Mixup with Netgalley, my account glitched, and I actually did review it, but it ate it.
Below is my review from several months ago!

This was a cute and slightly interesting book, inspired but original by Alice in Wonderland. This story is heavily influenced by Asian myth and magic, and I enjoyed it; the only note is that it was a little long.

I was expecting to enjoy this manga from beginning to end but the story was kinda all over the place. It's obviously a retelling of Alice in wonderland but in a effort to be its own unique story it gets a little bit too much. The design of characters is beautiful and it incorporates the classic elements of Alice in wonderland story. I think it has potential, now that the first part is completed maybe in the future volumes we get to see a more well rounded story.

This was such a cute manga! Based on Alice in Wonderland, we follow Alice as the travels back to Kyoto Forest. She had lived there when she was younger, but left to live with her aunt and uncle after her parents death. Her uncle is really mean to Alice, so to be able to leave that situation, she finds an ad to be an apprentice so she can support herself. She heads to Kyoto where her adventure begins.

I liked how this is based on Alice in Wonderland, but is also different enough from the original source material to be its own thing. I loved the art style and detail of the work. I really liked Alice's Kyoto companions, too.

I have already bought volume 2 and am looking forward to reading it very soon!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I love an Alice retelling but this felt nothing like Alice in Wonderland. The main character was kind of dense too. Waste of time.

3 out of 5 stars.

(3.5) This was a cute retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I’m not an avid Alice fan, so I was a little confused at times. That might have more to do with me not knowing a lot about Alice in wonderland than the manga, but I still enjoyed most of it. The art is GORGEOUS!

Thank you to NetGalley and TokyoPop for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Alice and Wonderland retellings and this one immediately caught my attention. I wasn't sure I would enjoy it or not, it seemed so different yet I was curious.

Honestly, I was a bit confused at times while reading this. A lot of... "why" and "what's going on" and "huh" moments but still interesting and I wanted answers so it did it's part of keeping me reading. This is definitely a unique retelling and while I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it, I'm looking forward to volume 2 to see how things continue.

C’est un premier tome tout à fait intéressant.
Ce qui m’a tout d’abord attiré avec ce titre, c’est qu’il était inspiré de l’histoire d’Alice Aux Pays Des Merveilles. Alors j’étais curieuse de savoir comment la mangaka allait construire sa Alice et son histoire à Kyoto.
J’ai bien aimé découvrir notre jeune protagoniste. Si elle est reconnaissante d’avoir été recueilli par sa tante et son oncle car elle a perdu ses parents, elle est malheureusement consciente du ressentiment que son oncle ressent vers elle. Après plusieurs remises en question, Alice veut quitter la maison, retourner à Kyoto et trouver du travail en tant que Geisha. Et c’est sa route vers son ancien lieu de résidence que l’on va suivre.
C’est un premier tome et il est plutôt introductif. On découvre le personnage d’Alice et on la voit arriver à Kyoto. Au début de son intégration, il y a des petites choses, des petits détails qu’elle remarque et qu’elle trouve différents par rapport à ce qu’elle se souvenait de la ville. Ces différences piquent la curiosité du lecteur. Et si on n’en sait pas plus à la fin de ce premier tome, j’en ai su assez pour avoir envie de lire la suite, de connaître ce Kyoto différent et enchanté.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:
This is a very interesting first volume.
What first attracted me to this title was that it’s inspired by the story of Alice In Wonderland. So I was curious to know how the mangaka was going to build her Alice and her story in Kyoto.
I enjoyed discovering our young protagonist. If she’s grateful to have been taken in by her aunt and uncle because she lost her parents, she’s unfortunately aware of the resentment that her uncle feels towards her. After many questionings, Alice wants to leave home, return to Kyoto and find work as a Geisha. And it is her route to his former place of residence that we will follow.
This is a first volume and it’s rather introductory. We discover the character of Alice and we see her arrive in Kyoto. At the beginning of her integration, there are little things, little details that she notices and finds different from what she remembered about the city. These differences pique the curiosity of the reader. And if we don't know more at the end of this first volume, I knew enough to want to read the sequel, to know this different and enchanted Kyoto.

Approved day it was arched. Archived before I was able to download and read
Would have loved to been given the chance to read it, looks adorable and reviews seem good.

This is a beautiful wonderland of a story. The first bit is the basic unwanted orphans finds an opportunity to leave home story, but little does Alice know what she's getting into. The Kyoto she finds herself in is not what she remembers. Could things really have changed that much in 8 years? Or has she accidentally crossed into another world?

What little lore and magic we have of Kyoto Forest is cleverly woven so far. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series!

Alice in Kyoto Forest (vol.1) is about Alice who lives with her aunt and uncle. However her uncle is abusive so at age 15 she decides to leave and go to Kyoto. There her story begins!

This was a cute story! The artstyle is really nice and Alice was a cute character to follow. It's and Alice in Wonderland retelling so it has the same fantastical elements as the original. Overall it was a solid read. Definitely recommend!

This sort of alice in wonderland inspired manga was a lot of fun! Alice has been living with her aunt and abusive uncle ever since her parents died so one day she decides to run away to become a Maiko but ends up landing in a different dimension of Kyoto the place where she was from.

I liked the fantastical elements with the talking animals, the royalty and the strange magic. It was a bit confusing at first because no one really ever explains anything to Alice so we’re left in the dark too, but I got the hang of it by the end of this volume.

The plot progression was intriguing and the ending was especially! I definitely plan on continuing with this series because I need to see a certain reunion happen! I recommend this one if you like any of the vibes from Alice in Wonderland!

4/5⭐️

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This volume was an interesting start for this series! Alice tries to return to her home in Kyoto, but she ends up in an alternate version where the rules of the normal world don't apply. The art is lovely, and I am curious about where the story will go from here.

My only issue with this volume is that it was mostly exposition, but I'm hoping things will pick up in future volumes!

Alice in Wonderland fans might enjoy this unique version of the story, and shojo fans should give this a shot as well!

This was a really fun and cute read. Alice adventures back to her home in Kyoto, but mysteriously her city is not how she remembers it. I especially loved her animal companions, the rabbit and frog. They were so adorable and I liked how they were positive and helped her along her journey. This was a great first volume and really set us up for more mystery and adventure in Alice’s story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!

Very cute manga for middle graders who want an Alice in Wonderland/Cinderella retelling. Nothing very new in the manga world, the main character is a little too slow on the uptake, but the illustrations are adorable and I am sure lots of preteens will just adore this book. I prefer my manga a little more mature and faster paced, but the world is interesting, and the mystery will make people want to keep reading.

Cute and fun story. Can't wait to read more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc

This manga was adorable. I love the illustrations, and their take on alice in wonderland. Overall really cute book, with great characters and even better if you are a fan of alice in wonderland.

3.5 stars
This was super cute! The art was really pretty and done well. It was a little slow and sometimes the dialogue didn't feel natural, but it was still enjoyable. I like that Alice loves reading and is named after Alice in Wonderland. It's fun to see the similarities to AIW and this manga, but I really enjoy the unique spin they put on it as well. I will definitely be reading Vol. 2! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley and TokyoPop for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love retellings and this alice in wonderland retelling was done well. Enjoyed every aspect of this fantastical world created by the author. Alice loves reading books, she is an orphan and lives with her relatives. But she suffered through mental abuse by her uncles who kept viewing her as a burden and wanted to get rid of her. So to get away from the suffocating household, she decided to move back to Kyoto, her hometown and find a job as a maiko (i believe is a apprentice to geisha/young geisha in training).

She was unexpectedly entered into a different world set in old times Japan and at first she didnt notice the weirdness but once she got a revealation of the appearance of deity, she was strucked by the bizarreness. She was also turned older because of the rules in the world.

The world building was interesting. Im intrigued to know more of the place and to see Alice's character development. There are childhood backstory which i like since im expecting of the love interest to appear soon. Overall, an enjoyable read

Thank you to netgalley and Tokyopop for an arc!

I normally don’t usually like retelling a lot tbh but I actually really enjoyed this manga! Alice in Kyoto forest was honestly amazing. Truly FANTASTIC.

Alice is living with her aunt and her family after her parents died. They treat her so poorly that she runs off to me a maiko (geisha in training) in Kyoto but when she ends up not in Kyoto?

The manga really shows Alice struggling mental from the abuse she endured from her uncle and their family. It was really touching to read and see her growth and try to find purpose. It found it really well done.

The emotion Alice went thru in the manga felt really deep and relatable. The struggles she goes thru with living with her extended family while they treat her so poorly was great too.
I like that the manga goes back to it a few times during it because that kind of thing doesn’t go away and it makes it so much more realistic. And I love it so much more for it.
Just when I thought I couldn’t like it more, it introduced a slight romance. I also love love love the art and how it’s drawn. It’s probably one of the best drawn Mangas I’ve read in a while.

OVERALL 5/5
I loved this manga. I’m excited to read vol 2.

An interesting first volume!

I really like the universe of Alice in Wonderland, so it was with great pleasure that I immersed myself in this manga. I enjoyed reading and the Japanese adaptation. Nevertheless, this first volume is really an introductory volume and the sequel promises to be more interesting in terms of action.
The graphic style is very nice and I'm curious to discover other works by the author.

In short, a great discovery! ^^