Anime Alice Academy

[jonadrian619]

Alice Academy​

Author (Manga): Tachibana Higuchi
Director (Anime): Takahiro Omori
Anime Episodes: 26

Introduction​

Gakuen Alice (学園アリス, Gakuen Arisu) is the story of a 10-year-old girl, Mikan Sakura, who lives in a small town in the countryside with his grandfather. She is worried about her best friend, Hotaru Imai, when she is about to move to a special school in Tokyo. After she heard terrible rumors about the Academy, Mikan runs away from home to follow her dear friend. While wandering around the big city, Mikan finally manages to find the school she is looking for, only to find out that the Academy is specifically for youths who have special powers and abilities called "Alices", and only students with Alices can be permitted to the academy.

To Mikan's surprise, a teacher from the academy, Mr. Narumi, finds out that she has also an incredible Alice that she possesses, and admits her into the school for a one week trial admission. Mikan became very happy after seeing Hotaru, but soon after, she faces the spiteful attitude of the students in her class and quarrels with Natsume, the principal student of the class.

Natsume and others in the class suspect that Mikan has no alice after all. Soon, others begin using their own alices against her. But, to their surprise, Mikan protects herself from their attacks by nullifying the malicious energy. This is her Alice, the Nullifying Alice. After a week, she is officially accepted to enter the academy as a student. However, she has no idea what lies for her in the academy. Unknown to her, many strange and wicked plots are secretly going on in and around the academy.

Main Characters​

Mikan Sakura (佐倉蜜柑)

Age: 10
Gender: Female
Alice: Nullification Alice
Type of Alice: Special Ability Type
Star Ranking: Single Star

Spoiler

The main character and the protagonist of the story. Mikan is a cute, good-natured and extremely energetic girl. She is quite clumsy, so this always leads her to a lot of trouble. She has a very strong relationship with Hotaru Imai, her best friend, though they became friends after meeting randomly in 2nd grade. In the academy, most of the students at first despised her, but not after the discovery of her powerful Nullification Alice.

Her Alice is the one that blocks any kind of Alice used to her. This is the reason why the Academy’s higher-ups are keeping an eye out of her. Naturally, Mikan had a hard time adapting to her new school life but her outgoing and sincere personality eventually wins them over. She manages to turn everyone into friends and even admirers. The only person she can't seem to understand her feelings very well towards is Natsume.

Hotaru Imai (今井 蛍)

Age: 10
Gender: Female
Alice: Invention Alice
Type of Alice: Technical Ability Type
Star Ranking: Triple Star

Spoiler

She is an extremely intelligent and rational girl. She is aloof and most of the time she works on her own using her unique alice. Her alice is Invention, which allows her to create unique inventions, though she often creates these in the form of some animals for some reasons. She may treat Mikan unkindly most of the time and may be a bit rough on her, but it is apparent that she deeply cares for her. Somehow, she likes to bully people she likes, most especially Ruka.

Hotaru is Mikan's best friend and the main reason why Mikan came to the academy. She and Mikan have what may seem to be a doubtful and strange relationship. She is quite a cold, geeky and bad-mouthed person at times, but in fact, she really cares for her friends, especially Mikan.

Ruka Nogi (乃木 流架)

Age: 10
Gender: Male
Alice: Animal Pheromone Alice
Type of Alice: Somatic Type
Star Ranking: Triple Star

Spoiler

Ruka is Natsume's childhood friend and often referred by Mikan throughout the story as "Ruka-pyon", because he often carries a rabbit with him. He is a gentle and generous person, characteristics which balances out Natsume’s personality. He has the Animal Pheromone Alice, an Alice which allows him to get along and bond with animals, though this is a fact that he is embarrassed of and often blackmailed over, especially from Hotaru.

He greatly values his friendship with Natsume, and if Natsume won’t smile, he won’t either. It’s because he doesn’t want Natsume to be the only one in pain. He usually stays away from girls, but he has affections for Mikan, proven when he was ready to be kissed by her in a play in Episode 19. He has also a competitive spirit when it comes to Mikan, he truly likes her and while challenged by his rival and best friend, Natsume, saying that he won’t lose to him.

Natsume Hyuuga (日向 棗)

Age: 10
Gender: Male
Alice: Fire Alice
Type of Alice: Dangerous Ability Type
Star Ranking: Special Star

Spoiler

An icy person who is fiery on the inside, Natsume is expectedly hated and feared by many students and teachers because of his dangerous ability. This Alice of Fire that he possesses is the most dangerous Alice in the academy. Natsume is often seen with his best friend, Ruka. He doesn’t get along well with the other students except for some. When Mikan first came to the academy, he didn’t like her optimistic nature, and most especially her smiling face whenever something bad happened to her.

Over time, Natsume softened up on Mikan and somehow developed romantic feelings for her. He is a student full of mysteries and nobody really knows what’s going on to him. He is quite suspicious to the adults of the academy, and harbors deep hatred for Persona, the moderator of the Dangerous Ability class. He is involved in secret missions from Persona, for unknown reasons. He doesn’t like doing these things, but he will not let his classmates be involved in dangerous situations and forces him to be at their mercy.

Narumi (鳴海)

Age: 27
Gender: Male
Alice: Human Inclination Pheromone Alice
Type of Alice: Somatic Type
Occupation: Teacher

Spoiler

Narumi is the homeroom teacher of Class B, Elementary Division, the class where Mikan is into. He has the Human Inclination Pheromone Alice which makes other people do whatever he wants by attracting them with pheromones, but people who are immune to love, and sometimes children, get high and pass out. He teaches Japanese to his students and often tries to deal with Natsume whenever he is in trouble or tries to break out of the academy. Oftentimes, he steals bean whips from his friend’s greenhouse and he is always scolded by doing those things.

He cares a lot to his students, especially Mikan. As he is supposed to be, he likes getting dressed up in strange outfits, even on class hours, and often comes up with the weirdest ideas and scripts for plays.

For a complete list of all characters in the anime, go to List of Alice Academy Characters.

Geography​

Alice Academy is located somewhere in the city of Tokyo, around its outskirts which are decorated with lush forests which surround the whole academy. The school grounds are quite large and wide and resemble the total area of small town. The grounds are enough to contain three levels of education for the students (Elementary Division, Middle School Division, High School Division) along with their own Hospital, the Main Building, and Central Town.

Central Town is a special area within the academy grounds. Here, there are special shops and markets that are run by people with Alices. They sell goods and merchandise that they have created with the use of their Alices. This is literally the perfect spot for academy students to take a break and have fun with their friends, or go in a shopping spree, something more unique than the average recess period. However, tickets/meal tickets to Central Town are needed for admission inside the area, or in other cases, permission from the faculty or during extracurricular activites and special events.

The Main Building, within the main academy grounds, is the place where new students have their entrance reported to the higher-ups enrolled into the academy, and sometimes an activity area for the higher-ups and staff of the academy.

Types of Alices​

There are four main types of Alice in the academy, the Latent, the Technical, the Somatic and the Special Ability categories. There is also an extra type mainly reserved for dangerous Alices. Students in the academy are put into one of these classifications and this is determined by the Alices they possess.

1. Latent Type – The majority of Alices in the academy are of students in this type. Alices here are the most traditional abilities that are common throughout. It's the most normal class and students here are quite serious compared to others. An example would be the Illusion Alice and Telekinesis.
2. Technical Type - The Alices in this type exalt primarily on technology, science and research. Most students in this class work individually, since their Alices also require a great deal of concentration. An example would be the Chemistry Alice and Invention Alice.
3. Somatic Type - The Somatic Alices are based on the body of humans, animals, and other living things. Pheromone Alices are the most common in this type. Some examples would be the Animal Pheromone Alice and the Female Pheromone Alice.
4. Special Ability Type – When a student’s Alice doesn’t fit into any of the above categories, then the student will be put into the Special Ability type. The Alices in this type are unique compared to the other types and they are mixed in this class. Some of the rarest Alices belong to this class and are quite chaotic during their class hours. Some examples of Alices in this type would be the Shadow Manipulation Alice, the Doppleganger Alice and the Nullification Alice.
5. Dangerous Ability Type - This is considered to be an extra type of Alice in the academy mainly reserved for Alices which are, as the name implies, dangerous. The Alices in this category may be classified under one of the above types, but some characteristics make them harmful to the school and its members. This class is the most notorious out of all the other classes. An example of an Alice in this class is the Fire alice.

‘Shapes’ of Alices​

There are four types of Alice shape that exist. These ‘shapes’ determine the life-span and the power of the Alices that the students have.

1. Childhood: Alices in this shape will slowly fade and disappear as the students grows older until adulthood.
2. Diffuse: Alices are always available for use, but at the cost of a very low power level when used.
3. Intermittent: Usage of Alices in this type can only last for a short period of time, but in a high power level.
4. Limitless: Alices in this shape can be used anytime as often and as much as desired. However, each use of an Alice of this shape will affect the life-span of the user and it has the potential to kill the user if it’s overused.

Student Star-Ranking and Rabbits (Rt)​

A star-ranking is the evaluation system that the Academy uses to judge a student's school work, Alice level and attitude. There are four star-rankings which are indicated by the number of golden stars on a student's collar.

1. No-Star: Students who are below-average. This is mainly reserved for children. Only less than a handful of students in the Academy have this rank.
2. Single: Students who are pretty much average in their studies or in the use of their Alices. Most of the students in the Elementary Division have this ranking.
3. Double: Students who are more superior than the Single-star students, but they do not exceptionally do well with their studies or with the use of their Alices.
4. Triple: Students with Triple stars tend to excel at their studies and the use of their own Alice, or both ways. Most honor students in the academy have this rank.
5. Special: Students who are considered the best of the best, signified by a lapel in the shape of a star enclosed in a circle. These are students who excel tremenduously at the usage of their Alices and their own studies. They are also known as the Principal Students of the academy.

It is also in the students ranking where the amount of Rabbits(Rt) that the student earns is determined. In this way, each star ranking has its own monthly allowance rate for Rabbits:

1. No-Star: 5 Rabbits
2. Single: 30 Rabbits
3. Double: 50 Rabbits
4. Triple: 100 Rabbits
5. Special: 300 Rabbits

In the anime, the Academy has its own monetary system specifically for academy students, the Rabbit (Rt), with one Rabbit equivalent to 100 yen. This currency is only valid for use inside the academy grounds and is useless outside the academy. However, Japanese Yen is the currency used in the manga.

Alice Control Devices​

A variety of students and faculty in the Academy wear different kinds of control devices. These control devices are in the form of accessories and jewelry, like masks, rings or earrings. Most control devices are designed to limit the power level of the wearer’s Alice or to prevent them from using their Alices.

Another kind of control device is designed for punishment. Any wearer of these specific devices who disobeys orders or does misconduct, will be punished by the device by sending an electrical shock throughout the body. All kinds and variations of control devices can only be removed by the person who placed it on.

Gakuen Alice List of Episodes​

1. Our School Will Be Gone
2. Welcome to Gakuen Alice
3. I Won't Let Alice Get to Me
4. This is My Alice
5. The Star-Class is Tough
6. I'm With The Good-For-Nothing Types
7. I Won't Lose the Alice Dodgeball
8. I Want To See Grandpa
9. I Love You, Hotaru
10. How Exciting, Central Town
11. Alice, I'm in Special Training
12. The School Festival is Here
13. Go After the Superstar
14. Let's Bring Natsume Back
15. Let's Go Back to the Academy
16. Imagine the Maze, the Magic Lamp
17. Hotaru's Secret
18. Just the Two of Us, in the Dark
19. Raise the Curtain, Snow White Sleeping Beauty
20. Who Will Have the Last Dance?
21. Aim for the Honor Student Award
22. Mr. Bear and the Prince
23. The Circus is Here
24. Mr. Narumi's Lie
25. Take Back the Academy
26. Friendship is Forever

Openings and Endings​

Spoiler

Opening - Pika Pika no Taiyou
[YOUTUBE]4RsmhOFBSUo[/YOUTUBE]

Spoiler

Ending Song - Shiawase no Niji
[YOUTUBE]ObOJ41HvM_Y[/YOUTUBE]

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Academy (Information about Tachibana Higuchi's manga are also included here!).

My first anime guide, I've watched the series 2 times from top to bottom, one of the best animes I've watched, with a really comprehensive storyline! More updates will come soon.

All spoilers must be wrapped w/ spoiler tags!

 

[Miz]

Very nice guide thanks for posting

 

[jonadrian619]

Thanks!:thup:

Update - I've finally found high quality opening/ending from youtube after a long search. I've put it in the thread for others to view.

 

[The Helper]

For Great Justice!