Japanese cartoonist’s long tale finally closes — maybe

In every review I've read over the past couple decades about cartoonist Yukito Kishiro's series about a martial arts-trained cyborg - named Gally in all versions except in English translations, where she's known, inexplicably, as Alita - the words 'violent” and 'dystopian” were used.

And now that Kodansha Comics has published the final installment of the 20-something-years-long series, I'm reminded once more that those labels do Kishiro's tales a serious disservice.

The original title of the books is 'Gunnm” (pronounced 'gun-moo,” Japanese for 'little gun”), but retitled 'Battle Angel Alita” for English-language editions.

Kishiro thought he'd finished the series in the 1990s - ending that novel-like storyline with a lovely, satisfying Gally-saves-the-world finale - and had moved on to other books.

A few years later, he returned to 'Gunnm.” But instead of jump-starting the adventure from where he'd left off, or developing a sequel, the cartoonist gave birth to a new storyline, branching off from somewhere about three-quarters into the original tale. (The subsequent series is labeled, 'Battle Angel Alita: Last Order.”)

Gone was that happy ending, and new hardships began for his heroine.

And, yes, it's true that these intermingled stories feature horrific endings for many of the characters in his massive cast - think Dickens's 'Bleak House,” but set in the distant future and with morally damaged mad scientists and malevolent robots. They're dismembered, squashed, blown up and shot out into space, among other tragic, absurd demises - each with a loud, big-lettered KLANG or KRESH!

And 17 or so books in series are devoted to a deadly solar-system-wide tournament, the ZOTT, that Gally and her occasional allies are determined to win.

Things get, well, yes, violent.

But these books frequently are also touching and charming. Their main storyline, after all, details Gally's coming of age as well as her coming to terms not only with crimes from a past, forgotten life but also with her destiny.

Sometimes the events almost can break your heart. In 'Angel's Ascension,” Gally's key nemesis - an evil super genius - tries to trick her by entering her dreams. There, he creates a fake life in which the two are not enemies but close friends. Gally even calls him 'uncle.”

But as the pair sit side by side on a rooftop, blowing soap bubbles, the young girl asks if he loves anyone. Nova gazes out across the skyline and, after a long pause, replies, 'If one can truly believe in happiness, one can only have this prayer: ‘Let this moment last - forever.'”

The villain has trapped himself in the dream life, too.

And then there are the exquisitely detailed drawings. While the English editions are published as miserly paperbacks, the large-format versions available in French - 10-by-7-inch, 128-page volumes - better display Kishiro's striking landscapes and fast action of a future, down-on-its-luck Earth and its determined, desperate men, women, machines and beasts. (James Cameron 'borrowed” from Kishiro's imagery for the director's 2000 TV series, 'Dark Angel.”)

This new ending, in volume 19 of 'Battle Angel Alita: Last Order,” is not as tidy nor as complete as Kishiro's previous attempt to close Gally's heroic story. I'm fairly certain I understand what's happened to his protagonist.

But the cartoonist leaves hints there might be more going on than what we've witnessed.

Maybe there still is more to come. That would be good.