| Gakuen Alice | |
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![]() The cover of the first volume of Gakuen Alice as published by Hakusensha featuring Mikan Sakura |
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| 学園アリス (Gakuen Arisu) |
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| Genre | Comedy, Supernatural, Romance |
| Manga | |
| Author | Tachibana Higuchi |
| Publisher | |
| English publisher | |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | |
| Original run | 19 February 2003 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 21 |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Takahiro Omori |
| Studio | Group TAC, Aniplex |
| Licensor | |
| Network | |
| Original run | 30 October 2004 – 14 May 2005 |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Game | |
| Gakuen Alice ~Kira Kira Memory Kiss~ | |
| Developer | Kids Station |
| Publisher | Kids Station |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Rating | CERO: 12 and up |
| Platform | PlayStation 2 |
| Released | February 10, 2006 |
| Game | |
| Gakuen Alice ~Doki Doki Fushigi Taiken~ | |
| Developer | Kids Station |
| Publisher | Kids Station |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Rating | CERO: All Ages |
| Platform | Game Boy Advance |
| Released | November 18, 2004 |
| Game | |
| Gakuen Alice: Waku Waku Happy Friends | |
| Developer | Kids Station |
| Publisher | Kids Station |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Rating | CERO: All Ages |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Released | April 19, 2007 |
Gakuen Alice (学園アリス Gakuen Arisu), also known as Alice Academy, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi, currently being serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume. It was adapted into an anime series, which was produced by Aniplex and Group TAC and originally premiered on NHK BS-2. It spanned twenty-six episodes, between October 30, 2004, and May 14, 2005. The anime was translated and dubbed into English by the anime television network Animax, and the dubbed version has been broadcast on networks throughout Asia. At Anime Expo 2008, The Right Stuf International announced that its Nozomi Entertainment division had licensed Gakuen Alice for the North American market.
Contents |
Best friends Mikan and Hotaru grew up in a small town in the remote countryside. When Hotaru moves to a school for geniuses in Tokyo, Mikan misses Hotaru so badly that she decides to travel to Tokyo herself to find Hotaru. She finds Hotaru in a school called "Alice Academy," and finds that the school is actually for people with special powers called "Alices." Narumi-sensei, a teacher at the school, discovers that Mikan also happens to have an Alice, and Mikan is admitted into the academy. At first, she becomes enemies with a boy with a fire alice but later becomes friends throughout the anime. There she finds friends, love, and a life that she will never forget during that time Mikan uncovers the surprising past of her life.
The anime episodes are similar to the corresponding manga chapters, but some events are changed or combined. The manga's darker tones are reduced in the anime to suit younger viewers. Characters in the anime may have different hair and eye color than their manga counterparts. The anime series leaves the love triangle between Mikan, Ruka, and Natsume unresolved, with Mikan having not realized their feelings for her, and the mystery of Mikan's parents remains unrevealed. In the first episode, she doesn't catch a taxi to Alice Academy, nor does everyone know about Alices in the anime. Many of these differences may be due to the fact that the anime has had only one season, while the manga is ongoing.
The Gakuen Alice is located somewhere in Tokyo, in the anime across from a huge gorilla billboard. The school grounds contain three levels of education (elementary through senior high), a hospital, the main building, and the central town, where shops managed by Alice-bearing artisans sell goods produced with the help of their Alices.
Four forests surround the grounds. The Northern Woods are the most visited and are home to "Mr. Bear."
In the anime, the Academy has its own monetary system, the Rabbit (Rt), with one Rabbit equivalent to 100 yen. However, in the manga, the Academy uses yen as their primary currency.
Due to constant threat by kidnappears and slave traders, vocal and written communication is limited to within the Academy. The grounds are closely guarded, and heavy security and electrified fences deter students from attempting to leave.
High-scoring students in the Final Examinations receive perks such as free meal tickets, certifications, and money. Along with honor students, these students are permitted a week-long leave.
Every Alice is categorized as one of four shapes, which specify how much of it can be used and how often.
A star-ranking is the evaluation system that the Academy uses to judge a student's schoolwork, Alice level and attitude. There are five rankings, which are indicated by the number of gold stars on a student's collar.
Each star ranking has its own monthly allowance rate):
Control devices are specially designed prevention devices made for a particular person. These devices are worn on the head, hand, or other body part and can emit tracking signals. Each kind of device has sealing abilities that lock a person's Alice within the device. There are also control devices used for punishment purposes, such as the Cat Mask. If a person wearing one of these disobeys the higher-up, they are immediately punished with a pulsating electric shock throughout the body. These devices can only be removed by the person who placed it on.
Written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi, the chapters of Gakuen Alice are published in the Japanese manga anthology Hana to Yume by Hakusensha and are collected in tankōbon. Twenty volumes have been released as of November 2009. The first was released on February 19, 2003 and the twentieth was published on November 19, 2009.[1][2]
Gakuen Alice is licensed for an English-language release in North America by Tokyopop. Ten volumes have been published so far.[3]
The 26 episode anime version of Gakuen Alice was directed by Takahiro Omori. The episodes started airing in Japan on October 20, 2004, and ran until the finale on May 14, 2005.
The series uses two pieces of theme music. The opening theme, Pikapika no Taiyou (Shining Sun), is performed by Kana Ueda, the protagonist's voice actress. The ending theme, Shiawase no Niji (Rainbow of Happiness), is performed by Kana Ueda and Rie Kugimiya.
The entire series was released as a five DVD Japanese language only set in North America on July 7, 2009.
An official fanbook was published in May 2007.[4] There was also a special fanbook titled Pika Pika SP Fanbook released as a furoku in Hana to Yume magazine.
A soundtrack for the series was released on March 2, 2005.[4] A single of the opening theme and ending theme were also released.[5]
Three drama CDs were broadcast on a web radio. On January 18, 2006, Sony Music Entertainment released the first drama CD.[6][7][8]
Gakuen Alice ~Kira Kira Memory Kiss~ was released on June 22, 2006, for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. There is also a Game Boy Advance game that has also only been released in Japan called Gakuen Alice ~Doki Doki Fushigi Taiken~. On April 19, 2007, a Nintendo DS game called Gakuen Alice: Waku Waku Happy Friends was released in Japan.
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