I finished reading Gakuen Alice when it was still ongoing, but recently reread it all again. This reread without monthly breaks in between was really enjoyable, and allowed me to truly see how the characters have progressed in this story.

The character progression and relationships were one of the things I loved most about the manga. The way the characters love and care for each other is amazing to watch, and very heartwarming indeed. This isn't only about the romance, but about the friendships between characters. In particular, Mikan and her best friend Hotaru's relationship was my favourite. Each character expresses their love differently, some quietly. But it's still plain as day it's there, and brings a smile to my face each time. As the series progresses you can see how much they've all become a part of each other's lives, and how fiercely these kids will come to care for each other. Even the many side characters are memorable and have relevance to the plot, and their antics are always fun to watch as well.

Mikan at a glance seems to be a pretty normal girl. Yknow, the always smiling girl that brightens up everyone's lives, who everyone gradually gets influenced by (is it a manga thing for the smiley silly girl to always be loved?). Mikan appears to be quite a dependent girl, with many people around her that love and take very good care of her. But never does it feel that the love Mikan receives is undeserved. The manga does a pretty good job at showing how Mikan affects the lives of people around her, truly giving them a sense of joy in an otherwise bleak life. She's the girl that smiles at you and runs to you for a hug all the time, and you can't help but shake your head and hug her back (at least that's what I think I'd feel). It takes a while to get used to her, but she's a lovable character whose smile you wouldn't want to see disappear.

I think the setting and plot was the other thing that made this manga work for me. The only reason the characters were able to grow up so fast and also form these strong, precious bonds, was because of the specific environment they belonged to. Yes this manga is about school life and has a lot of the elements of the typical excitable kid things, but there's also the sense that no one here is a normal child. These children, unlike normal children without alices, end up facing many trials in their school lives. It's a little sad to see, that these young kids have to go through such things, but how they go about overcoming these crises and growing as character is really great to watch.

In stories with magical elements, it's common to see people being treated differently due to their magical abilities. But in Gakuen Alice it feels even more so. Being an alice - it becomes an unmistakable part of one's identity. Not just a cool power or a weapon one happens to have, but something that can probably be considered part of their personality. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine many of the characters without their powers, because surely they must have ended up this way because of their alices. This makes things very interesting, which becomes evident especially later in the series.

tldr;
Overall, Gakuen Alice is a great manga. believable character development, interesting concept of alices and overall plot. The setting and bonds between the characters are definitely the main draw of the manga for me. The story might seem childish at first, but it really does become interesting as the characters develop as we go deeper into the plot. The ending feels too rushed for me - a pity - but nonetheless it is a great read from start to end. If you simply want dokidoki romance with little plot then this is not the story for you, but if want to smile and suffer alongside these characters in their journey, watching them grow closer along the way, I'd recommend this manga without hesitation.