Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland Review

Hi there! This past Monday I reviewed Mezzo Forte, a gorgeous action-packed OVA, complete with some of the most visceral sex scenes ever. Today’s review is a bit more lighthearted. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still sexy, but this one’s considerably funnier, and is a little.......gay (In an awesome way!). So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this review of CLAMP’s homage to Lewis Carroll’s classic, Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland.

Story/Setup
The story of Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland is essentially a take on the classic Alice in Wonderland. Mind-mannered schoolgirl Miyuki tries to go about her normal day, but is instantly drawn into a fantastical world, filled with odd imagery, and some of the most gorgeous women ever drawn. These women all want Miyuki, and she does the best she can to avoid being caught up in their advances, all along traveling from one fantastic locale to another.

I’ll quickly point out that this OVA is based off of the first two parts of the Manga. The source comic actually has 7 stories, with the first two being the only references to Alice In Wonderland (The last story is a direct crossover to X the Movie. Go figure?). This is actually a rather clever take on the original story. There are still familiar elements from Alice in Wonderland, but there’s been plenty of changes that make it look & feel like it’s something original.

Setting
Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland, as you can tell, takes place with Wonderland, only this one is anime-styled. For starters, the white rabbit is now a playboy bunny, and the door leading to wonderland now has a cute girl as the guard. Beyond the door, she enters Wonderland proper. Miyuki travels to some familiar sights: the Eat Me/Drink Me table, the forest, and the Queen’s kingdom are just a couple example of the places she travels to. When she travels to Mirrorland in the 2nd episode, Miyuki enters a surreal world, filled with talking flowers, wind, and a giant chess board. It’s fun to see both of these places, and as childish as this might sound, and they look fun to go to (Especially if they’re still filled with women).

Characters
Although there isn’t much characterization in this OVA, I’m not gonna bitch much, especially when you consider the content. Essentially, the cast is the same as that within the original Alice In Wonderland (For the most part), only they’re all girls, and seem to have a lesbian crush on Miyuki (Who’s pretty much the standard Japanese schoolgirl). Not only that, they have some thematic changes as well. Tweedle-Dee & Tweedle-Dum have become Chinese martial artists, the Cheshire Cat as become a blonde & sexy catgirl, and the Queen of Hearts was twisted into a sexy S&M dominatrix. These are just a couple of iconic literature characters that have become sexy versions of their former selves, and it’s something of a pleasant/hot change.

Animation
Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland is a typical CLAMP title. The environments look unique, the colors are used in a vivid manner, and overall it just looks fantastic! If I had only one complaint, it would be that it looks a little rougher than some of their earlier work. While X the Movie seemed smoother and the characters moved around at a faster pace, in this things have a slight jaggedness to it, and the characters move a little slower. Other than that, Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland is a great looking show!

Voice Acting
Although Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland was released in the United States, there was no dub. If there is a dub, then I’ll update this review with a little blurb on it.

Episodes & Episode Length
This is a rather curious OVA. Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland is composed of two episodes, the first one running at close to 13 minutes, and the second one running at about 16 minutes. All in all, this becomes almost a half-hour viewing, which is fine for a small OVA. The biggest problem with the OVA’s length however, is that the show goes by at a rapid pace, almost to the point where it doesn’t feel like it’s a half-hour long.

Availability & Pricing
Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland is a release from ADV Films, and is one out of a massive majority of their library that hasn’t seen a 2nd release from another company. Having said that, there are a couple VHS & DVD copies over on amazon still. This is definitely a circumstance where buying the DVD is smarter than buying the VHS edition: There are only 14 VHS copies available, 3 new (Starting at 9 dollars) & 11 used (Prices starts at $3.49). Although the DVD editions are more expensive, there are 22 available at this moment in time. The new copies start at 35 dollars (Given how much content there is, 35 dollars is somewhat outrageous), while the used copies start at a more humble $4.65 dollars.

Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.

General Impression & Rating
Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland is a pleasant surprise. It does have a couple problems, but they don’t necessarily put down how much fun this was to watch. It’s cute, sexy, and quite odd. If you have about a half-hour to kill, I suggest you give this interesting OVA a try!

Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland gets a 7.5 out of 10.

See you this Friday, when we’ll look at a interesting tale. Until then, stay Otaku!