Alice in the Country of Hearts 5

QuinRose / Soumei Hoshino – Tokyopop – 2011 – 6 volumes

I read this some time ago, but I put off talking about it because I’m so utterly depressed that I will never get to read the last volume. THE LAST VOLUME! This was my favorite of the handful of series Tokyopop had started in the last couple years, and the one that made me more willing to try out some of the others in their line. I thought this one would be horrible, based on the description, but it’s a fascinating read, and every volume is maddening with the way it continues to deepen the mystery in the utterly fascinating world that’s been created. I’m dying to know how this whole thing was resolved in just one volume, and I was really hoping that the series was popular enough that Tokyopop would publish some of the numerous spin-offs. Maybe… maybe Vertical? Please?

For a harem series, I do like that the female characters tend to be fairly strong. When the harem focus is a male, it tends to be a wimpy guy that makes you wonder why all the women would bother. In this series, I like that all the affection towards Alice is unlooked-for and politely declined in most cases, and I like that Alice is a strong enough character to deal with the strangeness of all the men herself (who are, admittedly, much stranger than the usual harem manga cast), and that Vivaldi, the other female and a role model, is also strong enough to stand up to even the most difficult of the men and to be her own person. She’s supposed to be the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, which makes her sorta dominant anyway, and she does slip into some rather unfortunate idiosyncracies (she hates on men in almost every other panel, for instance), she’s still an interesting character, and I like that she’s featured enough in this volume that Alice can look up to her.

I also liked that Alice confronted the only person who decided to hate her in the Country of Hearts, Blood Dupree. He mostly talks down to her and taunts her, accusing her of manipulating everybody into liking her, which she of course denies. She has it out with him, and after an interesting talk, they settle things. There’s nothing unusual or over-the-top about it, they simply settle their differences and start with a blank slate. Again, with a manga so unusual, I keep expecting situations like that to escalate. They…. never quite do, and I’m always a little pleased by the outcomes.

There’s other things going on in this volume, too. The Queen’s ball, for instance, and Peter lets on that he knows about Alice’s true nature, to which an outside entity remarks that Alice is nearly out of time. And again, Blood and Vivaldi discuss how they were “assigned roles” in the Country of Hearts. This makes me think the ultimate outcome is that Alice will wake up, with some characters corresponding to real life and others not (which would parallel the original book), or that she will somehow become part of the Country of Hearts.

But now we’ll never know. Seriously. This was one of the most interesting and unusual books that Tokyopop had published in the past couple years (well, this and Demon Sacred, but they’re different… er, beasts), and now I can’t read the last volume. It’s good though, worth picking up the five that are available if you can stomach the heartbreak.

Alice in the Country of Hearts 4

QuinRose / Soumei Hoshino – Tokyopop – 2010 – 6+ volumes

Every volume gets me a little deeper into things here, and I am genuinely curious as to just what on earth is going on. People seem to switch moods at the drop of a hat sometimes, and formerly harmless characters are now out for blood. In the context of the series, there is no problem with this, but as of right now it feels like there’s still not a good way for me to get a handle on things.

This volume focuses on Boris and Julius, though plenty of others stick their noses in. Julius and Alice have a relatively serious conversation at the beginning of the volume, but Alice spends a lot of time with Boris, who reveals himself to be one of the most normal residents of the mysterious Country.

And… yeah, they do things. Go to the amusement park. Find out about a big party coming up. Have a serious talk about mortality with another character. The last chapter is kind of interesting, since weather conditions begin changing, and we find out about the Country of Joker.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed things didn’t move forward just a bit more here. I love the depth of the world, and I also love learning a little bit more about all the eccentric characters, but now that the novelty is beginning to wear off, I’m looking for either a little more explanation about why things are happening… or some sort of plot progression, which this series is not really equipped to do. I still like it an awful lot. I just hope that the next volume has something a little more meaty. The Ball For Everyone Including Enemies should be interesting, since it sounds like the type of thing everyone attends and debauches themselves. That should be a lot of fun with these characters.

Alice in the Country of Hearts 3

QuinRose / Soumei Hoshino – Tokyopop – 2010 – 4+ volumes

I wrote this volume up for the weekly Manga Minis column at Manga Recon, so you can check it out over there.

It was really hard to write that without using “curiouser and curiouser,” but that’s what it is. And now I’ve succumbed to temptation. This is probably my favorite current Tokyopop series. One of the few derivative manga I’ve read that’s been good, too, and I hope it continues.

Alice in the Country of Hearts 2

Soumei Hoshino / QuinRose – Tokyopop – 2010 – 4+ volumes

I reviewed this (along with the first volume) over at Manga Recon, so you can check out my review over there.

If you already know my brief thoughts from the first volume, basically things stay interesting here and it doesn’t lose any steam.  The mystery builds, and I’m rather anxious to get my hands on more.  Good stuff, and surprising too since I didn’t think I’d like it.

Alice in the Country of Hearts 1

Soumei Hoshino / QuinRose – Tokyopop – 2009 – 4+ volumes

I’m reading this for Manga Recon and am preparing a review for the first two volumes, so my notes here are going to be short.

In my mind, all Alice in Wonderland manga are tainted by Miyuki-chan in Wonderland.  This one was, too, and to be fair, the main character is Alice and she falls into a Wonderland populated by hot guys that fall in love with her.  But it quickly turns into more than that.

It is WEIRD.  So weird.  I wanted to hate it, but I had to give up halfway through, because I was just drawn into the weirdness.  Lots of weird takes on the traditional Alice in Wonderland characters, and its got an unusual plot to go with it.  Alice is in some game?  There are people with purpose, and others who are faceless and disposable?  It’s a dream, but not a dream?  Some characters bear a resemblance to people Alice knows?  Time plays some role, possibly?

There are lots and lots of good things going for it by the end of the volume.  Think Alice in Wonderland, but a little cracked.  I’ll have more in my full review.