Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Complete Series Box Set Hardcover – December 18, 2018

Fantastic cyberpunk story that definitely scratches that itch! Very well written. An awesome world to get sucked into. Would highly recommend it to anyone interested in cyberpunk or Sci-fi.Now regarding the presentation….the box the set of books slide into was heavily beat up. As you can see I’m holding the back with a finger because the back is slightly busted out. Which I guess is to be expected from such heavy set of books and no bubble wrap in the delivery box.Negative aside. All 6 books and the 3 posters are in flawless condition. Pages feel great. Binding is perfect. Very well made books. And it’s nice to have the entire story in one set.

I first encountered Battle Angel Alita in the mid 90s at my local comic book shop. I've always liked comic books and manga, but I've never been the type to own tons of them. While I was very intrigued with the advert (it was an iconic scene of Alita flying through the air, carrying Hugo; her trademark eyeblack framing an expression of determination. Kishiro-san's excellent linework doing a great job of showing the speed of her movements), I hesitated to pick up the issue because I hate starting stories in the middle. So instead, I waited a while and picked up the original run of the graphic novels (from Barnes and Noble). I think there were about 10 volumes by the time it was finished and I had collected 7 or 8 of them. I really loved the world, the story, the philosophy, and Alita's journey of self-discovery (through seriously badass combat). Sadly I lost all of those books in Hurricane Katrina and I was afraid I would never own them again without painstakingly buying all the books individually. When I saw this version was available, I snatched it up without hesitation and I am so glad I did. This version is the best, by far. The color pages, the original size, the beautiful lithographs and the really high quality bindings make this WELL worth the price tag. It is a little more expensive than buying the paperbacks individually, but you REALLY get what you pay for here. I highly recommend it for any fans of Battle Angel Alita!

Quality: The pages are glossy and white with very clear (high contrast) printing. The binding feels really good and the spine and signature seems durable so far; meaning opening the book to any page isn't accompanied by eerie cracking noises, and the book doesn't feel like it wants to shut itself while I'm reading it. The included art prints are nice, but it's a pretty modest extra. I definitely like the deluxe size of the set, but I can see it complicating things for some folks with smaller or shallower shelves. They're also not too practical for travel or portability, but awesome for home collections.(Comparative box set quality) I bought the Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set not too long ago, also from Kodansha, and it had a few things I really liked, but aren't necessarily objectively better. It had courser off-white paper, which felt nice (and smelled nice too), but I imagine the paper itself will age more quickly. The signature and paper quality also gave the edges of the paper a quality (staggered?) feel as well. The Akira books also had dust covers, but honestly I wind up feeling like I'm going to be bummed if/when I do anything to them. Lastly, the box itself was nicer, but not necessarily practical. This Alita set is much much easier to access on the fly.I'm slowly trying to build up a very solid sci-fi manga collection, and this is an awesome series to add to the mix. Next up is probably the Ghost in the Shell set.

What you need to know: Battle Angel: ALITA is a great way to waste a few hours. Set in an 80's inspired cyber-punk world, jam-packed with exhilarating action sequences; we follow a cyborg amnesiac with a penchant for fighting the biggest baddy that she can find in the room.Unplug from your phone and check this manga out if you're looking to turn off your brain and enjoy some good-quality shlock. The art-style is great, the action is exciting, and the characters are complicated and flawed as all get out.Be prepared though: the manga is much more graphic than the PG-13 Hollywood adaptation. Be ready for lots of brains and missing limbs. Also, don't be surprised by the fetishistic representation of Alita. It's all pretty par for the course, being a manga and all. But, I can see how it could be off-putting for some.In regards to shipping and packaging; my order was delivered the following day (I live in Washington State though, so we have an Amazon warehouse right next to every Starbucks), which is always a bonus. The box-set was plastic wrapped and then placed into two cardboard packages. This double boxing made sure that the goods arrived in good shape, without a scratch or bent corner.

If you need something to put on the shelf that says you're a manga fan, for your background shot in zoom meetings, this is THE thing you need to pick up. Oh, and it has a fantastic story as well.The 120 bucks to plunk down isn't chump change, but since each individual book costs 30 bucks each, so at 6 books, you're getting a bargain right there.There's 5 books of main story with the original and alt ending that leads to Last Order,a complete book of side stories, as well as special print pictures tucked away.The paper is pristine white, and the actual book size vs regular manga size makes it an easy read.Just make sure that it's sent with proper packaging. Mine was loose in box, and as a result, one of the corners of slipcase are nunched. Gotta love amazon packaging...*shrug*