Kazumi Reads

Plot Summary:
In this spinoff of Alice in the Country of Hearts, Alice makes her way from Julius and the Clock Tower to the Hatter Mansion. After meeting Blood Dupre, Alice has decided that the man who resembles the man she loved is not the same person. Granted, everything in this world is different, she falls for Hatter's second in command: Elliot March. Elliot March is kind, gentle, and very cute (especially his rabbit ears), and Alice adores him in every way. However, when she realized that Elliot is Blood's top assassin, she is torn between the man she adores and the assassin who makes a living taking lives. However, in this world, taking lives isn't horrific; in fact, everyone who dies is reborn through the talents of Julius, the clockmaster. What makes Alice special is that she is a being that has a heart that beats and not a clock. In other words, if Alice is killed, she will not be reborn, nor will she be able to return to her world. When Alice decides to make Hatter Mansion her home, her stalker/kidnapper, Peter White, demands that she makes Heart Palace her home and that puts Alic in extreme danger since Queen Vivaldi makes a habit of beheading a habit. In this crazy world where night and day com at all times, Alice must survive the inhabitants who proclaim undying love for her and then put her in danger at moments notice. In this story, it's Elliot March who confesses his deepest feelings and Alice must choose between her conscience and her heart.


Critical Evaluation:
When I first read the first series, Alice in the Country of Hearts, I was happy that it ended the way that it dis. However, when learned that there spin offs where all of the leading men get to have their moment with Alice, I was even more excited. What readers need to realize that the reason why Alice has a love story with every character is that this world is based on Alice's need, and want, to be loved by everyone. According to Alice, she is unlovable and idolizes, and resents, her older sister who happens to be everything she is not. In many ways, Alice realizes all of her good qualities as she spends time with the citizens of this world and, ultimately, it is their love and devotion that keep her in the Country of Hearts. I will say that I am a wee bit jealous to have such gorgeous men fawn over her, but, it's really to sad to see how lonely they really are. I am definitely looking forward to the next spin-offs since they will reveal more answers as to why Alice created this world and see all the characters evolve.

Information about the Author:
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of information by Quinrose on their website, but here it is (with the help of Google Translate:

QuinRose～クインロゼ～』では、
女性主人公のファンタジー恋愛アドベンチャーゲームを中心に制作しています。
※関連作品として、男性主人公のゲームも制作しております。

2010年からソニーのパブリッシャーとなり、
現在は家庭用機ゲームを主に開発中です。

In "QuinRose ~ Kuinroze ~",
Has produced mainly female hero fantasy romance adventure game.
※ as related work, we have also produced male hero game.

And publisher of Sony from 2010,
And is currently developing a game machine primarily for home use.

Genre:
Teen Fantasy Manga, Teen Romance Manga

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up

Books Similar to Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit:

• Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki
• Gakuen Alice by Tachibana Higuchi

Plot Summary:
Oz is turning fifteen, which means his coming of age ceremony is approaching. What should have been an important moment in a young man's life, the Baskervilles interrupted his ceremony to punish him and send him into the Abyss. Although Oz has no idea what he is being punished for, he is rescued by a girl named Alice who has immense power, but needs a to form a contract with someone in order to release that power. What Oz doesn't realize that the legend he has grown up with is true and that the Abyss is filled with dangerous creatures known as chains who are waiting for the perfect prey in order to escape. For Alice, her mission is to forge a contract with Oz in order to gather the memories she lost a long time ago, but, her plans are alterered when she and Oz are recruited by members of Pandora. Led by Sharon Rainsworth, Xerxes Break, and the mysterious Raven (who looks a lot like Oz's friend, Gilbert), Oz and Alice are rescued from the Path that was opened by Oz's pocket watch, which happens to contain one of Alice's long lost memories. When asked to joined Pandora, Oz and Alice aren't sure, but one thing they do want is answers. Why is Oz being punished? Why were Alice's memories erased? What is Pandora? As the group moves through the country, solving mysteries and crimes committed by chains, the answers lie with those who know the truth, could lead to ending that readers may not be prepared for.


Critical Evaluation:
I absolutely love the artwork in this series! Not only are the characters super cute, but the monsters are super ugly and creepy. As for the storyline, it's an interesting premise where a clueless boy is thrown into the midst of a secret battle between humans, spirits, and chains. However, when Oz is sentenced to a life in the Abyss for no reason (other than being), we learn that he could be the offspring of the devil himself! The question is: why doesn't Oz know and why is Pandora recruiting a potentially dangerous ally? As readers progress in the series, they learn that everyone in this organization cannot be trusted because not only do they have their own agendas, they are hiding some pretty heavy secrets; hence, why the group is called Pandora. I will admit that I am intrigued by the idea that this series is loosely based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland; the Abyss is Alice's Rabbit Hole and, when at full power, she turns in the Bloddy Rabbit, and is later retrieved from the Rabbit Hole by a dude who talks to a doll on his shoulder. Basically, this series is full of madness that is not only unthinkable, but scary as well. I am not sure what to expect in the latest volume, but I am sure excited about it!

Information about the Author:
According to Wikipedia:

Jun Mochizuki (望月 淳 Mochizuki Jun^?, born December 22 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for creating the manga series Pandora Hearts.

Genre:
Teen Fantasy Manga

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up
 
Books Similar to Pandora Hearts:

• Alice in the Country of Hearts by Quinrose
• Black Butler by Yana Toboso
  

Plot Summary:
Mikado is moving up in the world. Not only is he attending Raira Academy in the iIkebukuro, he is actually attending school with his childhood friend, Kida. Although Mikado is from a small town, he is incredibly excited, and terrified, by the hustle and bustle of the big city. When Kida picks Mikado up from the train station, he can't believe how cool his old friend is. If there is one thing about Ikebukuro, there are certain people to stay away from such as Simon (the Russian Sushi Man), Shizuo (skinny dude with awesome strength), and Izaya (the informant who has serious hatred for Shizuo and is a sadist). For Seiji, who is also attending the same high school as Kida and Mikado, he has problems of his own including a blood-thirsty sister and a stalker. As Mikado and Kida tour Sunshine City, not only do they run into Seiji, the meet the Black Rider in the "flesh." Since Mikado is afraid of everything, meeting the Black Rider should have scared him, but, his reaction was the opposite.Who is this Black Rider? When the first day of school arrives, Mikado is leery about introducing himself to his class, but, when he meets Anri, Mikado is hit by cupid's arrow. After surviving his first day, Kida and Mikado meet up with, Yumasaki, Karisawa, and, the ever elusive, Kadota; they are all on the weird side, but good guys at heart. The questions that remains is what do these characters have in common? All will be revealed when the identities of "The Dollars" are made known. With alternating point of views, DRRR!!! Durarara!!! is an action packed series based off of Narita-San's light novel, where mystery, drama, fantasy, and adventure, and love lay right around the corner.

Critical Evaluation:
Honestly, this is probably one of the most creative, complicated, silliest, and the weirdest manga I have read in a while. Not only are the characters out of the ordinary, their stories are a great compilation of how wild and crazy adolescence really is. On top of the usual teen drama, there is a fantastical storyline involving a Dullahan in search of its missing head, an unsuspecting warrior, and plot to bring misery to the human race. In other words, if one could combine every soap opera in existence with the traditional fantasy novel then the final product is DRR!!! Durarara!! Another great aspect of this series is the alternating point of views because no only do readers get the bigger picture, they get to learn more about each character. Furthermore, each chapters is preceded with an online chat room script. As stated earlier, DRR!!! was originally a light novel that was turned into an anime; thus, the manga is a re-telling of both the novel and series. Although I have yet to watch the series, I am hoping that most of the story arc is kept intact because, conceptually, an anime is usually made right after the release of the manga and/or light novel. Whatever the case, Narita is definitely an artist since he is infamous for writing a ton of installments packed full of grammatical and spelling errors (see note about the author). This series is for older teens since there are some mature themes and violence. Other than that, there is a lot of fun to be had for those who are looking for an adventure.

Information about the Author:Again, there is not a whole lot of information (in English), but, according to Goodreads.com:

Ryohgo Narita (成田 良悟, Narita Ryōgo) is a Japanese light novelist. He won the Gold Prize in the 9th Dengeki Novel Prize for Baccano!, which was made into a TV anime in 2007.[1] His series Durarara!! was also made into a TV anime, which began airing January 2010

There are two traits found in most of Narita's works:
* Narita writes extremely fast, one volume a month if he wishes - with tons of spelling errors and missing words as a tradeoff. The editors like to leave them sometimes just for fun, though.

 * His work titles often have an exclamation mark at the end (i.e. Baccano!, Vamp!, Durarara!!, etc.).

Genre:
Teen Adventure Manga


Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 10 & up

Books Similar to DRRR!! Durarara!!

• Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo
• FLCL by Gainax

Plot Summary:
Ryoko knows what she wants in a man. He has to be athletic, kind, smart, caring, and dark haired. Although she has never had a boyfriend, she knows that her first kiss will be with the man she falls in love with. Unfortunately, instead of finding "Prince Charming," Ryoko met Ryunosuke and her world was turned upside down. Although Ryunosuke meets her standards, there is one small problem: Ryunosuke is a host. Although Ryoko believes that Ryunosuke could never be serious about his feelings for her, there is something about him that she just cannot shake and after meeting Inaba, she starts to realize that maybe Ryunosuke is the real deal; in fact; the more that Ryunosuke pursues her, the harder Ryoko falls for him. After a few bumps and surprises, Ryoko knows that Ryunosuke is the one she wants, but the question that remains is if she is willing to accept his career choice as a host where women pay him money to date them. Just when things could not get anymore complicated, Ryunosuke decides that he will quit being a host for her, but quitting a host job is not quite that easy. When Ryoko accidentally runs into the acting president of the host club, she accepts a bargain that she may not be able to fulfill. If she doesn't deliver, not only will Ryunosuke have to pay for her failure, but jeopardize their relationship at the same time. Who said love was simple?
     
Critical Evaluation:
It's amazing how love can not only change a person, but change everything around us. For Ryunosuke, love is nothing but a means to and end and a large pay check. However, when he met Ryoko, he learned that love is real and that is makes us do funny things. I will definitely say that this manga is super silly and sweet at the same time. Although I am not a huge fan of the artwork, the storyline is interesting simply because everything that could go wrong, literally did go wrong. Although Ryoko is a walking contradiction, Ryunosuke is the reality check she needs. Granted, Ryoko misjudged him quite a bit, she learns that Ryunosuke is very different from the character he portrays as a host. In fact, he is not only smart and gorgeous, he is very protective and thoughtful of Ryoko's feelings. The main message this story is based on is that we cannot put a price on love, nor we can we put a price on people. The reason why Ryunosuke cannot be let out of his contract is because he is the most popular and most successful host in the club. In other words, his success is what lines the president's pockets, which is why it is not so easy to leave. I do want to state that there is a difference between host and hostess club and prostitution; in the Japanese culture, host clubs are primarily for entertainment although "extra-curricular" activities may occur. Ran, a minor character, does state that she has had intimate relations with Ryunosuke, readers don't know if this is the case. Although Ryunosuke's job is taboo, he loves Ryoko so much that he willing to quit, but the hilarity of it all is when Ryoko makes a deal with the acting president that forces her to put herself in Ryunosuke's shoes. With this agreement, not only does Ryoko gain a little humility, she learns how crazy and lonely this kind of life is. This manga is definitely for the romance fan looking for something out of the ordinary.


Information about the Author:
Sadly, I couldn't find a whole lot about the author so I will keep searching!

Genre:
Teen Romance Manga
 

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up
 
Books Similar to B.O.D.Y.:

• Absolute Boyfriend by Yuu Watase
• Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori