Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Octavinelle, Vol. 1

Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga: Episode of Octavinelle #1

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

Stranded in the world of Twisted Wonderland, an ordinary high school student must brave a magical campus filled with ghosts, monsters, and uncooperative peers!

Yu is on his way to deliver food from his family’s restaurant when he’s whisked away to the world of Twisted Wonderland. Now enrolled in the magical school known as Night Raven College, Yu encounters a strange scenario―his fellow students are scoring too well on their exams! But there couldn’t be anything sinister behind great test scores, could there?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Video Games

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 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

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRST IMPRESSION VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/p9fBezKiIxI

"They wasted a perfectly good opportunity to show everyone what they're capable of. That's what makes them idiots."

This was so fantastic that I smiled and squealed so much when reading that my face started hurting!!!

EXCELLENTLY written and drawn in a way that brought some of my favorite characters to life!!

I think one of my favorite parts is that from the game we KNOW Jade and Floyd are scary-like, but they are downright scary in the manga! When they had shadowy figures, I got SO excited, which I didn't expect, but it just brought them to life in such an interesting way I couldn't help but get excited!! LOL!

Azul looked AMAZING! So many panels made him shine and I was all here for it! The manga definitely reminded me of how deceiving he can be, and that as my house warden, if I was in the TWST world, I need to be EXTRA careful since I'm so gullible. LOL!

YU! He looked PERFECT! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!! I loved everything with and about him!! That ending was especially good!!!

My boy Jack is being the precious tsundere he is! I loved him!

ALSO! IDIA'S EYE BAGS!!! Only an Idia fan (like myself) would get excited over seeing their best boy's iconic features repped so well in a manga! LOL!

Definitely enjoyed everything about this manga so so so much!! Easily my favorite thing I've read all month!!

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

[RTC]

[Martin Maenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

VIZ Media provided an early galley for review.

I am all in for more Twisted-Wonderland adventures. I really like the colors on this one's cover too; the purples and blacks really pop.

As this one opens, we're introduced to the newest incarnation of Yu. As with previous arcs, the main character changes appearance, background and personality. Given that the manga is based on a video game, Yu changes each story as this is a stand-in for the game player (Yu is meant to be "you", the player).

We are also diving further into the Octavinelle house with its house-warden Azul and his two enforcers Jade and Floyd. This house, like its matriarch Ursula, comes from a very dark place. I always liked her as a newer Disney villainess, so her house is especially interesting to me. The power and threat that Azul provides is a strong one and very different too from those the crew has encountered in other storylines in the series.

Of course, there are always Disney Easter eggs in this manga. I had to smile at one in particular - the name of the lounge that Azul's house runs as a business. I am all for bringing in aspects of Disney classics that are not specifically covered by the seven houses in the school.

The artwork, as always, is amazing. I'd rank that manga art from this series right up there with art I've seen over the years from some of my favorite American comic book artists.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Twisted Wonderland series and was excited to see a new series in that world. Good and easy to follow even if you don’t play the game. This one is from Yu’s POV. He’s 16 and works in his father’s restaurant, Manpukuken. He was delivering an order when he came upon the black carriage and suddenly found himself in the world of the Twisted Wonderland. The art is fantastic as always and this time Grimm and the others have signed a mysterious contract. As a result, they are now servants indebted to Octavinelle. It's up to Yu and classmate Jack to help their classmates out of a jam! I found this story interesting and I can't wait to see where it goes….”these poor unfortunate souls”. Azua is up to something- just what that is remains to be seen. Beautiful manga!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Darstellung von Floyd, Jade und Azul sind perfekt in dem Manga :D vorallem Floyd und Jade sind so unfassbar heiße Handlanger, die deutlich mehr Gewalt anwenden, als man es im Spiel sieht - was ich super gut finde.

Tja, leider bin ich aber auch gleichzeitig so oberflächlich und finde Yus Charakter hier meh. Ich weiß, wieso er so aussieht, wie ers tut, da ich die Octavinelle Questreihe schon durchgespielt habe, aber trotzdem... *shrug* ich hatte auf den Yu aus Rosehearts gehofft.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is I need the next volume!! It was so good!

[Steff Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I felt rather out of my depth reading this manga. There were several things working against me from the start, the first being that despite this being Volume 1, I am clearly lacking some serious degree of background knowledge about the world to be able to follow all of this in a way that results in the plot making even the slightest amount of sense. The second is that, apparently, this follows a set of manga series, of which this is not the first—I’m guessing this is an area in which a lot of the necessary knowledge to be able to appreciate this story will be found. And the third, something I wasn’t aware of until I started perusing the reviews, is that this is apparently based off a video game series?

So, I entered this story feeling entirely off kilter, not following anything because none of it had the sort of build up necessary for the story to work. And it just got worse and worse the farther in I got. All of this ultimately leads me to feeling that I can’t be certain of an adequate rating for Twisted Wonderland — Book of Octavinelle. It begs the question, would I have rated this higher if I’d read the previous ones first? If I’d played the video game?

I can’t say for certain.

What I can say, however, is that this truly does not work as a standalone and it’s not clear from the outset that it’s a part of a series to anyone who isn’t already super familiar with the source material.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never played the mobile game this is based on, but I do love a Wonderland retelling. I found this easy to follow and fun. Basically, if you have any familiarity with the Disney movies, and how boarding schools work (or read Harry Potter), you'll be able to follow this.

Yu, a restaurant worker, is hit by a magical carriage and whisked away to Wonderland. Until he can find a way home, he's allowed to attend the Night Raven College as half a student (he can't do magic so a sentient magic welding cat-creature is the other half). The dorm houses are based on Disney villains but they're the heroes in this one (Yu's house is Octavinelle, "Founded on the Sea Witch's spirit of benevolence".)

Yu's student partner and a good chunk of his class accept a bargain with a fellow student who models himself after the Sea Witch when it comes to bargains. It doesn't end well for them, so it's up to Yu to save the day!

I really enjoyed the art and humor. I didn't realize it was the same creator as Black Butler, so fans of that will enjoy this. I also appreciated the fact that Yu is on the heavier side; I don't see a lot of plus size male leads so it was nice to see the representation.

I look forward to continuing this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz media for the review copy.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Heartslaybul and part of Savanaclaw now, I can see what we're doing by introducing a new Yu in each series. Each one kind of takes place in the same world with the same things having happened, but the Yu changes like the Player Character does in the mobile game as different people play. It's a neat device, but I'm not sure it's exactly necessary. It does work well here however, as the challenge Yu and Jack Howl face as Azul Ashengrotto of the Octavinelle dorm manages to conscript half the school into his own little workforce is basically tailor made for him to help solve.

There's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing here with only a little progression as we head towards the end of the volume, but I like the new characters, and it's always nice to see our returning friends like Ace, Deuce, and Grimm.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another lovely installation in the world of Twisted Tales. I truly am enjoying that each different novel has different a different main student being highlighted. This is very true to the game as each different player would have a main avatar they use in the game. So having so many different avatars really shows how different the world can be while still allowing the main characters in the world to shine. I loved that Yu is able to use his talents to try and save his fellow students from a deal gone wrong.
Thank you to Viz Media and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this graphic novel.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting start to a series in a school setting called Night Raven College and the houses are inspired by Disney Villains.

My favorite so far is Yu who is sweet, fierce and always cooking up amazing dishes. He's a human that is unexpectedly thrust into this strange world and he's doing his best to help out those who find themselves under a contract that they didn't fully read before signing.

Looking forward to continuing this series and how Yu will help these people who shouldn't have signed in the first place.

[Cynthia T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @NetGalley and @VIZMedia for the ARC. This a great start to a really good series. Takes place in a magical school and a boy named Yu is stuck there not sure how to get home. He has no magic to protect him from those who do, but has made a friend with a magical cat. Yana Toboso takes us down to an alternate Wonderland filled with monsters and a boy greedily collecting magic to make him powerful.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was already a fan of Twisted Wonderland from the mobile game and previous manga series, so it was an absolute treat getting to see all my favorite characters with the introduction of the Octavinelle crew! I also love how each "book"/dorm series has a different protagonist who contrasts with the dorm leader (or antagonist[?])! I am looking forward to continuing this series.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fast read and I enjoy anything by Yana Toboso. Some kids learn the hard way that there’s no shortcuts in life. What seems like an easy thing, turns into something more. My students love reading manga and it’s Disney; so they’ll be excited to get their hands on this book.

[Ashleigh the Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard a lot about the mobile game so I was so excited to read this story. As a first time anything with the Disney Twisted Wonderland, I loved this story. I saw some people had trouble following it, but for me while I felt kind of dropped into the story--it was definitely easy to pick up. I am looking forward to this series and honestly, this made me want to play the game.

[Melissa Bresolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am OBSESSED with the Twisted Wonderland Manga more than I thought I would be! I think I even like this one more than the Book of Heartslabyul.

My only regret is buying it too early and now I have to wait for books 2 and 3.

I cannnnot wait for Diasomnia.

[Jessica Pangborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I thought it was a spin on Alice's story. Nope. It's a Disney collab where a school is divided in houses that represent each Disney villain/character's realm/world. This is a good manga for Disney lovers.

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great edition to the Twisted Wonderland universe! I love see the different Yus and how they interact with the star of series! Ace and Deucy continue to be dumb and I love to see Jack being himself as well! The illustrations once again captured the game perfectly!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to object to this being marked Volume 1: it references the plot of the Savanaclaw series as if they had the same protagonist, but their designs and backstreet are totally different! None of this has anything to do with the ostensible source material, aside from deliberate name drops.

[rika ⋆₊˚⊹ · Rating 5 out of 5]

finalmente la storia di azul !!
che dire, non vedo l'ora di leggere i prossimi volumi (panini manga permettendo con le sue tempistiche) e scoprire meglio uno dei miei personaggi preferiti 💜

[Singe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tweels ! This is my favorite MC so far, he is freaking adorable

[alyssa ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED seeing more of Octavinelle. The Yuu in this is so adorable as well.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but it’s a little weird to be reading this concurrent with the book of Savanaclaw.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not overly impressed.

[aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first volume of the third series in the Twisted Wonderland series of Disney works. It finds the characters in different houses that are founded after different Disney villains. The art is fun and solid and the story isn't too bad although we were definitely dropped straight in. Not a bad start to the Octavinelle run.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

big fan of this dorm so far. I enjoy a good shady character and the way aspects of the little mermaid have been adapted into this is fun and not jarring!

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had moderate hopes for this one because, of all the Disney villains, Ursula is my favorite. I'm still thrown by hot Flotsam and Jetsam, but I didn't hate it.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* stars

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

In this version of Twisted Wonderland, Yu is Yuta, a ramen restaurant worker pulled into Night Raven College just before a major exam, and many students have entered into an agreement with the charismatic Azul Ashengrotto from the Octavinelle house. They all want a top score on the exam, but many have failed to specify or read the full contract before signing with Azul. Thus, they become indentured to the House and to Azul. Yu and Jack from Savanaclaw begin investigating how to free everyone before Azul works them to the bone at his new club. These Twisted-Wonderland books have all been interesting tie ins with the game, as well as blends of anime staples with Disney-inspired worlds and story themes. Fans of the game will eat these stories up, but casual readers may not pick these up on their own or get hooked into the story as readily.

Reviewed for School Library Journal.