ARC Copy...I do like this hmm I would say the narrative is an interesting retelling of Alice in Wonderland or at-least using fairy-tale motifs. The protagonist is named Alice, an orphan escaping an abusive relative, and ends up in a magical land which in this case is Kyoto (another world within Japan). Feels like a fairy-tale kind of premise. The Kyoto setting and feel is beautiful as well.

This story beginning felt a bit disjointed and slow, but I suppose anything that draws from Alice in Wonderland is bound to do so. Lots of great setup that has me ready to continue and see what the author has in store. Will absolutely recommend to shojo/fantasy readers

Alice in Kyoto Forest surprised me! I'm not a fan of retellings and such, but this manga makes it work and it's only two books long too. Alice is an orphan living with her uncle and aunt. Her uncle is a drunkard and doesn't like her and she eventually moves wanting to become a maiko in Kyoto. Instead of Kyoto, she ends up in Kyoto Forest that's an alternative and magical world. You need to have a purpose there or else you get kicked out and such. There she also meets a childhood friend of hers, Ren, but the boy seems to be a royal? The pace is good and the mystery is well constructed too. Alice is slightly boring though, but gladly not annoying. There are cliches and whatnot, but the story is well constructed especially when you consider how short the series is. There's hardly any Alice in Wonderland though, except the name Alice and the white bunny.

The art is delicate and very girly. It works OK and we get to see backgrounds too, which is great. The panels are a bit smudgy at times, but otherwise this was quite nice. The cover is extremely cute too. I'm glad shorter series are translated and especially when they are well made ones.

I loved this take of Alice in wonderland with its own spin on it. If you like Spirited Away this is a good choice. Love the classic Japanese setting.

I requested to read this book through Netgalley mainly because of its beautiful cover, but the story itself was absolutely delightful as well.

It's not exactly a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but more likely to be inspired by the classic fairytale. Instead of entering Wonderland, our Alice here entered a sort-of-magical Kyoto Forest, where its nothing like the Kyoto that she used to be familiar with. And not only she got a white rabbit in a waistcoat as her companion, she also got a cute frog in traditional Japanese clothing.

Alice returned to Kyoto to escape the harsh treatment by her uncle, and she planned to become a maiko, an apprentice geisha. But her plan did not work when she learned that this Kyoto she fell through was not the Kyoto in the normal world, and she had to go through a journey to find the truth about this world, and how she would be able to stay in it.

I love how sweet Alice is, but she also carries a great pain in her and all I want is for her to be happy. Since this is only the first volume of the story, there are much to be uncovered, but there's also a prospect of Alice reuniting with a childhood friend from Kyoto, whom made a promise to marry her when they meet again.

It's rather obvious who they boy might be, but I'm curious and excited to know how they're going to meet again, and how their relationship can work because Alice is still an outsider at this point, and the boy has a rather high social ranking in this Kyoto Forest.

I'm definitely considering getting the paperback because the illustrations are just stunning! I'm dying to know follow Alice's next adventures too ♡

Many thanks to Netgalley and Tokyopop for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I like Japanese manga. This is one is mixed with Alice in Wonderland and traditional Japanese fairy components.
The illustrations are beautiful.
Looking forward to reading the 2nd book.

This manga easily caught my attention as I'm a big Alice in Wonderland fan. The synopsis sounded good and I'm glad I was approved to read it. I think the art of this manga is lovely, Alice is a very good MC with a strong mind and heart despite having such a troubled childhood. The world is very fantastical but can be a little hard to follow as there are a few different quickly changing plot points in this manga. Overall though I think it was a very good first volume and the rest of the story should unfold nicely.

(First of all, thank you so much NetGalley, publisher, and author, for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review)

Synopsis: After being orphaned when she was very young, Alice has lived with her aunt for most of her childhood, but her uncle clearly doesn't want her around. At 15 years old, Alice decides to return home to Kyoto and train as a maiko, an apprentice with the hopes of eventually becoming full-fledged geisha. But when she arrives back in the city where she was born, she finds that Kyoto has changed quite a bit in the years since she left it. Almost as if it's a completely different world...

This book caught my eye because of the cover. It was like watching Alice in Wonderland in manga version. I was curious because I love both Kyoto and Alice in Wonderland and I wanted to see how everything get along. I was intrigued by how Alice went to that book world, discover what she wants, and also by her friend Ren (get them married please). I think is a good manga for my child me version and I promiss you would enjoy it. Of course, the art was amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it because it has these "Alice in Wonderland "and "Spirited Away" kind of vibes. It's really cute and so captivating to read with a main female character who loves reading books and who finds herself in a completely different Kyoto kind of Wonderland, she has to find what she really wants in order to stay there or she might change into an old grandma like "Sophie in Howl's Moving Castel". Also she hopes to find a mysterious boy named "Ren" whom she met when they were kids and promised each other to get married when they grew up. Is he really from this world?

It is the kind of stories that I loved to believe in as a kid, I used to have this kind of dreams where I go to another world and live some adventures. That's why I love Ghibli's movies which this manga reminded me of them a lot and all those beautiful dreams that I had.

I got Mai Mochizuki's "Holmes of Kyoto" light novels that I want to read too. I loved her art here which is really cute and Alice is so lovely. I will be following this manga for sure.

"Alice in Kyoto Forest" is a cute story about a girl named Alice who has been living with her aunt and uncle after her parents died in an accident. Her uncle is verbally abusive and she decides to return home to Kyoto to escape him and the sad life she has come to know. Instead of Kyoto, though, she ends up in an alternate world full of magic and wonder. The story is a good mix of whimsy and seriousness, though it only just keeps my interest.