Line #32 Manga/AliceAndZoroku


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice_and_zoroku.jpg]]
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3	Sana has spent her entire existence in a research facility, being studied because of the unusual {{Reality Warp\|er}}ing abilities she and others possess named the "Dreams of Alice". Sana, however, desires to see the outside world and stages an escape. Soon after doing so, she encounters an old man, Zoroku Kashimura, and takes a liking to him. The feeling is far from mutual at first, but Zoroku and his granddaughter, Sanae, quickly bond with Sana and look after her, even as the research facility that previously had her tries to get her back.
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5	''Alice & Zoroku'' (''Alice to Zouroku'') is a manga by Tetsuya Imai, which began serialization in ''Monthly Comic Ryu'' in 2012. It was adapted into an anime for the spring 2017 season, that features a mix of SliceOfLife and UrbanFantasy as Sana alternately adjusts to life in the outside world and is protected from those who would see her power exploited. The anime is licensed by [[Creator/BandaiEntertainment Bandai Visual]] and available subtitled on [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/alice-zoroku Crunchyroll]] and dubbed on [[https://www.funimation.com/shows/alice-zoroku/ FUNimation]], while Creator/SevenSeasEntertainment released the manga in English starting July 2017.
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8	!!''Alice & Zoroku'' contains examples of:
9	* AbusiveParents:
10	** The Hinagiri twins were abused by their father when they were younger. This eventually reached the point that [[spoiler:Yonaga killed their father with her bow in self-defense]].
11	** Hatori's mom is an EducationMama of the worst sort, who put so much pressure on her that she simply snapped.
12	* ACupAngst: [[spoiler:Sana from the future]] is angry when Sana from the present time notices that her breasts have not grown with age.
13	* ArtInitiatesLife: Cleo's Card which is his "drawings", ranging between turning his drawings into reality and premonition through drawing objects related to what he's looking for, such as Zouroku's car when asked to pin Sana's location down by the Research facility.
14	* ArtStyleDissonance: This manga is drawn in simplistic and plushy style but its theme is somewhat dark, dealing with [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy reality-warping]], child abuse and potential [[ApocalypseHow existential threat]].
15	* BigDamnHeroes: Episode four ends with Shizuku Ichijo tearing off the roof of Minnie C's car, binding her, dispelling the arm holding Zoroku, declaring who she is and what she's there to do.
16	-->'''Ichijo:''' Sorry I'm late. I'm here to save you. I'm Cabinet Information Research Office Secret Service agent Ichijo Shizuku. We'll be taking you two with us!
17	* CallingTheOldManOut: Sanae gives a very polite calling out in episode four. She has no problem at all with Zoroku bringing Sana into their home or even planning to add her to their family. What she does take issue with is his tendency to decide things on his own without consulting the others around him. She explains that's something they need to be even more mindful of if they're to be a family of three. Zoroku takes this to heart and, when the time comes, gives Sana the choice to be adopted into the Kashimura family.
18	* CastFromCalories: The powers of Dreams of Alice are fueled by their user's energy. They're usually {{Big Eater}}s as a result and one of the men at the research facility monitoring Sana's escape notes they were keeping her calorie intake low precisely because it limited her ability to escape them. Sana can conjure food for herself, but it takes the same amount of calories to make it as the food has, making it pointless use it to restore her powers.
19	* CoolBigSis: Sanae takes to this role almost immediately. Having been warned by Zoroku, she's able to take Sana's powers and initial nervousness in stride and quickly wins her over by helping her with her hair, making her food, and comforting her when her memories get the better of her.
20	* CoversAlwaysLie: The page image is the same picture Crunchyroll uses to promote the series. At first glance it looks very much like a SliceOfLife series. The anime's ''very first scene'' is Sana escaping the research facility on a [[HostileWeather stormy night]] and features a battle between Minnie C and Ichijo. There is a Slice of Life element to the series, but only after Sana finds Zoroku and he brings her home with him.
21	* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: "Dreams of Alice" are people empowered by Wonderland and given particular abilities that, with the exception of Sana, are usually geared around a central theme, or Card.
22	* DistantFinale: In the last episode of the adaptation, it shows Sana eventually as a teenager. [[spoiler:She's visiting a grave, and Zoroku is nowhere to be found, so we can assume he died somewhere along that transition.]]
23	* GenericCuteness: There's no character you could define as looking downright ugly or scary. Not even Zouroku when he's mad.
24	* GeniusLoci: Wonderland, which is actually a [[spoiler:living universe growing beneath Tokyo. It created Sana as an extension of itself, so it could learn about the outside world.]]
25	* GovernmentConspiracy: Japan and the United States were behind the Institute experimenting on the Dreams of Alice in an effort to use them as a power source. Fortunately, Japan eventually regrets and undoes their actions.
26	* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler:Somewhere in the first half of the show, Sana meets an adult version of herself and the viewer is made to understand that she grew up and started working as a florist, just as her "grandfather". Thus, the happy end of the work becomes completely obvious.]]
27	* HumanAliens: Sana is described as one [[spoiler:though in reality she is part of Wonderland.]]
28	* ImportantHaircut: Sana gets her hair cut rather short later on in the series, in the episode in which she is formally adopted into the Kashimura family.
29	* {{Meido}}: The ultimate form of Ichijo's Card transforms her into the anime maid character upon whom her Card is based and arms her with that character's weapons. She isn't happy about this and rarely [[EmbarrassingButEmpoweringOutfit uses the single digits due to being powerful maid tools.]]
30	* NervesOfSteel: Zoroku, a simple florist by trade, is able to keep his cool when faced with three reality warping little girls and, when the chance presents itself, give them a major scolding for all the collateral damage they caused and forces them to turn themselves in to the police. Then, when face to face with Minnie C, the fact that she has him at her mercy does nothing to stop him from lecturing her about kidnapping Sana and questioning her humanity even as Minnie C dismisses Sana's.
31	* NoSocialSkills: Sana, being a bit out of touch with the rest of the world due to isolation and very limited social interaction in the research facility, has some problems interacting with other people. She slowly gets better though, with Zoroku and Sanae helping her.
32	* OnePersonOnePower: The basic rule regarding the "cards" the Dreams of Alice manifest their powers through. However, depending on what that card ''is'', it can be highly versatile. For example, Ichijo has ''a specific anime'' as her card, making her capable of using 666 different techniques with her one card as a result. Sana herself is the winner of the SuperpowerLottery, being capable of doing ''anything'' as long she has energy for it.
33	* PersonalityPowers: Zig-Zagged. Minnie C's powers manifest as the arms of her late husband, who she desperately desires to see once again and which she talks to as if they were him. Ichijo, however, developed her power while she was asleep and it took the form of an anime that just happened to be on television at the time. As a result, Ichijo thinks that Dreams of Alice aren't actually intended to make one's dreams come true.
34	* PowerIncontinence: Sana suffers from this, as even if her Card can do ''anything'', her control over it leaves much to be desired, usually resulting in unpredictable and sometimes dangerous outcomes when it sets off.
35	* ProductPlacement: Mostly food items in the anime. One episode had Carl's Jr., and another had a Snickers bar on full display in one scene.
36	* RealityWarper: All Dreams of Alice are capable of altering reality in a specific way depending on their Card. Sana is unique in that she can warp reality beyond one specific Card, earning her the moniker "Red Queen".
37	* RealityWarpingIsNotAToy:
38	** A point Zoroku makes explicitly clear for Sana or any other Dreams of Alice girls he sees recklessly using their power, taking time to lecture them thoroughly in the process.
39	** Episode six has Zoroku nagging Sana for using her powers for every little thing. This later causes Sana ''not'' to use them when she gets lost. This prompts Zoroku to explain he's not against her using her powers, but ''does'' want her to use them wisely and not become reliant on them.
40	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Once Zoroku sees that Sana truly does have mysterious powers, he never doubts her word on the matter and takes steps to get the aid of a government man he knows to help deal with the situation. In day to day life, Zoroku is strict with Sana but rarely unfair. Episode six has him constantly scolding her for using her powers for every little thing. However, as he takes the time to explain later, he understands Sana's powers are part of her and he's actually fine with her using them, but wants her to use them wisely and not become reliant on them. Generally speaking, when he's scolding any of the children, he makes a point of making sure they have a clear understanding of ''why'' something they did was wrong.
41	* SelfMadeOrphan: Ichijo tells Zoroku in episode 7 that [[spoiler:the Hinagiri twins]] were in police custody immediately prior to entering the research facility because [[spoiler:Yonaga killed their abusive father in self-defense]].
42	* ShoutOutThemeNaming: To ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''. The last episode of the adaptation rips the last paragraph or so from the book and applies it to their situation.
43	* SignificantNameOverlap: Sana's name is very similar to Zoroku's granddaughter's, Sanae. The latter lampshades this when they meet for the first time, and the two quickly bond.
44	* SingleMindedTwins: At one point, due to trauma, the Hinagiri sisters turned into this. At the time they were taken in by the research facility, they had lost the ability to recognize themselves as separate individuals. They grew better eventually, but this remains a reason they were against Sana going into the outside world.
45	* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: A common trait of Dreams of Alice. Yonaga Hinagiri's Card allows her to create a bow and arrow, while her sister Asahi can conjure anything related to chains. Ichijo's Card allows for the creation of literally hundreds of different weapons and objects.
46	* StepfordSmiler: Minnie C is almost always smiling despite (or maybe because of) having a tragic past and a Card that won't let her forget it for even a day. Cleo [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the implication of this trope by pointing out that a person that is always smiling is no different from one that never smiles.
47	* TheUnmasquedWorld: The existence of Dreams of Alice is finally revealed to the public [[spoiler:in the end of the series]].
48	* VariableLengthChain: Asahi can create and weave multiple chains together to form structures to her advantage. Apart from that, she can make anything related to chains, which includes bicycles and chain-driven motorcycles.
49	* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Sana was created to [[spoiler:help Wonderland answer this question and understand the meaning of being human.]]
50	* WouldHarmAChild: Minnie C makes it clear to Sana that she will ''kill'' her if she doesn't submit. Fortunately, she gets rescued. The Institute she worked for was itself pretty callous given that most of their test subjects were ''children.'' They deliberately kept Sana's calorie intake low, in other words, they didn't feed her enough, so that she could not easily use her powers to escape them.
51	* WrongContextMagic:
52	** Minnie C ''thinks'' this is happening in her fight with Ichijo, as the agent is able to wield a multitude of different weapons against her while also having a DoubleJump and long range voice communication. Ichijo's Card, however, is simply that versatile, having come from an anime character whose magic doors give access to multiple weapons.

Context Manga / AliceAndZoroku