Everyone is familiar with Alice's accidental spill into the rabbithole in pursuit of the white rabbit who is late, he's late, for a very important date, a tale which has been read to and by fans of all ages ever since its publication in 1865 by the Reverend Charles L. Dodgson, under the pen name of Lewis Carroll; a tale originally related to three young girls upon a lazy day's boat ride up the River Thames. Her adventures have given rise to a number of words and phrases which have become a permanent part of the English language – such as Wonderland, curiouser and curiouser, and down the rabbit hole, not to mention some very memorable characters, such as the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and many more. Her story has spawned a number of film and television adaptations, as well as inspiring various tales which are based upon the original. Alice in the Country of Hearts is one of these, a manga version by Soumei Hoshino and Quin Rose. As Volume 1 begins, Alice Liddell and her older sister Lorina are spending a typical Sunday afternoon together in the out of doors, enjoying one another's company. Alice has fallen asleep, however, which is not unusual for her, and when her sister awakens her, her head hurts and she realizes she must have dreamed the voices that spoke of a game and rules. Alice envies her sister her elegance and her poise and intelligence, for surely every guy in the world would love to be with Lorina – unlike herself, and as the thought flits through her mind, a shadowy figure comes to her consciousness, as well. Lorina, unmindful of her sister's feelings regarding her, decides that Alice must want to play a game, that her dream is a subconscious desire to do so, so she suggests a game of cards, retreating into the house to retrieve them, warning Alice to stay awake until her return. But Alice is so very sleepy, and she reasons that a little more sleep can't possibly hurt……
Highlights
Alice opens her sleepy eyes to find herself being approached by a white rabbit – in a suit, no less! – who begins to speak to her! As if this isn't odd enough, he becomes a young man with rabbit ears who seizes her up and jumps with her into a hole, of all things! They fall what feels like forever, Alice convinced that she is about to die, but they land eventually, and Alice is told by the rabbit that she is now in Wonderland! She wonders how he knows her name, and he replies of course he knows her name, as he is in love with her! And by the way he wishes her to drink some medicine! Being a sensible girl, of course Alice refuses. The disappointed rabbit mumbles something about knowing the game wouldn't be easy, and Alice's mind goes back to her previous strange dream – "Every game has its rules". Suddenly, the boy/rabbit grabs her and kisses her, and tells her the only way to get him to let go is to drink the medicine! Once he has gotten his way, the medicine consumed, he announces that because she has drunk it, she is in the game and must play now! And by the way, his name is Peter White. Peter disappears and a furious Alice is determined to leave this place and leave it now, so she seeks for the way out. She comes upon a large gate, and as she ponders the prudence of entering it uninvited, she is accosted by two young men in uniform who are the gatekeepers, wielding blades, but before they can kill her, she is rescued by another boy with bunny ears, named Elliott March! Alice is freaked out when her savior turns out to carry a gun, which he turns on her! But before he can shoot, she is saved once again – this time by a sexy young man in a black top hat adorned with flowers, who responds to her gratitude with, "You're welcome, sweetheart." She takes one look into his handsome face and flees! She runs into a clock tower, where she is accosted by yet another young man, Julius Monfrey, the keeper of the tower, who demands that she, as an outsider, must leave – until she tells him about the medicine she was forced to drink, and he realizes reluctantly that she must play the game, and he proceeds to tell her about the people she has met, and about the territories which comprise Wonderland. There is the Hatter's territory where she met Elliot March and the twins, as well as Blood Dupre, a mafia boss whose crime family is known as the "Hatters". The Heart Castle is ruled by the Queen of Hearts. And the amusement park is managed by a man named Gowland. Clocktower Plaza is the only neutral area, the rest being virtual warzones. Julius warns Alice not to get involved in the faction fights, which she has no intention of doing – she only wishes to leave here and go home. But he tells her that she can't go home alone. Alice believes this has to be the craziest dream she has ever had. If only she knew how to wake from it.
Overall
Alice believes that she is in a dream from which she can awaken when the time is right, but until then she is going along with the game. She has the vial from which she drank the medicine which originally compelled her to play the game, thanks to Peter White. As she interacts with the various inhabitants of Wonderland, it begins to fill. She comes to realize that there are no shortcuts, and she has to follow a certain path, in order to "play by the rules". It is hard to know who to believe in this place, or who to listen to. People react in the strangest ways – one moment they are at loggerheads, attempting to kill each other, the next they become peaceful once more. And she can't get Blood Dupre out of her head, because he looks exactly like her ex…… is this a Freudian message of some sort? And if this is a sample of her subconscious acting itself out in dreams, what sort of a messed up place is her head? She hears phrases being banded about, but what do they mean? "One with duties", and "afterimage". Even in her dreams, she dreams – and meets another man known as Nightmare. Let the games begin!
This manga takes the original tale and twists it into something new and refreshing, while retaining the familiar core story of Alice in Wonderland, played out as a psychological game. The artwork in this series is wonderful, I love the rich detail, the fantasy feel to it. And I certainly love the way that the artist filled it with bishounen! Eye candy galore! (especially Blood Dupre!) And all in love with Alice! Even though I know Alice in Wonderland backwards and forwards, and love it dearly, I am left guessing as to what is going to happen here next. Soumei Hoshino and Quinrose have taken the familiar and made it into the unexpected. But this is not a version for children, deserving it's OT rating, intended for teens 16+, for it has definite sexual overtones, as well as some violence and gore. This Wonderland is for the more mature! I wait with bated breath for the next volume!
Comicsonline gives Alice in the Country of Hearts 4.5 out of 5 medicine vials.
