The Case of Hana & Alice (Hana to Arisu Satsujin Jiken) is a 2015 Japanese anime youth drama film written and directed by Shunji Iwai. It is the prequel to Iwai's 2004 live-action film, Hana and Alice.
Tetsuko "Alice" Arisugawa, a transfer student to Ishinomori Middle School, hears a strange rumor that one year ago, "Judas was killed by four other Judas's" in Class 1. While investigating, Alice discovers that the only person who may know the truth, Alice's classmate Hana, lives next door to her in the "Flower House" that everyone is scared of.
Eager to know more about the Judas murder, Alice sneaks into the Flower House to ask the reclusive Hana for more information about the Judas murder and why she's a recluse. The chance meeting of Hana and Alice sets them off on an adventure to solve the mystery of the "smallest murder in the world."
The film won the Bronze Audience Award for best animated feature film at the 19th Fantasia International Film Festival. A manga adaptation by Dowman Sayman began serialization in Shogakukan's Yawaraka Spirits from February 16, 2015.
The Case of Hana & Alice provides examples of the following tropes:
- Action Girl: Alice, who effortlessly beats up a Jerkass bully who was verbally harassing and throwing things at her.
- Alliterative Name: Alice Arisugawa (though her real name is Tetsuko) and Mutsu Mutsumi.
- Everyone Is a Suspect: Everyone in the class at least. Later turns out no one killed anyone.
- Follow That Car: Deconstructed. The cab driver wants to know why Alice wants to follow that car. She ends up claiming that the man in the car ahead is her father, who is apparently abandoning the family and this is her last chance to speak with him. The cab driver ends up taking driving her for free, and when they reach the destination he hops out to make an emotional appeal to the man, explaining the (fictional) situation and asking him to please talk to his daughter.
- Kid Detective: Deconstructed.Hana and Alice try their hand at sleuthing but repeatedly screw it up.
- Red Herring: The entire "Judas was killed by four Judas's" mystery. In reality, Kotaro (Judas) wasn't killed and only one girl was responsible for his illness, albeit unintentionally.
- Teens Are Monsters: Played with. At first it seems four girls came together to murder a boy who played with their feelings. Then it turns out it was just one girl, Hana Arai, who put a bee down his shirt as a minor act of revenge. There's no indication she knew he was allergic to it and she was devastated when he got sick from the sting. Then again, it was a dangerous thing to do (bee stings can be fatal if someone is allergic) and she should definitely have known better.
