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Reviewed by Michael Aronson As usual, Alita’s quest makes massive progress in this, the sixth volume. More alone than ever, due to all the destruction that follows in her wake (and yes, this is a much more successful version of Trigun), Alita finds herself broken in quite a few ways, most notably literally. In order to be restored, she has to make a deal, and the deal involves a few of the key factors on her own personal agenda. Isn’t it lovely when business and pleasure mix? Well, not all the time, such as in the case of newcomer Figure Four. He’s quirky and has a fun willful attitude to his personality, but he looks like a dork and often can’t see past the end of his own nose. This wouldn’t be a problem is he was acting as a foil to a stronger and more interesting character, but he isn’t. He’s handled fairly well, all told, but I question why such a character was designed for the pivotal role he plays. The locale and enemy forces are all new this time. They’re decently entertaining but a little shallow, neither having significance to Alita’s emotional state nor to her continued development as a character. However, the lack of an imposing threat means that Alita gets to cut loose more than she has before, and the new side of her that emerges from this clash is something that’s been building for a while. What it will eventually mean is an exploration for the next volume. Something rather new and interesting arises at the end of the volume, and while it’s exciting in its newness and the consequences that might spill out of it, it’s also a little disappointing considering the parties involved as well as Alita’s self-determination as a character. I’m not saying it’s against her character, it’s just a change I might not prefer to see occur. It depends how it plays out down the line. It’s not quite fair to call this volume a significant step down from the rest of the series, but it’s very fair to say it doesn’t fire on all cylinders and push all the right buttons. I don’t fear for the continued quality of the series, I just hope volume seven gets an adrenaline boost. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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