Product Details

• Actors: Miki Itô, Amanda Winn Lee, Shunsuke Kariya, Kappei Yamaguchi, Mami Koyama
• Directors: Hiroshi Fukutomi
• Writers: Akinori Endo, Yukito Kishiro
• Producers: Joichi Sugito, Kazuhiko Ikeguchi, Matt Greenfield
• Format: Animated, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Adv Films
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 70 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304534647
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,590 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This film contains graphic violence and brief nudity.

Known as Gunnm in Japan and then Battle Angel Alita to Western manga readers, Battle Angel (in all of its incarnations) is now part of the canon of Blade Runner-inspired anime cyberpunk.

The film version follows a "Hunter Warrior" and cyborg healer named Ido. Ido formerly lived in the floating land of Zalem (Tiphares in the book), the paradise that hovers over the refuse heap of Scrap Iron City in which he now resides with his former lover, Chiren. In his travels as a bounty hunter (killing spine thieves in a world in which human nerve tissue has become the most precious commodity), Ido one day discovers and repairs the remnants of a cyborg whom he names Gally (Alita in the manga). Though possessing the body of a young woman, Gally embodies Ido's most sophisticated and lethal cybernetic skill. In the first episode on the DVD, "Rusty Angel," Gally challenges Chiren's own creation, Greweicia--a brain-eating gladiator--to a death match. In "Tears Sign" Gally discovers that her first love, Yugo, has put himself in the employ of the spine trader Vector so that he can earn his way, he thinks, to Zalem. Gally confronts her fellow bounty hunters to protect Yugo, only to watch him horribly wounded in a plot to capture her for Vector.

Yukito Kishiro's finely detailed line drawings in the original manga (like a cleaner version of Miyazaki's style in the Nausicaa books) are impossible to translate into film. What the film loses in detail, however, it makes up for in its intense action sequences and shadowy mixtures of color and a darkly cinematic soundtrack. Anime fans should be prepared for some pretty graphic violence--including some horrific scenes of decapitation. Also, the action keeps the plot moving at breakneck speed, so character development often seems to happen in leaps; you'll want to read the books to learn more about Gally/Alita and her world.

For English speakers, the DVD is best watched in the original Japanese with subtitles. The dubbing seems to raise the pitch of everyone's voice, changing the mood of the film from tragic-cool to slightly comical. Gally's English is especially annoying. With her original Japanese voice (sometimes childlike and sometimes a seductive whisper), she is a perfectly deadly heroine with a leather-clad style that anticipates The Matrix. --Patrick O'Kelley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rare gem of an anime., April 30, 2000

By 

anime critic (Moscow ,russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Angel [VHS] (VHS Tape)

available.

Anyone who has read the manga will immediately notice a few things. First of all, there are several different titles. The Japanese manga is titled Gunnm, while the American version is called Battle Angel Alita. This anime is simply entitled Battle Angel. This two-part series is based on the first two volumes of the manga, however there are several changes. In the manga, the main character is called Alita, but she has been renamed "Gally" in the anime. Also, the mysterious floating city has changed from Tiphares to Zalem. Outside of this, it follows the stories from the manga, but has been altered to fit into two half-hour episodes.

At its core, Battle Angel is a story of love, hope, and heartbreak. The story blends lightning-paced action, emotional drama, and compelling mystery. What struck me was that it pulls it off so seamlessly. The flow is nearly perfect, and not once did my suspension of disbelief wane in the slightest.

The character are simply excellent. No one seems "fake", for they all have realistic traits and flaws. This heightens their believability and makes it easier to become attached to them. One thing I noted is that Gally is not your typical anime android. While from the neck up she looks human, the rest of her body is very mechanical. This is a welcome break from the traditional prosthetic ani-babes which plague many other titles.

The art is very good, capturing the grittiness of the scrap yard perfectly. The animation is also pretty decent, especially during the action sequences.

If there is anything to complain about it's that this series is far too short. The manga version is very extensive, and this series could easily have been a couple dozen episodes in length. The short length also leaves little room for all the answers to the questions posed. Fans will have to turn to the manga for a complete revelation of all the secrets behind Gally.

Overall, this is a rare gem of an anime. A dark, depressing sci-fi world with superb characters and an excellent storyline. I recommend this to any fan of science fiction

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A horrific sci-fi story about violence and love!!, March 25, 2005

By 

Francisco Corts - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battle Angel (DVD)

Good:
* Intense blood and gore.
* Deep storyline (easy to understand).
* Cool character desing (so look alike to the anime in Kill Bill).
* Great action scenes with good animation (there were like 3 or 4 action scenes).

Bad:
* The graphics were kind of smudgy.
* Sad story.

The story is simple because is about this robot girl called Gally who want to become an assasin for hire so she can get a better life but later the problems become more complicated.
This anime is not those who seeks for action-packed, this is more like a violent movie but is still a classic and very recomended for anime fans.

P.S: The english dub was GREAT but way to overacted at times, I think the voices were better than the acting but is worth to hear, so don't pay to much attention to the other people because is not THAT bad. In fact! this is one of the best dubs I ever heard since Princess Mononoke and Twilight of the Darkmaster.

Adios!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The universe manifests, April 5, 2004

By 

zar omar (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Angel (DVD)

Unique, beautiful, and well story-lined.
This is number one in my anime collection. Just about every bad review gotten for this movie was because of people who read the manga and therefor had major bias since a movie will just about never be the way you pictured it would be from reading it.

Joy, love and peace.