An isekai manga where orphan Alice Shirakawa is resented by the uncle who is fostering her, so she travels to Kyoto to train to be a geisha so she can be independent of him. But in Alice in Wonderland fashion, the Kyoto in which she arrives seems to be on the other side of the looking glass, where the buildings and dress of the people are old fashioned and the animals -- like the frog and rabbit who accompany her -- can talk. And, hey, doesn't that crown prince look a lot like a boy she used to know?

It's not particularly original -- how many riffs on Alice in Wonderland do we really need? -- but it's well done and has some engaging characters. I like that the act of reading aloud plays a key part in the story and am intrigued by how the mythos being teased is going to pull together.

Apparently, this is the first half of a two-manga adaptation of the first light novel of the same name. If it ends well, I can hope the other two light novels in the series will get adaptations also. ( )

I think it works best when a retelling isn’t a direct-to-direct adaption.

This one deals with Alice who wants to become a geisha to escape her abusive uncle. There’s a Howl’s Moving Castle predicament and some cute animal friends. And a pinch of childhood lovers = one true lovers (?), or at least it seems, because mangas love that trope.

This volume is very introductory, but like Alice, I don't understand how the world works. I don't know if they're in Kyoto of the past or a different world completely. Besides, the animal tails on humans (and her talking animal friends) there aren't many fantastical displays. It leans more toward magical realism to me.

Anywho, onto volume 2!
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Alice in Kyoto Forest is a delightful retelling of the original Alice in Wonderland but set in 1800s Kyoto, Japan instead of 1800s Oxford, England. Alice is an orphan, looking for a new start in life, which leads her to return to Kyoto, except it is not the Kyoto she remembers. The art style is charming and has a soft and whimsical feel to it. It drew me in, starting on the first page. The author has shown that they have an appreciation of the aesthetics of late 1800s Kyoto, which is evident in their artistic style. When it comes to the story, the jumps from locale to locale can feel a bit quick. However, this is also how it feels in the original story, so it is accurate as a retelling of the original. This is the first volume and falls into the same small stumbling block most series do. The story elements all have to be set into place in this volume, and there are many. It can feel like the story is a tad front-loaded and there are a lot of story pieces that are disconnected. However, it smooths out by the 4th chapter, with more of the aforementioned pieces clicking into place. I'm sure it will fully smooth out in the next volume of the series. Finally, Alice, as a character is adorable! An earnest young girl who tries her best to make the best of life, with a love of stories. I am interested in how this character will grow as a person she journeys along. This story of this manga intrigued me, and I already am itching to find out what happens next! ( )