Few literary works are as influential asAlice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll’s classic tale about a girl who finds herself lost in a fantasy land is famous for how creatively nonsensical it is. It conveys several ideas regarding madness and nature of what’s real and what’s not. It’s not surprising that countless other works have taken inspiration from it.
Among these are severalanime. The isekai trope (which involves a character journeying to a fantasy world) owes practically everything to Carroll’s book. Beyond that, anime tales have also paid tribute to individual characters and concepts. Viewers feel the Wonderland essence through it all, and they know they’re in for a crazy time.
7Fushigi No Kuni No Alice
The influence here is obvious, sinceFushigi no Kuni no Aliceis a straightforward adaptation of Carroll’s works. Two sets of episodes make up the series. The first focuses on the original classic while the second follows the sequel,Through the Looking-Glass. Even with that treatment, though, the show takes some liberties.
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The biggest liberty lies in the format. Alicegoes back to the real world at the end of each episode, and revisits Wonderland at the start of the next. Suffice it to say, she doesn’t go back and forth like that in the books or other versions. The show opts for this formula so that each episode can be a standalone adventure. Considering how many anime franchises go for serializing storytelling, though, it’s still perplexing.
6Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland
One might guess from the lazily-swapped title, butMiyuki-chan in Wonderlandditches adaptation for outright parody. It maintains the general premise of a girl stumbling into another world, but it peppers that world with silly subversions of familiar characters. The White Rabbit, for instance, is now a playboy bunny. Iit’s juvenile, but those gags are sometimes the funniest.
That’s likely why the creators doubled down on them for the heroine.Miyuki-chan, the Alice substitute, is an overt sex symbol. Wherever she goes, she’s the most attractive one in the room. Both male and female onlookers fawn over her like she’s Helen of Troy. The scenario is completely ridiculous. However, that’s par for the course with sexually themed anime.
5Serial Experiments Lain
Back on the serious side,Serial Experiments Lainis essentially a modern rendition of the iconic tale. It reinterprets the rabbit hole and Wonderland asa cyberspace connected by various communication networks. That may seem like a big departure, but the tale maintains the madness inherent in Carroll’s story.It constantly blurs the line between real and virtual, and those parallels aren’t lost on the creator.
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Chiaki Konaka knows the relevance of the subject matter. He even recycles several characters from his previous work,Alice in Cyberland. Chief among these is Alice herself, who returns as a supporting player and friend of the protagonist. How ironic that, of the two shows,Serial Experiments Lainis more faithful in terms of plot and themes.
4Alice SOS
This takes fan support to the next level.Alice SOSis about a kid named Takashi Sagano, who loves reading Lewis Carroll’s work. Luckily for him, that work is apparently real. An unseen force kidnaps Alice, so Takashi gathers his friends and dives in to save her.
His quest takes him from world to world. Along the way, he encounters characters and creatures every bit as strange as those in Wonderland. However, he perseveres to save his heroine. Now, that’s loyalty to the source material.
3Project ARMS
This homage lies in naming rather than plot. The anime revolves around nanotech weapons known as “ARMS.“These act as implants to replace lost limbs, but they can also shift into battle modes. More to the point, they’re where the tribute comes in.
The creators name these weapons after characters fromAlice in Wonderland. Examples include the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, and the Jabberwock. What’s more, each one’s AI corresponds to its respective character’s personality. Considering how nonsensical they are, that seems like a serious design flaw.
2Black Butler
Instead of a sexy subversion, this one is just strange.Black Butlerhas an OVA titled, “Ciel in Wonderland.” The eponymous character’s butler spouts bunny ears and a fluffy tail. Confused and curious, Ciel follows him to Wonderland. Here, everyone thinks the guy is Alice. That certainly tracks with the plot beats.
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The episode goes through several set pieces from the iconic story.Ciel eats some questionable food and grows to gigantic size. Later, he meets a mad queen who hands him a death sentence. Of course, most of these Wonderland figures are portrayed by familiar characters from the anime. This likely leaves Ciel more confused than Alice ever was.
1Pandora Hearts
This anime pays homage to multiple literary works. Oz, for example, is a play onThe Wizard of Oz. How appropriate thatthis story also involves the protagonist transporting to a magical realm. That said, it’s not under the best circumstances. Oz is whisked away to the Abyss: a prison of another dimension. He only needs rescue because of Alice, who’s ironically known as “Bloody Black Rabbit.” Of course, she’s not the only name the series drops.
The Abyss is home to many mystical beings. Referred to as “Chains,” these beings are plays on typical Wonderland characters. The Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Chesire Cat are just a few. However, while their Wonderland counterparts were content to indulge in the nonsense, these guys just want to leave. That’s hardly surprising given the prison’s gloomy atmosphere. Even at its darkest, Wonderland doesn’t get half as foreboding.
