Ranked #522

Heart no Kuni no Alice ~Wonderful Wonder World~ (Manga)

This is an immediate (and rather obvious) heads up for those who are curious about this series. This is meant for those who are either fans of shoujo or greatly enjoys spin offs of Alice in Wonderland.

The story is what it is: a spin off of Alice in Wonderland. Except for the fact that it's VERY loosely based off the actual novel. However, the plot itself is rather fun with slight twists of violence and romance thrown in. Another thing to bear in mind about the plot is the fact that the story does actually tend to get a little confusing, though slow reading and stopping of the drools (bishie warning. I repeat, bishie warning) may help delay that confusion.

The artwork is definitely lovely. However, the background standing alone, is rather simplistic and dull, and thus, when the focus is not on the characters, you rarely get the chance to see a well drawn background. Thankfully, the mangaka seems to realize this, as she seems to continuously draw simplistic backgrounds, BUT creates extremely attractive characters. If you're one not to pay much attention to detail unless it is the character, then this manga will be extremely appealing, as the character designs are wonderful.

I absolutely love the characters. Like mentioned before, the characters are extremely well drawn, and you will find yourself looking at MANY bishies (so there's your warning yet again, ahaha). However, one thing I really enjoyed about the characters is none other than the main character, Alice, who instead of being our typical clueless heroine from Wonderland, is a cynical and straightforward thinker. Though not much character development is added from what I see, you do see the relationships with other characters grow and see their interactions very clearly.

Enjoyment honestly could go either way. You either love it, due to the bishies and story, or you hate it because it seems stupid and well... so typical of a shoujo. But one thing that could be derived from this manga is the twist it puts on Alice in Wonderland, and it's probably what makes this series so enjoyable. Of course, for those fan girls out there, you'll definitely enjoy the artwork.

Overall, I would probably give this series a nine. It's not perfect or anything, but it's definitely not mediocre. Little parts and pieces of the series makes it a nine, but many things make it such a high rate, and I will have to say, the art and characters are probably what makes this such a good series. The story itself is also good, however, I don't think there's anything of THAT interest. Either way, I definitely recommend it to any fan of Alice or shoujo.

[Comments? Feedback? Always appreciated! Constructive criticism as well. Flaming is well... you'll see what happens if you even try.] read more

This review is based off of 8 chapters of the manga read, so I may come back and change it later.

~Story 10/10~
Ok, so it's impossible to say that this story is 100% unique, as it's based off of Alice in Wonderland, so I'll say it's only 98%. Alice falls asleep in her garden and the next thing she knows, a hot guy with bunny ears is taking her to magical land, full of conflict, danger, and beliefs that she finds to be cruel and inhuman. None the less, she is able to make friends with the inhabitants and starts to enjoy herself in this magical world, but her 'friends' all seem to hold some sort of secrets.

~Art 8/10~
Ok, so there's not much to say about the art. It's not utterly repulsive, but it's not Picasso like either. It's a bit..Umm...bland. The characters are obviously 2D, and there's not a lot of detail in anything, but in it's own way it's good.

~Character 9/10~
Ahh, the characters. One thing this manga has entirely too many of, and each one you must pay close attention too or you miss something important. But each character is very unique and you'll definitely have your favorites. Peter, the stalker bunny, who you can love or hate at first site. Ace, the charming psycho with a horrible sense of direction, Blood, the tsundere mafia leader, and so many more. It can get confusing at first, but each character IS a necessity to the story and they're what really make this story great.

~Enjoyment 10/10~
I've enjoyed every minute of HnKnA, from the dark and dramatic scenes to seeing Peter's epic fail glomps. Each chapter has me begging for more and wondering what's going to happen next.

~Overall 9/10~
I didn't rate it a ten, just because I can't rate anything that without completing it, but so far I've fallen in love with it. read more