'Alita: Battle Angel' Is A Big Hit With Anime Critics, Fans

Alita: Battle Angel is the latest of several attempts Hollywood has given to do manga right. In the past, series like Dragon Ball and Ghost in the Shell failed to impress audiences, but this latest film seems to be a different story.

In fact, it seems anime critics and fans are jazzed about the film… and they are not sure how to react.

As you can see below, a slew of netizens have hit up social media with their reaction to Alita: Battle Angel. Critics like Anime News Network's editor Zac Bertschy did not hold back their praise even while alluding to the film's noted pacing problems.

"It is f—kin crazy that ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL exists. Plenty of speedbumps and issues, but it's a super violent, super glossy, super entertaining live-action James Cameron-y version of the manga that's faithful to the original in a bunch of surprising ways," the editor shared.

The writer was not alone as fan-favorite cosplayers joined in and echoed the review. Fans who attended early screenings of Alita: Battle Angel were quick to praise director Robert Rodriguez's vision, and it seems the live-action adaptation is true to the heart of Yukito Kishiro's original series.

In fact, the artist gave his own review of the film on Twitter just recently. After attending the world premiere of Alita: Battle Angel, Kishiro reacted to the adaptation, writing, "The core part of the manga was brilliantly passed on to the film. Including the characters' emotion and raison d'etre, they were perfectly reflected in the film, so I was very happy."

So, will you be checking this movie out in theaters? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

If you're unfamiliar with Battle Angel Alita (GUNNM in Japan), the series was originally created by Yukito Kishiro. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic future and follows Alita, a cyborg who is found in a garbage heap by a doctor and rebuilt. Completely devoid of her memory, all she has to cling to is a legendary cyborg martial art known as Panzer Kunst. With this knowledge, Alita decides to become a bounty hunter. Originally published in Shueisha's Weekly Business Jump in 1990, the manga was collected into nine volumes and licensed for an English language release by Viz Media.

Alita: Battle Angel opens in theaters on February 14, 2019.