Alien 9

Alien 9 is an anime that brings a unique and somewhat whimsical flavor, showcasing girls with distinct personalities alongside intricately designed, original alien creatures. The juxtaposition between the girls and the aliens introduces a captivating element to the series.

The creator's artwork is remarkable, skillfully depicting the speed and intensity of battles without overusing speed lines. This visual technique enhances the dynamic feel of each encounter.

The narrative of Alien 9 is undoubtedly intricate, and although the title's meaning becomes clearer as the story progresses, it doesn't offer a tidy resolution. The enigmatic nature of the plot is, in my view, one of the standout features of the series, highlighting the creator's distinctive storytelling approach.

While Alien 9 might not appeal to everyone due to its complexity and unconventional narrative style, I personally find it fascinating. It’s a testament to creative storytelling that challenges viewers to think deeper.

Alien Nine is a remarkable and evocative mini-series, rich with content in every aspect it attempts. It captivates the reader through its uniquely eccentric visual style, stirring emotions, making you care for its characters, and providing much to ponder or cheer about.

One of the first things I noticed when starting the series was the nuanced visuals—the deliberate contrast between crudely cute character designs and terrifyingly detailed, angular, grotesque images of aliens and their appendages. This dichotomy persists throughout the series, as violence is never understated; Tomizawa does not shy away from depicting the struggles of grade-school girls battling aliens.

The three central characters are school-age girls, each distinct and thankfully endowed with substance that grows over time. Each starts with her own personality and reasons (or lack thereof) for joining "the Alien Party." As the series progresses, each girl undergoes significant changes—some psychological, some physical. Witnessing these transformations, their causes, and their consequences is what makes Alien Nine an engrossing page-turner.

I believe the manga's greatest strength, particularly concerning its characters, lies in its events. This is "Things Actually Happen: The Manga." It features character development and arcs, plot revelations, and subtle or overt explanations of occurrences. In keeping with this forward-moving narrative technique, the theme of body horror becomes crucial and is depicted thoughtfully. There are numerous spectacular scenes; I often found myself thinking or saying, "Holy shit, that actually happened!" or "Did she really just say that?" You'll focus on the images, as the earlier mentioned effect/dichotomy remains consistent, but it's truly about what's happening. In other words, it looks incredibly cool, but paying attention to what the characters do and say dramatically enhances the impact.

Alien Nine is a criminally under-read work and a stunning application of the "Superflat" art form. Its story is as vital as its art and visuals, together creating a powerfully memorable, evocative experience.

Curious and imaginative, the manga "Alien 9" falls a bit short due to its inconclusive ending but remains an intriguing and easy read for those seeking something unique in their fiction.

The story stands out primarily for the world Tomizawa crafts over just 30 well-paced chapters. It begins with a class choosing a new member for the alien party, where sixth graders are tasked with handling regular alien threats at their school. The narrative only grows stranger from there.

Unfortunately, the plot doesn't delve as deeply as one might hope. Near the end, a reveal contextualizes earlier events but fails to take the manga in a new direction, wrapping up too soon without satisfying resolution. It feels like a "but the journey goes on" scenario before the journey truly unfolds. As such, I view this mostly as a brief glimpse into a bizarre sci-fi universe.

The characters are decent but not remarkable. Main protagonist Yuri is a useless crybaby throughout, never changing or learning anything significant. Her main flaw persists until the end. The only notable development is her attachment to friend Kumi, but it mainly serves a later plot point and has minimal impact on her character interactions or decisions. Overall, she's more of a blank slate than a fully-fledged character.

Kumi and Kasumi are slightly more interesting, undergoing major changes about two-thirds through the story—details of which would spoil too much. These changes add another dimension to each character, altering their behavior in intriguing ways, even if it's a rather forced method of character progression. Still, it works effectively.

Themes of loneliness, abandonment, dependence, coexistence, and puberty are present but not explored meaningfully. They're thrown in without substantial exploration, leaving interpretation up to the reader. There's nothing concrete here to draw solid conclusions beyond guesswork or stretching vague symbolism.

The art isn't particularly refined or consistent with proportions and basics, yet it remains quite imaginative. Character designs are cute and distinct despite some similarity in faces. Detail is plentiful when needed, except occasionally in backgrounds. One standout feature is the incredible alien designs—unique, memorable, and bizarre. Each alien exudes mystery; you can't predict their nature just by looking. They genuinely feel otherworldly, even when combining familiar animals in twisted ways.

Though lacking a strong narrative, everything else makes "Alien 9" worth checking out. It offers a fun experience regardless.

Those are bizarre and surreal series that strongly resemble "Propeller Heaven."

However, the issue here is that the story has less impact compared to "Propeller Heaven."

The narrative centers around a group of schoolgirls who must battle aliens by wearing helmets (which are themselves aliens). It's challenging to elaborate further without giving away spoilers.

The series features old-school character graphics with round and slightly cartoonish faces, but this contrasts with the detailed depiction of aliens, surroundings, and other elements.

Making sense of the story is very difficult until it suddenly explains half of it through an information dump during the introduction.

The characters exhibit varying degrees of coherence; while the lead(?) character behaves as one would expect a girl to, the others are less coherent and more confusing.

In conclusion, I think this manga is worth checking out mainly due to its surrealism and high-quality artwork. Nevertheless, I feel that "Propeller Heaven" left a bigger impression on me when I read it.

This was one of the more messed-up anime/manga I've come across.

Story
It felt like a trope that hits too close to home, with adults burdening the younger generation with the world's problems. The kids have absolutely no say in any of it. I can't help but question many of the methods employed in this alien-human society.

Characters
They managed to include two overachievers in the main group, yet the protagonist is someone who has no business being there. You don’t send someone with a crippling fear of aliens to capture them.

Possible spoilers ahead

All in all, it was a decent read, but it left me feeling empty, especially since it seems there's still more authoritative corruption hinted at in the sequels. It doesn't provide the answers I was hoping for.