...and felt that it had some real potential, but I wasn't really sure where it would wind up going. So I thought I'd give you guys a check-in after finishing up volume two!
Alice in the Country of Hearts Volume 2
Publisher: TOKYOPOPRelease Date: 3/02/10
MSRP: $10.99
Length: 192 pages
Plot
In the first few pages of volume one, Alice got sucked into the mysterious Wonderland, where she learned she would be surrounded by men who would be obsessed with her. In spite of this, Alice has some gumption and tries to improve the world around her while trying to figure out how best to make her way home.In volume two, the boys are still pretty and the adventure continues, but any attempts to go home have pretty much fallen by the wayside, at least for Alice-- one of the fine gentlemen with whom she deals is interested in trying to get her home, at least.
The others are more than happy to keep playing, though, and have varying degrees of obsessiveness. Some are friendly, some are...stalker-y, some are violent, and some seem to be trying to stay away for the time being.
Tone
I'll confess that much of Alice's intelligence and unwillingness to put up with the BS of Wonderland has diminished, as she now is sort of settling into a role among the Wonderlandites, which is both natural and a little bit disappointing, since it was her slight spunk that got me into the first volume of the series.That said, I found the volume perfectly entertaining, if not particularly brilliant. The art is great, and let's face it: a lot of people enjoy works in which they can project themselves onto the protagonist, especially when that protagonist is desired or admired by everyone around them. It's part of why Twilight is so popular, and Vampire Knight, and Fushigi Yuugi and a thousand other such titles are big hits.
That said, I feel like there's still potentially a bit more to Alice than simple reverse-harem wish fulfilment: there are hints throughout of a more sinister story afoot. But we haven't quite gotten there yet.
Pros/Cons
Pros:- Attractive Art
- A protagonist who's easy to identify with (who hasn't found other people mystifying at times?), characters starting to develop
- Plot does have hints of darkness
Cons
- None of the characters are particularly unique
- Story is still primarily a reverse harem fantasy
- Very little movement towards overall plot has been made
If, Then, But
If you like these, then you might like Alice in the Country of Hearts. But...- Ouran High School Host Club (but only the Alice in Wonderland chapter)
- Fushigi Yuugi (but a slightly more interesting heroine. And slightly more interesting men.)
- Kuroshitsuji (but with more girls)
If you want a more shonen, dark alice tale, check out pandora hearts.
I come back and do some wiki in the summer. My love and passion is still in Fairy Tail, Shaman King, and Hetalia Axis Powers this year and last year.