'Alice the 101st' - the manga series by Chigusa Kawai

The manga series 'Alice the 101st' written and illustrated by Chigusa Kawai, and published by DMP, is an interesting look at the world of classical music.  The main character Alistair Lang is a 14 year old boy who wants to be a famous musician just like his father who died when Alistair was young.  This dream isn't entirely Alistair's own, since his beloved Grandpa has encouraged him all of his life to become like his father. 

In order to fulfill his musical dreams, Alistair tries out for the prestigious Mondonville Music Academy.  Mondonville had already filled it's 100 spots for the year, but after hearing Alistair perform, he is admitted as the 101st student.  The Academy only allows extra students in if they are "special cases", so everyone is curious to see why Alistair was allowed in. 

At first it seems like the school may have made a mistake in accepting Alistair.  For one thing, he can't even read music and he is horrible at his studies.  One of the teachers is constantly throwing Alistair out of his classroom because he finds him impossible to teach.  Once in a while though, Alistair astonishes everyone by showing a flash of genius.  He really is an extremely talented musician, even if he is horribly trained. 

Alistair makes several friends at his new school.  His roommate Theo is a good-natured guy who seems to look out for Alistair.  There is also another boy named Victor, a third year student, who watches over Alistair, although he may have less than pure motives since he seems to have a crush on the younger boy.  Victor gives Alistair the nickname Alice because at first he mistook Alistair for a girl.  The name Alice seems to fit Alistair better since he is feminine looking and cute, so soon, more of his classmates are calling him by this nickname as well, even though Alistair doesn't really like it. 

Victor also tries to convince Alistair to work hard so that he can win the school competition and get to play one of the school's special instruments.  This is something that is very important to Alistair himself because he wants to play 'Margo', the violin that once belonged to his father.  The school has possession of 'Margo', but when Victor and Alistair go to look for the violin, they find it missing.  Victor promises to use his personal connections to track down the famous violin for his friend.  This promise brings the two boys closer together, and shows Alistair that Victor is a good friend, even if he is a little bit of a pervert.

This series is drawn very well, and is actually pretty funny at times.  Chigusa Kawai does a good job of exaggerating her character's emotions and reactions, especially Alistair's.  The more he freaks out, the cuter he seems to become.  The other characters in this series are likeable and interesting enough to keep your attention, although a few of them do look a bit alike, so sometimes it is hard to tell them apart.  

Chigusa also obviously spent a good amount of time researching the world of classical music and orchestra, and that knowledge makes the story seem even more realistic.  Overall, this is a light read, although there are a few serious moments throughout that pull at your heartstrings a little.  If you would like to read this series for yourself, a good place to purchase it is on the Akadot Retail website, www.akadot.com.