#dnkna

First off, I would strongly suggest skipping the base, main manga that’s just called “Alice in the Country of Hearts.” It’s the one that you’ve probably seen either in like a dozen small volumes or three really big ones and the thing about it is that it’s pretty long but it isn’t good and anyone who is at all familiar with the Japanese version can tell you how badly they butchered Blood’s character, which really matters since he’s the main love interest in this one. He was frankly infuriating to read and I hated him and the story and everyone I’ve seen talk about this subseries of the Alice manga agrees with me.

The other thing I would suggest is not watching the movie they put out because it’s honestly really confusing. Where I think they didn’t go in the best direction they could’ve and they really didn’t make a movie that’s watchable or at all understandable to people who don’t really know the series is that they conflated the different sequels and stuff and kind of jumped right into the Country of Joker. The other thing about it is that the pacing and the way they jump between scenes and how they go from flashbacks and dreams to the actual, current action is very confusing because there aren’t stark enough boundaries between those so you easily lose track of if you’re in a flashback or a dream or not. It might be on purpose because they thought it was a stylistic choice that would emulate the strange, confusing nature of the world, but it just makes for a confusing movie that’s really hard to follow, especially for anyone new to the series.

With that out of the way, this is the order I would read all the manga in. This is all manga that I’ve been able to either purchase in English or find translated online (Country of Clocks is amazing and @vocaotome has a wonderful, very extensive list of English translations of the Alice series stuff, if you want to go looking for any of it.)

Start with White Rabbit and Some Afternoon Tea. For the record, every Alice manga starts with a recap of her going down the rabbit hole and coming to Wonderland, so you get the background information no matter what you start with, but this one has the most about Alice outside of Wonderland aside from the main base series. Also, Peter makes for a very logical choice for a first love interest and this story in particular does a good job of really introducing the reader to the Country of Hearts and the characters and the worldbuilding and everything. This is also one I was able to get from Country of Clocks online.

Next for me would be Mad Hatter’s Late Night Tea Party. This one’s optional since I had to buy it and you can’t find it anywhere online, but I actually really liked it, which I wasn’t expecting given how much I hated the Alice in the Country of Hearts books that were also centered on Blood. However, while it is still through that same company that did that other horrid translation, I really think this version of Blood is infinitely better and makes for a great follow-up to that first introduction of White Rabbit. You also get some important plot and worldbuilding stuff with this one, which is why I have it listed second.

My Fanatic Rabbit. Like the previous one, this one is also two volumes but it’s about Elliot instead of Blood, which is honestly why I think it makes for a nice segue from a Blood-centered story, since it’s more of the Hatters. This also does get a bit more into Elliot and Blood’s backstory stuff and gives some more information there.

The Clockmaker’s Story and Love Labyrinth of Thorns. I can’t remember if these are online or not since I did buy them, but I personally really like and recommend them. Both are about Julius, and I think it makes sense to save them for last in the Country of Hearts stuff because, by now, you’ve seen Blood and Elliot and their perspectives on his character and all this stuff about him, which sets it up rather nicely. They’re both standalone, single books and I’m honestly not sure if it matters what order you read them in.

Moving onto the first sequel and the Country of Clover, definitely start Clover with Cheshire Cat Waltz since that is definitely the default and, unlike Alice in the Country of Hearts, it’s actually really good and I think it does a good job of introducing the new country and new characters. It focuses on Boris, so while Alice is reeling from suddenly landing in a new country and at first seeming to not have any of the people there with her from the Country of Hearts whom she’d gotten close to by then, he then comes in to be a familiar face and reassuring presence for her. It makes for a good dynamic and I think it helps with the introduction of all this new stuff while accurately dealing with and showing her emotions around it. You actually probably could find these at a library, too, since they’re really mainstream and did get widely published and everything.

Next up I think I’d do the ones with Ace, Knight of Hearts and Knight’s Knowledge. Similar in concept to the Boris stuff, he’s another familiar face in a new, unfamiliar place and they’re kinda just fun and short and, because it’s Ace, also pretty chaotic.

Definitely Black Lizard, Bitter Taste. This is also just my personal favorite of all the Alice manga and I love it SO MUCH. Alas, they never published an English translation so you can only find it online, but it’s sooooo good. This one is about Gray and does a lot more with the new characters from this country. 

The Lizard Aide, maybe. Super optional, I know I never really liked Job’s art all that much and it is just a little oneshot so I leave that up to you, but it’s also about Gray so I’d put it after the other one.

Nightmare. Keep in mind, this is the little standalone from Clover, not The Nightmare Trilogy from Joker. Tbh this one, in my opinion, has the best of the art I’ve seen from Job and it’s kinda fun. The other thing you need to know about Job though is that they write their stuff differently than the other manga people do, so where a lot of the other manga reads like it’s all supposed to be part of this same collection of manga that’s kind of standing in for the absence of the game, Job’s stuff reads a lot more like it’s supplementary to the game. It still makes sense and it still can be fun, but it definitely has a different vibe to it and I think that’s the most accurate way to put it. This becomes especially clear in the aforementioned trilogy in Joker which I will get into later. Oh, last thing is that I thiiiink you can find this online but I seem to remember it’s pretty difficult to find, so you might have to hunt a bit, same with The Lizard Aide.

March Hare and March Hare’s Revolution. These are both really cute little standalones that focus on Elliot and I honestly like them a lot more than My Fanatic Rabbit from the Country of Hearts stuff, even though I do also like those.

Bloody Twins and Twin Lovers are definitely optional. I personally don’t like them, they frankly make me uncomfortable but, if you want to read them, I would do them probably after Elliot but you could do them before if you prefer.

Moving onto Joker, there’s only two things so definitely start with Circus and Liars’ Game because that’s all the main plot you’re going to get. Then, if you want to read The Nightmare Trilogy, go back in with that, and frame it in your mind as like if you were going to read some oneshot fanfic about Nightmare and the Country of Joker, because that’s definitely how it reads. Unlike all the others, this really doesn’t stand on its own and each of the three books are their own separate thing that don’t go together in one cohesive narrative. It’s honestly kind of weird and some of the things they decided to do in the story kind of annoyed me (like flagrantly throwing around and wasting massive McGuffins with enormous potential) but overall it is fun in the way that fanfic can be.

Love, Storms, and Flower Clocks. This is a good introduction to the crazy storm and the Twin World stuff and the mad eggs because it’s still mainly just about Alice living her normal life and, in this one, being with Julius, but while you have those familiar elements, this other stuff is then introduced as well.

Eggs of Love Come Rolling Down. This one is online only for English, and it’s just really about Humpty and Dumpty. This really should be read after the previous one I listed because it just jumps right into the mad eggs and everything and at least if you read the other one first you’ll have some concept of what’s going on.

Very optional Dia no Kuni fanbook stuff, and if you do decide that you want to start poking into that mirror world stuff, I would dredge up and look at as much as you possibly can because there’s so little of it that you really need all you can get just to understand the concept of it and what’s going on.

Do You want to join a Valentine's Day gift exchange??? Well today's your lucky day ! @kamil-a and I have joined forces to organize a lovey dovey gift exchange for this upcoming Valentine's Day.

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Alice: But that's why you love me, right?

Up Next: Sidney Black! 

Two people taking the train to the museum. Happily gazing at the pictures as though we are lovers.

But as for me, I cannot accept this situation. I think this current situation feels fabricated, as if I understand that the one I tried to meet wasn't him.

White: Alice? What's wrong...? Is this not much fun for you?

Joker asks, suspicious of me who has stopped responding. I hesitated a little but told him honestly.

Alice: Somehow, it's strange. Hey, why are we together?

Alice: You seem happy but...I'm not.

I wonder if Joker will be disappointed? No, though I thought it was likely...surprisingly, his lips curved up into a smile.

White: Haha, I suppose so. I cannot fill your heart with lies and make you forget...It's only natural that you can't enjoy it.