Battle Angel Alita, Volume 8: Fallen Angel

As previous comments have explained, this is a deviation of the main story. While the change of focus was unexpected, it does finally reveal the beginnings of the Battle Angel universe and the struggles humanity went through to survive such a fiasco. The theme is pretty consistent, considering the revelation in the previous novel. Perhaps the best thing about this novel is the feel of the earliest Battle Angel novels. The story is simple, poetic, and abounded with earlier Yukito critiques on society. It is a wonderful read, and the reader must not forget that Alita is experiencing the story line as well, so it very well may play an important role in future novels.

With Kaos's connection to Den revealed events in the surface conflict begin to pick up pace. After a last broadcast, Kaos and Alita head for Nova's lair (the old NORAD headquarters), while Den prepares for his attack on Tiphares itself. In the hanging city, things also get weird when Lou Collins discovers that the Tuned Model A-1 (that's Alita) is considered obsolete, replaced by robots programmed with Alita's knowledge and skills. They are better, it seems, at following orders.Kaos guides Alita to the farm where Desty Nova has allowed Doc Ido to live. In doing so Alita stumbles on a tragedy that will act as the catalyst in a deep change in her feelings. It would be unfair to say that it politicizes her, but it makes her rethink everything she is doing. In the meantime, Den plays his greatest card in an effort to bring Tiphares into ruin. Of course, nothing ever happens the way it should, and, in one stroke, the entire character of the revolution changes as well.Now Alita confronts Desty Nova again. The mad, sadistic physician attempts a last deal with Tiphares but finds that all his efforts are meaningless if he can't control Alita. And Alita grows stronger with every challenge he throws at her. Every time our angel falls, she ascends again.This volume ties up many loose threads without really giving away that much of what is coming. The pace is rapid, and each battle scene is wilder than the next. After the relative slowdown of the beginning of the 'tuned' phase, creator Yukito Kishiro has decided to bear down and get the story into full motion again. The layering of themes gets quite complex for a manga, the pieces moving into place for the grand finale in the next volume.

In my review of "Angel of Chaos", I mentioned how Yukito Kishiro probably rushed the story in volume seven somewhat because he was pressed for time. With volume eight, "Fallen Angel", it seems Kishiro decided to return the story to a more stable pace. And with everything else exactly the same, that can only mean this volume is superb in every way.In "Fallen Angel", the abrupt and almost confusing ending of "Angel of Chaos" is made clearer, and the conflicts Alita faces are thrust into the picture. Will she kill Kaos because of what he is, or will she allow him to live? Will she or will she not still follow orders from her masters after she discovers why they saved her in volume six? How will she react when she finally finds her long lost and resurrected "father," Doc Ido?Thanks to Yukito's masterful storytelling, these questions and more are explored in "Fallen Angel". And his art remains as crisp and beautiful as it was in the first "Battle Angel Alita" volume. And, as always, the amount of graphic violence and gore (pictures of women hacked up by a sadist, anyone?) keeps Alita a mature readers' series.With that said, how does "Fallen Angel" compare with the first seven volumes? I'd have to put it on the same or just above the level of volume five, "Angel of Redemption", because while nothing can match the quality of the first two volumes, "Fallen Angel" is definately a work of high quality.And with the cliffhanger at the end of the volume, "Fallen Angel" is guaranteed to bring people back for the final volume. Yes, sadly, the volume after "Fallen Angel" is the last "Battle Angel Alita" volume...at least for now. But despite that, volume eight manages to keep us solidly entertained while at the same time preparing us for the grand finale of volume nine!

Part 8 in a series of 9 American translated Japanese Manga. A beautiful story of a young cyborg's quest to find her identity lost long ago. Her travels take her from her home the Scrapyard to the Badlands facing intense battles and finding friends. I strongly reccomend reading the whole series from beginning to end. Even after reading all 9 books I find myself starting over from the beginning, each time through I notice something new I missed before.

I have been in love with Battle Angel since I picked up the first Graphic novel on a whim 4 years ago. I was so happy when I saw the second, then third, etc. I have cheered, laughed, loved, and cried through 8 wonderful installments, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Alita conquers next. Though I can't wait to get my hands the next book, which I've been told is the last one, I've had such a good time, that I don't want the adventure to end. The story is powerful, the art is intense, and the characters are well-developed. If you want a really good example of what a "comic book" can be as a medium of incredible expression, read this series!