Alice Academy

”Gakuen Alice”

Gakuen Alice (学園アリス Gakuen Arisu?) is a Japanese

manga written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi,
currently being serialized in the shōjo manga magazine
Hana to Yume.[1] It was adapted into an anime series,
 which was produced by Aniplex and Group TAC and was
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 then been broadcast on networks throughout
Asia.[2] At Anime Expo 2008, The Right Stuf International
announced that its Nozomi Entertainment division had
licensed Gakuen Alice for the North American market.

About the story:

Gakuen Alice is the story of a 10-year old girl Mikan Sakura who is devastated
when her best friend, Hotaru Imai, transfers to a school for "genius" kids in Tokyo.
After hearing rumors of what happens in the Academy, Mikan runs away from
home and leaving her grandfather to seek out her dear friend, and finds that the
school Hotaru transferred to, Gakuen Alice, is specifically for children who each
have a special ability called an "Alice". To Mikan's surprise, a teacher there,
Narumi, discovers that she too has a unique Alice, and admits her to the school.
The story is primarily focused on Mikan and her experiences at the Academy, from
the everyday bore of classes and exams, to the unexpected clashes with the Anti-
Alice Organization (AAO). Despite her initial view of the so-called greatness of
the school, Mikan slowly finds out that beneath the grand facade of the Academy
lies a never-ending stream of lies and deception.
Mikan, meets a boy named Natsume, whom she at first hates but unconsciously
cares for him, and eventually starts to form a friendship with him, and soon, she
became someone whom he loved. Natsume has the Alice of fire and is in the
Dangerous Ability class. Natsume hates the Academy and is forced to do its dirty
work. Narumi thinks that Mikan holds the key to save Natsume and change the
Academy. Natsume's friendship with Mikan continues to grow until she admits her
feelings for him, and admits to herself that she loves him and will do anything to
protect him.
Along with the many friends she comes to make, including Natsume's best friend,
Ruka Nogi, and the class representative, Yū Tobita a.k.a. Iinchō, Mikan comes to
love the Academy and its teachers, but its increasingly manipulative and sinister
actions toward her make it a dangerous place to be.

Alice Types:
➢ Latent Type- Latent alices are the most common in the school,
and involve powers connected to ESP abilities. It's the most
normal class and students here are of the serious type.
Examples include teleportation and xray vision.
 ➢ Technical Type- Just like its name, Technical Alice types appear
when the individual experiments, such as cooking, drawing, etc.
The Alices in this type are based on technology and research
fields. Example include the ability to put souls into stuffed toys.

➢ Somatic Type- This type is not filled with inventions or practice

unlike other classes. The Somatic Alices are based on the body
of humans, animals, and other living things, and appear in
pheromone or physical ability. Examples include voice control,
ability to run fast, and ability to change the facial appearance as
you wish.

➢ Special Ability- Basically, this class is for students with Alices

that don't exactly fit in any of the other three classes. Their
powers are different and the class is mixed. Some of the rarest
Alices belong to this class. Some examples include the
Doppelganger Alice and Nullification Alice.

➢ Dangerous Ability- This is considered to be an extra type:

basically, the Alice is so strong that it is a threat to the school.
This class is very different from all the others and could also be
described as an occult. Examples are the Stealing Alice and the
Fire Alice.

Alice Shape:
Every Alice is categorized as one of four shapes, which specify how much of it can be used and
how often.
1. Childhood: The Alice slowly appears and disappears as the child with it grows into an
adult.
2. Diffuse: The Alice is always available, but at a relatively low power level.
3. Intermittent: The Alice can only be used for a short period at any time, but at a relatively
high power level.
4. Limitless: The Alice can be used as often and as much as desired, but each use impacts
against the user's own life and can kill them if overused.

Star-Ranking:
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 rankings which are indicated by the number of gold stars
on a student's collar.
 1. No-Star: Students who are below-average. This is mainly reserved for children. And no
good place and not enough money to spend with.
2. Single: Students who are pretty much average. Most of the students in the Elementary
School Division have this rank and is needed to graduate the Elementary School
Division.
3. Double: Students who are more of an over-achiever than Singles but aren't exceptionally
brilliant at either their studies or use of their Alice and is needed to graduate the Middle
School Division.
4. Triple: Students who usually are deemed as "over-achievers" and tend to excel at either
their studies or use of Alice or both and is needed to graduate the High School Division.
5. Special: Students who are considered the best of the best, signified by a label in the shape
of a star enclosed in a circle (though rarely seen in the anime). Those who excel
tremendously in their Alice and, if they care, their studies--to put in short, geniuses. Also
known as the "Principal students".
Each star ranking has its own monthly allowance rate:
1. No-Star: 5 Rabbits: (equal to about 500 yen or 5 US dollars)
2. Single: 30 Rabbits: (equal to about 3000 yen or 30 US dollars)
3. Double: 50 Rabbits: (equal to about 5000 yen or 50 US dollars)
4. Triple: 100 Rabbits: (equal to about 10 000 yen or 100 US dollars)
5. Special: 300 Rabbits: (equal to about 30 000 yen or 300 US dollars)

Control Device:
There are specially design prevention devices made for a particular person. There
are numerous devices worn on the head, hand, and such that can emit tracking
signals. Each kind has sealing abilities (the locking away of Alice within the device).
There are also control devices for punishment purposes like the Cat Mask. Anyone
who wears these devices and disobeys the higher-ups, are punished by the devices.
It immediately sends a pulsating electric shock throughout the body. These devices
can only be removed by the person who placed it on.

Main Characters:
Mikan Sakura(佐倉蜜柑 Sakura Mikan?) Voiced by: Kana Ueda
The cute and (overly) energetic Mikan lives only with her grandfather and attends a run-
down elementary school. Upon hearing that her best friend, Hotaru Imai, is off to another
school, it didn't take long for Mikan to decide that she will literally follow Hotaru
everywhere she goes. Mikan discovers that the new school, Gakuen Alice, is rather a
special one. As it was tried and tested, Mikan can actually nullify any kind of Alice force
thrown at her. As a result, Mikan is like a walking barrier that no one can affect. It is for
this reason that she is being closely watched by the school. 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.

Mikan Sakura

Hotaru Imai (今井 蛍 Imai Hotaru?) Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya

Hotaru Imai is Mikan's best friend. She is extremely intelligent and rational. During the
story, though she may appear to be rather cold and indifferent on the surface, it is
apparent that she genuinely cares for Mikan. She has the Alice of Invention, and during
her time at the country with Mikan and her grandfather, she created many strange but
useful inventions, often made to look like animals. Hotaru breaks the fourth wall by
teaching the audience about her inventions. The other characters see her explaining her
inventions to apparently no one.

Hotaru Imai

Natsume Hyūga (日向 棗 Hyūga Natsume?) Voiced by: Romi Paku

Stoic and scary, Natsume may be icy on the outside but is actually fiery on the inside.
Born with the Flame Alice, Natsume is expectedly hated and feared by many students and
teachers because of his dangerous ability. Natsume is often seen with his best friend,
Ruka. Other than Ruka and Youichi, the fire starter didn't really get along well with the
others until Mikan came along. At first, her optimistic nature was like a poison to him but
gradually, he softened up to her and going as far as developing romantic feelings for her.
Natsume's past is shrouded with mystery and nobody really knows what goes on in his
mind. But one thing is for sure, he is extremely suspicious of the adults in the academy.
He is involved with the school's secret missions for reasons unknown. Though he really
doesn't like doing it, the threat to endanger his classmates and especially Mikan's welfare
 forces him to be at their mercy. They do that because they know that Natsume would give
his life for her.

Natsume Hyuga

Ruka Nogi (乃木流架 Nogi Ruka?) Voiced by: Miwa Yasuda

Ruka is Natsume's childhood friend and often referred by Mikan throughout the story as
"Ruka-pyon". He is a gentle and generous person, characteristics that balance out
Natsume's personality. His animal pheromone Alice allows him to get along with animals,
a fact that he is embarrassed of and often blackmailed over by Hotaru. Despite this, he
often carries a rabbit with him. He knows Natsume (his best friend) has a crush on
Mikan, and he also has a crush on her. In episode 19, Ruka plays Snow White in a play
and Mikan was forced to play the prince. But at the very end, Narumi told her to
improvise and kiss him on the lips, Natsume threw an apple at Mikan to stop her in fits of
jealousy.

Ruka Nogi

Narumi (鳴海?) Voiced by: Akira Ishida

Narumi is the homeroom teacher of Mikan's class (class B). He teaches Japanese and
often deals with Natsume when he gets in trouble or tries to break out. He has the human
pheromone Alice; he can make other people do what he wants by attracting them, but
children pass out. Mikan calls Narumi "father" because she misses her grandfather so
much. Narumi is too young to be called "grandfather" so he asked Mikan to call him
"father." He is 27 years old. Later in the manga, it is found that he harbored unrequited
feelings for Mikan's mother. It is proven that he is not Mikan's father, but he made a
promise to Mikan's mother that he will take care of Mikan during her stay in the
Academy. He is, of course, concerned about Mikan and Natsume.
Narumi L. Anjo