Manga Monday: Alice in Bishounen-Land Vol. 1

Series: Alice in Bishounen-Land
Author: Yushi Kawata
Artist: Yukito
Publisher: LOVExLOVE
Released: February 8, 2022
Received: NetGalley

Alice in Bishounen-Land Vol. 1 is a twist on the popular reincarnated-into-a-game manga, as it isn’t reincarnation. Instead, the leading character (and thus readers) are transported into an idol game, where they have to successfully create a top band to find their freedom.

Alice is not a fan of idol games, to be clear. Nor is she all that fussed about K-Pop, if she’s being brutally honest here. So imagine her surprise when she winds up stuck in a game where she has to create the best band to get out.

You see, it’s Alice’s best friend, Tamami, that loves this sort of thing, which is the whole reason why Alice is here in the first place. How will she do this when she has absolutely no idea what she is doing?

I went into Alice in Bishounen-Land Vol. 1 with pretty high hopes. I love these transported-into-game stories, and this one seemed to have a really fun twist, especially with the added twists of K-Pop band building and an unwilling contestant (Alice).

However, I really struggled to get into this one. I think the biggest problem for me was Alice herself. I didn’t like her. She was super judgmental of her friend’s passions and not afraid to speak against them.

This created a sour introduction into the plot and world, making it harder for me to root for Alice and her mission. Though admittedly, I did appreciate seeing her have to work her way from the ground up when it comes to understanding this world – the world she so quickly put her best friend down for liking.

People who adore this genre, virtual gaming, and friendship drama would potentially really enjoy this read.

Thanks to LOVExLOVE and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.