Alien Nine: Book One [Paperback]

Hitoshi Tomizawa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003 | Series: Alien Nine (Book 1)

In the future, alien invasion is a daily occurrence, and Elementary School #9 has assigned new sixth-grader Yuri and two other students to fight off the dangerous extraterrestrial threat. Even worse, she has to wear a creepy symbiotic alien helmet to get the job done - gross!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As if sixth grade weren't filled with enough academic and social problems for the average 12-year-old, some of the students in Elementary 9 have the added worry of saving the world-or at least their school district-from alien monsters. Every year since the aliens first made contact some 14 years ago, a select group of students are elected to be the "alien party." This group of three protectors must bond with an alien "borg" to save the school and the surrounding area. Alien party members Kasumi and Kumi know what they're getting in to when they are elected to this position; but the third member, Yuri, doesn't. Yuri is terrified, not only of the job and its responsibilities, but also of her symbiotic alien partner who now lives off of her body's waste materials. Although aliens bonding with humans to be a type of superhero or savior isn't new in manga, taking precocious pre-teens, dressing them in skater gear, adding an almost-adorable alien headpiece and letting the new team supreme loose to snag aliens breaks from the standard "boy-bonds-with-alien-and-defeats-enemies" motif. Tomizawa is a minimalist with most of the art, but when he does open up on a panel or page, his art is bold and effective. In an interview at the end of this work, he says he's a science fiction fan, and astute readers will see nods to Larry Niven, Star Trek and many other sci-fi icons within these pages.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: CPM Manga (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586648918
• ISBN-13: 978-1586648916
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, intense, amazing. A sleeper hit to behold!, January 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Alien Nine: Book One (Paperback)

When I first read this, I was both confused and amazed. Now that I've read through the series and watched the anime of it, I must say that Alien Nine is indeed one of the best mangas out there.
I disagree with the other review; the story does have a nice flow to it. You can read it at pretty much any time, since each Operation is somewhat short. But to get the full force of the story, you must either watch or read it in one sitting (there are three, four soon, mangas and a 4 episode OVA.)
The characters,Kawamura Kumi,Tomine Kasumi, and Otani Yuri, are easy to relate to and seem to depict something: Yuri is reluctant into the Alien Fighter Party and she is very easily frightened, usually sad, and scared. Kumi is indepentent; though her lonliness sets in. Kasumi is cheerful, but it's only hiding her true feelings.
Sure, this is a Sci-fi manga; Aliens are constantly screwing things up and these sixth-grade girls have to defend the school (which I never really got, since the aliens are kind of a threat to the world...), and have to wear symbiotic alien helmets on their heads to protect them (which Yuri dislikes deeply).
This is amazing. Reading it gives you such a feeling, you have to do something. I wrote this review!
The only real flaw to Alien Nine... is that... well, my biggest was Yuri, since she is such a whiner... but you can ignore that for the most part. The anime isn't as enjoyable as the manga (its shorter), but it goes into deep meaning, with much... the word slipped my mind. The manga is intense, fun, shocking, and overall amazing, like I've said. Oh, and the 16 and up rating you can pretty much ignore, but this isn't just kids' stuff. The violence is intense, though not greusome...is that spelled right?)
If you are into aliens, sci-fi anything, manga, anime, intensity, deep meaning, or pretty much anything, there is a big chance you'll love this, just like me. ^___^

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story of growth & confrontation, May 11, 2004

By 

"ronny1661" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alien Nine: Book One (Paperback)

Alien Nine is one of those manga which grab you and won't let go. The basic premise is weird: three schoolgirls are selected for the "Alien Party", whose job is to capture aliens invading their school. To do this they wear aliens called "Borg" on their heads which lend them some startling offensive and defensive abilities.

Yuri is presented as the protagonist... and she's a terrible crybaby and whiner. She tries to be courageous sometimes, but never seems to hold it up for long. She's the sort of person you feel sorry for, not the sort of person you long to be. Yuri was unwillingly drafted into the Alien Party, voted in by her class.

However, Yuri is the anchor for the rest of the "cast". Kumi is independent and intelligent, and has been class president for several years - she joins the Alien Party to get out of being class president. Kasumi is athletic and capable, but lonely - she joins the Alien Party for the challenge.

While Yuri changes very little through the manga, Kumi and Kasumi change a great deal (in sometimes unexpected ways - I'm trying not to spoil the surprise here). They become very protective of Yuri and are determined to save her some of their painful experiences. In doing so they sometimes confront challenges which their mentor, Ms. Hisakawa, believes to be barely within their capabilities.

In the beginning of the manga, a lot of things don't make much sense. Why must the clearly homicidal aliens be spared? Why are they invading? What are the Borg and why are they helping? Why does Ms. Hisakawa throw the girls into situations where they seem to be clearly out of their depth?

The answers unfold over the four volumes of the manga - it's at times disturbing, at times fun, and at times pretty crazy. Its one of the few manga I've read where, upon finishing, I started re-reading it all over again from the beginning. The first manga, as a standalone volume, is pretty puzzling, but with the other three volumes it's a deep and coherent whole.

Fair warning: The imagery can get pretty intense. Gruesome alien guts splattered all over the page. The humans are rarely so badly injured... but it happens. Perhaps more importantly, the emotions confronted can get pretty raw. Despite the cute girls with their button noses, this is not fare for small kids. It's rated 16+, which is probably sensible, though a mature younger teenager wouldn't have trouble with it. I'd suggest reading through it yourself before giving it to younger teens.

Heck. I suggest reading through it yourself, period. Despite its sometimes gruesome content, this is excellent stuff.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Umm Okay??, July 9, 2003

By 

M. L. Courtney "snshijuptr" (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alien Nine: Book One (Paperback)

I just finished reading the first book and I am totally confused. The writing style lacks flow and the individual stories (called Operations) are too short to really explain what going on. The borgs are introduced without a clear idea of why. It is not made clear why there is even a battle between humans and aliens. There isn't any character development. The only reason I want to keep reading is to figure out what the heck is going on. If you want to see this story I would recommend trying the anime, it might flow more though I haven't seen it.