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A site dedicated to Yukito Kishiro's cyberfantasy Gunnm and Gunnm: Last Order

Gunnm, which follows the adventures of little cyborg girl Gally, is a Japanese comic which was written and drawn by mangaka Yukito Kishiro during the first half of the 1990s. Its outstanding artwork and compelling story-line inspired me to make the Broken Angel web-site in 1994. Since then it has had its ups and downs, not to mention a rather large number of additions and changes, but my wonder of Gally and her world has remained undiminished throughout the years. Although Gunnm came to an end in the mid-90s, Kishiro has recently restarted the series with Gunnm: Last Order, his artwork as detailed and vibrant as ever... This is my small tribute to Kishiro and his Hyper Future Vision.

When I first made this page I had this idea of giving it a fanfic-like quality, make it a little different. Unfortunately I only succeeded in confusing people :)

In any case, what I pictured here is how Ido started investigating the properties of the Berserker body. In particularly, I imagined the plasma torch to be a mini-[Tokamak] of sorts. The [Meissner Effect] is also real, but I don't remember why I brought it up...

Among the ruins of Dr. Daisuke Ido's "Kybernetik Reparaturwerkstätte", a torn laboratory book was discovered. The following is a transcript of some his notes regarding the plasma torch built into hunter-warrior F33-405 a.k.a "Gally":

Date unknown

{First pages lost} ... to the cerebral cortex. My first few tests to external stimuli indicate a response time well below 1/100th of a second. Far more interesting was the unexpected (my arm still hurts!) hot gas jet coming from the berserker's right hand when I set the output to 0.7mV. Gas temperature was just under 1000°C when I increased the voltage to 1mV, but I'll need a better thermometer to find out just how high it can go. This could explain the rather complicated tubing I found branching out from the primary bronchus and extending towards the right shoulder. I suspect this might be some kind of tool, perhaps some sort of built-in blowtorch. However, for some reason the main control mechanism seems designed to synapse with the hypothalamus and mesencephalon through a reflex arc. I haven't been able to find a nozzle through which the gas could be ejected. The pressure should ... {pages missing}

January 19

{The page begins with a table}

            Voltage (mV)             T (K)
             (+/- 1%)              (+/- 1%)

               2.4                   1896
               3.0                   3455 (W/W-Re TC melted)
               3.8                   7689
               4.2                 ~11470
               4.5                 ~15480
               5.0                 ~25530

It was careless of me to use the thermocouple above 2000K. It won't be easy to replace. I should really calibrate the spectrometer more carefully, and get a better VUV source (it's been a while since I've done this type of pyrometry), but the systematic error should be small. The temperature gradient is very large, but the hottest gas seems entrapped close to the surface of the hand. Temperature increases exponentially with stimulation voltage, but there seems to be a secondary connection ... {illegible}

February 01

... skeletal muscles at the fingertips so as to form small orifices through which the plasma can be ejected. It is not unlike the PAC I have here in the lab, but this one would be of the non-transferred arc type. Interestingly, it is also much more powerful. At close range (about 10cm) it can easily blast through 1cm titanium plates. However, I haven't found any way to make fine cuts, rather just a crude control over the direction of the jet, making it impractical for performing precise work. This is all the more puzzling since the internal magnetic configuration seems much too sophisticated for a simple PJC. Also, the shielding of ... {pages missing}

February 11

... activate the primary mirror, at about 13000 gauss. My rather naive expectations of the plasma jet being used as a tool have all but disappeared (I should be used to this by now). The arc ignites either by a mass discharge of the sympathetic portion of the autonomic system, or a low-level conscious response. The endoskeleton is laced with high-tensile strength copper niobium which should provide the entire body with a rough control of its surrounding magnetic field. The phalanxes on the right hand, however, seem to have embedded within a superconducting material which far surpasses anything Tipharean technology currently has to offer (as far as I know). The energy expense is extremely low, almost 100% percent efficient. The internal magnetic trap raises the field to superheat the plasma using a fast-pinch technique. The magnetic confinement region is molded so as to form a "plasma sheet" very close to the surface of the hand. Temperature can then rise to almost 100000K in the high density surface, although ... {illegible} ... the magnetic bottle seems to "open" just outside the nozzle, letting a stream of plasma through the "sheet" ... {pages missing}

Date unknown

{the last pages of the notebook are severely damaged}
... material is such that the Meissner effect caused by the large external field is somehow avoided. As I mentioned above, no superconductor I know of can maintain zero resistance at such high TH value. I could perform a spectral analysis with ... {illegible} ... obviously used as a weapon, as the rest of this machine. The technology that built this body is in some ways more advanced that what is available even now in Tiphares. But the sole purpose of all the devices I've found so far is clear. I cannot help but ... {rest of notebook destroyed}

When I first created the Broken Angel site it was my intention to make it a bit different from the "typical" anime/manga pages I had seen. Instead of just descriptions, pictures, synopses and links I decided to explain my view of Kishiro's world using brief "fanfics" (as the one above) and somewhat believable science (which was admittedly never very convincing). It was quite an ambitious project which soon grew too big for me to handle and its various parts were quickly superseded by newer, better web pages. One of the best examples of this is at [The Physics of Tiphares], which illustrates Tipharean dynamics better than I ever did.

On the other hand, my hierarchy of fighting techniques seems to have fared a bit better:

The Panzer Kunst

Literally, "armour art". The ultimate cyborg combat technique. This ancient Martian craft exploits the various abilities that characterize humanoid robots, such as faster reflexes and superhuman strength. In particular, it takes advantage of the fact that the brain controlling the mechanical body is capable of blocking pain. Self-mutilation is thus a viable option during a confrontation (although clearly as a last resort), and retaliation can take place even after severe body damage, such as loss of limbs. The Panzer Kunst encompasses a series of sophisticated fighting maneuvers e.g. the Hertza Haeon, by which a low frequency energy wave is capable of causing fatal damage to an opponent. Note that this skill does not necessarily depend on the cyborg's physical body, it is a knowledge engraved within their psyche. The Panzer Kunst also provides a definite tactical advantage, since it gives its user the ability to analyze an opponent's fighting style and to retaliate accordingly. Gally will therefore rarely be defeated in a second combat with a given enemy. A similar, albeit less powerful art, is the Maschine Klatsch ("machine clash"). Its inherent machine-like movements make it vulnerable to the Einzug Rustungen ("armoured penetration"), another ancient Panzer Kunst tactic which locks onto an adversary's fighting rhythm to strike back at the precise moment. The Chi, a more fundamental (perhaps spiritual is the correct word) skill, can also be used in a duel. However, it is more of an enhancement to one of the above arts, and not a fighting technique per se.

Hierarchy of the fighting abilities in Gunnm

• State of Being: The Flesh of the Great Earth
  • Body of Knowledge: Ars Magna
  • Spiritual Force: the Chi
    • Arts: Panzer Kunst, Maschine Klatsch, Mue Katchuah, Yuan Yang Ti Kon Chun, Tae Kwon Do
      • Tactics: Einzug Rustungen
      • Maneouvers: Hertza Haeon, Sidewinder, Snapping Gator, Gushiken, Pile Driver, Nutcracker, Hanging Moon in the Heavens

I think that perhaps Jashugan was the greatest fighter in Gunnm. After all, he easily kept his ground against Gally in spite of suffering a process of mental disintegration during the final Motorball fight, and was defeated in large part due to Tiegel's interference. Furthermore, I believe that he managed to attain "The Flesh of the Great Earth" as he was being consumed by the flames. In Gunnm nothing ever comes easy: defeats are devastating, the rare victories are Pyrrhic.

You can download good scans of the Japanese manga covers by clicking on the small images of the section dividers. High-resolution scans of the covers of all Viz graphic novels can be obtained by downloading the file [viz_covers.zip] (49M zip).

For some strange reason Viz never published a series of "technical notes" which Kishiro wrote at the end of each tankoubon (Japanese graphic novel). I've made new scans of all of them which are contained in the file [tech_notes.zip] (5.4M zip). For translations please see the [Gunnm FAQ].

Kishiro himself seems to be quite shy. Nobody I know (and I know quite a few Gunnm fans) has seen a clear picture of him. But being camera-shy doesn't mean he is reclusive. There are at least two interviews with him available online which you can access from here:

• [1993 Interview]
• [1995 Interview]

Kishiro is very thoughtful of his fans, and very approachable. I've also had the pleasure of briefly "chatting" with him on a Japanese BBS. Here is a transcript of the conversation (which was a mixture of English, Japanese and Roman-ji, and was kept simple due to the language barrier which Nahoko Miyamoto so helpfully allowed us to break ^_^):

• [1998 chat]

Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream.

A few Gunnm fanfics I've written throughout the years. Some were made just for fun, while others are actually argumentative and reflect my views on things. Ultimately their goal is simply to be entertaining. Fanfics with a indicates that the fanfic has a little "promotional" poster.

• [Gally in the sky with diamonds]
• [Glory]
• [Hope]
• [The Recycler]
• [Teenage Wasteland] [Russian version]
• [The Last Race]
• [Fugazi] (The poster contains spoilers!)
• The Gun Dreams saga:
  • [brave]
  • [transition 1]
  • [Nemesis]
  • [transition 2]
  • [And objects in the rearview mirror may appear
      closer than they are...] (*)

I've also written other stuff, although it's never been very popular...

• [Begone the Dark]
• [The BGC saga]
• [Christmas (2033)]
• [Christmas (2034)]
• [Christmas (2035)]
• [Does Sweet Pea Flower Mean Something?]
• [The End]
• [The Final Battle]
• [How to pick up a Knight Saber]
• [Jen Dou]
• [Knowledge is Power]
• [Lords of the Backstage]
• [The Ravishing]
• [Retribution]
• [Secrets]
• [The Spider]
• [Three Functions]
• [The Sweet Hereafter] (drawing by [Zapan])
• [At Night]
• [The Hollow Man]
• [Lavender]
  [Lavender] (6K zip/mid)
• [Computer Girl Lan]
• [99 Luftballons]
• [The day the boomers died]
• [Pikachu saves the Knight Sabers]
• [CC of Pika pi Pikachu]
• [Her Destiny]

As you can see I've been adding people's suggestions. Over the years these have changed according to the Gally-like actress du jour. This of course does not make it any less fun :) If you'd like to see your suggestion here send a picture of the actor. If it's a split image of the person and the character all the better!

In 1993 a Gunnm anime came out. Kishiro wasn't too happy with it and it didn't do well on the market. Truth is, although it pales compared to the source, it stands quite well on its own. I think it managed to capture the sobriety of the manga well, with a moody atmosphere dispelled only by the ending song "Cyborg Mermaid" which is quite restrained as far as j-pop is concerned.

Allow me to begin by announcing the following: I hope that a live-action Gunnm is never, ever made. More anime is fine, but real people? No, the thought is just too horrible...

Nonetheless it is certainly true that choosing a cast for such films provides a morbid entertainment, sort of like watching a train wreck. And hence, perhaps as a deranged catharsis, I offer the following (ack!) "cast":

I've always thought Miss Ryder would be a great Gally, more so after watching Alien: Resurrection. OK, it's not exactly a great movie, but Winona makes a real cute android. I must say, however, that there is little reason for her to be here other than the fact that she is a movie actress I happen to know. Gally is distinctly asian, even in the manga, so I'm sure there are many oriental actresses which could fill the role. Furthermore, Gally has never struck me as being anything too special as far as her appearance is concerned. It seems to me that she is a rather ordinary looking woman (albeit somewhat petite). Indeed, it is quite often that I find myself looking at a girl and thinking to myself: "now there's a dead-ringer for Gally". Unfortunately, I never am able to gather the courage to talk to them, much less to tell them so, but they are out there! (^-^). The middle image (the "Galliform" Winona ^_^) was made by Ian Maurer using Photoshop. I quite like it!

Other interesting suggestions are shown below:

Kajsa Laaksonen thinks she would make a good Gally. I would definately agree! ^_^ Perennial favourite is Natalie Portman to her left, while Randall Reed suggests Lacey Chabert. "bozumanu sho" thinks that Faye Wong, who possesses an ethnic background more similar to that of Gally's, would be a good candidate. In spite of my assertion below, Christina Ricci is still an option. Danny Seader seems to think Angelina Jolie is a good choice, although personally she seems a bit too, ahem, "developed" :) Yet another suggestion is Rachael Leigh Cook, by Vince Rodriguez. She's got the eyes... but perhaps not the acrobatic ability, which quickly prompted "Joe The Killer" to suggest that 1976 olympic gold medal winner Nadia "Perfect 10" Comaneci might make an even better Gally!

Now that a [movie] is becoming a more plausible prospect (gulp!), suggestions continue to pour in, such as Tamara Mellow by Matthew Watters. She's a cutie all right! Dark Angel came and went, but would Jessica Alba be a good candidate? A recent newcomer to the title of "most-likely Gally actress" is Zhang Ziyi, who really has the right combination of cuteness and kick-assness. She's already high on my list! Newcomers which I think would be interesting choices are Everlyn Sampi and Keisha Castle-Hughes.

New! A very convincing Photoshop of Faye Wong by Iesha Henson. Nice!

For fans of Natalie Portman and Lacey Chabert there's a couple of good image montages [here] and [here].

Of course, as Kajsa demonstrates, you don't have to be a famous actress (or even a woman, but I won't go there :) to play our Gally. A trenchcoat, black jumpsuit, silver knee protectors and some gloves usually suffice. A couple of face-streaks aid the illusion, as you can see [here].

Recently [Garbage] fan garbageplus@yahoo.com sent me a few interesting compositions showcasing the resemblance between Gally and Shirley Manson, as seen below:

Not bad, eh? There's a few more [here], [here], [here], and, [here]. Wow!

With the release of the movie Underworld the leather-clad Kate Beckinsale has been suggested as a possible Gally by Steve Aversa, and he [sent] [the] [pics] to prove it!

"What's a Gally without her Ido?" wonders Matthew. His suggestion in order to to alleviate this problem goes by the name of Ralph Fiennes.

Another Ido! Lesp suggests that Ghostbuster's Egon Spengler would be good for the part... In the meantime, Marcela Valdebenito thinks "Malcolm Gets" when thinking of Ido :)

After a long time with no Ido suggestions, Matthew Willson thinks Matthew Modine makes the cut. Thanks Matthew!

Miss Ricci has been a long-time contender for the title of Gally. Fortunately Kayna came along to settle this dispute! Obviously Ido (or would that be Kishiro, Carol anyone?) knows the type of women he likes -- both Gally and Kayna are very similar physically, and it would be hard to tell them apart using a simple description. Anyway, I believe little Wednesday would make a fine Kayna, ne?

Shumira-chan! I think Lark Voorhies from the awful Saved by the Bell would make a lovely Shumira. Hey, she's got cuteness to spare, and there is a passing resemblance. I'm not sure about the white hair, though. It's OK for a manga character, but it's probably way too distracting in real life for a young lady.

I saw Tank Girl the other day on TV. I was much less impressed by the main character than by her sidekick, Jet Girl. Wow! What a beautiful woman! And I'm a sucker for the glasses (they magnify the soul, right?) In any case, I think she would make a very pretty Lou. It's such a pity Miss Watts' career is so... um... well... that it barely is (at least, when this page was made, she seems to be doing much better now :).

I have stated above, however, that you don't have to be an actor to faithfully portray a character from Gunnm. Take Carrie, for example, as suggested by Mike. Aside from being cute as a button she alliteratively makes a lovely Lou, don't you think?

Steve Aversa suggested that "if [Sarah Polley] were given a pair of glasses and the mark on her forehead she'd be a dead ringer for Lou"...

Well, Steve Aversa does it again! He suggests Mackenzie Rosman would make a good Koyomi...

Admittedly, Eelai is just your typical, utterly gorgeous woman who only exists on paper. Similarly, Stephanie Seymour is just your typical, utterly gorgeous woman who only exists on paper. There are, of course, many other utterly gorgeous woman who only exist on paper, but I find these two to have a similar facial expression and, uh, other things...

Finally an Eelai fan speaks up! You may remember "Joe" from a few paragraphs back. He suggests Sabrina Salerno as a good candidate for Eelai. If you click on the picture I think you'll find it hard to disagree (no pun intended ;)...

An amusing suggestion: Nanni Moretti as Buick. Heaven knows where José Aracil (a.k.a "Joe") gets these ideas, but he's got a point...

You may have noticed a certain bias in the gender of my cast, and although I will be adding more people later on (suggestions appreciated!) I just had to include this inspired bit of casting. Who else but Rudolph Klein-Rogge, Metropolis' Rotwang, to play Dr. Desty Nova? Indeed, he is perfect for the part, save for the unfortunate fact that he is dead. In Nova's world, of course, this would be but a temporary setback! Chad Van Walsum, on the other hand, thinks that Christopher Lloyd might be a good candidate, with the added bonus of him still being alive. Jeff Bridges as Nova?? Matthew seems to think so!

I once did receive an interesting nomination from Michael E. van Blydesteyn suggesting Matthew McConaughey (!). I wasn't convinced, but he admittedly chose the pictures wisely...

Aside from Gunnm and Last Order Kishiro has made Haisha, Aqua Knight, and a collection of early works called Hito:

(Of course, there's more to the story -- refer to the [Gunnm FAQ] for more information).

Kishiro's style with respect to both drawing and story is continuously changing, which I find refreshing compared to those mangaka who stick to a tried-and-true formula. On the other hand people will invariably find stuff in Kishiro's oeuvre which they don't like. Being a fan doesn't imply mindlessly defending everything an artist does. I will say that, good or bad, at least Kishiro keeps it interesting :)

If you like Gunnm...
... well, I don't have a clue as to what else you might like, but here's some stuff I enjoy:

	Of the mangaka I know, Katsura's artwork ranks right up there with Kishiro's. Maybe that's what I made a web page dedicated to [Video Girl Ai]. Storywise he can reach incredibly emotional heighs and lows, although his plots are not always as imaginative as those of Kishiro.
	Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind is without doubt one of the greatest heroines in all of manga-dom. Her story doesn't drag on forever, and is all the more poignant for it. I still think that Miyazaki is a better filmmaker than mangaka, but that only shows you how extraordinary he really is.
	Although Video Girl Ai is occasionally salacious, things really heat up in Naoki Yamamoto's Dance till Tomorrow. Silly and often hastily drawn, Aya has that je ne se quoi in spades!

The Broken Angel page was perhaps one of the first five Gunnm web-sites around, and is probably the oldest by now. According to [Google] there are thousands of sites which talk about Gunnm, and I can assure many of them are really good, so even a list of the "best" would be hopelessly long. The pages below belong to people whom I've known for years, or those who have asked for a link to be included (but they are good on their own right :)

• The official site: [Yukitopia]
• [GUNNM_blaise_ALITA: l' Angelo della Battaglia] The best Gunnm site on the internet, IMHO.
• [Taller de Ido] Another astounding site...
• [deviantART; bratchny] Lauren's cool fan art!
• [Juzzam's Gunnm: Last Order Page]
  An overview of Gunnm with thoughtful commentaries.
• [Seraphim of the Scrapyard]
  Gunnm fanfiction galore.
• [GUNNM] (xgally)
  This page seems to be down, but you can get the program here: [xgally.zip] (93K zip). An extra pack can also be obtained: [xgally_hellstyle.zip] (91K zip).
• [Gunnm] (CD info)
• [Gunnm Fan-Art] (fan art)
• [The Motorball Poet's Page] (interesting)
• [Zapan's Fan Fic] (good fanfic, especially [Awaken])
• [Yukito Kishiro Pantheon] is another site which has cutting-edge information on Kishiro.
• [Alita: The Collection] (new links site)

Well, that's pretty much it. In a sense the Broken Angel site has come full circle, since it has ended pretty much as it began: one long page with some useful/interesting tidbits (I hope!). Thanks are due to Nahoko Miyamoto for serving as interpreter with Kishiro, and to Kuniko Yamazaki for the hand-drawn Kanjis which appear in the title of this page. These pages were originally hosted on a 66MHz i486. Later on they were moved to an R3000 SGI box. Subsequently they lived on a Pentium II running at 450MHz. Their current home is an Athlon XP 2100+.

A final plug: the newsgroup [alt.comics.gunnm] was created in 1997 to discuss all that is Gunnm. I must admit, for better or for worse, that I mostly use it as my personal blog. The on-topic traffic is very low ([Google groups] comes in handy here), but it's a nice place, I encourage you to drop a line!

Slàinte Mhath!

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