Gakuen Alice - Reviews

Gakuen Alice was the 1st manga that made me laugh, tear up, hearthrob, scream etc. etc.

The characters are exceptional, all of them. They were all part of a story and not useless. I bet you'll remember all their names even after 1 year. That's my case hahah.

There's everything in Gakuen Alice : friendship, romance, bromance, grown-ups and children and above all magic !

I've watched it more than 5 times and I even waited for the last chapter to come out, only to be heartbroken... It was the first time a manga made me ever feel lonely after finishing it. That's why when I get over it after a long time, I try not to re-read it again because I know that I'll just be depressed at the end (again). But, of course, one day i'll be thinking about it and i'll want to read it one more time because the manga left a really good memory... Yes at this point !

So watch it ! You won't regret it !! NEVER

(SPOIL)(SPOIL)(SPOIL)(SPOIL)(SPOIL)(SPOIL)(SPOIL)(SPOIL)

The final chapter somewhat disappointed me.. I didn't expect that and it felt like the manga was more dropped than finished. It shouldn't have that ending.

There's also an artbook that was online. I saw some really confusing images that made no sense to me but the mangaka said that we can interpret them as we want and didn't give a proper explanation.. ARGH

I love how the story goes ♡ Moreover I love how Mikan is always so cheerful and innocent !! Really Recommend you to read this manga if you haven't ♡ And also don't forget to watch the anime even though it's more short than the manga but Im sure you'll love Gakuen Alice ♡

Gakuen Alice is an amazing work of art which I personally score a perfect 10/10. Rather, it should be a 100/10. It's indescribably brilliant, which has far surpassed my initial expectations, and from what I have read, Gakuen Alice exceeds every other with a better story, art and characters overall. Its just mind-blowing.

STORY - Gakuen Alice has an in-depth storyline, and is unbelievably unique and original from chapter 1. The story is so deep, complex and intriguing, and it just pulls the reader in, to experience all the joy, laughter and also the tears and sorrows. Its beautifully crafted and so well planned, you could read it over and over and discover yet another tie from earlier chapters to the later ones. You see the plot connections from double-digit chapters all the way to triple-digit chapters. Its a beautiful story. It just submerges and drags you into every arc, never being repetitive, always so absorbing, always going deeper and deeper. Its just astounding. Awe-inspiring. Amazing. Words just isn't enough.

ART - Gakuen Alice's mangaka, Higuchi Tachibana has done exceptionally well in the art making, with consistency in every chapter. As every mangaka hopes to do, they improve over time, and Tachibana has really improved over time, and quickly as well. The art is intricate, detailed, delicate, and gorgeous to feast you eyes upon. Every scene is stunning, and such beautiful artistic works helps the story and the characters to be so spectacularly portrayed, every single time. Its just so beautiful. So, so beautiful.

CHARACTERS - Gakuen Alice's characters are so unique. They are so meticulously expressed, each character has a story which links up to each arc. Their backgrounds are so different, and so simply but remarkably conveyed to tie each one of them together. There is a focus on each character, so you understand all of them. Over chapters the characters personalities, qualities, and traits and so well built up, you feel you could laugh with them, root for them, scream at them, cry with them. The foundations was brilliant. The characters in Gakuen Alice grow on you, you end up just loving them, because they are THAT awesome. They are THAT inspiring. And they are THAT incredible.

I'll tell you this - DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, OR ITS TITLE, OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. Gakuen Alice... I'd say is often mistaken as a manga directed to a child, but I'll tell you that Gakuen Alice is DEEP. Its deep, ok. Its amazing, for every reader out there. Look at those ratings!!! 4.77/5. THAT is incredible. Not every manga is able to score that kind of score, so please, SAVE YOURSELF the time to do your perfect-manga-hunting and GO and read Gakuen Alice. It's WORTH IT! So worth it. Don't miss out. It's just... SUGOI!!!

Just a quick jotting down of personal notes and what I feel works (and doesn't work) as I re-read this manga.

PROS

-Likeable characters and a very likeable protagonist

-Despite its 13+ rating, it's likely a good starter series for a kid just getting into manga (thinking about giving the first volume to my 10 year old sister for her to try out)

-Actually pretty funny. Mikan is very dramatic without being annoying, and her friend Hotaru serves as her "straight man" with great effect

-Balance between slice of life, adventure, coming-of-age, and a tiny bit of mystery

-Author's avatar is sometimes seen among randoms in a crowd (haha!)

-The camaraderie among the kids is funny and endearing; a few are brats (I hate bratty kids in general: I don't find them cute whatsoever) but the vast majority are very nice, good-natured kids. 

-While the protagonists are the equivalent of 4th or 5th graders, there are mature themes that they face such as loneliness and isolation; threats and blackmail; strength of friendships; the meaning of family and friends; challenging authority to rectify injustices; courage and resilience in the face of danger and adversity; slight bullying, etc. that serve to be entertaining without being droll or played-out.

-The potential and possibilities in a school full of Alices is fun to see unfold.

-Hotaru's gadgets and inventions are usually very cute, funny, or insanely useful without being Deus Ex Machinas or Ass Pulls.

CONS

-The panels and layout of the pages are very non-standard and the little antics people get into are often un-paneled. This makes the pages in general look very "busy" which takes some getting used to

-The screen tones are sometimes used too liberally. Either that or the screen tones aren't the highest quality or seem wrong for what they're coloring in and end up obscuring and distracting the eyes.

-Not a fan of the running gag of "Natsume sexually harassing Mikan as a joke". They're 10 and 11 year olds. Yes, it's a manga, yes it's a joke, but it doesn't sit right with me. I'd honestly prefer these jokes if they're done with older people because..I don't know, it makes it less creepy?

-Lots of tiny text and little notes by the author. It may strain your eyes trying to read all of them :x

???

-Not sure if it's stylistic, but the boots and shoes are oddly drawn.

-Filler chapters crop up revolving around an excursion, a newly introduced student, or some shenanigan that further fleshes out the characters. It's all in good fun, but it may confuse the reader as to the sequence of events. (Example: Apparently there's a 4 day festival! Next few chapters have nothing to do with the festival, and then the festival starts.)

Let me just say. This is literally one of my favorite manga of all time. When I was maybe 8 or 9 I watched the anime and when I read the manga it was such a tear factor. I cried my eyes out and my mom through I was crazy but yeah. The characters are so great! Mikan is so bubbly and funny she always had me cracking up and Natsume was like a tsundere through and through and you'll ship these two so much. Even the side characters or whatever are super fun and cool. Hotaru is so loveable oh my god everything about it sooo cute! But yeah this manga is a must in my opinion.