At first, you might think that Gakuen Alice is a little coy, but as deep deeper into the series, you might find it to be a whimsical anime about a young girl and her magic powers while she bears with her friend.
A 10-year-old girl and her friend, Hotaru have been best friends for a long time. She then leaves for Tokyo. The girl starts having to go through pain and has had enough, so she then runs away from home to hunt for her friend and Tokyo and comes upon a school called "Alice Academy," where kind people introduce her to gaining special powers and meeting new friends, including androids and robots.
You see, the difference between Alice and Sakura are the plots. Sure, the both of the main characters are similar, but Sakura has a wand to stop evil from taking over her town while Gakuen Alice is an anime for children a little older about a girl who is going through different things through her bravery, from cowardice to bravery, by saving friends and trying to impress her stubborn best friend.
I thought the animation was particularly, sort of like Azumanga Daioh in a more clearer view. It was really good and really seemed to get into the anime style compared to the mange, but the only difference is that i haven't read the manga. Also, the art is probably lists this anime to the 'Best Anime to Show Little Children" list. It's not that bad and I recommend the anime for anyone over 6, maybe.
While I couldn't find the English Dub for this anime, I had to watch it subbed, and compared to the artwork, it had the same cutesy feel in the sub. Although, the music doesn't really seem to fit what's going on in the anime, it's just there to be 'there,' you know. And even in the thrilling parts, the music sounded a little too happy to even be there.
The character, Mikan, like I said was really a lot like Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura but in midget size, kinda. Sakura was a tad more taller and apparently a little more resourceful compared to Mikan's character. The characters weren't really that intriguing, but the kids and even the adults were very cute. Let's not forget about the robots.
I really thought that I wouldn't like this anime when I first had to go through the first two episodes, but then, I found it to be a very fun, interesting, whimsical and cute anime. It was a fairy tale kind of anime, but it also blended in a little romance, kiddie action, slapstick and some dramatic elements at times.
It's a fun anime to watch. 6/10
