita is a Cyborg that was saved by Dr. Ido. She has a dark past related to a Martian war but she doesn't really know who she is.
Through tribulations as a fighter and a motor ball competitor she manages to find a new purpose for herself.
The world is really fascinating, how people live in the slums of the scrapyard to the mysterious and evil place of Tiphares to the endless dessert of the world.
It's also full with some interesting characters and character design.
I began to read the comic after watching the movie, and while I'm grateful for being introduced to the series. The movie is so good that the begining parts of the comic seem a bit dull and somewhat boring, at least until we see Alita leave the scrapyard and roam the earth as an agent.
Alita is a Cyborg that was saved by Dr. Ido. She has a dark past related to a Martian war but she doesn't really know who she is.
Through tribulations as a fighter and a motor ball competitor she manages to find a new purpose for herself.
The world is really fascinating, how people live in the slums of the scrapyard to the mysterious and evil place of Tiphares to the endless dessert of the world.
It's also full with some interesting characters and character design.
I began to read the comic after watching the movie, and while I'm grateful for being introduced to the series. The movie is so good that the begining parts of the comic seem a bit dull and somewhat boring, at least until we see Alita leave the scrapyard and roam the earth as an agent.
June 12, 2024
This was good, but not great, and the story never really grabbed me. I pushed on for a while, but ended up DNFing in the middle of the motorball storyline. Alita's memory loss makes her a very unbelievable character, and the things that motivate her just don't seem real - I never bought her crush on Yugo. She just seems like the author/artist's own personal fantasy of a martial arts sex doll. In general, women just don't seem to be well done in this series. They're all infantilized to a terrifying and creepy degree which takes away from the seeming empowerment of Alita's martial prowess.
Overall, this was lacking emotional depth for me. There's a semi-decent plot, but with flimsy characterisation, I just wasn't invested.
Overall, this was lacking emotional depth for me. There's a semi-decent plot, but with flimsy characterisation, I just wasn't invested.
January 2, 2018
Battle Angel Alita was definitely the most consistently weird book/manga I have read in a while. The essence of cyberpunk/biopunk, every panel in this manga has another STRANGE and weird image. The illustration gets better and better as the series progresses but unfortunately so does the fan service. In traditional manga fashion, the 'technology' and 'science' doesn't actually make any sense and often seems pulled out of a hat at the last minute. But worth it for the wild wackiness and sad loneliness of everyone in the desolate, post-apocalyptic, technology-driven future.
May 4, 2019
This is my first manga series and I'm not planning on reading any more of them, so I don't know how to really judge a manga. But I have to say that the last book tied everything up really well, and my 4 star goes to Kishiro's unbelievable world-building and conclusion on this story.
There were too many volumes than necessary, and the story struggles to stay on the track at the last few volumes. But I really liked the way the manga ended. With biblical and philosophical references, with the well-thought-out history of Tipheres, it exceeded my expectations.
There were too many volumes than necessary, and the story struggles to stay on the track at the last few volumes. But I really liked the way the manga ended. With biblical and philosophical references, with the well-thought-out history of Tipheres, it exceeded my expectations.
January 12, 2023
Pretty fantastic, the first six volumes are better than the last three, and the final chapters that I guess is now an old ending is a little middling, but I truly adored this. The author does a great job of giving even reprehensible monsters lovely send offs.
Read
January 24, 2025Very much my shit. Really loved the volume of side stories and found myself thoroughly engaged throughout the entire series. Alita is such a cool character. I loved her short lived time as a bar singer doing Yes covers.
February 10, 2019
Full of over-the-top action sequences, larger-than-life characters, and some rewarding, incremental world-building.
August 28, 2020
Brutal.
Read
April 25, 2022Purtroppo volume non completo. Dovrò cercare il resto della saga.
June 5, 2023
Robots pum kboom ratatau
December 9, 2021
“My body is a mere vessel. You cannot kill the real me. So shoot, enjoy the brief taste of victory.”
December 16, 2024
Me parece que es uno de los mejores mangas escritos hasta la fecha, me sorprende que no tenga el reconocimiento que tienen otras
obras.
GUNNM comienza cuando Ido, un doctor cibernético encuentra a una chica robot en el basurero y decide repararla. Así nace Gally.
El manga es la historia de Gally creciendo y buscándose a sí misma (en muchos sentidos). Llena de peleas, ciencia, tecnología y filosofía, Kishiro Yukito nos da uno de los mejores mangas de la historia.
Lo primero y más importante para mí fue lo bien escrita que está Gally. Se me hace increíble y digno de resaltar que un Seinen de peleas cuenta con una protagonista de este calibre. Uno vive con Gally y va creciendo junto con ella, es muy fácil entrar en su mundo pero una vez dentro nos topamos con los problemas y preguntas que ella también tiene.
La construcción de mundo es notable, aunque no impecable pues a veces puede llegar a tener unos deus ex machina anticlimáticos. Todos los personajes se sienten con un propósito en la trama y se desarrollan los que deben ser desarrollados.
Hay bastantes peleas llenas de acción. Personalmente no me gustan las peleas pero la forma en la que se manejan aquí me resultó interesante.
Ahora sí lo malo, el dibujo y el final.
Es tremendamente evidente la evolución del dibujo de Yukito. Al principio del manga muchos de los paneles resultaban confusos y sin sentido. Esto es un aspecto importante de un manga por lo que me parece necesario destacarlo. Este manga no tiene el arte de series como Berserk. Pero conforme avanza va mejorando, demasiado.
El final se siente incompleto, apresurado, anticlimático. Este manga tenía mucho potencial y el final fue un barranco por el que todo se cayó. Siento que se pudo terminar de la misma forma pero mejor construido.
En general, un gran manga. Uno de mis favoritos.
Una historia original, diferente e imperdible.
obras.
GUNNM comienza cuando Ido, un doctor cibernético encuentra a una chica robot en el basurero y decide repararla. Así nace Gally.
El manga es la historia de Gally creciendo y buscándose a sí misma (en muchos sentidos). Llena de peleas, ciencia, tecnología y filosofía, Kishiro Yukito nos da uno de los mejores mangas de la historia.
Lo primero y más importante para mí fue lo bien escrita que está Gally. Se me hace increíble y digno de resaltar que un Seinen de peleas cuenta con una protagonista de este calibre. Uno vive con Gally y va creciendo junto con ella, es muy fácil entrar en su mundo pero una vez dentro nos topamos con los problemas y preguntas que ella también tiene.
La construcción de mundo es notable, aunque no impecable pues a veces puede llegar a tener unos deus ex machina anticlimáticos. Todos los personajes se sienten con un propósito en la trama y se desarrollan los que deben ser desarrollados.
Hay bastantes peleas llenas de acción. Personalmente no me gustan las peleas pero la forma en la que se manejan aquí me resultó interesante.
Ahora sí lo malo, el dibujo y el final.
Es tremendamente evidente la evolución del dibujo de Yukito. Al principio del manga muchos de los paneles resultaban confusos y sin sentido. Esto es un aspecto importante de un manga por lo que me parece necesario destacarlo. Este manga no tiene el arte de series como Berserk. Pero conforme avanza va mejorando, demasiado.
El final se siente incompleto, apresurado, anticlimático. Este manga tenía mucho potencial y el final fue un barranco por el que todo se cayó. Siento que se pudo terminar de la misma forma pero mejor construido.
En general, un gran manga. Uno de mis favoritos.
Una historia original, diferente e imperdible.
November 26, 2016
Başta kurgulanan dünyasını eksikliği ve tutarsızlığı olmak üzere anında kurulan ve anlamsız gelen karakter ilişkileri, bu dünyada yaşayan insanların sanki 1.bölümden itibaren var olmaları, gereksiz hissettirecek kısımlar, zaman zaman martial arts türüne bürünmesi, karakterlerin akıl olarak düşük seviyede kalması, ana karakter Alita dışındaki karakterlerin ilgi çekici bir yanlarının bulunmaması ve ortaya çıkan bazı karakterlerin çok kolay harcanabileneceğini okuyucuya hissettirmesi sebeplerinden ötürü beklediğimi alamadım. Açıkçası hikâye potansiyelinin çok altında işlenmiş.
2018'de çıkacak animasyon filminden beklentilerim daha fazla. James Cameron'ın ciddi değişiklikler yapacağını düşünüyorum.
2018'de çıkacak animasyon filminden beklentilerim daha fazla. James Cameron'ın ciddi değişiklikler yapacağını düşünüyorum.
September 21, 2013
I can see now why this series is a manga cult hit, to say nothing of why James Cameron bought the rights. The story and art both hit their stride at the beginning of the sixth volume and took off: while it all started off rough and, from a story perspective sort of disjointed, by the end of volume 6 you don't want to put it down.
Though the connection with the "Last Order" series means the very end of this one doesn't happen (it's a sequel - whaddaya want?), as a stand alone story it left a big smile on my face and hope that maybe we can escape our karma...
Though the connection with the "Last Order" series means the very end of this one doesn't happen (it's a sequel - whaddaya want?), as a stand alone story it left a big smile on my face and hope that maybe we can escape our karma...
March 25, 2019
Definitivamente Gally/Alita se va a mi lista de personajes protagónicos femeninos favoritos. Disfrute demasiado todas sus facetas descubriendose como humana y como cyborg. Amé que su historia no estuviera tan centrada en los personajes secundarios que funcionan como intereses amorosos.
Esta historia tiene sus altos y bajos, pero sin duda es imperdible para los que nos gusta leer manga.
Esta historia tiene sus altos y bajos, pero sin duda es imperdible para los que nos gusta leer manga.
October 20, 2016
awesooooome
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews