I am, quite possibly, the worst person to be reviewing this book. Is it because I haven't played the game? Maybe in part. But the true reason is that I have what I like to call an Alice Problem - an unreasonable fascination with Lewis Carroll's Alice duology. Add in a knowledge of folklore, and I know too much about the things this book is playing with – at least on the surface.

The story takes place in a world that appears to be equal parts influenced by Harry Potter, Disney villains, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or at least the 1951 Disney film based on it, Alice in Wonderland. Protagonist Yu Enma (whose last name seems to tie into the entire villain theme, at least on the surface, Enma being the Buddhist king of Hell) has zero aspirations of getting his summons to magic school, but that's what happens to him one day on his way home from school. Much to his horror, the kendo team captain wakes up in a confined space that turns out to be a coffin-shaped portal. Upon bursting out, he's confronted with a magic school insistent that he's been chosen to enroll – an honor he swiftly refuses. Since no one can figure out how to get him back to Japan (a land they've never heard of), he ends up taking a janitorial position in exchange for a place to stay.

If this feels like a very weird mash-up, it is. The so-called Twisted Wonderland honors seven Disney villains as its patron saints, and this volume makes use of the Wicked Queen's magic mirror from 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as an abandoned version of said dwarves cottage. Credit where it's due, this so far doesn't seem to be confusing Carroll's two most famous queens, The Queen of Hearts and The Red Queen. So far, all words attributed to Riddle (a presumptive descendant of the Queen of Hearts) are, in fact, Queen of Hearts things, as is his hot temper; Carroll himself described the difference between the two as “I pictured to myself the Queen of Hearts as a sort of embodiment of ungovernable passion – a blind and aimless Fury. The Red Queen I pictured as a Fury, but of another type; her passion must be cold and calm – she must be formal and strict, yet not unkindly; pedantic to the 10th degree, the concentrated essence of all governesses!” Also included is a Cheshire Cat-like demon named Grim, presumably a reference to The Brothers Grimm, whose collections of German folklore are often (at times wrongly) attributed as the source of Disney's fairy tale films. There's a clear effort being made to fit all of these disparate elements together, although the Alice bits stand out the most thus far.

In part this is due to the game arc the manga is adapting, which centers on the House attributed to the Queen of Hearts. Riddle uses spells that are lines from the Disney film as spells, and there are plenty of references to painting roses and Yu's desire to go home, which puts him in a very Alice-like position. The whole Disney-Villains-as-Progenitors thing is a little awkward, as are the choices they've made (no Lady Tremaine or Gothel?), but it isn't jarring, even if the decision to blend Snow White with Alice is. Presumably, this is done because of the colors involved in the Queen of Hearts' roses, which may call to mind the lesser-known fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red, a fleeting reference to which seems to appear towards the end of the volume.

Given that this book adapts the prologue of the original game, it makes sense that it feels like a lot of setups. Yu, despite being the nominal protagonist, fades into the background quite a bit, although his determination is admirable. Character designs come courtesy of Yana Toboso, creator of Black Butler, and you can see her trademark elegance, which series artist Sumire Kowono captures nicely. Kowono also does an excellent job of mimicking the styles of various Disney eras, with statues of the villains all being instantly recognizable and the dwarves' cottage perfect in every detail, reminiscent of when Snow White first walked in in the original film. The plot also moves at a decent pace despite clearly feeling like the story hasn't quite started yet, and if the mishmash of references isn't a deal breaker for you, it has its interesting elements. Ultimately, however, I think this may be best enjoyed by those familiar with the source game rather than simply Disney's sources or the Disney films referenced. It's trying to be its own thing and not quite getting there, and while that may change going forward, it isn't quite enough to make a first volume that's truly engaging.