Title: Battle Angel Alita
Series: Deluxe Edition Vol. 2
Author(s): Yukito Kishiro
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Format: Hardcover – Deluxe Edition
Release Date: January 18th 2018
Pages: 400
Genre(s): Manga, Science Fiction
ISBN13: 9781632365996
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Also in Battle Angel Alita:
Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 by Yukito Kishiro.
Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 by Yukito Kishiro.
Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition Vol. 4 by Yukito Kishiro.
Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition Vol. 5 by Yukito Kishiro.
Battle Angel Alita: Holy Night and Other Stories by Yukito Kishiro.
Bringing her back to life might have seemed like a brilliant initiative for cyber-doctor Daisuke Ido, but for Alita it has only been a realization of all the things she has yet to learn, but also remember, as she continues to figtht off the curveballs that life throws at her. Collecting book 3 and 4 of the original classic cyberpunk manga series, Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition 2 brings us a beautiful collection that reminds everyone that martial arts can still be as beautiful as it is deadly, especially when it comes from a killer cyborg.
The story now ventures in unexpected territories by driving both Daisuke Ido and Alita away from The Scrapyard where they first met in order to embrace the brutal world of Motorball. This sport gathers some of the most deadliest cyborgs into a high-octane circuit where players race to capture an unconventional ball and bring it to the finish line. However, players are allowed to channel their craziest and most dangerous strategies and techniques to destabilize and destroy their opponents in order to prevail. There’s nothing like a nice little competition to highlight the best parts of ourselves, right?
The direction the story went was a bit surprising (there was no hint of this sport before), but it is definitely an entertaining story-telling decision. Following a tragedy that shocks Alita to the core early in this volume, she turns to a deadly sport to seek salvation, regardless of the sport’s cathartic purposes. It being a distraction (and an emotional release) for the “forgotten” and “exiled” population sort of brings you to also draw parallels with the real world and all the different sports we watch religiously. What made this particularly enjoyable is that the focus on this Motorball sport offered the author to further demonstrate and exploit Alita’s combat style. Similar to what we see Alita accomplish in the past, this story arc gives us the opportunity to enjoy extremely fast-paced action sequences and all the violence that comes with it; there’s no holding back on the gore here.
Just when you start thinking that the gore might have been toned down in this volume, you get caught off guard by some nasty moments. I won’t even lie and mention how ridiculous it can get it; so ridiculous that it sometimes turned out to be undeniably hilarious. The artwork does a nice job in emphasizing the violence and making it more impressive than disgusting. You also still find a balanced inclusion of morals that help deliver some iconic moments, as well as some world-building scientific concepts to immerse you into the world. While the volume in itself felt like a detour from the main track, it was without a doubt a fun ride that kept me glued to the pages till the end. The final chapters in particular went into overdrive and really delivered the final blow with a lot of pizzazz. I got a feeling that what Alita will learn from all this and what she will seek out in the next volumes will probably start to get much more heavier and serious.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Did you know we were getting a live-action adaptation of our little Alita soon? Check out the trailer above!
Roars and Echoes 
Great review!
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Thanks! 🙂
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Terrific post as always. You already know that I am a huge Alita fan, and I am really looking forward to reading this. But as I also mentioned I am currently in the middle of a mangaseries that is the best I have read so far.
The violence in this manga is totally over the top at times, but it somehow suits the character of Alita. She is awesome and hands down one of my alltime favorite manga characters! Hopefully you will continue to enjoy the upcoming volumes 😀
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Thanks Michel, I appreciate the kind words. I’m definitely digging the manga so far and hope to get through everything Alita-related (prequel, sequel, anime, you name it). I’ll however probably have to lower my expectations a lot for the movie in December though. Live-action movies based on mangas/animes are super tricky… The violence is epic, man. I can only imagine how much more intense it can get. I’m definitely looking forward to how the action scenes will translate in the movie though. It’s probably going to be beautiful in its own way, based on the trailer alone!
Now.. You have to tell me what you’re reading man! When someone who has as much experience as you says they’re reading the BEST manga series ever, it has to mean SOMETHING!
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Alita is certainly one of my favorites when it comes to Manga, but that’s mostly because of the character itself which I think is awesome. True enough, turning a succesful manga into a live action adaptation is usually not something that was very succesful in the past. The first trailer looked pretty promising …but it’s a trailer, and those are not always dependable either 😂😂
Haha, I’m flattered that you say I have a lot of experience but when it comes to manga I’m really more of a noob. Haven’t read much of those I am afraid. The manga I am currently reading is Monster. It’s a truly chilling story and one that I highly recommend 😊😊
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Oh my God, I used to watch that anime back in high school!!!! Massive throwback 😂 Thanks for reminding me of it. Now I do feel like revisiting the manga! 😏 Enjoy your time with it, sir!
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Lol…I definitely am enjoying it…it’s very hard to put down, that’s for sure 😊😊
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I want to see this film still. The comics look great aswell
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Same here. It’s actually the reason why I’m even exploring the manga right now! Hopefully it’ll turn out epic. 😀 Thanks for dropping by, sir!
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I have no desire to actually read this, but just from looking at the little slide of the book itself, I’m really coveting it.
I have to say, most of the time I don’t envy you your blogging status and the responsibilities that go with it. But at a time like this, with getting such a gorgeous book, I am a bit jealous. You totally deserve it though…
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It’s quite the stunning format, my man. I love how much attention they’ve put into the paper, image and binding quality. Fans will definitely adore this edition of the series. Hahaha I appreciate the honesty, sir. In your shoes, I’d probably be drooling with envy myself. I’m honestly honoured to even have the chance to get my hands on these things. Some would say it’s a blessing! 😀 I’m just glad that I get to share the existence of all these beautiful books with y’all. Maybe someday, those interested, will get their own copy and enjoy it on their shelves too. 😏
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I know you had previously warned against some of the violent and graphic content with this serious, but I am pretty convinced it is one that I am going to enjoy! I this new plot only solidifies that! I feel the violence will somehow just fall into place with this series. As someone who watches a lot of anime and reads manga, I know how often it is present and can usually accept that for some odd reasons 😉 Loved the review!
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I’m sure you’ll be able to “enjoy” the graphic content though, Danielle. It’s a nice old-school action-packed cyperpunk series that sets some standards for all the other manga series out there nowadays too. It definitely has its merits and isn’t a complete waste of time. I’m sure the movie will also do an interesting job in translating all the action scenes into beautiful cinematic moments too (while toning down the violence a little bit). Thanks for reading, as always, Danielle! ❤
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Very interesting… the violence and graphic scenes make me want to explore but I have never experienced manga before… heh… I have a lot to learn! 🙂
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Hahahh violence can be brutal and yet so beautiful at times. You’ll have to experience mangas for yourself some day. It’s usually read from left to right, always in black and white, and the chapters are usually pretty short compared to comic books/graphic novels (the kind I usually review here). Thanks for dropping by, Liz! 😉
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Mm, you said it…
I actually bought a 3 part manga series… but I haven’t read it yet. I was truly bamboozled when I started leafing through one because the cover is in the back and it’s all backwards and I was like- whuuut?! 😀 *also, yes, I have been living under a rock 😀 * Anyway, I decided that when i go on hols, I will defo tackle the first of them 🙂
It’s The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil A Rún mangas btw.. have you tried them?
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I have been thinking about reading this manga. Thanks Lashaan for a awesome review. And a live action, great! Can’t wait to see it! ♥️
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Glad to hear your interest in it. Hope you enjoy it when you get the chance, Dani. Thanks for reading! 🙂 ❤
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Yet another awesome review sir (and you’re really making me jealous with all these review copies your receiving!), sounds like there’s an interesting diversion in this second batch of stories which can sometimes be a good thing in order to keep it fresh and unexpected.
I wonder how the movie might turn out, after the live-action version of Ghost in the Shell I have a feeling these might become a bit like video game movies and not work especially well. I think anime adaptations are better suited but hope to be proven wrong.
Oh and, slight tangent, but on the subject of sport, I’m particularly annoyed that the U.K. release of Ant-Man and the Wasp has been delayed until August because of the Football (Soccer) World Cup…which I don’t follow! Seen as it’s out in most countries next week, avoiding spoilers will be a challenge!
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Hahaahh as long as you don’t suddenly steer away from me out of envy, my friend, I’m going to keep on reviewing some pretty copies! 😀 Yep, the sudden new storyline was refreshing, even if it’s unexpected. Now it’s sort of became a pretty important story arc for the character too.
I plan on reading Ghost in the Shell before trying the movie too. But with all the backlash it got, while still getting some positive points from you, I think manga/anime live-action movies will just have to go through a trial-and-error development over time to figure out how to do them properly (at least with Hollywood).
Oh man, I didn’t know the FIFA World Cup is the cause of the delay. I guess it’s some kind of karmic justice with all the one-week-earlier releases you got for so many other DC/Marvel movies! 😀 😀 😀 I don’t follow the sport either, so I totally see how it could be frustrating. Best of luck in surviving the onslaught of potential spoilers, sir! 😀
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It’s going to be tough my friend, just avoiding any spoilers more than anything. If it had only been delayed a week then it wouldn’t be too bad, but a whole month?!
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Whew. After reading this I can almost say I’ve read the book. 😉
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Ah ha! Key word here is “almost”. Now to fix that, you’re going to have to add this to your impossibly long list of books you need to check out. Only if it intrigues you of course. 😀
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Great review as always
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Thanks. 🙂
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