The manga called "Are You Alice" had its final run by ending on it's twelfth volume. Katagiri Ikumi created the manga while the original story was written by Ninomiya Ai. I believe a game for playstation portable, visual novel, and drama CD were made for the series but not much is known about "Are You Alice?" state side. There's so many Alice in Wonderland inspired manga out there that its easy to over look this one. My reasons for picking this up had to do with the same reasons I pick up most manga. Visuals first then I look at the plot line. Plus I had run across this manga a few times in the local bookstore but $13 is a lot of money to spend for each volume especially if the series turned out not to be good.
Welcome to Wonderland where there are many different versions of Alice, The heroine of the original Alice in Wonderland. The real true Alice must be found and when she is found, she is to kill the white rabbit in order to end the game of finding Alice. Then everyone can return to the real world. But a problem arises when a man with no name appears in Wonderland and is named the new Alice. A mission to catch and kill the White rabbit begins. Who is this man? Will killing the white rabbit get everyone home again.
The plot of this manga can be super confusing if you don't know how to read in-between the lines. You will be introduced to many colorful characters as you read each volume such as, The Mad Hatter, The Chester Cat, and the Queen of Hearts etc. Most of the characters are male(yes even the Queen of Hearts.) and I think this is due to the creator being a women. It brings a new flavor to a story we know but don't let the pretenses that Alice in Wonderland was under fool you. This manga got a crazy stride about it and each character with their mysterious personalities hold keys to the flow of the world they come to be trapped in. The story's flow has restrictions for everyone in Wonderland of what they can and can not do according to their role in the story. New Alice then comes in and throws the story's flow off balance. I liked all the character's because they all seemed like they went through moments of self discovery when they thought they knew themselves already. Alice is very defiant like a child who acts like he doesn't need his parents but reaching out for his parents hands all at the same time. He grows the most out of everyone and the other characters grow from watching him grow. Another quality about this manga is that the story kept reveling new characters until the end but it was done in a a way that wasn't overbearing. You want to know this characters because they progress the story with more answers that you as the reader are all so thirsty to find.
Manga can't be great if the art isn't good in my opinion but "Are You Alice" used the art to encourage the text. Each character model is drawn to look mature with boyish good looks. Kind of like how Alice looked like a pure cuteness to her when she enters Wonderland. Eyes and face shapes are drawn with a roundness that shows youth but the beginning of maturity. Some characters are older than others so these charters have leaner facial structure. During times that the characters show dark facial expressions, a pointed sketch pen is used to draw lines that scratch out a character's face or darken a side of the face for a spooky effect that can only mean the character is thinking evil thoughts. The panels are also created for the showcase of a page out of a book. You will notice that some panels have a design to them like they were ripped out of a book. Other panels either use beautiful scenery of a city that looks like London England or an emptiness and nothing else but the character's face/profile.(A lot of black coloring too.) Even though this manga has a lot of serious events that happen, Comedy also sneaks in there at the most unlikely times. The characters shown during these times are drawn with simple shapes like circles for eyes and square shape for the mouth. This is a formula that most manga use to express comedic moments. I love manga's ability to pull this off.
My biggest problem wasn't with the series itself but the release dates for each volume. It would take so long for a new volume to come out that I would forget the story. Going to the bookstore and seeing that a new volume magically came out wasn't fun either. Especially when you went planning to buy something else then BOOM!!! THERE IT IS!!! Readers might be turned off by the story because its mind bending and the conclusion also makes you think. I think the creator wants you to use your mind without handing the answer to you on a silver spoon. Some of you might have trouble wondering what if this means this or what if this happened but I'm always expanding my horizons with what if questions. Ask questions for yourself because you never know the answer you'll come to.
"Are You Alice" looks great visual and the story line is so weird that its attractive. Just be happy that your in a better position than I was. The series is officially finished so you can go buy with out worrying about waiting for a new volume or you can read online. Thats not my thing. I like the feel of a book in my hands.
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