Seven Seas Launches Original Manga Series Captive Hearts of Oz by Alice in the Country of... Artist

North American manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment announced on Friday that it will release a new original manga series titled Captive Hearts of Oz, by Japanese manga creator Mamenosuke Fujimaru (Alice in the Country of Clover, Alice in the Country of Hearts). Japanese writer Ryo Maruya is collaborating on the story.

The manga has not been previously released in Japan or elsewhere.Seven Seas publisher Jason DeAngelis explained, "Fujimaru is the defining artist for the Alice franchise, and as such, we reached out to her to create a new take on The Wizard of Oz world, with an otome game-style spin to the story."

The first oversized volume is slated for January 31, 2017.

Seven Seas describes the story:
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!

Fujimaru provided the art for several installments in the Alice in the Country of... manga series, which adapts QuinRose's otome (for female players) games. Seven Seas has published Fujimaru's Alice manga in English.

Seven Seas also released an original illustrated version of L. Frank Baum's original The Wonderful Wizard of Ozand The Marvelous Land of Oz novels, with art by Kriss Sison.​