More than a Fantasy Tale: Alice to Zouroku

Synopsis

This the tale of a young girl named Sana and it begins with her attempting to escape a mysterious facility that has been housing other people with what is known as the “Alice’s Dream.” Formed in different ways, this power grants Sana with the ability to create whatever she imagines into reality. During her escape she is nearly captured once more only to be saved by a woman who seems to also bear “Alice’s Dream.” With her help she is directed to the nearest city and it is there that she encounters the grumpy florist named Zouroku Kashimura and her adventures truly begins.

The Good

The idea of children bearing supernatural and fantastical powers is nothing new in the anime/manga community, but the way in which this series presents it brings a fresh new idea from old ones. The character themselves are also enjoyable to watch, especially in terms of Sana’s reactions to being outside and Zouroku’s gruff moments brought a level of comedy to enjoy for the first few episodes. The plot itself is also interestingly unpredictable compared to many other fantasy works involving people suddenly gaining mysterious powers.

Many times before anime series with this theme take on a more comedic or action packed route. With this series, it seems as if the writers are not taking one route but many in terms of the genre’s direction and it brings an interesting concept unique to the series.

The at style and animation is also something refreshing for the series along with the music and how catchy it is. It’s interesting how much from the real world that the setting has taken and brings a promising look to the series in terms of style.

The Bad

For the first half of the series the viewer is brought into a rather large rollercoaster ride of genres as the anime seemed to shift from slice of life, to action then to comedy depending on the point of the plot. When the genre did seem to settle later on, the problem shifted to the characters, most specifically with Zouroku.

There is nothing specifically wrong with the character himself per se but rather in the way that the series has portrayed him. From the title, itself he is one of the main focus of the series but towards the second half the series it seems that he has shifted to a secondary role and given a grand moment to tie everything in the end. In fact, many of the secondary characters, while given more story, is not exactly given more development overall.

Conclusion

There are many different types of fantasy works that takes focus on a great hero or battles constantly going on. While the series may not have the most focused of plot or genre, it does actually bring something new to the table. The art style and animation is also something refreshing for the series especially with how many series seem to look more and more similar to one another. Overall, the plot is interesting even if not completely stable, the characters are interesting but could have been improved in terms of the secondary characters and the art and animation are refreshing.

Rating: 7/10