Battle Angel Alita [Gunnm, literally translated "gun dream"] is a Japanese cyberpunk manga series by Yukito Kishiro. To be clear, this is the OVA [anime movie] I'm reviewing. It consists of two parts-Rusty Angel and Tears Sign. Kishiro has no plans to revisit the anime. The film was adapted to a live action movie with motion capture in 2019. Check out my Alita Battle Angel live action movie review here. I wanted to do a separate post about the anime movie, titled Battle Angel Alita because I thought the anime movie was better than the movie in some ways, but not others. Lets discuss the differences. The story is fundamentally the same and the film follows almost the same course of events almost to a tee. However, the anime movie looks much better than the film adaptation. The artwork here is quite stunning. The characters all have that late 80s [this was created in 1993] anime look: tall, short, wide eyed, glasses on some characters [super circular oval glasses and googles]. That was the style back then. The backgrounds in every scene are highly stylized and textured but the characters themselves are simple. This was the state of anime back in the late 80s, as this movie was created in 1993, just a few years after I was born. The biggest and best reason for the anime being better than the live action film is simply the cinematography. The hand-made drawings can't be beat, even with a motion capture suit [which is still pretty cool].
Next, the anime does everything the movie does plot-wise, but faster and with more skill. The anime movie is only an hour long. The live action film is over two hours. Quite a difference. Although the anime film crams everything together super fast, I actually think it does a better and more concise job. When you watch the anime you realize you don't need to have all that extra clutter of plot.
In addition, another thing the anime does better than the live action film is action. The amount of gore in the anime is at an all time much higher level than the live action movie. In fact, there wasn't even red blood in the live action film. There was this weird blue blood when the cyborgs got killed in violent ways. However, the anime takes that to a whole new level. Some of the killing scenes in the anime will stick with me for a while. They were just that gruesome. When the dog gets killed in the anime it is a grotesque death. Likewise, when cyborgs get their skulls bashed in, there is a freaking pool of blood smeared across the walls, floors, and characters. Its a blood bath. Much different from the live action film, which of course couldn't be that violent, otherwise it would be rated R, which means no kiddies get to experience Alita fanfare. Also, in the anime Alita seems to have some extra powers that weren't shown in the live action film. She has these power-up moves that are quite cool. Instead of having these power-ups in the live action film, they simply gave her a 300 year-old sword [her age].
Another thing that stood out is the fact that Alita doesn't seem to be objectified or sexualized in the anime. In the live action film they give both of her suits breasts and stuff, which doesn't really make sense, but whatever. In the anime they downplay the feminine aspect of her cybernetic body. Just something I noticed. Its a good thing.
What the live action movie does better that the anime movie doesn't do quite as well is create a likable sympathetic character. In the live action film Alita's actress does a fantastic job portraying herself as a young, naive, empathetic cyborg girl [with those big anime eyes you can see into her soul]. We feel for her. I know that sounds cheesy but when I saw Alita Battle Angel [live action film] I really felt for Alita: for all her problems, not knowing who she was, how she couldn't get her boyfriend to Zolumn, and if she was capable of being loved by a human boy. These are realistic things that people can feel and understand. Again, I know these seems cheesy but I thought it was a very important aspect to the film, maybe the most important one. Blue-blood-oozing-sickle-wielding cyborgs aside.
All in all the anime is pretty damn good. Its only an hour long. You really can't go wrong. If you watch the live action film I think you can benefit from watching the anime as well, provided that you like anime and you would like to see a different interpretation. Sure, the live action film is a $300 million dollar movie and the anime was probably nowhere near that budget but they got some things right. They don't make anime like that anymore. In a sense, because of that, it is priceless, a relic of the 90s. Something that can easily be forgotten and lost forever.
Check it out, you can watch it on YouTube.
Part 1 Rusty Angel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKTxbZPqzFM
Part 2 Tears Sign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaidL6_fE_c
Make sure to add the English subtitles on the YouTube options. Enjoy!
Check out my Alita Battle Angel live action review http://ofigueroamusic.blogspot.com/2019/02/alita-battle-angel.html
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