This is a great expressionist manga, using wild levels of creativity and story-design to build abstract themes in-direct to the main events going on. I took Alien Nine as almost a metaphor for more real experiences involving relationships and maybe being behind the curve as people you know get more invested in their own. The characters aren't very developed, neither is the story's setting itself, but it creates this visceral atmosphere where the emotions are almost what's leading the way. It's really a unique experience, maybe a bit similar to some things you'd see in the weirder parts of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Even-so though, I thought the third act/volume got a bit confused and made things feel pretty convoluted at times. The finale ended up being a bit of a let-down as I was hoping it'd be a bit more complex than it was. But note that doesn't mean I could just explain the universe of Alien Nine.

In an interview present in my physical copy, the mangaka himself says he was going for the type of disconnected imaginative experience you'd get out of reading a book and creating your own vision of it. The mangaka wanted a manga that let you use your imagination still, noting it was directed at imaginative individuals. I personally thought that was brilliant and worked wonders in the manga for the most part. But even for the less imaginative folks out there, this mangaka puts a lot of effort in his work and the designs/scene-planning are just fantastic. I'm sure he would make a great director if he worked on anime. So in conclusion, read Alien Nine!