With the Disney Twisted-Wonderland anime adaptation on the horizon, now is a good time to get started on the manga! Viz Manga is making the series accessible to English-speaking fans, and the game's Savanaclaw arc is now underway as of this month. A new arc means a new protagonist in the player character seat. This time it's Yuka Hirasaka, a princely judo girl who finds herself at the all-boys Night Raven College. The story proceeds as though Yuka has been the protagonist from the beginning, referencing the events of the Heartslabyul arc.

Leona Kingscholar takes the spotlight for this arc. The housewarden of the Lion King-inspired Savanaclaw is somehow simultaneously lazy and ambitious, and he has his sights set on the upcoming Spelldrive tournament. But students around NRC—specifically gifted Spelldrive players—are having all sorts of mysterious accidents. It's up to Yuka and Grim to find the culprit before it's too late. Even if you've never touched the Twisted-Wonderland mobile game or any previous adaptations, Book of Savanaclaw is a fantastic on-ramp to this villain-inspired world.

The artwork is just so beautiful. It is rich with black and grey ink, and I am intrigued by the storyline.

This was not my cup of tea. I expected more of a traditionally American Disney feel. I understand that it is a manga take on the story, but I struggled to actually connect it to the Disney franchise. I'll pass on buying this for my manga readers.

Welcome back to Night Raven College. Yuka Hira is just a regular high school student in Japan that finds herself in Twisted Wonderland. This book the Book of Savanaclaw is an investigation into the mysterious injuries befalling the star student of the Interdrom Spelldrive Tournament. The mystery while not so mysterious was still fun the Spelldrive Tournament dynamic and the overall art just overall beautiful.

Well I'm gonna give this a 3 out of 5. It was alright but I felt lost most of the time, I don't know if it was because I probably needed to read the other part of Twisted Wonderland first to understand this world.

I loved the story of this one! The magic tournament is a cool idea and it was fun getting to see more of the other houses. I didn't like the protagonist swap though: it removed any connection I really had with Yu from the first arc (and I did really like Yu) and made me a lot less invested as I didn't get a sense of how genderswapped Yu fitted into the cast of characters: does she have the same relationships? If so, that kind of feels a bit cheap and like her gender doesn't really change the story, so why do it? If her relationships are different, though, why not show that on paper?

As an avid fan of the game and the first manga series, I knew I had to read this next Twisted Wonderland manga adaptation! I love how we got a new protagonist with each school explored (and a girl too!) and I was excited to see my favorite characters back for another story to uncover. Leona is one of my favorite characters in the franchise, so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the next volumes.

The cover and art work drew me in instantly. Amazing graphics!

I am new to manga and found Savanaclaw easy to read/follow while enjoying the story line.

I will be looking forward to seeing the second one coming out.

Thank you, NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

I still love delving into Twisted Wonderland. The mix of Disney and classic manga is perfection. I can’t wait to see what unfolds with the tournament and to see how Yu fairs considering they have no magic. I also loved meeting some newer characters that really weren't highlighted as much in previous volumes.
Thank you so much to VIZ Media and Netgalley for allowing me an advance copy of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Manga - Book of Savanaclaw, Vol. 1 invites readers into a vibrant world filled with rich characters and engaging storytelling. Set in the darkly enchanting universe inspired by Disney villains, this manga focuses on Yu, who is asked to investigate the mysterious injuries of top Spelldrive tournament participants. Readers will find themselves drawn into the interplay of friendships, conflicts, and the underlying themes of identity and acceptance.

Overall, Volume 1 of the Book of Savanaclaw is an impressive entry into the Twisted Wonderland series. It manages to balance humor and drama, offering something for both new readers and long-time fans. The pacing is well-structured, with a blend of action and quieter moments that allow for reflection and character exploration. As the volume ends on a cliffhanger, it leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment, making it a must-read for anyone looking to immerse themselves in this captivating manga world.

This was a really good manga and one that I didn’t expect to like as much as I did! I’m familiar with the Twisted Wonderland game and was surprised at the decision to change Yu’s gender for the manga adaptation, but keep everything else the same. I’m curious about the decision behind that considering Yu is at a school surrounded by other men and what that might imply. I really loved the artwork for this manga and it really adds to the dreamy feel of the story. Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this manga!

VIZ Media provided an early galley for review.

I am a big fan of the Twisted-Wonderland manga franchise. I am glad to see we have a new lengther arc starting with this volume after several collections of short vignettes.

The artwork, once again, is fantastic and blends the manga elements with the Disney mythos seamlessly. The story, while straightforward, does set up some interesting plot elements that should start to pay off in the next volume.

One odd thing is that the main character of Yu has changed genders from male to female with no explanation. I am not really sure what that is all about, whether it has some narrative implications, or if it was just keeping in line with the game upon which this is based in that the main character there ("you") can be either gender. We shall see if this gets addressed at some point.

This is the first Disney Twisted-Wonderland book that I've read and I'm definitely going to go back and read the rest! Going into this without knowing who the characters were or their backstories didn't detract from the reading experience so even if this is the first one you pick it the story is easy to follow without feeling like you're missing anything. There are a few moments in the story that will leave you wishing they were longer or had more of that character, but I'm sure those are just alluding to something coming up in the next volume and gives us something to look forward to. The characters are fun and mostly likeable and the more villainous characters still intrigue and leave you wanting to know more about them and what they'll do next. The artwork is detailed and the story flows well. I've never played the game that the series is based on but I don't think that lessened my enjoyment at all, however it might be an even better fit for fans of the game. Either way, there's much to enjoy for anyone who likes Disney, especially the villains, magic, or manga with school settings. I'll be patiently waiting for the next volume to come out!

Thank you Viz Media for the drc via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could have used a little more explanation of who all the characters were (there are a lot!), but overall a fun story. Great artwork!

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Disney Twisted-Wonderland: Book of Savanaclaw by Suzuka Oda had me enticed from the cover and the title! The manga art is very well done and thus made the storyline easy to understand/enjoy. I LOVED Yu! Cant wait to read more in this series!

I think I was probably only meant to read the first arc of this, because this volume just didn't do it for me the same way. Also, I'm all for a good gender-bending story, but suddenly changing Yu's character to a woman without explaining how or why just threw me off and I had a real hard time moving past it. I'm pretty sure I get the idea that Yuu isn't cannon and is a fluid character that fits the counter to whatever antagonist we have, but it still would have been nice to have some kind of warning or explanation instead of jumping in with an entirely new character and being expected to ignore it and move on. Cool idea, just executed in a way that wasn't really for me.