Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 1 (Alice in the Country of Hearts, #1-2)

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Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 1 (Alice in the Country of Hearts #1-2)

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 405 ratings · 24 reviews

Kidnapped by a handsome man with rabbit ears, Alice Liddell finds herself abandoned in an odd place called Wonderland and thrust into a "game," the rules of which she has yet to learn. Alice, ever the plucky tomboy, sets off to explore and get the lay of this strange land, intent on finding her rude kidnapper and giving him a piece of her mind (and her fist). But little do...more

Paperback, 367 pages

Published June 26th 2012 by Yen Press (first published January 10th 2009)

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Mar 10, 2013 Justyn Rampa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, manga, graphic-novels, otaku-club

3.5 Stars

I finally broke down and decided to select this title as one of the Otaku Club reads. (An Anime and Manga club I lead at two libraries!) Many have spoken about the series, one girl in particular desperately wanted us to select it. Looking for more female centric titles and with a slight interest in seeing Alice in Wonderland reimagined, I decided to finally do Alice in the Country of Hearts (or Heart no Kuni no Alice as it is called in Japan).

Background: Heart no Kuni no Alice started a...more 3.5 Stars

I finally broke down and decided to select this title as one of the Otaku Club reads. (An Anime and Manga club I lead at two libraries!) Many have spoken about the series, one girl in particular desperately wanted us to select it. Looking for more female centric titles and with a slight interest in seeing Alice in Wonderland reimagined, I decided to finally do Alice in the Country of Hearts (or Heart no Kuni no Alice as it is called in Japan).

Background: Heart no Kuni no Alice started as a Visual Novel in Japan written by the same author which is actually a game that people can play on a PC or Playstation. The game was so popular that it was adapted into a manga, which in turn also became very popular. Both the games and the manga are still ongoing. There was also a possibility of the series getting turned into an anime, but the final result was that it was turned into an animated film. Also, several novels were written based on the game as well, but I do not believe those are still on-going.

Heart no Kuni no Alice is a somewhat more mature take on Lewis Carrol's classic as it introduces the concept or a romantic love into the story that was not in the original. Some reviews I have read suggest that it is a satire on the harem genre of manga (here of course being a reverse harem as it features a female character being pursued by many male suitors). I don't know if I agree that the manga really is that progressive. In fact, I actually read this at the same time that I discussed the Skottie Young OZ series with my book club which then led to a comparison/contrast discussion of Alice and Dorothy. What was fascinating was that Dorothy is thrown into an unknown strange world and takes control of her own destiny and assumes power over her circumstances while Alice is a very passive protagonist that is thrown into an unknown strange world where she is constantly dominated and forced on various paths by encountering liquids and cakes with instructions (Drink Me. Eat Me.) and characters that control her destiny. Dorothy makes sense of her world while Alice never truly does.

Heart no Kuni no Alice definitely sets up Alice as that same passive character only emphasizing it more by having all the male characters pursue her and fall desperately in love with her. There is also the suggestion made that Wonderland is a creation of Alice's subconscious and merely a dream where Alice's desires manifest themselves, including a character that appears the same as an ex-boyfriend of hers. Essentially, I feel that Alice and Dorothy were a turn of the century Bella and Katniss. This Wonderland is a rather terrifying place where people have no concern for death and are all questionably sane. What is probably more terrifying is the extent to which Alice is pursued. Thankfully, in the first omnibus edition (which is a combo of the first two volumes), Alice maintains her boundaries and actually breaks the fourth wall a bit by commenting on the ludicrous actions of those around her. At the same time, she remains a passive character who is powerless unless of course Wonderland truly is created by her in which case, she could assert some power if she only realized her potential. (less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Emilie added it

My first manga in like forever! Just had to read it when I saw it was inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

What impressed me was QuinRose's (lovely name btw) way of interpretating wonderland. She created three districts in war with each other and one neutral zone (like a clock tower. And I loooove clocks so it was amazing). One district was were the Queen of Heart lives (so far so good), the other was were the mad hatter lives (also okay). The third on was a tivoli. I'm still not sure why but it kin...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Cornerofmadness rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am always of two minds when it comes to adaptations of well known literary classics. I’m always on the look out for something new and fun but all too often I’m disappointed. Alice is somewhere in between. Art wise, it’s gorgeous. Story wise it’s a bit odd. On it’s face, it’s a Mary Sue even though in many ways it doesn’t read as one.

Alice is brought into Wonderland by Peter Rabbit (It’s worthy of noting that all characters are now super hot bishies with a few exceptions like the queen of hear...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark, classic-revamped, fantasy, four-stars, good-book, mangacharacter-exploration, manga

An interesting adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. This manga is also adapted from a game, which is a bit apparent in the pace of the manga, though it doesn't throw the reading off too much.

I really enjoyed this read for its complexity when it came to Wonderland, which is more psychological, and very much a game itself. I also enjoyed the fact that Alice's character is more mature and reasonable, but that she keeps with the original character, as well. Most of the other characters are little to...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Sean O'Hara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, otome, fantasy, mafia

Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite books, which is why I'm always leery of reimaginings and updatings. Sure, Bangs' Alice in Blunderland was decent, but Tim Burton's adaptation was an outright travesty and the less said about the SciFi Channel's version the better. Hell, I don't even like the Disney Alice that much because of the way they compressed both books into one.

QuinRose's Alice in the Country of Hearts does as much violence to the original concept as any of the others I'v...more Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite books, which is why I'm always leery of reimaginings and updatings. Sure, Bangs' Alice in Blunderland was decent, but Tim Burton's adaptation was an outright travesty and the less said about the SciFi Channel's version the better. Hell, I don't even like the Disney Alice that much because of the way they compressed both books into one.

QuinRose's Alice in the Country of Hearts does as much violence to the original concept as any of the others I've mentioned, but I find it less objectionable because it actually gets Lewis Carroll. Wonderland isn't just some bizarro fantasyland where nothing makes sense -- it's a psychological dreamworld governed by its own utterly inviolable logic. And it isn't all dark and gothy, thank you very much Tim Burton.

The story begins just like the original book with Alice (a full grown teenager in this version) napping outside while her sister reads. When her sister goes inside for something the White Rabbit appears and proclaims himself late. But then Alice doesn't follow, which quite annoys the Rabbit who promptly grabs her and carries her into a rabbit hole.

Once in Wonderland, Alice finds herself beset by various characters -- Blood DuPre the Mad Hatter and his henchman Eliot March, the Ace of Hearts, the Tweedles, Dee and Dum, Boris the Cheshire Cat and a mysterious Clockmaker named Julius. This being adapted from a reverse-harem otome game, everyone of them is a dreamy bishonen type who is intrigued by Alice. They also, for the most part hate each other -- Wonderland is divided into warring factions, each with a secret agenda. As such the story primarily consists of Alice bouncing from location to location, interacting with the characters and slowly unlocking the mysteries of Wonderland. If there's one complaint I have, it's that the story-structure is too gamelike -- there's even a vial Alice gets at the beginning that fills with liquid as she interacts with people, and will allow her to return to the real world when it's full. It doesn't get much attention in the manga, but it's so obviously part of the game mechanics that it takes me out of the story any time it's mentioned.(less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

Entertaining yes, but a littler weird.
I wish Quin Rose would figure out which time period (and country) her character Alice is from, because she made modern references in a time when there weren't such things. People in Victorian England did not wear rabbit or cat ears, they didn't have goth/post-punk punk style of dress - for the chesire cat - I mean, it's a small thing, but the inconsistency bothered me.
I'm a stickler for realism, which I won't get in manga, but hey.
I found the art style to b...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Malxox ♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, manga-graphic

PETER-No-BLOOD-No-ACE-No-BORIS-No! Ah!!!

Why must they all be so awesome?!?!?!?!

Alice in the Country of Hearts is... The weirdest rendition of Alice In Wonderland I've ever read. First and foremost this had been bugging me since the start of reading this book--the rabbit is madder than the Hatter! I don't think that should even be possible! I mean I could understand the Hare, but the RABBIT?! 0.0 Peter is a totally mental Perv. I can't say he's not funny and I do like him, but... I don't like th...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars

Words alone cannot describe how much I loved this manga! Seeing a manga rendition of Alice in Wonderland was interesting already, but I really enjoyed this spin on the original story. The characters are very entertaining to watch and very diverse.

During the manga Alice not only acknowledges how strange Wonderland logic is, but also tries to figure out what aspects of her life and personality some of the characters and their actions represent (she believes it's all a dream after all.) I thought...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Judy (Geeky Reading) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, own

~3.5/5
[Also available on my blog.]

Firstly, I’m not going to be comparing this series to the original Alice in Wonderland much. (1) Because I just don’t care about the similarities all that much and I’m not really looking for any, or noticing them, aside from maybe a very obvious same plot line or same character. And (2), because they are very different. This story, from the beginning, took a different route, took the story in a different direction. And I realize that some people are very picky a...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-graphic-novels, 100-books-2012, own

This was a...strange story, which isn't surprising considering that this is a spin on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, strange seems to be the norm when it comes to retelling Lewis Carroll's most famous work. I usually don't mind strange as long as the story is still well written and the characters interesting and I am not sure if that was the case here. I am sort of on the fence with my assessment of this manga. Do I like it, do I not like it? I don't know but I will be picking up the second o...more This was a...strange story, which isn't surprising considering that this is a spin on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, strange seems to be the norm when it comes to retelling Lewis Carroll's most famous work. I usually don't mind strange as long as the story is still well written and the characters interesting and I am not sure if that was the case here. I am sort of on the fence with my assessment of this manga. Do I like it, do I not like it? I don't know but I will be picking up the second omnibus to find out.

The story begins with Alice Liddell being awaken from her nap in the garden by a white rabbit carrying a pocket watch and telling her that she should be chasing him right now. Alice, thinking she is dreaming, can’t be bothered and tries to go back to sleep but the rabbit won’t accept this. He quickly changes into a man with white rabbit ears, picks up Alice and runs away with her down a dark hole. Once their fall ends, the man whose name is Peter White mentions something about a game and force feeds Alice a small vial of medicine and quickly abandons her. Now Alice is lost in Wonderland with nothing but an empty bottle. You think this would be bad enough but it turns out there is a sort of war happening in Wonderland between three territories - a Mafia gang called The Hatters, the Queen of Hearts, and an Amusement Park (o.O).

There were characters that I was familiar with like Peter White, who is very much in love with Alice and is always annoying her with his overtures of romance. Blood who is actually the leader of the Hatters mafia gang and the Queen of Hearts, Vivaldi, who may seem like the most normal of them all but always, refers to herself as “we”. Then there were new characters like Ace, a knight of the Queen of Hearts and Julius a keeper of the Clock Tower, both of them, like almost everyone else in Wonderland or not exactly what they seem and carry big secrets. All of them seem to carry guns or swords and aren’t afraid to use them on each other and in some occasions on Alice herself.

In this first omnibus instalment of Alice in the Country of Heats, our main character meets a whole host of trigger-happy characters and slowly learns the ways of the country she has been taken to (or is dreaming of because she thinks she’s still dreaming). And it seems the more time she spends with the characters and learning about Wonderland the closer she is to finishing “the game”. The problem is the more Alice learns the more invested she becomes in this strange world and the more the characters seem to become attached to her. Not a good thing when all Alice wants to do is go home.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Happycat rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 07, 2013 Callie Rose Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

Really enjoyed this, a play on the world of Alice done right! The tone of this manga really captures the dreamlike whimsy of Wonderland. The story keeps it simple yet interesting, using the basic characters and giving them a new spin. Great art and a fast read that is fun and violent capturing the original’s strangely unsettling logic and odd vibe.

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Oct 24, 2012 Jana Denardo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

This is a very odd reimaginnig of Alice. She's brought to Wonderland against her wishes and forced into a game with no obvious rules. It seems that everyone loves her and it's a fight (to the death) to see who gets her. It sounds ludicrous on the surface and yet it's quite readable and the art is lovely.

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Mar 13, 2013 Olivia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 09, 2013 Ms. Library added it

Reallly interesting and I want to read more. Think Alice in Wonderland needs a manga twist? This might be for you. Its a little ridiculous, but its a fun read, and it definitely deals with Lewis Carrol's work in an interesting way.

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Oct 18, 2012 Sascha rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this manga! I orignally read the first few pages online and then my local library got this Volume and I loved it! Very orignal and totally different from Alice in Wonderland!

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Dec 21, 2012 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting take on "Alice in Wonderland." I'm interested in seeing what's to come. There definitely are a bunch of unique characters, some of which do annoy me :P

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Dec 26, 2012 Lady Belinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, wonderland

Wow! This version of Alice in Wonderland is great. The illustrations are very well done. I really like that all of the characters are human, but some of them have animal ears (cat and rabbit). The storyline can be a bit difficult to follow at times, but it's a great story so far. I really like Alice in this. She reminds me a bit of myself actually. ha ha. And getting kidnapped and forced down a hole was a great start. I can't decide who I like the best yet...Ace or Elliott. Peter gets on my nerv...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Amuto added it

Shelves: favorites

AWESOME! Love how they took the story of alice in wonderland to this hot story! awww im melting whenever i c my favorite characters~

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May 11, 2013 Nick Spears rated it 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars... I don't know why but anything Wonderland-based anymore just annoys me.. Such a tired "genre".

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Jan 29, 2013 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this manga series!! i can't wait till more come out!

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Oct 29, 2012 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, nfnt

I'll link to my NFNT review once it's up.

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Jan 03, 2013 Sydney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, b-e-a-u-tiful, manga, 100-books-in-a-year-challenge-2013

Better than I thought it was going to be...

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Aug 10, 2012 Airaseem Perdomo rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love the drawing. The pictures are awesome. The story line was cute but was like come on this doesn't make scenes. But it's okay that I going to read the next volume.

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Mar 10, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Story is rather slow and almost nothing plot wise is revealed. Just a lot of plane filler nothing on the bigger scale of the story plot.

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May 25, 2013 Azur marked it as to-read

May 25, 2013 Miliana rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 24, 2013 Sam marked it as to-read

May 24, 2013 Genevieve Otero marked it as to-read

May 24, 2013 Bellatrix~ added it

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Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 1 (Alice in the Country of Hearts #1-2)

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