Alice Academy

Gakuen Alice (学園アリス, Gakuen Arisu^?), also known as Alice Academy, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi, currently being serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume. It was adapted into an anime series produced by Aniplex and Group TAC which 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 broadcast on networks throughout Asia. At Anime Expo 2008, The Right Stuf International announced that its Nozomi Entertainment division had licensed Gakuen Alice for the North American market.

Plot

Best friends Mikan and Hotaru grew up in a small town in the remote countryside. When Hotaru moves to a school for geniuses in Tokyo, Mikan misses Hotaru so badly that she decides to travel to Tokyo herself to find Hotaru. She finds Hotaru in a school called "Alice Academy," and finds that the school is actually for people with special powers called "Alices." Narumi-sensei, a teacher at the school, discovers that Mikan also happens to have an Alice, and Mikan is admitted into the academy. At first, she becomes enemies with a boy named Natsume with a fire alice but later Mikan made friends with him (Natsume). She also befriends his best friend, Luca. There she finds friends, love, and a life that she will never forget. However, during that time, Mikan (along with her friends) find out that the academy is really built on both secrets and lies.

Differences between manga and anime

The anime episodes are similar to the corresponding manga chapters, but some events are changed or combined. The manga's darker tones are reduced in the anime to suit younger viewers. Characters in the anime may have different hair and eye color than their manga counterparts. The anime series leaves the love triangle between Mikan, Luca (in Japanese it is spelled Ruka), and Natsume unresolved, with Mikan having not realized their feelings for either. Not only that, but the mystery of Mikan's parents remains unrevealed. In the first episode, she doesn't catch a taxi to Alice Academy, nor does everyone know about Alices in the anime. Many of these differences may be due to the fact that the anime has had only one season, while the manga is ongoing.

Setting

The Gakuen Alice is located somewhere in Tokyo, in the anime across from a huge gorilla billboard. The school grounds contain three levels of education (elementary through senior high), a hospital, the main building, and the central town, where shops managed by Alice-bearing artisans sell goods produced with the help of their Alices.
Four forests surround the grounds. The Northern Woods are the most visited and are home to "Mr. Bear," an animated doll made by an alice at the school.
In the anime, the Academy has its own monetary system, the Rabbit (Rt), with one Rabbit equivalent to 100 yen. However, in the manga, the Academy uses yen as their primary currency.
Due to constant threat by kidnappears and slave traders, vocal and written communication is limited to within the Academy. The grounds are closely guarded, and heavy security and electrified fences deter students from attempting to leave.
High-scoring students in the Final Examinations receive perks such as free meal tickets, certifications, and money. Along with honor students, these students are permitted a week-long leave.

sources: wikipedia.com