Jigoku no Alice (Alice from hell), 2010-2014, Matsumoto, Jiro, Grand Jump Premium

(Warning: this manga is for mature readers only, way too much sexual violence)

STORY: 5

Meet Shuu, a mentally broken teenager trying to survive with his humanoid doll Alice within the ruins of a world that is struggling to recover from chaos.
In six volumes, we have one of the most coherent, well thought, and accessible work from Matsumoto Jiro. It does not mean it is for everyone though!
Despite the nihilism, violence and surrealism that characterize the author’s works, the main character (and his mental issues) feels quite realistic (and disturbing) within the settings and gives some ground to a story that would be, otherwise, too far and grotesque with its millions of weapons, teenage daredevils, wars that start from a misunderstanding, and countless deaths. There’s also subtle doses of empathy, also something the author is usually not so generous with.

ART: 7

Jiro’s art is easily recognizable and looks messy and sketchy compared to the usual manga style, being influenced by Western underground comics. There’s a lot of lines everywhere and not many are straight, a welcome break from tidier and sometimes colder titles in the industry. Expressions are great but bodies look quite similar. Especially women, who all have the same sexy body and their clothing is not drawn to look realistic but to insist on their curves.

POLITICAL POTENTIAL: 3

A bit of complicated human interactions and dreams. A lot of emotional scars. But mostly: guns, nihilism, big breasts, and violence.

FEMINISM: 1

Well, I’ve read almost all manga from this author and I cannot remember one title that does not include rape (always depicted with some violent porno gaze). It’s also hard to think of a title where there is no woman tortured or assaulted (it happens here).
This title does have some strong women, but they mostly fall under the stereotype of “chicks with guns are exciting”. Although the feminist content is above the average of the other titles from Matsumoto, we are still at the lowest score possible: 1/10.

CONCLUSION: 5/10

Smarter than it looks, needlessly sexist, certainly over the top.
“Alice from Hell” has less disturbing content and violence than the author’s other titles. I recommend trying this one if you don’t know this author yet, and want to check if his bold universe is your cup of tea. If you are looking for feminist content though, you can skip everything that Jiro Matsumoto has made.