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アリスｉｎＪｕｎｋＢｏｘ～藤丸豆ノ介アリスシリース短編集～
ALICE in Junk Box (Misshi Comics) Manga. Japanese アリスin Junk Box ~藤丸豆ノ介アリスシリーズ短編集~ (ミッシィコミックス)
164 pages, Comic
First published March 22, 2014
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342 people want to read
About the author
Mamenosuke Fujimaru
64 books35 followersFUJIMARU Mamenosuke
Name (in native language): 藤丸豆ノ介
Name (in native language): 藤丸豆ノ介
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 22, 2017
Alice in the Country of Hearts is one of my very favorite manga series. So why have you not seen it reviewed until now? Simply put, I read the majority of them right before Books, Vertigo and Tea was born. The manga can be confusing for those like myself who prefer to follow series in certain orders. My traditional method would be order of publication date. But I have done a lot of digging and research to attempt to find such a list for this series. The good news is that each volume can actually be read in just about any order from what I have gathered. As long as you have an inkling of understanding regarding the concept, it is a fun read. So what is the concept?
Full review here.
Full review here.
August 20, 2017
4.5 This is a great collection of short stories. A couple at the beginning seemed a bit too short and I'm not entirely sure what their purpose was in relation to the rest of the collection and each of the side stories.
Highly recommend having some of the other series read (even the first couple books in a series), as not having done so will likely make some of these confusing.
Appreciate that the book was chock full of stories compared to other side books containing multiple pages of introductions to other books i.e. Alice Love Fables: Toy Box
Highly recommend having some of the other series read (even the first couple books in a series), as not having done so will likely make some of these confusing.
Appreciate that the book was chock full of stories compared to other side books containing multiple pages of introductions to other books i.e. Alice Love Fables: Toy Box
July 26, 2025
Review for complete series
Well, that was disappointing. This was the last Alice in the Country of [...] story on my shelf and I had reasonably high expectations. It's a short story collection so I was expecting a few cute, if not overly deep, stories focusing on various characters. I was particularly looking forward to this as Mamenosuke Fujimaru, who penned the orignal series, is also the illustrator of this one. So purely based on aesthetics, this was a beautiful addition to the wider series.
The stories were super disappointing though. The whole thing felt quite messy and confusing at times but my main issue is the short story set up. Yes, they are short stories but essentially they seem to flow into each other making it a standalone instalment as opposed to a short story collection. This rubbed me the wrong way as it more or less felt like Alice was messing around and kissing a different guy in each chapter right whilst having an overarching plot. So these weren't presented as alternate endings but just her going from one guy to the next.
May 30, 2021
This is an anthology of short stories featuring characters from the Alice in the Country of Hearts otome game franchise. I just did a quick search, and it looks like one of the games used to be available for iOS and Android, but then the company that produced it, Quinrose, went bankrupt. That game is no longer available, and I'm guessing that means that all the other ones will never be available either. As an otome game fan, that makes me sad, but at the same time I've read so many of these manga spinoffs that I doubt I'm missing too much.
Newbies to the franchise should absolutely not start with this volume. Although it does organize the stories by game (Alice in the Country of Hearts, Alice in the Country of Clover, and Alice in the Country of Joker) and briefly explains the overall premise of each one, it still assumes a lot of basic knowledge. It looks like all the manga may be out of print now, but if you can, I'd recommend checking out the original series, just called Alice in the Country of Hearts, from a library and starting there.
For those who are familiar with the franchise, this volume will work best for fans of Blood, Joker, the twins, Pierce, Boris, and Gray. There's also a very short Ace story in here, but it's pretty pointless (and kind of weird, a mixture of Ace in love with Alice but Alice also having a brief flash of being killed by him). Although the volume is organized by game, I'm opting to organize by character in my review.
Blood: Nothing particularly new here, although not bad either. There's one story in which Blood is a little jealous of Alice's old crush on her tutor, who happens to look exactly like him. There's another story that's mostly Blood being flirty, but also helping Alice fend off Peter a bit.
Joker: One story that could qualify as dark romance, I guess. Joker is both vaguely menacing and vaguely flirty. Another story in which Alice goes on a date with white Joker (with black Joker making rude comments). The date ends when black Joker appears. While Joker is certainly good-looking, I think I actually like him less than the twins when it comes to possible pairings with Alice.
The Twins (in Clover, where they can assume their adult forms): Alice gets frustrated with the way girls flirt with the twins and ends up accidentally taking it out on them, criticizing them for how easily they kill the Faceless. The twins are a bit too childish and interchangeable for my tastes, but if you're a fan of them, this is a nice enough little story.
Pierce: If you're a Pierce fan (surely some exist, right?), this volume is a must, because I don't think the guy gets a single volume devoted to him. I'm guessing his route in the game(s) was extremely brief. Anyway, the story is short, just Pierce being cute and stealing a kiss.
Boris: This takes place sometime during or after Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, which my reviews indicate I liked well enough but wasn't enthusiastic about. I did like this story, though. It's very fluffy - a lot of fanservice with a dash of "I'll take care of you" warmth. Alice is feeling a bit under the weather but still opts to have a fun day with Boris and the twins, which eventually ends with them all doing some group bathing together, because of course they do. Blood and Elliot eventually join them (Blood gives Boris very nice chin scratches, which has me wondering if there's Blood/Boris fanfic out there...), but things are cut short by Alice succumbing to a fever. Boris is sweet and takes care of her.
Gray: I swear I've read this story before, but I've searched my reviews and can't figure out which volume it was in. The closest I can find is Alice in the Country of Clover: The Lizard Aide, which was illustrated by Job. This story does say "newly illustrated," so maybe it's a redo with Mamenosuke Fujimaru's artwork? Job's artwork was pretty bad. At any rate, I kind of liked it but felt weird about it. Gray is in love with Alice but is worried that she's put him in some kind of "dependable father figure" box. He likes being someone she can rely on, but he doesn't know how to manage that and be someone she might fall in love with as well. His efforts to make himself more approachable are a little cringe-worthy but also amusing. Meanwhile, Alice secretly likes Gray but believes he sees her as being too young for him. As a reminder: Alice is 17. Gray's age isn't stated, but I'm guessing he's at least in his late 20s. Hence my slight discomfort, especially since the entire story is about their age/maturity gap.
Some of the stories are briefer, weaker, and more disjointed than others, but there are definitely a few good stories, and it helps that it was all paired with Mamenosuke Fujimaru's excellent artwork.
Extras:
It's tough to say what counts as an "extra" in a volume like this, so I'll just list out anything I haven't mentioned elsewhere in this review. The volume ends with a bonus manga featuring Alice in the real world, with her sister telling her about a story she read in which a girl was transported to Wonderland. There are also two full-color pages at the start of the volume, some notes from Mamenosuke Fujimaru, and several comedic bonus comics. My favorites featured adorable tiny Boris and tiny Alice, and Gray being even more painfully awkward in his efforts to make himself seem younger and more approachable to Alice.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Newbies to the franchise should absolutely not start with this volume. Although it does organize the stories by game (Alice in the Country of Hearts, Alice in the Country of Clover, and Alice in the Country of Joker) and briefly explains the overall premise of each one, it still assumes a lot of basic knowledge. It looks like all the manga may be out of print now, but if you can, I'd recommend checking out the original series, just called Alice in the Country of Hearts, from a library and starting there.
For those who are familiar with the franchise, this volume will work best for fans of Blood, Joker, the twins, Pierce, Boris, and Gray. There's also a very short Ace story in here, but it's pretty pointless (and kind of weird, a mixture of Ace in love with Alice but Alice also having a brief flash of being killed by him). Although the volume is organized by game, I'm opting to organize by character in my review.
Blood: Nothing particularly new here, although not bad either. There's one story in which Blood is a little jealous of Alice's old crush on her tutor, who happens to look exactly like him. There's another story that's mostly Blood being flirty, but also helping Alice fend off Peter a bit.
Joker: One story that could qualify as dark romance, I guess. Joker is both vaguely menacing and vaguely flirty. Another story in which Alice goes on a date with white Joker (with black Joker making rude comments). The date ends when black Joker appears. While Joker is certainly good-looking, I think I actually like him less than the twins when it comes to possible pairings with Alice.
The Twins (in Clover, where they can assume their adult forms): Alice gets frustrated with the way girls flirt with the twins and ends up accidentally taking it out on them, criticizing them for how easily they kill the Faceless. The twins are a bit too childish and interchangeable for my tastes, but if you're a fan of them, this is a nice enough little story.
Pierce: If you're a Pierce fan (surely some exist, right?), this volume is a must, because I don't think the guy gets a single volume devoted to him. I'm guessing his route in the game(s) was extremely brief. Anyway, the story is short, just Pierce being cute and stealing a kiss.
Boris: This takes place sometime during or after Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, which my reviews indicate I liked well enough but wasn't enthusiastic about. I did like this story, though. It's very fluffy - a lot of fanservice with a dash of "I'll take care of you" warmth. Alice is feeling a bit under the weather but still opts to have a fun day with Boris and the twins, which eventually ends with them all doing some group bathing together, because of course they do. Blood and Elliot eventually join them (Blood gives Boris very nice chin scratches, which has me wondering if there's Blood/Boris fanfic out there...), but things are cut short by Alice succumbing to a fever. Boris is sweet and takes care of her.
Gray: I swear I've read this story before, but I've searched my reviews and can't figure out which volume it was in. The closest I can find is Alice in the Country of Clover: The Lizard Aide, which was illustrated by Job. This story does say "newly illustrated," so maybe it's a redo with Mamenosuke Fujimaru's artwork? Job's artwork was pretty bad. At any rate, I kind of liked it but felt weird about it. Gray is in love with Alice but is worried that she's put him in some kind of "dependable father figure" box. He likes being someone she can rely on, but he doesn't know how to manage that and be someone she might fall in love with as well. His efforts to make himself more approachable are a little cringe-worthy but also amusing. Meanwhile, Alice secretly likes Gray but believes he sees her as being too young for him. As a reminder: Alice is 17. Gray's age isn't stated, but I'm guessing he's at least in his late 20s. Hence my slight discomfort, especially since the entire story is about their age/maturity gap.
Some of the stories are briefer, weaker, and more disjointed than others, but there are definitely a few good stories, and it helps that it was all paired with Mamenosuke Fujimaru's excellent artwork.
Extras:
It's tough to say what counts as an "extra" in a volume like this, so I'll just list out anything I haven't mentioned elsewhere in this review. The volume ends with a bonus manga featuring Alice in the real world, with her sister telling her about a story she read in which a girl was transported to Wonderland. There are also two full-color pages at the start of the volume, some notes from Mamenosuke Fujimaru, and several comedic bonus comics. My favorites featured adorable tiny Boris and tiny Alice, and Gray being even more painfully awkward in his efforts to make himself seem younger and more approachable to Alice.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
November 20, 2023
The art work was pretty, as per usual.
the stories were cute, if not a little bit hard to follow. I loved all the steamy bits and every time we got a cute chibi Boris.
Wish they made just a little more sense, but as they were shorts, I don't really care all that much.
Glad I got it from the library and didn't spend money on it, though.
the stories were cute, if not a little bit hard to follow. I loved all the steamy bits and every time we got a cute chibi Boris.
Wish they made just a little more sense, but as they were shorts, I don't really care all that much.
Glad I got it from the library and didn't spend money on it, though.
September 17, 2020
Blood kisses Alice after she tells him how she feels. Alice bumps into Ace later and he kisses her and tells her he loves her. Pierce asks Alice for a kiss after winning a stuffed rabbit. Gray and Alice kiss in bed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2018
It really started to feel like a bishoujo manga at the end the way she was crying and stuff.
June 5, 2022
This was cute for what it was.
March 16, 2024
Its so good and easy to read!!
March 18, 2017
Artwork was great, but the stories were muddled.
May 25, 2021
Rating: 5 stars. Really really good arts by Fujimaru Mamenosuke, focusing on Alice's many romance possibilities.
October 26, 2023
As far as installments within this franchise go, I would say that this collection of short stories isn't bad as a primer for someone who's only read the main "Alice in the Country of Hearts" series and is looking to get an idea of the differences between it/its offshoots and the "Alice in the Country of Clover" and the "Alice in the Country of Joker" manga. The reason for this being that some of these short stories include characters better known from those sister series. Additionally there are pages that detail some information about the differences from game to game within the franchise, and I think they're important to take note of.
For the most part I was kind of neutral on a lot of the stories in this one; they're largely fluff and I think this volume can serve a purpose as filler content as well as being a light primer. I'm definitely glad that I gave this one a shot before going on to either of the sister series and their titles.
For the most part I was kind of neutral on a lot of the stories in this one; they're largely fluff and I think this volume can serve a purpose as filler content as well as being a light primer. I'm definitely glad that I gave this one a shot before going on to either of the sister series and their titles.
March 10, 2017
This book renewed my interest in the franchise. The stories were sweet and interesting, and I was definitely pleased to see the return of Mamenosuke Fujimaru as artist. The final story, featuring Gray and set in Joker, was both the longest and the best, making the character more understandable and taking the time to develop the romance a bit more than the others. (I also enjoyed having many of the stories narrated by the men, as it mixed things up a bit.) Second strongest was the Boris/Clover story; there's a distinct feeling that Cheshire Cat Waltz was Fujimaru's favorite storyline...
August 29, 2016
I enjoyed quite a few of these shorts, mostly Gray's at the end. :) It's nice to have these compilations of short stories as a break in the series.
(Re-read in 2016): Again, it's such a fun collection of short stories from the Alice in the Country of Hearts, Clover, and Joker. Definitely worth reading and re-reading!
(Re-read in 2016): Again, it's such a fun collection of short stories from the Alice in the Country of Hearts, Clover, and Joker. Definitely worth reading and re-reading!
October 31, 2015
A bunch of short stories about Alice and her various romantic encounters. They're pretty much just fluff, but I like fluff. :)
July 7, 2015
Absolutely loved it!
October 18, 2020
Awesome! I love the different storylines and some wrap up stories well!
Loved it the second time too! So glad I found a copy to purchase!!
Loved it the second time too! So glad I found a copy to purchase!!
February 22, 2017
this is just a cute little minnie story but still pretty good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews