Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Heartslabyul, Vol. 4

Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga: Episode of Heartslabyul #4

by Yana Toboso, Sumire Kowono (Illustrator), Wakana Hazuki

Manga based on the hit mobile video game from Disney, Twisted Wonderland !

Stranded in the world of Twisted Wonderland, Yu must brave a magical school filled with ghosts, monsters, and uncooperative students!

Now that he’s officially a student at Night Raven College, Yu has to deal with Heartslabyul housewarden Riddle when his magic and emotions go wild! Yu and fellow students Grimm, Ace, Deuce, Trey, and Cater confront the rampaging Riddle. But is he too powerful for them to get back under control?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Comics, Retellings

194 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2024

About the author

Yana Toboso (枢 やな Toboso Yana) is a female Japanese manga artist born in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan and currently resides in Yokohama. She is best known for Black Butler (黒執事 Kuroshitsuji), a popular shonen manga series.

She has also written yaoi under the pen name Yanao Rock (簗緒ろく).

Appearance
Yana Toboso draws herself as a devil with a black body and horns, a white head, and a pointed tail. She has never uploaded a picture of herself, so her actual appearance is unknown.

Reviews

[Dandy ˙ᵕ˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

so excited for the anime adaptation of this ong

[Esme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so sad its over 😭😭 i want more!!! I did some googling and it looks like an Anime is in the works for the end of this year which if thats true I’ll be a very very happy person 🤣

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic conclusion!!

As a fan of the game, I honestly think this manga made the game come to life in a very satisfying way! Seeing Riddle in overblot form and just how powerful (and scary!) he was was incredible! I feel I knew that before reading this series, but the experience of seeing the story unfold panel-by-panel was something else. Some of the action was super detailed and I wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but I super appreciated seeing everything drawn out nonetheless!

One thing that I don't think I realized how powerful it was in the game, but then reading it in the manga is seeing the first-years be the ones willing to "save" Riddle, despite that Trey was a childhood best friend and Cater being another friend. Ace and Deuce might have been super angry over Riddle's actions, but they were still determined to help him.

Hands down my favorite part was the second half because I LOVED seeing Riddle, Trey, and Chenya as kids! THEY WERE SO CUTE!! Especially Chenya! He was adorable and had to take a photo of the page and send it to friends because his cuteness HAD to be shared!

Granted, that cuteness came at a cost and my heart broke for Riddle all over again, but goodness the aftermath of everything was extremely touching! I confess I even got a little teary-eyed about it. LOL! Seeing Riddle look so soft was something I was not prepared for when starting this final volume.

I would definitely encourage any fans of the game to pick up and read the manga! It really heightens and brings the story to life in such an exciting way that I super enjoyed every moment of reading this series! I agree with the artist that it seemed like the series went by in a flash!

Highly recommend!

[pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

boo hoo tragic but i don’t give a fuck

[iao.lalala · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked riddle in the game but the backstory being drawn out was crazy. kudos to him

[Amanda Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I needed from this series! The drama! The action! Definitely uphill from the last volume. I'm looking forward to other works.

[Azbaqiyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Manga Review ✨

Finally finished this series, and wow—what a ride! 🎉 This is such a fun Disney collaboration, turning classic Disney villains into hot ikemen characters 😍.

The first part is set in the Queen of Hearts’ world, inspired by my favorite Alice in Wonderland 🂱🐇. The story balances humor, chaos, and heartfelt moments perfectly—and the ending was truly heartwarming 💖.

Even more exciting, the manga is getting an anime adaptation set to broadcast at the end of October! 🍂📺 I can’t wait to see these characters brought to life on screen.

If you’re a fan of Disney with a twist of anime flair, this series is definitely worth checking out! 🌹♠️

[✨Rebel Fairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is so amazing!!!

The battle for the dorm commences. Ace doesn't want to back down but the House Warden entered an Overblotted state - This gives me some joker vibes!

It was a wonderful conclusion to the Heartslabyul arc of this series. I loved the 'Final Battle' and Riddle's back story made my heart flutter and gives you complete perspective. . .

I am keeping my eye out for the rest of Disney Twisted-Wonderland and cannot wait to delve deeper into this world.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Finale von Heartslabyul! Wie immer super gezeichnet und sehr nah am Originalspiel (gibt's auf engl. nur über QOO-App). Besonder schön find ich, dass es hier noch ein paar Einblicke in Riddles Vergangenheit gibt, inkl. Kleinkind Trey und Chenya <3 die sind so niedlich!

[Katarzyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean it was pretty cheesy but it's fine I love riddle
Omw to buy the 2nd series 😍

[Nikolai !! (Haitus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect way to end book 1 tbh. I love that Ace still is holding Riddle accountable which is something everyone should do for all the overblots in Twisted Wonderland. I miss Yuuken already 💔💔

Pre-Read .𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑
RIDDLEEEEEEE MY SHAYLAAAAAAA (acting like i haven’t read book 1 months ago)

[Kajen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intensywna i ciekawie zaadaptowana walka + bardzo interesującym i wręcz niepokojącym detalem jest to, jak na niektórych panelach z Riddle'm opętanym przez potwora zmienia się kreska, robi się bardziej niestaranna, wręcz szkicowana. Kocham takie oddanie do szczegółów. Historia Riddle'a i to, jaki jest obecnie przez traktowanie w dzieciństwie przez matkę może i jest oklepanym motywem, ale tutaj mi to akurat nie przeszkadza jakoś mocno, głównie też ze względu na to, że nie jest on do końca antagonistą i w końcu rozumie swoje postępowanie i stara się naprawić swoje błędy (fajnie też, że Trey mu mówi, że nie powinien się zmieniać z dnia na dzień, bo, wiadomo, poprawa to nie jest pstryknięcie palcem, nawet jeśli w tym świecie można używać magii lol). Interakcje postaci dobre, bardzo przyjemne są różne dynamiki głównej czwórki + Cater to jedna z moich ulubionych postaci. I w sumie tutaj mam dylemat, bo z jednej strony rozumiem, że nazwy zaklęć powinn być tłumaczone, jednak z drugiej strony odnoszę wrażenie, że wygląda to koślawo w polskim – jednak czy powinni zostawić angielskie nazwy, nie wiem, może to moje przyzwyczajenie do oglądania animców po angielsku, gdzie przy rzucaniu zaklęciami czy mocami mieszanka angielskiego z japońskim brzmi jakoś lepiej.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I can't say enough good about this manga adaptation. I really highly recommend it; the way that it has been adapted and the story beats handled is fantastic. The art here especially hits extra hard (in a good way) when reading Riddle's backstory, and the emotions are so well translated. I adore this. I'm so happy I picked it up, and I sincerely hope we continue to get the rest of the game adapted into manga form and translated into English.

[havies_tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, that's a great way to end this cute series. I was not expecting how emotional I got when it came to childhood abuse, but unfortunately, it hit too close to home.

I love it when a character is shown as such a villain, but then we get a look at their brain and their past. Very cute ending, and in my opinion, this volume was the strongest pace wise. A genuine 5 star for me.

My favorite character by far was Chenya hehe

[Skylar C. R. Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a 4.75 actually. But a nice wrap up for season 1. Gotta be patient for season 2 starting this December 😭

[lapetitepritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

riddle bebito fiu fiu

[el · Rating 4 out of 5]

the art in this is gorgeous wtf

[Givralite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les dessins sont incroyables

[c · Rating 5 out of 5]

another reread of this gem! cannot wait for the anime release of this tale later this october <3

[Eu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, the Twisted Wonderland: Heartslabyul arc comes to an end. Though many questions remain--which I assume will be explored further in future arcs (two more are currently in the works)--I'm glad we got a more fully fleshed out backstory for Riddle. There is also a happy ending (very in line with Disney) to tie the main, if simple, plot together.

On the whole, I believe this series is best suited for fans of the Twisted Wonderland game itself. For those only reading the manga, it is a very simplistic series about friendship and discipline; apart from Disney references and Yana Toboso's beautiful artwork, there isn't a very deep message. This is a series meant purely for quick, easy entertainment and lots of visual eye candy. If the series, like Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose (another manga based on a game), had more volumes, perhaps there would have been room to explore the world and characters more deeply, especially Chenya, the Cheshire Cat, and Night Raven College's rival school.

Other questions remain as well--will the reader learn more about Dire Crowley, the corvid headmage of the school? Will Grim ever become the mage he so desires to be? Will Yu ever get back home for that kendo tournament? That said, I am glad that Riddle became more of a protagonist throughout the series; by the end, he was the most fleshed out character of the set. Everyone was fun in their own ways, though, and chaotic e-boy Cater was definitely a personal favorite.

[CzasoStrefa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koszmar, w który zamieniło się Przyjęcie Nieurodzinowe, staje się coraz bardziej niebezpieczny. Oszalały przewodniczący z każdą kolejną chwilą rośnie w siłę, z którą nie radzi sobie nawet sam dyrektor. Czyżby tym razem róże miały zostać przemalowane krwią innych uczniów?

Wnętrze tomu prezentuje się pięknie. Doskonałe ilustracje, dynamiczne kadry, świetnie uchwycone emocje postaci oraz bogate w detale nowe wizerunki bohaterów. Niestety w parze z tak wyśmienitym kunsztem rysowniczym nie poszedł rozwój fabuły, bo najnowsza część niewiele posuwa ją do przodu. Powiedziałabym nawet, że w pewien sposób ją wyhamowuje. Co wcale nie jest tak złym zagraniem, gdy się nad tym chwilę zastanowić.

Czwarta część w całości składa się z walki przeplamionego Riddle’a z prowizoryczną ekipą jego wybawców, do której epizodycznie dołączyli Trey i Cater. Stanowczo nie mogę nazwać jej nudną lub nieznaczącą. Była poprowadzona z pomysłem, naprawdę wciągając czytelnika w wir akcji. Jednak w porównaniu do poprzednich trzech tomów, gdy fabuła odsłaniała coraz to nowe tajemnice świata wraz z jego osobliwymi mieszkańcami, tym razem całą uwagę skupiono na potyczce i rozbudowie backstory Troya i Riddle’a. Skonstruowano to na zasadzie naprzemiennego przenoszenia się pomiędzy kadrami walki a wspomnieniami z dzieciństwa wcześniej wspomnianej dwójki.

Więcej na CzasoStrefa

[Mrs_Serendipitie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durant cette série de quatre tomes, je vais découvrir la Maison Heartslabyul avec l’aide de Yuken Enma qui a été transporté dans ce monde par erreur. En attendant de trouver une solution pour qu’il retourne chez lui, le directeur de l’académie Night Raven va lui proposer le rôle de concierge. Il va d’abord s’occuper de cette maison qui semble être sous l’influence de la reine de coeur.

J’ai passé un très bon moment avec cette série qui s’intéresse aux vilains de l’univers Disney. L’histoire est dynamique. Je n’ai pas eu le temps de m’ennuyer. Tous les personnages sont attachants à leur manière. Les nombreuses références m’ont fait sourire et m’ont rendu nostalgique. J’ai été agréablement surprise d’apprendre le passé de certains des membres de la Maison Heartslabyul. L’histoire est plus profonde que ce que je pensais ce qui m’a aidé à m’investir dans l’histoire.

Si vous aimez l’univers Disney et le dessin de Yana Toboso, je peux que je vous recommandé de lire cette série. Après avoir eu un aperçu de des membres de la Maison Savanaclaw, j’ai hâte de découvrir la série qui est centrée sur eux.

Chronique sur le blog "L'antre d'une rêveuse":
https://lantredunereveuse.wordpress.c...

[ReadWithKate · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the Queen of Hearts arc finsihed, we come to realise many things about the Heartslabyul cast, mainly about Riddle, who in a way is the Queen of Hearts returned.
His whole life has been controlled by his mother. He never had choices, just rules. That's what he's made of, rules.
So, as a Housewarden at school, he's the same. He enforces rules, no matter how ridiculous, he controls everything and everyone. Because deep down if Riddle allows someone to break a rule, he feels like he's denying everything he's ever been.
Of course he has a breakdown. No sixteen year old can handle the stress forever. At some point he realizes that his relationship with his mother is messed up, that she puts unrealistic expectations on him, but that it's not an excuse to mistreat others.
In the end, he decides to change stuff and let himself be more carefree. To let himself be the kid his mom didn't let him be.
In the end, these four manga volumes were about balancing freedom and rules and how your life should have both.

[Rex Inanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume felt less rushed than the last one! I felt like Riddle's resolution was handled with more love in comparison to the build up of his overblot. There should've been a volume 2.5 or something like that, giving Riddle and the others a bit more time.

Here again: I was staring at every other panel in awe. Sumire Kowono creates beauties beyond imagination! Especially with Yana Toboso's concept designs of all the outfits and characters. Each of them is so detailed and uniquely fitted. The anime (which released yesterday yippie) also catches all this unique quite well. I rewatched the episode multiple times because I had to stare at Riddle and Vil a bit...

I hope we get to see more of the Heartslabyul characters in following volumes as well, even if they're centered around other dorms!

OH YES! And to respond to my review of volume 1: Deuce still is my favorite! His dynamic with Ace really is kind of like AkiToya and I'm enjoying it a lot. Also Chenya is the silliest guy this franchise has to offer. He's also held hostage in my little heart!!

[The Keepers of the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still stranded in Wonderland, Yu, Ace, and Deuce confronted Riddle Rosehearts about his tyrannical ways. Now, Riddle has overblotted and is threatening to take everyone’s heads off. As the school’s beast tamer, it’s up to Yu to work with his friends to bring back Riddle. Will Yu succeed?

The illustrations are detailed, dark charcoal sketches. The characters continue to be well developed, engaging, and authentic to the video game. Together, the illustrations and text do a great job of drawing the reader into the story. The plot is intense, well written, and impossible to put down. Readers who like fantasy, action, and Twisted Wonderland video game will want to pick this one up. Due to it picking up where volume 3 left off, it is recommended readers read the first 3 novels first. Recommend for most library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No other compensation was received.

[Teig G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this is a story that develops better as it gets more in-depth to the characters, but also has to rely heavily on the art. The panels in the last two books, in my opinion, were just so artistically beautiful to emphasize the inner battles but also the one going on outside of that. Seeing Riddles struggles and the blot takeover really sucked me into the flow of the story where I had started to teeter into getting bored a bit.

I look forward to seeing Yu's character become something more as this series goes on and how the blotting possibly comes into it too. But I did really love the nods to the original Alice in Wonderland with his dreams. And overall, I think the story Disney has going is pretty intriguing at best, mostly because I'm curious where it's going to go.

That being said, this is more of something I would have lended from the library versus buy, as more of a 'read once, maybe consider a reread' level of interest for the book.

[Andrea Ambroso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cap. 17- 21 (Fine)
Conclusione di questa mini serie che segue la casata di Heartslabyul e i suoi membri. Lo scontro tra il prefetto Riddle, corrotto dalla magia, contro Trey Clover e compagnia è stato molto combattuto, e mentre Trey cerca di sovrascrivere la sua magia e prendere tempo; sta agli altri far tornare in se Riddle. Parte quindi un lungo flashback in cui l’infanzia del prefetto si dipana. Il controllo maniacale della madre l’ha reso la persona che è adesso, un ragazzo troppo ligio alle regole, anche quelle più assurde.
Con la sua spada da kendo Yu riesce a mettere fuori combattimento Riddle facendolo rinsavire; porgendo a tutti le sue scuse e cercando di essere meno rigido con le regole imposte dal dormitorio.
Una narrazione molto scorrevole e lineare, si lascia leggere molto facilmente ed estremamente intrattenente.

[Mattia Fionda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anche se, alla fine, le somiglianze con Harry Potter si sono fatte sempre meno e sempre meno evidenti, questo manga mi è sembrato un continuo rimando ad altre opere (es. Shugo Chara, Madoka Magica).

Ribadisco che si tratta di un concept interessante (uno slice of life che unisce mondo/citazioni Disney ed estetica light/dark Academia), con uno stile accattivante, ma non posso negare di aver avuto diversi dubbi durante la lettura: la storia non brilla per dinamicità, il sistema magico non è dei migliori e i nomi di cose/luoghi/personaggi sono abbastanza imbarazzanti 😅

Tuttavia, voglio provare ad andare avanti, leggendo i numeri ambientati negli altri dormitori, per capire cosa nasconde questo “mondo distorto” 👀

P.S: ho la sensazione (o forse la speranza) che possa funzionare tutto un pochino meglio nell’adattamento anime… Vedremo se sarà davvero così.

[Martin Maenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

VIZ Media provided an early galley for review.

Following up after volume 1, volume 2 and volume 3 of this series, once again we're back to this ongoing manga adventure.

The creative team of Wakana Hazuki and Sumire Kowono are back again, delivering the quality that has made me a big fan of this series since its start. We get five chapters in this volume as they close out the Book of Heartslabyul. The action picks up right where we left off, with the threat of Riddle unleashed. We also learn how he came to be such a rules obcessed person.

Overall, it was a nice end to this story arc. I really hope we see more of this world with other houses in this school of magic. There is plenty of potential to keep the series going for a long time.

[Alessandra Ceravolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi intriga e mi commuove che Cater voglia in tutti i modi salvare Riddle che conosce fin da bambino dalla sua oscurità, con la fine del 3 volume e l’inizio del 4 volume ci ritroviamo in un paese delle meraviglie ma in versione dark. Un combattimento emozionante, travolgente, la determinazione di Enma nel salvare Riddle é davvero impressionante. Molto dolce e straziante vedere uno scorcio sull’infanzia di Riddle su come é diventato amico di Trey e Chenya ovvero lo stregatto per la prima volta, ma fortunatamente riescono a riportarlo alla luce, dolce e divertente il modo in cui si scusa con tutti e diventa migliore come persona riuscendo finalmente ad essere felice.