Gakuen Alice

[DB]

Seen only the fansubbed stuff 1-15.

Take one part Child's Toy/Kodomo No Omocha and one part Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and you have the basic premise of Gakuen Alice.

Alice isn't a character, rather it's what a mutant's power is called. There's a whole school and massive grounds which serve as an academy for all kids with alices. Once discovered, they have to stay on campus where they learn to control their powers until the graduate.

It opens inoccently enough with our main character, Mikan (who's a lot like the main character from KNO, only not very bright) when she tries to follow her best friend, Hotaru, who's  attitude is similar to the love interest in KOM, except she's a girl. Hotaru all but disappears, taken away to the unknown Alice Academy. After a humor filled trials and tribulations, Mikan tracks her friend down at the outer wall of the school, only to encounter a runaway from the Alice school. For some reason though, the runaway's powers suddenly give out when he threatens Mikan. One of the teachers sees this and puts two and two together, and Mikan ends up allowed to enter the school.

Once there the bumbling heroine encounters a wide cast of very... unique, individuals. Trod upon for having a passive power she can't control, and the fact she is not too bright (but makes up for it with enthuseasm and having a heart in the right place), we follow Mikan's path as she tries to fit in and use her powers.

For all the humor in the series, there's definitely an overall storyline in there as a number of perhaps sinister dealings with the Alice wielding adult staff begin to see light.

This is a surprsingly enjoyable series I watch as soon as episodes get translated. It takes a while to get started, but the character interactions are amusing as the large cast becomes evolved over time. Mikan is a stereotypical character, but it works in this setting, and the fact of the matter is she isn't too bright and is treated as such by the world around her. The mix of humor, array of abilities of the alices, and overall plot works well in this one. Artwork is slightly better than KNO, though the art style is obviously very similar. Some episodes are somewhat obligatory, but overall I recommend this one.

7 out of 10 in regards to the first 15 episodes. The feel of the series is working for me, mostly humor with some seriousness thrown in.

Despitfinds out when she follows Hotaru