I want to start off by saying I overall enjoyed this anime because it is just a simple anime that people of all ages can enjoy. I would have given it a 7 but the ending was very disappointing so here's the 6 it earned from me.
However...
I MUST discuss why it made me so angry to write a review for it.
Gakuen Alice takes place at Alice Academy which can only be described as Hell. The abuse these children go through is not fun to watch nor is funny to watch the main character have literally no money and be treated like a slave simply because of her Alice or what powers are called in this universe. Essentially, at this school, depending on how well the student can control their Alice or the students' intelligence determines their star rank; the higher amount of stars (3) gives them MANY privileges. One of the main characters Hotaru (who I hate with a passion) has three stars and receives more money, better food, and nicer housing accommodations. Whereas students with 1 or no stars can barely make a living. This can be seen with the main character of the show Mikan (who I love with a passion) when she is treated like a slave and the human embodiment of a garbage can, forced to do everyone's' chores.
Now I know that it is just a show and it should not be judged too harshly but I just find it bad taste when these children are treated unfairly at a school!
Moreso, the children at this school which can range from 5 years old to about 16 years old were never allowed to have communication with their family and friends in the outside world making these children trapped with abusive teachers. The trauma some of these children must have gone through is heartbreaking to think of. In one of the episodes, a nonimportant character who I would say is about 6-years-old, can be seen only being able to fall asleep if she watches a video of her mother singing to her because of how much she missed her. That moment hit me really hard and is kind of one of the reasons why I am writing my frustrated feelings out.
I guess while I am at it, I will discuss my dislike for a majority of the characters. Almost all of them suck and are unlikable. Some exceptions include Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Tsubasa, and their teacher Narumi who thank god was not abusive. Everyone else is either unlikable or bland. One character named Persona was such an interesting person, but they never utilized his character properly. When I was looking through reviews deciding whether or not I was going to write this, many people said that Hotaru was their favorite character. I can understand the appeal but the mystery person with a chip on their shoulder was already perfected with Natsume, who by far was the best character, so Hotaru being stubborn to Mikan's love just never felt right to me.
On the flip side, I think the Alice powers and the conditions or shapes are really cool ideas that I felt like the story used well. Some examples of these shapes include every time the person uses it, it minimizes their life span or the Alice disappears when the student becomes an adult. I wish these interesting ideas outshined the bad, but for me, they do not.
Would I recommend this anime? Sure. Just do not take as seriously as I did and you will be fine. Most of my anger has to do with the first 5 episodes, so if you make it past that point, you are golden!
That was about all I wanted to say so if you read this far - thanks!
Emmy621
