Gakuen Alice

Gakuen Alice has an interesting premise and a charming first episode which lulls you into the belief that you are in for a special treat. Cute characters, slapstick comedy, magic, and elementary kids give you a distinct Harry Potterish feel. However in the end though that special treat ends up tasting like it was dropped in the mud.

As I mentioned the premise is interesting though quite farfetched. There are plenty of familiar themes and if you have watched school comedies (really who hasn’t practically all of them take place in school) there won’t be anything all that groundbreaking. The story overall ... has some inconsistencies and major annoyances and flaws that make it when taken in its entirety not very good. Despite its cutesy look and comedy, Gakuen Alice does deal with some serious themes. One of these is bullying. Mikan is treated pretty horribly much throughout the series but more so in the beginning episodes. While if done properly these situations can be funny, for me they just weren’t. In some ways I liken the humor to something like Inukami!, though Gakuen Alice is not perverted the way that series is but it has the same overuse of cruel humor that just outstays its welcome.

Alice Academy seems like a hell on earth. The setting and the overwhelming number of the characters are completely unlikable and despicable. The way these kids are treated, forcibly taken from their homes, not allowed to see their families, and the fact that the great majority of the students and teachers come across as horrible people. They are spoiled, mean, emotionally scarred; all the things you would expect from kids who had been traumatized this way. Yet I am supposed to feel sympathetic towards the school or that I am supposed to find the cruel bullying hilarious. I didn’t. The very fact that it was even played for laughs was offensive to me.

Despite my almost total non-enjoyment of the first third of the series eventually things start getting on track. There is a tremendous amount of plot buildup from the beginning until about the last few episodes. We get a lot of what I found very interesting romance between the main character Mikan and the dangerous Natsume. The subplot about how Natsume is being used by the very shady and seemingly cruel Alice Academy is very compelling. Throw in Mikan's mysterious mother who was an infamous student in the school and the drama with Mikan learning to use her "Alice" and be accepted by everyone gives the plot depth. However, all of this is wasted by the most glaring story problem; the lack of a satisfactory ending to the series. Don’t worry, it’s not one of those endings but the series probably needed another 12-15 episodes to get everything wrapped up. The end feels rushed, overly simplistic, and ultimately a bit of a slap in the face to my intelligence. Other subplots are basically just ignored or poorly explained. Even though the series could have benefited by being longer, there were a lot of episodes wasted on pointless fluff storylines that did nothing to advance the story.

The lone shining light of Gakuen Alice is Mikan. She is a wonderful character full of optimism, cheerfulness, and love for everyone no matter how horribly they treat her. I really wanted to just cry for her. She is used as the butt of every joke while almost without exception she is tormented and bullied by everyone, including her own "best friend". While this could have made for some good comedy, and don’t get me wrong there are some funny moments, the jokes are overused and often just in bad taste. Because of this I felt more anger and annoyance than I did smiles and laughter. Though most of the bullying and tasteless cruel humor against Mikan goes away eventually, it definitely outlived it's usefulness. However just seeing Mikan and her personality and sure brushes off all this adversity and soldiers on is kind of inspiring.

Mikan's "friend" Hotaru was someone if I could have physically gotten my hands on I would have drowned her in the bathtub. Sure she’s the emotionless robot type personality and how she behaves often fits this archetype. You do get flashes of the deep affection and feelings she has for Mikan both as a friend and perhaps something more. However most of the time this is ruined by a subsequent act of cold blooded cruelty. Though she makes some strides towards the middle-end of the show they managed to ruin all this in the last episode. She is voiced by Rie Kugimiya who is my favorite seiyuu in a rare non-tsundere role. Though even she couldn’t make me like Hotaru.

Of the remaining cast, Natsume stands out as the most interesting. He is a scary kid for sure but despite initially disliking him he does come to grow on you and at least you feel made some growth as a person. Most of Mikan's classmates and teachers start out being horribly cruel and come across as assholes and bitches. I felt my hatred of some of them wane as the series progressed but many of them were unforgivable. The best characters next to Mikan were without a doubt her friends Tsubasa and Misaki in the Special Abilities class she joins. Since many of the people in that class were bullied as well you feel that they have a breakable bond and lasting friendship. They were the only people in the story I felt really cared for Mikan at all and showed her any kindness.

There isn’t anything amazing about the art and animation. I did like Mikan's character design but a lot of the art was pretty bland. Shaft did do a great job in animating Mikan's emotions though. I just love the silly facial expressions, crying rivers of tears, and other silliness. The OP/EN animations and songs are pretty cute as well. I think they matched the personality of the lead perfectly though the EN didn’t match the tone of the show. It was too sweet and cute when contrasted to how unfunny and depressing much of the series was to me.

Despite not really enjoying most of the series if the story had been concluded better I probably would have rated a point or two higher. If you like slapstick and physical comedy you might like this or you might not. It has moments of brilliance and a spectacular leading character but otherwise it is a very flawed and average program.

Gakuen Alice...how I put off this anime for awhile, because it seemed so childish. Oh, how wrong I was. A lot of people recommend GA if you liked Kamichama Karin [which is absolutely fantastic] but I was very skeptical about GA. So here it goes:
AMAZING. This anime is fantastic. The only anime that has ever made me really laugh is Ouran High School Host Club, but Gakuen Alice is so clever that it definitely comes in second. Mikan is your typical happy-go-lucky over excited school girl, kind of like Usagi from Sailor Moon, except Mikan never complains and tries her hardest at everything. What's amazing ... is how she goes from one of the most hated kids in the entire school to one of the most loved. Her devotion to her friends is astonishing (although Hotaru, though she really cares about Mikan, gets very annoying and you get frustrated with Mikan for always being so dedicated to her). The characters are all fantastically done, not artwork wise I mean, but character wise. They all have so much depth, and change so much. It's almost more like a fairy tale at some points.

So yes, the artwork at first doesn't look fantastic. Mikan is not your typical super-cute sort of girl like in Kamichama Karin or even Mermaid Melody, but she has the best personality you'll ever see. So for any skeptics, I guarantee that you'll laugh and really enjoy this anime. I've never watched one so quickly, and I'm not even done yet. But it's fantastic! And the romance is great! FINALLY a love triangle, I get tired of two-sided love, and Mikan has two guys competing for her.

Please please watch this anime, it's so much better than you would think, and it makes you wish that you, too, had an Alice and could attend the school.

Ah, Gakuen Alice. Rumours of liscensing, slow fansubs, and various other series distracted me from watching it for quite some time. However, promises of hyperactive shoujo fun kept me wanting to watch it, and indeed I did. Unfortunately, the show did not quite live up to my expectations.

The storyline is at first very intriguing. A young girl named Mikan tracks down her best friend in her new boarding school, only to find out that the school is made for students with alices, special powers that range from classic (levitaion) to bizarre (rapid hair growth). Not only that, but she herself has an alice and soon ... enters the school. The rest of the series deals mainly with Mikan trying to find her place in her new enviornment, making friends, and generally having wacky elementary school hijinks. A more serious side to the story centers mainly around Mikan's relationship with Natsume, a loner with a hidden agenda. Unfortunately, while many of the lighthearted episodes are a lot of fun, the darker and plottier moments are lacking. I was never really interested in finding out more about the secrets of the school or its students, as much as the anime obviously tried to hook me. All in all, much of the main story seemed out-of-place in an otherwise fluffy show.

There's not an awful lot to say about the art or animation. It's far from hideous, but I can't call it attractive either. Blatently average. The music is similar; it fits the tone of the show but doesn't stand out an awful lot, although the ending theme is very sweet and calming.

Luckily, what Gakuen Alice lacks in other elements it makes up for in characterization. The herione, Mikan Sakura, is a cheerful girl who embodies most of the cliches you've seen in any anime or manga for little girls, but while her kindness and naivety abound, she never really gets annoying about it, so she's a very likable main character. Hotaru, Mikan's best friend, is a technology genius who comes off as rather uncaring towards her peers, but this is usually used for comedic effect and you can tell that she's really a good person. Natsume is your typical emo lone wolf type, and while he is generally pretty uninteresting, he has his moments and fills the role he needs to well. The supporting cast, when they get a chance to do something significant, shines and ranges from solid to highly likable.

As afformentioned, most of Gakuen Alice is lighthearted fluff about Mikan interacting with her new friends and enviorment, and it is usually tons of fun to see what she'll do next, whether she meets someone with a new, unique alice or just wants to eat a good snack. While a few episodes drag on predictably, they are for the most part cute and likeble. So-called darker moments, however, are not as enjoyable. There are definatly series that do each type of scene better, but this one does at least the lighter scenes quite well.

Despite its great reputation, I found Gakuen Alice to be pretty average in terms of lighthearted, fun shoujo. It's happy and cute, that's for sure, and if you need more of that in your anime diet Gakuen Alice is a solid choice. Just don't expect it to be your new favorite series.

I Laughed, Cried, Wanted something (or someone) to Hug, And episode after episode, i could not wait until i saw the next.
Gakuen Alice is true-ly a masterpiece.
Some people drop the anime because of it's childish element. But let me say this once, IT. IS. NOT. CHILDISH. There are so many dark moments in this anime, that will honestly tear you to pieces and make you cry. If you have a heart that is, and I am pretty strong when it comes to that stuff, but this anime broke that barrier. On-wards to the Review!
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Story: 10/10

Honestly, what goes on in the first TWO episodes ... will probably make people drop this anime, but if you get past that...you'll love this anime. It has really dark spots in the anime, and really isn't meant towards the 'shoujo' group. It's towards everyone so if you're a guy and you want to watch this, watch it. It's worth it.
The Story goes on about Mikan Sakura moving to follow her 'best friend', who has recently been anounced as one of the 'Alice's.' So she had to transfer schools, leaving the normal school and into a 'magical' school. Mikan follows her (secretly) and the story goes on from there. How her world filled with the 'norm', has been switched with the 'magical'. From there on we learn about our new characters, and what goes on in their lives / Mikans.

Art: 6/10

Seeing how this anime was made in 2005 ish, it kind of reminds me of an anime that i watched jsut prior to this. The OHSHC. Yes, i watched that and came straight to this, nothing much of a change except for the age difference. The art is very similar, infact each anime were made around the same time. The art isn't something to be so happy about, however considering it being in the early 2000s, it's pretty good. How the artist was so creative at designing the 'dark points', in the story. And going about to expand it throughout the anime is a real shocker, - in a good way.

Overall for the ART, it's very good for being in 2005. The characters all have the 'outter' details that we all know and love. Ranging from giant smiles, to interesting physique, to our famous tragic pasts.

Sound: 8/10

The sound isn't that wonderful, however at certain points in the anime it certainly does show its true colors. When the happy spirit comes along, we hear a tune that 100% suits it. And the same goes for the dark times, it's all nearly perfect.

Character: 10/10

I ABSOLUTELY Love the characters. The characters all have their traits, and are all different! It's not like the annoying ones that you see in those anime's that want to just annoy the crap out of you, it's one of those anime's where they make each character unique. For Instance, our MC Mikan is a, cry baby, energetic, overly happy, kid. Who inspires others around her to never give up, never let anything get you down. Although she cries alot, it's about the little things, to her at least. To many people, the things that bother them don't even bother Mikan. It's truely magnificent. There's our other MC's Ruka & Natsume + Hotaru. They all have their own perfect personalities that are probably each and every one of us / at least a side of us. Dark/Angry yet soft on the inside, or Supportive in a way that it looks feircesome but yet soft and quickly warms out to people. Or just plain old gloomy, yet doesn't know how to show their feelings to people but truely cares about those close to them and would do everything in their power to help them when they absolutely need it.

Enjoyment: 10/10

I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. It honestly brings me tears of joy. The anime depicts the characters as kids, yet the things they go through is so....not 'childish'. They're just children, yet have the jobs of people much older, young adults even. It's unreal how well the anime turned out, and it deserves so much more. The inspiration, the laughs, the cries, the joyous memories that this anime brings me, is just too much for me to hold in.

Overall: 10/10

The anime is so perfect, i wish there were much more episodes. It deserves so much more, too bad it's one of those anime's that don't have a second season. I was very disappointed at when i found out about it, but . . . it was so awesome. It deserves so much man!! The characters, the things they went through, their struggles, their transformations, going from the darkest pit, to the surface. It's just amazing. And it holds action, which i love! Really! It's just amazing, and no it's not about action, it has action. IT HAS - "H.A.S" is what i mean.

So, i hope you guys check out this anime, it's honestly one of my top 5 favorite anime out there, i wish i didn't drop it so early when i first heard about it.

This anime was recommended to me a while back but I didn't get the chance to watch it until now, and I'm sure glad I remembered to! Before watching it, I thought it would just be a normal school anime, the last thing I was expecting was the twist added by the characters' "Alices", which are like superpowers.

I didn't have trouble enjoying this anime; it's fun and entertaining right off the bat. I was especially charmed by Natsume's character, but was a little disappointed that more wasn't explained about his background and current "situation". I'm sure the manga does a better job, so there's ... always that to look forward to.

This is one of my favorite Animes. I believe that the storyline in itself is wonderful and the all the dramatic twists and comedy in the show make it even more interesting.

The enjoyment starts right at the beginning when the catchy theme song starts and the cut artwork starts to appear. Before you know it you'll be singing along! Once the episode starts you will automatically be stuck to the T.V. and laugh at all the bits of humor inside. However, there is some really good drama in it which just adds to why you can't wait to see the next episode.

Watching all the ... students use their Alices is really enjoyable and adds a magical touch to it. However, besides from that there is no really other magic things and there's not to much fantasy so it is quite down to earth apart from the Alices.

The characters in the story all our different and as the episodes go by you get to see some of the characters develop.

It's filled with action, magic, a dash of drama and a sprinkle of romance this Anime is the perfect recipe for an absolutely delightful dish!

I have seen a lot of school anime in my life time and I don't think most of them come close to being as good as Gakuen Alice

A total of 5 things make Gakuen Alice stand out above the rest

Handling A large cast of characters

Most super power school anime struggle with the characterization of many characters, there's two major reasons why; when the writers make template for these characters they get attached to their characters and when tasked with writing those characters into the story, they fail to convey the character's personality properly because they've already do it in their heads, the second thing is ... dividing attention between the large cast. depending on the type of story you want to tell how you divide the attention is important, In romance anime, the focus is split between 2 main characters and about 4 side characters, in shounens focus is given to so many characters, in One piece characters get developed then they leave the story so dealing with those characters is simple. In MHA for example, since most of the characters dwell in a school and can't leave, the writer has to constantly be thinking of new ways to make those characters fun, what failed My hero academia however, is the addition of other schools. How are you going to add new characters when you haven't finished developing the characters you had first.

Gakuen Alice was sort of in a hard place, the writer couldn't make the character leave the story after their arcs like in One piece so that was a problem, and just like in My hero academia the characters are in a school, how was Gakuen Alice going to deal with these problems?

- One of the ways it dealt with these problems was restricting access from the outside world entirely, creating a secret society, by doing this, the writer limits characters from entering the story focuses on developing those characters the story has.

-Students of different Divisions, Elementary, Middle school and High school wear different colours and uniforms that allow me to tell them apart, it's very important because Milan is going to spend about 6 years in the school and we sort of need to be able to tell divisions apart.

- Giving characters One dimensional personalities then slowly building on them as the story progressed was neat, this way the writer can flesh out as many characters she wants because they have some basic trait viewers or readers remember them by Many of the characters are introduced this way, they seem pretty basic but each time we meet them we learn something new about them, the characters became so complex without me even noticing. This kept the story fresh. Anime examples would be Hotaru, Permy, Natsume, Ruka, Narumi, since the anime wasn't adapted fully I didn't see all the characters get fleshed out. so I read the manga

-When New characters get added into the story they are anchored to pre-existing characters that were already in the story and If they aren't anchored, they come into the story with new information as well, so their introductions give me something new. Tsubasa is introduced in episode 6 and I found out new information about the 4 Alice types, In episode 7 Hijiri Yoichi is introduced into the story, anchored to Natsume, plus I found out about Central town, and dangerous Alice abilities. Hotaru's brother is introduced in episode 17 and gave me information about how some kids grow up with their parents and how cruel Alice academy could be. IT's a great way to always have characters involved in the story somehow.

Handling the school aspect really well

Gakuen Alice doesn't really try to be something it's not, it could've focused on the gritty Idea of children being trapped and manipulated by adults like in promised Neverland but it didn't. it goes for a more realistic approach, It's a story about a "child" trying to live life to the fullest in a school. but because the school is a secret society and it's governed by rules, that aspect sort of elevates the boring school setting and makes their slice of life episodic adventures more fun

The most important rules are

No.1: Students are allowed very little contact with the outside world once they are found out to be Alice users. this helps contain the secrecy.

No.2: Students are ranked using a star system that ranks them on their grades and behavior, because their alices are something they cannot control. There are 4 levels, students with a principal star are the best students and are also rare, then come the three star students, followed by two star students, one star students and lastly No star students. The star ranking system also determines how you are treated, how much allowance you get, how much work you have to do, the room you get and the food you eat. How hard you work correlates with the rewards you get, making Alice academy function like the real world but instead of dealing with the whole world, the writer gets to deal with only a small portion of it.

No.3: There are 4 Alice types, Latent type: Alices that are common and are easier to deal with, then we have Technical type Alices: Alices that reveal themselves through hard work, like paintings that come to life, or sewing a bear that comes to life. The somatic type use manipulation on living things, e.g, controlling animals, or people, manipulating your body to run faster, then the special class, a class of people who's abilities don't fit into the other categories and are considered weird. there is a secret category though, the dangerous Alice ability class, so far Yoichi who commands evil spirits, Natsume, a fire user and Persona, a man who kills what he touches have been shown. By categorizing students' powers there is some sort of order.

No.4: Elementary students and middle school students of the different types have joint classes once a week, this helps younger students learn from their seniors. Mikan is in the special class. So she joins the special class with special class Middle school students.

No.5: The person who scores the highest on their test is allowed to go home and visit their family, otherwise they are allowed to send letters to their families and get letters back.

No.6: Students are allowed to buy resources and get necessities at central town, with the money they get from their star allowance.

No:7: the festivals.

these rules give it an edge because we get so many fun interactions out of them, like Mikan struggling to enjoy life to the fullest being a No star, or her truing to earn money, the festivals they have most of the time, because they are a rich school.

Since it's mainly a slice of life story that focuses on their life at school, the students don't really have a goal, they do want to go back home but only one person can so they gave up trying, the rules allow them to aim for something, like getting a 3 star rank to get a better room or allowance.

Handling 5 genres at once

Gakuen Alice at most is a show about Mikan trying to make the best of her situation, mixed in with comedy, romance, Slice of life, school, and of course tragedy and all these genres are done realistically and not in an over the top way.

Comedy is very subjective and what makes me laugh might not make you laugh so I can't say much about that.

The romance aspect is very subtle especially in the beginning, it does become more as Mikan grows older. It doesn't overshadow everything else.

The slice of life aspect is very mellow and chill, just students enjoying life, having episodic misadventures that do affect the overall story and the characters, I'm always kept guessing, what will happen next?

The tragic aspect is children having to grow up without the love of parents. it's not really over dramatic except in Natsume's case but that's because he's a child who's forced to deal with the fact that his Alice killed a lot of people. Most of the children are home sick and before Mikan arrives they are in deep despair. Mikan herself does experience homesickness but she tries her hardest to become optimistic. Most of the children have been raised by the academy and have lost their sense of wonder, Mikan was raised as a normal child so it's only natural for her to be extremely optimistic. Together they all sort of help each other, Mikan learns not to be too trusting of others, whereas the other students adopt her optimism.

It's really sad that this show didn't get the greatest anime adaptation nor a complete one, don't get me wrong, I love the voice acting, I love the music, I think it fits well with the classical look the academy was going for and I can watch bad animation as long as it's in color and it's not Bad CGI, I just think when My hero academia and literally any romance anime get great adaptations, Gakuen Alice didn't get that, IT DESERVES A RE ADAPTATION WITH THE COMPLETE SOURCE MATERIAL.... but Eh.. the manga is great.

It's an 8.5 anime looking at it objectively but a 10/10 for my personal enjoyment

This is My Hero Academia before that came out. This is My Hero Academia if it was a shoujo and had mature and dark undertones to it beneath its cutesy exterior.

"He’s a hopeless romantic. He believes the purpose of life is to love and be loved. That’s why all the things he makes takes up a soul. If he stopped making stuffed animals, most likely he’’ll die. Imagine the dreams a person like him needs to keep pressing forward."

Gakuen Alice seems like your typical shoujo, like a Card Captor Sakura knockoff: Mikan Sakura, your "plain" heroine meets the tsundere, Natsume, who also wields fire ... bending powers. But like Fruits Basket and Princess Tutu, that's deconstructed.

Mikan coming from a small town follows her best friend Hotaru to her private K-12 program known as the Alice Academy. Those who have Alices, aka "Quirks" attend. An Alice is a "Quirk," a special ability that can range from normal talents to superhero like strengths.

Beneath its prestigious surface, the academy is a strict place. Their letters or postcards are censored, thrown out even. Once enrolled, the students can't see or contact their family. Not even when they've entered at age 5. They're guarded. They can't run away. They're even forcibly taken back or punished even. That's where Mikan meets Natsume, as he's attempting to run away. If they run away, there's potentially child trafficking. Because those with Alices or adorning the uniform are valuable.

She meets Narumi-sensei but is unaffected by his pheromones Alice. Mikan discovers her Alice. It's nullification. She is enrolled and reunites with her best friend Hotaru. The series goes through her perspective as she learns more about Alices and learns of the Dangerous Class Ability. The academy divides the students into stars, ranks and types. The Dangerous Class are essentially the academy's team of child soldiers that go on missions at night where they are meant to fend off the academy's enemies. You find out more as you go through the manga what happens on those missions.

The highlight of the show is the Reo arc, where Natsume gets kidnapped and Mikan and her friend, Permy, try to save him and get him back to the academy. We learn of the rumor surrounding Natsume and how he's accused of being a murderer and burning down his town.

The anime is a set up for what's to come in the manga. The story is slowly revealed in bits and pieces. There's a woman Nodacchi, the teacher of the Special Ability class, sees when he time travels: she is walking in the snow carrying a baby. She's the mysterious woman who was kicked out of the school and Jinno-sensei's abhorrence of Mikan's nullification alice, all because he knew someone who had it.

I loved the friendships and the dynamics between Hotaru and Mikan and Ruka and Natsume. All the relationships grow and the chemistry is believable. No there are no love squares. There's a love triangle but Ruka and Natsume value their brotherhood over a girl.

The strengths of the show are the characters and their bonds with each other. Friendship is celebrated and depicted in a realistic and heartwarming manner. The ending didn't make a lot of sense. Natsume's still going on missions and unlike the anime implied, he still doesn't have a choice in them. The anime tries to tie the loose ends and deliver a rather unsatisfying conclusion. Read the manga if you want to see where it continues.

I laughed and cried. This is a gem.

Story: Throughout the anime there isn’t really much of a story since it's mostly different events happening in each episode. But there are some episodes that are 2-3 episodes of story. Those stories I find are really important to future character development.

Art: As expected of an anime that was made in the early 2000s, the art design was so so. All the characters no matter how old they were or whether they were male or female, they all had large eyes. You really can’t blame the animators because of the lack of technology at the time. Otherwise the art design is that at the point ... where you can’t stand it.

Sound: The music that is played matched perfectly with each scene. Since Gakuen Alice is pretty much a slice of life, it’s best to play music that isn’t dramatic but at the same time not something that is depressing. The OSTs were just right. The OP is very catchy and with practice you can sing along. The ED is perfect for the the episodes where you can’t stop laughing. It helps you return back to a calm state.

Character: What I like about the characters is that each VA(voice actor/actress) was able to bring out each personality of their character. Like Romi Park who plays Hyuuga Natsume. Natsume is a cold type of person. Romi Park was the perfect person to bring out that cold side of him. It’s very easy to see the very different personalities of all the characters that you meet.

Enjoyment: No matter how many times I rewatch episode 10 I can’t stop laughing. In almost every episode, there is a funny moment that will make you keeping laughing for years to come. The comedy that is involved makes Gakuen Alice fun to watch. Great for the family to watch together.

Overall, Gakuen Alice is a perfect anime for those days where you feel sad. The comedy that it shows you is great to cheer up you and others. This is really an anime that everyone should watch at least once in their lives.

I've just watched finish Gakuen Alice ; I wasn't keen on watching it at first since I thought it's all kid-like looking and not really my type...but I watched it anyways and boy, am I impressed!

A lot of people prefer the manga better than the anime saying the story is more deep and there are more kissing scenes and what not - but honestly, I am pretty glad they decided to end it that way with less dark and deep scenes because hey, i'm sure there are still lots of 10 year olds that watch these movies and it would be pretty cruel to show ... them how evil the real story is, right?

I STILL hope for a season 2 though =(

Anyways, the story, I LOVED THE STORY. Although, it ain't anything new or spectacular, it's still interesting! I do wish for to have an alice of my own =( Looking at those alices kids makes me really envy them and they're interesting to watch as well!

The love story between Ruka, Natsume and Mikan were really cute and I squealed each time there'a little romance between those three!

Honestly, I didn't find Hotaru a "best friend" type at first but HECK, I love her so much now. Some people have things they are good at and some people have things they are bad at and Hotaru is bad at expressing how she feels towards Mikan hence the cold attitude.

Mikan's optimistic cheerful attitude definitely fits Hotaru's cold attitude. I mean, if Hotaru was optimistic and all lovey dovey to Mikan, wouldn't that be too much? So they both fit well =) Plus, it really warms me up to see Mikan and Hotaru's friendship. It is such a beaut that it brings me to tears.

Some characters were annoying and some were lovable but the story is really a nice story of friendship, love and joy. It tells us that as long as you believe in yourself and work hard, everything is possible. It also tells you that life would be easier if you had a friend to guide you along with =)

What a story. It's true there are lots of bullying and cruel tactics but didn't the class act as one whenever something bad happens to one of the students? I love this story a lot. It brings back so many memories that I really wished the story didn't end and continue.

Art was fantastic since I'm an art lover and believe that whatever comes out or drawn, you know that it is drawn from the heart - besides, to complain about the art, does it mean that you can draw better than the person who created the characters itself?

Sounds were great - never knew Natsume's voice was voiced by a female though...=3

Characters - outstanding. Just love Mikan's joy - makes me wonder how she'd cope with everything that happens around her, her personality to try hard each time she fails, to never give up on someone, to help people irregardless of their friendship status really makes me adore Mikan. Hotaru's cold emotionless face yet caring when she shows it basically I just love ALL the characters =D

They are such a joy - Mr Bear as well!! I just love it each time his eyes sparkle - you know he's up for a fight! HIYAH!!

I enjoy Gakuen Alice so so so much and would encourage ALL of you to watch it! It didn't take me long to get hooked onto Gakuen Alice. I watched the first episode and immediately got hooked.

LOVE IT.

i really like this anime first of all the anime that i liked...the story of Mikan and Natsume are so great that i could even die in the romance...i wish there is a season 2 in this anime i know it will be really popular if higuchi-sama will make a season 2...

i like this since i was 9 years old....the day that i watched this in the tv in abs-cbn....the ending of Gakuen in manga is getting closer i cant wait to see it i wish Natsume wont die...im really looking forward to this anime....wish that Mikan and Natsume will leave happily ever after....number ... one anime of all...wish that the author will amke a season 2 in this anime it will trully be popular if the author will make a seson 2...anyway....


Mikan Sakura is an orphan who lives in the country side of Japan. When her best friend, Hotaru, transfers away to a prestigious school in Tokyo, Mikan follows her. The school is actually an elite academy for the gifted people with “alices”. When Mikan arrives to the gates of the school, she encounters a teacher and gets enrolled due to a series of events. She is told that she has a unique, rare “alice”. There, she immediately meets Natsume, a moody boy who constantly gets abused by the school. They get along like fire and water, yet they are undeniably attracted to one another. but in the end Natsume falls for Mikan and swears that he will protect Mikan no matter what happens...making Mikan realise that she also love Natsume and confess her love for him in chpter 134



She also gets the chance to meet other people; like Natsume’s caring best friend Ruka, or Iinchou, the class rep. Despite her initial view of the so-called greatness of the school, she slowly finds out that beneath the grand facade of the academy, there is a never-ending stream of lies and buried secrets. The school’s increasingly manipulative and sinister actions towards her make it a dangerous place to be. Little does she know, her enrollment in the school set the gears in motion to an even greater tragedy.

i Love watching anime. everytime i finish watching 1 complete series of anime, i will search for a new 1. I probably have seen over thousand anime. and its kinda hard to find really interesting 1.

I believe this anime is a HIDDEN gem. LOL. The storyline pretty Interesting. it takes me 3 episode to fall in love with this "Alice Academy". i love the face mimic(art) of main Character (Mikan Sakura) and i found its funny, silly,adorable and cute.

My first impression for tis anime actually is not tat good cos tis anime label as pg13 which mean its for kids. But the storyline really surprise ... me cos its much better than most of adult-like anime outside there.

As a conlusion,This is
Really Awesome anime tat you should not miss watching until the last episode.=)

Story - 8: I really thoroughly enjoyed the story of this anime. The plot really "takes you back" to a time when you truly loved your best friend. (Not in any weird, ecchi sort of way. You just loved them and desired to always be near them.) Everyone has that friend that moves away, but most of them don't have super-power-like abilities. In fact, I don't really think any of them do... but that's besides the point. This fantasy/realistic work is quite amazing, especially if you continue it with the manga. (It gets even better!) The love between Mikan and Hotoru is simply fantastic, and ... it brings tears to your eyes. Once must first allow themselves to get out of their own head and accept this is a child's anime. However, not-so childish themes are involved. It's something for everybody. Really, the story is gorgeous and it takes you along for the ride in a lovely way.

Art - 9: Okay, I'm not an art expert. In my own amateur opinion, the art is adorable. It's childish, sure, but that's the nature of the show. I wouldn't expect it any other way. That's not to say others might find the art less enjoyable. It's in classic shoujo style, and I find that style the most enjoyable.

Sound - 7: It wasn't bad, but the songs get VERY annoying. I just skip over them. The first few times, the songs are cute and sweet, but they tend to get stuck in your head VERY, VERY easily. The ending song is very pretty to listen to, while the opening theme sets the mood for the rest of the show. However, it's still pretty annoying. I would just skip over it.

Character - 10: I remember being a kid vividly enough to know these emotions are real. Natsume is stuck in a battle between being an adult and being a child, while Ruka is trying to be a friend that he believes Natsume needs. Mikan loves Hotoru so much, she'd do anything for the girl, and Hotoru is the type of friend who doesn't openly display her love. That's okay. Mikan doesn't mind, because their personalities fit JUST RIGHT for one another. It's actually how childish relationships work. Kids fight with growing into adulthood, especially children who are forced to grow up exceedingly fast. (Natsume is a prime case for being forced to grow up too soon.) Ruka doesn't understand, but he knows his friend needs him. The adult relationships are perfect too. The tension between Reo and Narumi is absolutely stellar, as well as the little plot in between them... with a certain mother. (Heehee.) Anyway, the characters are perfect. There is enough darkness and enough light in every character, even the evil ones, which makes you believe that they could've been good. Anti-heroes and anti-villains run amuck!

This is one of my favorite animes. I felt I had to write a review because if I can convince at least one person to watch this anime I will be thrilled.

I'm not going to go into the story line because it's absolutely ridiculous to do that in a REVIEW. You can read about the story line anywhere, a review is supposed to be YOUR OPINION of something.

I loved this anime because of it's absolutely hilarious main character and story line. The characters are so original and very easy to fall in love with. The art is very well done. The music I love!! The ... opening theme is always stuck in my head and sometimes I watch an episode just to listen to it. Yeah, it's that catchy.

Overall, this is such a fun anime to watch. I've watched it twice, which I usually never do. It's no award winning masterpiece, but it will put you in a great mood....and if you don't at least laugh once you have no soul. lol! Just kidding! But please, give this anime a shot! :o)

This anime is amazing! It was the anime that brought back my hobbies on watching anime. I've seen these anime aired on ABS-CBN (Philippines). I got to watch it due to it's interesting trailer.

Upon watching Alice academy, It always made me cracked out of laughter and sometimes *kilig* (I don't know the English term for that). Back then, It became my favorite anime, I waited for it everyday and as time went along, I grew to like it even more!

So mush for that, I really wish that they will make a second sequel on the Anime.
That would attract more otakus out there ^^

This review is coming from someone who has read nearly all the manga and watched the anime.
I DO RECOMMEND READING THE MANGA AFTER WATCHING THE ANIME AS IT GIVES SO MUCH MORE DEPTH TO THE STORY. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE ANIME AS A STANDALONE SERIES IS NOT GOOD.

Story: 6/10
In relativity to the manga the story within the anime definitely isn't good. However, even as its own unit, the story of the Gakuen Alice anime isn't that good either. It has a storyline; it's not like a monster of the day story that has no character development ever, but it ... does have a lot of meaningless parts of the show (that aren't anime-original). I think it's mostly due to the fact that the anime was short and wasn't able to get into the really gritty stuff that it lacks so much of the story component.

Art: 7/10
I'm not a professional anime reviewer, so I can't critique the art in specific ways. The art is a bit old (in comparison to what we have now), but it gives the anime a campy feel and it doesn't take away from the story.

Sound: 9/10
I don't know exactly how to review sound, but the voice acting was good and the music was well-placed.

Character: 7/10
Ah. *Sighs heavily* This is where it gets tough for me to solely stick to the anime part of the story I'm reviewing. See, the anime does an okay job at characterization. It sticks to the model of the manga and gives all the characters their fair introduction scene. It doesn't take anything out really either. However, I just can't let go of the fact that they barely gave Natsume the redemption he deserved. Throughout the anime he stayed as just an unexplained 'bad' character, with only just a couple scenes that gave him a character besides his normal attitude. If you're not into dark stuff, this anime is a perfect way to learn the story and the characters without having to go through some of the heartbreaking scenes in the manga, just be aware that you may not get as well-rounded characters as you hope.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Despite all the things I said above (you can probably tell I'm pretty hung up on the fact that they didn't continue the anime), I really enjoyed it! It's a fun and cute anime, with a couple more serious scenes that remind you that the word they live in is actually pretty dangerous. It balances the comedy nicely, making it so that it's not overbearing (Mikan trying to gain an actual friendship with Hotaru is a running joke, though, so if you don't like those things be wary).

You can take into account the other reviews on here, but make sure that you don't come into this anime expecting much, or you'll be disappointed. If you've read the manga and are thinking of watching the anime, I have some things:
1) There are barely any inconsistencies in the story, even though it might jump around the manga a bit.
3) The atmosphere is nothing like the manga at all; imagine the atmosphere of the first 10-20 chapters, but for the entire anime. I'm assuming that wouldn't be a big deal, but as I've said before, only like 2 bad things happen in the entire anime.

I'm not a professional anime reviewer in any way, like I said before, so if my obsession with the manga vs anime aspect of the anime is bothering you, please take my opinion with a grain of salt and watch the show on your own discretion, not mine.

"Alice" is ability. People who have "alice" are gathered in Gakuen Alice for...various purpose. (I will not go into that, please enjoy the story)

After finishing both the manga and anime of GA, here is my review.

Gakuen Alice(GA) is a school themed comedic shoujo manga/anime. I'm not sure why it is not given the "mystery" genre but whatever. The cover of the anime and the name might fool you thinking that the story will be childish but in reality it isn't. The story is more interesting and...complicated than you can imagine. The characters are interesting with different alices/abilities. The characters are not over 9000 or ... I might say their abilities are quite weak. This makes the story very funny.

The anime version GA actually skipped quite alot of the darker part of the story and also changed the ending of the story which I believe is a grave mistake. The anime GA failed to talk about interesting chapters like the identity of Mikan or other section(middle and highschool) of the gakuen and that is truly disappointing when compare to the manga version.

The art and sound of GA isn't really special i'll say its average.

My overall rating for GA anime is only 6/10. The anime version is enjoyable for a light shoujo comedy but If you are looking for a masterpiece, the manga version of GA is a must-read manga or else you will miss out an awesome piece of work.

(6) Story- It wasn't all that good. I expected it to be better but there wasn't any romance which was quiet disappointing.In the manga it was much better so I do think that they should have put the romance in the anime too, that way they would get more viewers.

(7) Art- Art was pretty good

(6) Sound- no comment

(8) Character- I really liked the characters especially Hotaru. She was my favourite! The "cool" type. Mikan was great too, just that clumsy and stupid part of her annoyed me. Out of the male characters I really liked tsubasa. He seemed pretty cool.

(5) Enjoyment- I kinda enjoyed ... it but again, they really needed to put romance in the story T_T

(7) Overall- The manga was better ...


~Blue T.T (bad mood today T_T)

Gakuen Alice is one of my favourite anime. This story is about Mikan and Hotaru's friendship, and Natsume and Mikan's boy girl relationship. As you can see...Mikan is the main charater of the story. Mikan is a girl with two pigtails, and will smile no matter how many set-backs she encountered, an optimistic girl in general. My favourite character is Natsume. He is so HANDSOME!!!!! Natsume is really famous in the school. Everyone knows about his fire alice. He is the only Special Star in the Elementary Division.
His nickname is Black Cat. I reccommand this anime to everyone. The anime is very touching and i ... cried throughout(:

I remember being 11 and being madly in love with Gakuen Alice. Recently reminiscing about that love I decided to re-watch the series.

Oh how the love is lost. Don't get me wrong, it was a charming series. But art is a huge factor
for me when I watch anime, and GA's art was a big disappointment. It all looked so... lazily done.
The ending wasn't very enjoyable either. The journey there wasn't too bad of a ride though.

This is definitely one of those cases where, in my opinion, the manga is a lot better than the
anime.
A lot.