Captive Hearts of Oz Vol. 1

Captive Hearts of Oz (Manga) #1

by Mamenosuke Fujimaru (Illustrator), Ryo Maruya, Angela Liu (Translator)

From the fan-favorite creator of the bestselling Alice in the Country of Clover series comes an all-new story of adventure and romance based on The Wizard of Oz!

Captive Hearts of Oz is the newest manga series by New York Times bestselling creator Mamenosuke Fujimaru, known for her prolific work on the Alice of Country of... manga series. Based on the beloved classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this original tale of magic, adventure and romance will appeal to fans of Fujimaru’s other New York Times bestselling series like Alice in the Country of Clover and Alice in the Country of Joker.

Captive Hearts of Oz reimagines L. Frank Baum’s original Oz stories in a modern, shoujo style. Each volume in this ongoing series will be released in oversized editions, featuring impressive artwork and several full-color illustrations.

Dorothy Gale, along with her beloved dog Toto, finds herself whisked away by a tornado to the mysterious land of Oz. Something about this strange place feels oddly familiar, but Dorothy just wants to go home. Following the advice of a kindly Witch, Dorothy must travel to the Emerald City and seek out the Wizard of Oz, who alone has the power to send her back to her world.

Alongside a trio of fascinating new companions, and a mysterious young man known as “Zero,” Dorothy must follow the Yellow Brick Road on her journey to escape Oz and some of its less than friendly denizens, the evil Witches. Yet even though all this seems to be happening for the first time, Dorothy feels as if they have all met before... Buried secrets and conflicted romance await Dorothy as she travels through the wonderful land of Oz!

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

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2017

About the author

FUJIMARU Mamenosuke
Name (in native language): 藤丸豆ノ介

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.7 stars.
I love all things Wizard of Oz so when I found out about this manga, I just had to read it!
So far, I like the art and the story is intriguing enough.

The side plot with Oz and ‘the story’ holds more of my interest than the main story however, I am liking the differences in the main characters.
Also, there were a few new characters so that does mix things up.

Will definitely read the second volume!

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga was a different take on The Wizard of Oz, and for the most part, was an interesting first installment. I thought the characters were interesting, my favourite being Hayworth, The Scarecrow, because I think there is more to him than meets the eye. I can't say that I was a fan of the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but this manga seems to have a lot to offer, and I'm definitely looking forward to continuing with the series.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like The Wizard of Oz then you might want to check this one out. It's a casual retelling with some twist. 3.5 Stars

Captive Hearts of Oz was a random pick up for me. I thought that the cover looked pretty interesting and it is clearly an homage to The Wizard of Oz. For a re-telling, I thought that it was done pretty well. There is a play on the characters that I haven't seen done before. One of my major criticisms is that this book is a little on the confusing side. There is an overarching theme that I didn't really understand. It's almost as if Dorothy is reliving her journey into Oz (it's implied that she's been there before); however, I don't necessarily think that it was executed well and it overshadowed the plot and character development of the main story. In the times where we were getting this additional story, I found myself rushing to get back to Dorothy and the other characters. Outside of that there was great character development. There are these twists on the background of the lion, the scarecrow, and the tin man that I really really enjoyed. It made them more interesting and fun. I will be checking out the second volume to see what becomes of the characters.

[Euodias · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

[Nicolo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a new take on the venerable L. Frank Baum classic. It is indeed interesting to read it through the lens of shojo manga, and it has great art too. That said, it is a good first installment.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lighthearted retelling of the Wizard of Oz with cute boys joining up with a grown up Dorothy to go the the Emerald City. In this version, though, the wizard himself is Oz (and is also a hot guy) and seems to be pulling the strings a lot more than in the original tale.

Something is going on in the background, pushing the story to the end. I have no idea what's going on in this version, but I am definitely interested in seeing what's going on.

[Nora Røssland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I loved this so much!! An amazing retelling of The Wizard of Oz😍 The characters are amazing, the story both familiar and new, the concept is intriguing and the art is beautiful!!! 10/10

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

There's a lot going on here, but it's charming. The story doesn't follow the bare bones outline, so I think that's why it's entertaining and heartwarming, at times. It seems Dorothy's story is being calculated by some sort of gamemasters. I might be interested in a volume 2.

3.5

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more of this manga adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I read volume 1 and flipped through volume 2. The story seems to be based on the original book, and the author takes a few creative liberties. But most have to do with giving all the male characters a bishonen (pretty boy) style, and adding a few new characters, also in bishonen style. Following the highlights of the original story, this volume just seems introduce the main four characters and doesn’t give any of them much depth.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been excited for this book since last year when they announced it, and after reading it I adored it! As someone who read the whole Alice in the Country of... series I feel like this series could perhaps fill the Wonderland-shaped void in my heart. (Though I wouldn't say no to Seven Seas releasing the 2nd/last "White Rabbit and Some Afternoon Tea" volume... Please, it looks all lonely and sad on my shelf...)
Anyways, I feel like Alice and Dorothy would be friends. The art was beautiful, as I expected from this manga artist. And I am enjoying the story-line thus far. My favourite characters were the crows and the scarecrow, and Toto was so cute! The story is like the one we know and love but there is a hint of something being mysterious or not quite right the book, what does it mean? And the darkness she is sent away from? Curious and Curiouser...
In short, I loved it and I hope as I progress through the series I can rate the whole series five stars.

[Darrell Spradlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many references from the Baum books!

I am a huge fan of the 14+ Oz stories from L. Frank Baum and the later ones by his successors. I am pretty put out with so many adaptations that focus on the MGM version when there is so much material in the public domain.
While this is definitely not the Oz from the books and is very much a shojo manga with all the tropes that entails, it's a fun read and a fun new version of Oz.
Characters from later books have already appeared and the author references things only dedicated book fans would know (That Locasta is the witch of the North, not Glinda!)
I'm very intrigued and only sorry that apparently this story ends after four volumes. I was hoping the author would do like they did with Alice and make a full series of stories.

[Mabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went into this blind, was pleasantly surprised. This is one solid, if condensed, shoujo experience of a classic story taken into a wildly unexpected direction. A great use of a couple of free hours.

Art was fine though nothing special, and the Reverse Harem tag feels cheap given that out of the group of guys only one develops feelings for her, and even then it is clear it won’t be going anywhere. Seriously, remove Leon’s crush on her and nothing changes. I feel that for a proper RH tag there needs to be some sense of competition from the guys, but nothing like that ever happens in this. And it’s fine, the romance in this story is plenty enjoyable on its own. But like I said, I wish this weren’t sold under the reverse harem tag because it is wildly insincere.

[Jewels]

Alike to Alice in the Country of Hearts, I feel I cannot give this a proper rating as I've come to like the story, but wished I'd read this earlier when I was more open to manga such as this. My general impression was that this was a good retake on the classic tale of Dorothy, a nice style of art, and can be a good comic for teens. The "reverse harem" trope isn't exactly as you would think. There doesn't seem to be any romantic endeavors between Dorothy or the rest of her crew, yet there's one character in mind that may be represented differently in later volumes.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend this.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the accuracy that the shoes were silver, not ruby like in the Disney film. Dorothy isn't supposed to be able to feel tired in her silver shoes, but later, for some reason (most likely plot convenience), she feels tired.

I felt like the tin man's and cowardly lion's introductions were rushed in while the scarecrow had so much time to himself. The lion didn't even really act cowardly, and was quite forward at times. I like the bond between the scarecrow and the crow, and their interactions (at least on Crow Guy's part) definitely felt queer coded to me. But baby crow guy was super off looking. I also thought that once the silver shoes were on, no one could take it off? I like the tin man's character (not just because he's hot). It hints at a deeper character than in the OG tale. I hope it dives deeper into the grief he feels over the loss of his body and love, but it probably won't. Also, he can cook. Who doesn't love a man who can cook?

To be honest, I'm not really all that interested in the hidden subplot about the Wizard of Oz, this random witch I forgot the name of, and Zero.

[Bill Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on the Wizard of Oz. In this book, I especially like Haywood's interactions with Crow - there seems to be something that could be a parent/child kind of relationship, but it almost seems like a romantic attachment on Crow's part that Haywood (the scarecrow) is just too dense to notice. Anyway, the subplot is confusing (the book-in-a-book plot), but stick with it - it pays off in the end.

[Jen]

I just can’t get into it. I don’t care. I picked this up because at the time I was desperate for a short series that didn’t run on for 50 million books and was already finished. Not a good reason to pick up something. I’m not that into the Wizard of Oz, but it would probably work for those who love that book series/movie.

NOT bad, just isn’t grabbing me. It’s me, not the book. No stars since DNF.

[Michelle Mease · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this a fun manga. It is like the Wizard of Oz but a little different. There are new characters in here. I really enjoyed this book. I am definitely continuing the series.

It is about Dorothy, who of course gets sucked up in the cyclone and ends up is Oz. And she travels to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz to send her home. She meets several people/creatures along the way.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

To start off I’m not a huge fan of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
I did however enjoyed this more than I thought, I think it’s due to the underlying secret group that is doing work against the protagonist. It gives the story a fresh perspective.
It reminds me a lot of the Alice in the Country of Hearts, Clover, and Joker series.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different take on the Wizard of Oz. Still has the same concept with Dorthy getting to Oz by a hurricane, meeting the scarecrow, lion, and tinman and heading to Emerald City to talk to Oz though so if you liked the original story you will like this one.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just amazing! I love the artwork, the story line, the characters, and much more! The only reason why I’m not giving it 5 stars is because I feel like the characters are introduced too fast and the time goes to fast. If the author would’ve slowed it down I would’ve been much more happy!

[Nicole Hathaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good.

I like how it's not the story exactly. You see bits and pieces of it, while also seeing OZ, who btw, very good looking. Who am I kidding, all the guys in this story are good looking.

I am slightly annoyed that I didn't buy the second copy of this book, now I have to wait till Thursday to read it.

The whole time I read this I had to remind myself I couldn't fall in love with a fictional character...again.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #349

This was actually really cute! I like how the story tries to be more beyond its reverse-harem trappings (unlike the Alice in the Country franchise). I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest goes from here.

[BooksWithNoonaPa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read Alice in Wonderland. I saw a show about it when I was younger but it never really stuck with me so I’m not sure if there’s anything unique about this one or if it’s just simply following the story of AIW. Four stars because I do love the characters and the art is beautiful.

[bons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it ´ ▽ ` I enjoyed the concept. My 9 year old sister read this volume in one day LMAO
Plan to read the next 3 volumes, but i feel like it’s one of them ones where i can only read it if it’s in physical copy form 😂

[Lucy Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m exploring my Kindle Unlimited and found this manga and thought I’d give it a try. I love retellings of stories from my childhood and so far this one is proving fun with there definitely being a mystery that I’m hoping will become clearer as we move through the volumes.

[J-Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to the last book I read, this is off to a light start. Also, I know how the story goes, so there should be no surprises in a general sense. (I know that there will be a twist, but it can’t be that everyone dies…. Right?)

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love! The art style is goregous and the story is interesting! Can't wait to read volume 2

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's thus far too similar in style and feel as the sister book of "Alice in the Country Of..." series. But it's not terrible.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE this series!!

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5