Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 3: Killing Angel [Paperback]

At first, as we read about Alita's determined climb through the ranks, we believe that this change is an expression of Alita's anger and pain over the death of her friend. But gradually it becomes clear that this is a quest for self. When Alita is using the secrets of 'panzer kunst,' the cyborg battle art, there are moments when she almost remembers her true identity. And there is no shortage of violent, beautifully choreographed battle scenes as Alita chased the elusive motorball.

Her need for battles that stretch her to the fullest will eventually drive her to challenge the undisputed best of the motorballers, Jashugan. Jashugan is hardly a villain, but a disciplined use of 'chi.' His willingness to treat Alita seriously foils Doc Ido's plans to use Jashugan bring Alita to what he believes are her 'senses.' Instead she becomes even more embroiled in the excitement of the game not that conquering Jashugan has become a goal.

On the surface, this manga would appear to be one of the 'beautiful but deadly female superhero' genre. But Yukito Kishiro persists in surprising us with new facets of Alita's personality, a delightful supporting cast, and antagonists of the stature of Jashugan. One can sense that bigger issues are in play and that Alita's future still contains many unexpected twists.

Once again I am amazed at the quality of the art in Kushiro's efforts. Graphically attractive, compositionally strong, and a whole host of other superlatives are merely descriptive. For three volumes I've been treated to a unique artistic style that sets this above many manga that, inexplicably, enjoy more popularity. If you don't believe me, see for yourself.

The third volume in "Battle Angel Alita", "Killing Angel", continues Yukito Kishiro's engaging and engrossing story about Alita, the cyborg who has no memories of her past yet memory of a powerful fighting technique. After the tragic events in "Tears of an Angel", Alita runs away to become a contestant in the terrible sport of motorball. Ido, heartbroken by her leaving him, is determined to get her back.

This story seems good on paper, but unfortunately, Kishiro made the story drawn out in the third volume. The first few parts of "Killing Angel" were excellent, but the next stream of parts could've been done in a shorter amount of time and space. That's not to say that "Killing Angel" isn't good, but parts of it could've had their pace quickened a little. In a way, however, this volume can be seen as the prelude to the much better fourth volume, "Angel of Victory".

"Angel of Victory" can also probably be seen as drawn out, but it's far less obvious. The story in this volume still deals with Alita's motorball obsession, but parts of the story return the plot to the main point of the first two volumes: Alita searching for her past. While "Killing Angel" and "Angel of Victory" are a two-part series, I see "Angel of Victory" as the better of the two because of its return to the reason why we fell in love with "Battle Angel Alita" in the first place.

All in all, these two volumes make a good continuation of the first two volumes, but they are sadly a step down in storytelling quality. Maybe if "Killing Angel" and "Angel of Victory" had been made into a single volume, they would've been seen in a better light. But that's not to say that the light of these two volumes is dim...