I Reads You Review: ALICE IN THE COUNTRY OF HEARTS, VOL. 1

Creators: Soumei Hoshino (art) and Quinrose (story) with Lianne Sentar (English adaptation) and Beni Axia Conrad (translation)
Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 190 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1769-3 (ISBN-13)

I’m assuming that you, dear reader, are aware that the new Disney film, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (starring Johnny Depp), is not another film adaptation of the original Lewis Carroll story. The people involved are calling it a sequel, although it looks like a sequel of a re-imagined Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The manga, Alice in the Country of Hearts, from writer Quinrose and artist, Soumei Hoshino, is also a sequel of sorts slash reimagination. Once again a girl named Alice goes down the rabbit hole, but that’s not quite the way it goes in Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 1. Alice Liddell finds herself abducted by Peter Rabbit, a man with rabbit ears, who takes her down a giant, dark hole in her family’s backyard. Their destination is Wonderland.

This Wonderland is a place where a mafia boss (Bloody Dupre and his “Hatters”) feuds with the head of an amusement park (a man named Mary Gowland or Merry-Go-Round). The Queen of Hearts is named “Vivaldi” and speaks of herself in the first person plural. The master of the Clock Tower, Julius Monrey, may be involved in a bloody business involving corpses. Everyone loves Alice, but they also carry guns, which scares her. Alice wants to go home, but can she when so many people have plans for her, even diabolical plans?

While it is both imaginative and an imaginative take on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice in the Country of Hearts is a bit too quirky, believe it or not. The oddness is not in the concept, but rather in the storytelling. The pacing and characterization are awkward, which is a shame because this has potential. This is less a story than it is some weirdness acting like a narrative. This manga does have a nice edge to it, like a razor blade with a dark candy shell. Problems aside, readers looking for a manga take on Alice in Wonderland should try Alice in the Country of Hearts.


Buy Alice in the Country of Hearts Volume 1