‘Battle Angel Alita’ Creator Shares Opinion On Its Live-Action Film

The original creator of Alita: Battle Angel has reacted to the the latest trailer for the live-action movie, and he seems to be aa fan.

Yukito Kishiro created Alita: Battle Angel nearly three decades ago as a manga titled GUNNM. All these years later, his drawings have been adapted to the big screen by Robert Rodriguez. While he has not seen the movie yet, Kishiro posted his reactions to the trailer on the series’ official website, revealing that he could not believe his — or Alita‘s — eyes.

“In the beginning, I was surprised because [Alita’s] eyes are big,” Kishiro said, according to a translation by Anime News Network. “But when I saw what scenes there are, I stopped noticing it. When Alita is wet in the scene where she’s exploring the spaceship sunk in the water, I started to think ‘Cute!’ I think everyone will come to like it soon.”

Kishiro was responding to the most recent trailer, which debuted in July, which gives more details on the plot and fictional world than fans previously had. He was a big fan of the “translucent depictions of the cyborg bodies, elaborate mechanics, and the amazing volume of information in the long shots of Iron City.”

In no uncertain terms, Kishiro said that the movie lived up to and even enhanced his original work, giving life to ideas he could not express visually in 1990.

“When I saw high-quality representations of what I wanted to express in the original manga and illustrations but couldn’t, I thought, ‘Thank you! This is a video I wanted to see 30 years ago!’ and ‘I’m jealous of the film representation!’”

For those that are not aware, Alita: Battle Angel takes place in a future where people and cyborgs live side by side. Alita lives on the ground in the “Scrap Yard,” while the wealthy live overhead in the flying city of Tiphares. After being revived from a pile of rubble by a disgraced doctor from Tiphares, she learns that her body and mind are filled with long-forgotten fighting techniques and protocols. She decides to become a warrior.

The manga was first released in Business Jump in 1990 under the title GUNNM. It was serialized until 1995. An anime film adaptation was made in 1993, and a few manga spin-offs popped up over the years. Now, it is finally getting a live-action treatment from Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron.

Alita: Battle Angel premieres on Dec. 21 in both Japan and the U.S.