Battle Angel
Riding on the heels of the mainstream success of Akira (1988) and the cyberpunk craze, many cyberpunk anime were produced. Often released as OVA’s, these standalone anime were generally an hour long and could garner higher budgets. Through these means, anime like Akira, as mentioned earlier, Venus Wars, Ninja Scroll, and Wicked City, to name a few, were able to travel to North American shores in the late eighties and early nineties. Admittedly it is through OVA’s that I came to love anime; however, it would not be until 2019 that I would learn about the manga turned OVA Battle Angel.
Battle Angel is a two-part OVA released in 1993 that is based on the manga by Yukito Kishiro. The manga was initially published in Shueisha’s Business Jump magazine. The manga was broadly popular, and accounting to some estimates, its release helped Shueisha’s circulation volume increase to around 700,000 monthly issues. The manga initially ran from 1990 to 1995; however, the manga has since been adapted to include Battle Angel Alita: Last Order and Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicles. Yukito Kishiro has written other manga not listed here that further expand the Battle Angel universe.
The anime adaptation covers the first two volumes of the nine-volume manga series. Battle Angel is broken into two thirty-minute segments, “Rusty Angel” and “Tears Sign.” Two English versions were released by ADV Films and Manga Entertainment/Viz Media for the UK and Australian markets. All references for this review will use names from the ADV version. Battle Angel is a drama, sci-fi shounen anime. It is rated R-17 for violence and mild nudity.
Released to audiences in 1993, the OVA Battle Angel is known as Gunnm in Japan and also goes under the name Battle Angel: Alita. It follows the story of Gally, a humanoid cyborg who was discovered in a scrapyard by Daisuke Ido. Ido, a Cyberphiscian and Hunter Warrior, takes her home and, under his care, rebuilds Gally. The Rusty Angel Arc follows the story of Gally, while the second Arc, Tears Sign, centers around Yugo, a character introduced in the first arc.
Battle Angel: Alita was released to lukewarm success in Japan. The main culprits were an unattractive female lead and a lack of fan service. The story of Alita would remain mostly a relic until its cinematic adaptation in 2019. James Cameron is most known for “too many high grossing films to list.” He acquired the rights to Batte Angel in 1998. Produced by James Cameron, the Robert Rodriguez-directed film grossed $405million worldwide on a $200 million budget.
The Cameron-produced film adapted various elements of the manga and anime. Alita: Battle Angel, like its OVA counterpart, received mixed reviews upon its release, and fan service was not one of them. Despite the mixed responses, the film has garnered a cult following under the hashtag #alitaarmy, as fans push for a cinematic sequel. This trickle-down effect has been good for the OVA and manga as well.
Battle Angel is a recession-era anime released three years after 1990. It depicts a bleak world divided by class. The cast-offs live below in what is known as Scrap Iron City, a gloomy post-apocalyptic area dated around the 26 century (manga). The inhabitants above live in Zalam. A futuristic city floating high above the decaying world. Zalem obtains resources from the earth below and subsequently dumps its waste in Scrap Iron City. It is in one of these landfills that Ido finds Alita, who he names Gally. Having lost her memories, Gally is rebuilt by Ido, and It is later discovered that he is a Hunter-Warrior, a futuristic bounty hunter. During one of his late-night bounty missions, Gally sneaks out and tails him.
Ido runs into two cyborgs accosting a female; while intervening, Ido is injured. Gally arrives, killing Rasha, one of the cyborgs. Her memories partially awakened Gally attacks and defeats the second cyborg, Grewcica. Much to the dismay of Ido, Gally becomes a Hunter Warrior to satisfy her desire to fight and learn more about herself.
Battle Angel is divided into two overlapping arcs that provide good character development despite the short runtime. A few characters appear in the OVA that are not in the manga. One of which is Chiren. Chiren, like Ido, was a former resident of Zalem who was cast out to the city below. At some point, while in Zalem, the two were both partners and perhaps lovers. The past relationship is implied by a Holocron she carries. She desires to return to Zalem and looks down on Ido for accepting his lot in life. She resents Ido for his acceptance of his current state and his compassion for Gally, who he views as a surrogate daughter.
Chiren’s desire to return Zalem brings her into the service of Vector. Vector is a businessman who deals in selling illegal parts, primarily human body parts that are sent to Zalem. When Vector learns of Gally, he requests Chiren bait her by using Yugo as bait. Early in the Rusty Angel Arc, Gally develops affections for Yugo. Yugo, like Chiren, is obsessed with Zalem. He does odd jobs, including work for Ido. However, he is involved in the illegal business of acquiring human body parts for Vector. Yugo looks up to Vector, admiring his lifestyle. Though Vector honorably offers Yugo a profitable position within the factory, Yugo declines it believing he can buy his way into heaven. In the end, both Chiren and Yugo would together travel to Zalem, though not in the way they intended.
Despite its cyberpunk, dystopian accouterments, a beautifully animated story with an excellent sound accompaniment, Battle Angel is an emotionally driven story. It is a tale of escapism versus realism as little is said of Zalem. Only through the characters is Zalem presented as both a fantasy and a reality.
As the OVA and its film counterpart remain incomplete, my suggestion is to read the manga. Battle Angel is an excellent OVA released in an era of pessimism versus hope. Fans of Madhouse Studios will be impressed with the animation and art. Those who have only seen the movie will find this world more George Miller versus Robert Rodriguez and may be put off by its audacity. Nevertheless, the future remains dim for Battle Angel. What happens next, only Zalem knows. Would you like to know more?
