Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 1: Rusty Angel [Paperback]

Yukito Kishiro (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 1995

When Doc Ido, a talented cyberphysician, finds Alita's head in a junk heap, she has lost all memory of her past life. But when he reconstructs her, she discovers her body still instinctively remembers the Panzer Kunst, the most powerful cyborg fighting technique ever known. In the postapocalyptic world of the Scrapyard, as the secrets of Alita's past unfold, each day is a struggle for survival.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the first volume of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita, Daisuke Ido discovers a badly damaged cyborg in the trash heap beneath the floating city of Tiphares, which he rebuilds and names Alita. She has no memory of her previous life, but when she is drawn into a battle with the monster Makaku, Alita realizes that she must uncover the dark secrets of her past.

Kishiro's story is much more than a science-fiction adventure. Woven into the violent, roller-coaster plot is a strand of philosophical speculation. Battle Angel Alita takes us to a world where technology blurs the boundaries between human and machine, begging the question "What makes us who we are?"

About the Author

When he was only seventeen, Yukito Kishiro was nominated for Japanese publisher Shogakukan's Best New Comic award. Creator of other popular VIZ Media series Aqua Knight, Ashen Victor, and Battle Angel Alita, Kishiro is known for his strong characters, original settings, and intricate, lifelike artwork.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (July 6, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569310033
• ISBN-13: 978-1569310038
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When he was only seventeen, Yukito Kishiro was nominated for Japanese publisher Shogakukan's Best New Comic award. Creator of other popular VIZ Media series Aqua Knight, Ashen Victor, and Battle Angel Alita, Kishiro is known for his strong characters, original settings, and intricate, lifelike artwork.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awakening and Compassion, January 7, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 1: Rusty Angel (Paperback)

There are several manga series that enjoy popularity in the US, but have never completely broken through to best-seller status here. We seem to be too much influenced by the availability of a corresponding anime film or series. With manga like 'Battle Angel Alita,' this is a particular shame since I think the comic would make a perfect transition to automation. Yukito Kishiro's art is graphic and finely detailed, there is a tremendous amount of action, with plots that are full of unique twists.

The story opens with Ido Daisake, part time hunter-warrior, part time humble repairman, pawing through piles of technological super junk for robot parts. Unexpectedly, he finds the head and torso of an attractive cyborg and sets out to rebuild her. After some work collecting what he needs, Alita (named for his dead cat) is up, about, and in trouble. Alita, it turns out, has surprising battle skills, and sets out to become a hunter-warrior herself. The second half of the manga tells the story of Alita's first major conflict - with Makaku, another cyborg who is all head and tail (except when he is 'borrowing' what parts he pleases).

All of this takes place in the ground level (and sewer) of a Bladerunner-esque under-city called the Scrap Yard. It is the industrial plant and trash can for Tiphares, the upscale city in the clouds where jury-built cyborgs never get to go. Most residents are at least partly artificial and many are like Alita, a brain and central nervous system inside a mechanical contrivance. Despite all this dehumanization, Alita manages to be more than a machine operator. Somehow, her ethics and humanity have survived the fall to make this series much more than a choreographed hack and disassemble story. This is a manga with exceptional artistic and narrative values.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!, January 10, 2000

By 

Jason Barone (Tiphares) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 1: Rusty Angel (Paperback)

From the moment I picked this up, to the end, I was totally enthralled. This is definetly #2 on my list of Good Manga, #1 being the Nausicaa series. This manga tells the story of Alita, a 300 year old cyborg, and the man who "raised" her, Ido. Ido is a bounty hunter, and Alita decides to follow Ido, and registers as a hunter. This volume tells of Alita's bouts with Makaku, a horrid brain-eating monster. YOU MUST READ THIS! The art was incredible, and the story engrossing, and amazingly emotional. This is a definite must-read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, September 8, 2005

By 

Collector "fan" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 1: Rusty Angel (Paperback)

This manga was one of the few series that were able to cut to the core of me. The world our main character Gally lives in is a cold and dangerous place where anyone you care for could die at anytime. Fighting loneliness and fear she struggles to find meaning in her life. I think anybody that reads this book will understand what it feels to live in a bleak world full of terrible things that you just can't understand. We've all been there...where the world seems to loom over you and you just want to give up. Gally is an android but just as human as you and me. At times she wants to give up...but she will inspire her readers by getting up once again to face the dark world she lives in. The art is a bit grimy and messier than the newer mangas, but it fits the atmosphere of the story perfectly. You can even see it improving with each volume. This is the best manga I have read to date. And I highly recommend it to anyone that is willing to look at the world in a honest light.