Reviews for Pandora Hearts

I never expected to like Pandora Hearts. I hate the Victorian era, get easily bored by mysteries, and am typically annoyed by fluffy cuteness. I much prefer violence, blood, and deep, dark storylines. And yet, I love Pandora Hearts to pieces!! I think I experience it from a different angle than many other PH fans, so I want to offer my perspective. I love all the characters here. Really, I've never loved so many characters so much before. They all have very colorful personalities, representing most of the standard animanga archetypes but elaborating on each in unique ways. I connect with all of them very strongly.There's lots of great chemistry between the characters, ranging from laugh-out-loud funny to depressingly-dark. I love the full spectrum of emotion here. But characters alone do not a good series make.

The plot is incredible. It is complex, but not to the point of confusion. The whole thing so far is about unraveling what happened during a tragedy 100 years ago in order to prevent it from happening again. As such, most of the plot takes place in the past, and is revealed through pieces of characters' memories. Herein lies my favorite philosophical obsession with this series. I love how PH addresses the fact that partial memory is a very dangerous thing. The characters get their memories back gradually, and in very fragmented form. They don't know the whole story, and their assumptions about what happened and about who they are given the limited information they have affects self-image, personality, and actions, even if the assumption they made isn't true.

How do people deal with the idea that there's more to them than the life they know, or that they're essentially more than one person? What if everybody around them expects them to be somebody else? How does this shape their perception of identity? What if you don't remember enough? What if you forgot that you wanted to forget? And what do you do when you remember too much? Or what if the past that made you who you are completely changed? These are the kinds of questions addressed in Pandora Hearts.

There is much re-read value in this series. Many things happen before they are explained, or before a character remembers its significance, so you pick up on a lot of things you missed on your 2nd (or 3rd or 10th) read through.

This is my first time ever writing a manga review, so please bare with me. I want to start saying that this manga may not be the easiest reading; the plot is like a puzzle, at first you get to see the big picture, but without getting into the details, you won't reach the end result. I must say that this may be my favorite part about the series, each little detail is relevant either for the main plot or to get some character development and that enriches the story more and more every time you read. There's actually no time to get bored because everythingis in constant movement.

The characters development here it's delightful as no one ends the same way they started, they go back and forth in their own individual worlds. The premise here is that there's not one only way to act, but actually a wide range of options where everyone can go at their own pace, and that makes possible for us readers to experience first hand the emotions/thinking that made a character the way they're at the moment or why they decided to change in some point.

Finally, the art. The main points are it's beautiful settings, a great amount of details, and a unique way of expressing emotions. In this last point I want to emphasize, because Mochizuki Jun is not only great with words (like those white/black pages that made me cry with dialogue solely), but the way she can make a few pages or even with just a single smile to overflow with emotion makes this manga a master piece.

Hope this would help you if you're still not sure about reading it, but give it a try.

I can't stress how completely amaing this manga is. I started out watching the anime and when the episodes wouldn't come fast enough I began reading the manga...and now I'm waiting for each chapter to come out. I've always liked interesting spins on Alice in Wonderland and this one tops them all for me. All the characters are interesting, deeper than they look, and keep you guessing as to who they really are and what secrets they are hiding. Where some characters may have come off as cliche in the first few chapters it is revealed later on that they have much darker and deeper paststhan you could ever guess. It's hard for me to write too much without spoiling it, but if you're looking for a good manga to read really should try this one out.

This manga has some of my favorite anime characters and probably one of the best storylines I've ever read. The art work is beautiful and it really lives up to all expectations. I just hope they keep the gore from the manga in the anime. All in all I give it a perfect 10 though I wouldn't reccomend it for younger children... when you get to around chapter 20-25 or so you'll understand what I mean.

Give it a shot! You won't regret it! ^_^

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland What would you think when someone just told you that your existence is a sin? That’s practically saying that you should never have been born. Certainly, that isn’t a very nice thing to say, but when people actually start to persecute and throw you into a jail for it, it begs the question: What did I do?! Paralleling the themes of identity crisis makes a wonderful comeback from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” into this manga “Pandora Hearts” by Jun Mochizuki, where we have a young 15-year-old noble thatstumbles upon the mystery of his sinful existence and the dreadful truth behind his name.

The story starts off happily-hearted with Oz Vessalius preparing for his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 15, and that is when things go… mad. Upon the last moments of his ceremony, red-hooded adversaries usurp the mansion and throw Oz Vessalius into the Abyss, a prison that hosts blood-thirsty entities called Chains. His crime: The crime of existing!

With no other means of escape, Oz is forced into a contract with a resident Chain, an estranged girl named Alice, so that she may escape from the Abyss along with her newfound contractor.

And so it begins with Oz searching for the truth behind his conviction and with Alice searching for her own missing memories.

But ignorance is bliss when it begins.

The story is somewhat engrossing in which the reader will attempt to uncover the mysteries that encircle these characters. The many shocking truths that I’ve learned from reading this are pretty overwhelming, and it really just beckons you to continue more. This premise of truth-seeking isn’t really original, but the amount of shocking and thrilling content in this manga surely tops off the number of times that a novel or movie would have. Plus, the importance of these vital bits of info that Oz and Alice find all tie into the grandest scheme of all things—something far more sinister then ever imagined.

And along the ride, we come to find that bliss is ignorance.

Aside from that synopsis, the plot is engaging in this way as we come to learn what actions characters will do as they struggle from the eye-opening truths and revelations that should never be mentioned at all. Because the way the story is set up, truths and memories are learned in fragments—and almost never in the same order. This way proves itself well in grasping in readers once they’ve stared into the Abyss far too long that it starts to stare back. Not only that, the enjoyment stems off on the way Oz and Alice’s little journey gets them involved in some very serious events. Would they better be off not knowing? Or can they still smile now that they know?

But that is all the plot can muster. These bits of info that they are looking for aren’t in every chapter, because characters still need to adjust and react to the newfound truths that they acquired. However, this does not make the story boring mind you, because the characters themselves give you quite a good show.

There are characters that are nearly representative of the “Alice in Wonderland” cast if not for the actual Chains themselves. Characters aren’t as mad as they seem, but they conjure an elegant air of shrewdness and mystery. Even the most despicable characters are lovable to an extent; because their personalities are borderline mad, if not everyone’s. It’s also interesting to see the schemers come into play as they encourage and even interfere with the motives of Oz and Alice along with Pandora, an organization that is interested in the affairs regarding the Abyss.

By themselves, every character falls flat, but coupled with shrewd intentions, every character works wonders in driving the plot of the story. And that is when their true personas emerge. Characters are all certainly deep, justified, and even downright cruel and sadistic. This common twist for many “Alice in Wonderland” renditions and spin-offs plays out well in Pandora Hearts. It’s a mad world out there, and it’s rendered just as eloquently as the art.

Speaking of the art style, all I can say is that for a Shonen manga, every single character is beautifully drawn. Period (except for one god-awful nobleman). I meant that in the most aesthetic sense of “human beauty”; characters are NOT “ugly” per se, but Mochizuki promotes an admirable side to beauty without erotica. Nevertheless, landscapes are detailed and portray a Victorianesque scene which really fits in the theme and urban context of “Alice in Wonderland.” I can vouch for the art to be very acceptable here, and when things get hectic, expect blood as a permanent stain to this beauty. Very tragic.

Yet, those words that describe the art can sum up Pandora Hearts.

Beautifully tragic.

Pandora Hearts has left a good impression on me. It’s a tragic story associated with dark themes and psychotic obsessions rendered beautifully in a very twisted romantic sense. And the theme of identity and existence is still made clear.

What more can you expect from an “Alice in Wonderland” deviant? It’s classy, dark, thematic, beautiful and tragic. But the compelling storytelling is also superb with all the pieces falling into play, and just when you think it starts to get mad… trust me, the madness has even yet to begin.

Out of all the anime. manga, visual novels I have read or seen, Pandora Hearts is the one that will always be engraved in my heart and the others as well. Nothing is stereotyped about this series, there is no lovey-dovey romance for otaku basement-dwellers, instead, this manga focuses on something that has been long overlooked: friendship. It doesn't matter how old one is, its gender or anything else, friendship will always be the greatest form of love and I'm glad the authoress managed to convey this message with such a masterpiece. Story: 10 Don't let the Tumblr shippers/fangirls fool you, there barely is something that can becalled "romance" in it.

At first glance it may look like a comedy but it soon becomes the most complex mindrape I have ever read, yes, way ore than NGE and any other work you can consider "mindrape". If you're looking for a variety of unique characters, each with its own backstory, plenty of surprising plot twists, you just found the best manga I can recommend you.

Art: 10

The art is amazing since the very first chapers, and it gets way better later, I don't really have anything else to say about it, except that the art isn't really the strongest point even though it's one of the best drawn manga I have read.

Character: 10

As I said before, Pandora Hearts has plenty of unique characters you might want to relate with, even the "villains" have its own reasons, pasts, and regrets, as well as even mostly secondary characters being very useful to the plot and the main characters. I can't say anything about this because it would be a lot of spoiler, but I can tell you each character isn't ever being overlooked.

Enjoyment: 10

Once you'll reach around chapter 20, you'll enjoy it to the fullest, all your theories about what'll happen in the story will crumble, as there are many unexpected plot twists that will make you enjoy even more the manga, the authoress also loves to play with our feelings, which is another unexpected thing.

Overall: 10

Never I had found a masterpiece as perfect as Pandora Hearts which made me laugh, cry and smile so much, all my attempts were useless, I still struggle to find a manga which could be equal to it without any success.

I am planning to re-read it soon to enjoy it all over again, as it is my #1 favorite manga I have ever read

Note- I first wrote this review in 2009, but have found some things that needed updating. I stumbled across the manga because of it's interesting name. And I'm glad to say that the story is just as interesting as the name. I won't go too much into the plot, as you can read those in other place, so I'll just say that the story line's incredibly original, enjoyable, as well as pretty dark and with many plot twists. The main characters, Oz and Alice, are fairly likable, and the supporting cast, Break, Sharon, and Raven, aren't done to badly either. My favorites areBreak, Oz, and Alice. These three are far from cardboard cut-outs.

The art is well done. It's not pretty flowery shoujo style, but it's not like the art in Nodame Cantabile , for example. Everything is in a sort of old England Victorian Style. I warn you though, there are some gruesome drawings, mostly of the chains.

Overall I really enjoyed the manga, though I do wish there were more chapters available. I look forward to the anime and can't wait for it to come out! Pandora Hearts definitely isn't a manga to pass up!

Update- While I keep my opinion that Pandora Hearts is an above average manga, the plot starts to drag a bit. The characters go on a series of short trips, which though add to the story with their subtle hints, are boring. My biggest dislike was the change in characters. Oz's character change was understandable, but it did bring in a lot of cliches and wasn't very interesting. Meanwhile, Gilbert is going crazy and annoyingly needy, with a 'master' complex and wants to kill someone (won't say who). Alice has gone from a tough and occasionally deep and serious heroine, to a cute and annoying tsundere. Break is the only one who's keeping to his character, and I love him for it.

Those are all the bad things. The rest are still very satisfactory, and a few plot turns keep the story interesting. Just keep in mind that the story starts to drag after a while.

"All Good Things Must Come to an End". It has been a long 5 year journey that Pandora Hearts has taken me on. I am sad that the long years of waiting and excitement when a new chapter for Pandora Hearts was finally released is now gone forever. However along with the sadness, comes the excitement and happiness of finally reaching the one thing that I always wanted since the beginning. The ending. Art ~ 9 Pandora Hearts starts having decent art in the first chapter. The characters looks nice, and the background is decent. However, as the series continues, you begin the notice the better details, andthe art improving as a whole. There isn't much that I can talk about the art (I don't really care for art too much when reading something) other than the fact I really liked it.

Character ~ 10

"Not Doldum, Not just a revertebration. Echo will... I will...protect this girl of my own free will! I will not follow your orders!" ~ Echo

Out of all the things that I love about the manga, the characters are what I loved the most. Each character is well constructed, and all have their own unique personalities. I never grew bored of any character in the manga. Each of their back stories were so interesting and captivating, that I could not choose a favorite character until the ending. Every character was relate able and likable. Another part of the characters that interested me and that I loved was that the characters never went stale, because each and every character went through great character development. Each and every character grew and learned to accept who they are, and learn from their mistakes. My favorite example is Echo's character development. In the beginning, she was very negative about the way she viewed herself. Her very name was used to detriment her own value as a person. "Even if I'm to be tortured, to be mistreated, to be humiliated, Echo doesn't have the right to fight against it." ~ Echo. She doesn't believe she is worth anything, and that she has no rights because she is just an echo, a reverberation. She always referred to herself as Echo in third person as if she is distant to even herself. However, finally at the end she refers to herself as I, and breaks through the chains that held her down.

Story ~ 10

Imagine you're just taking a peaceful stroll in the park, when someone randomly appears, punches you in the face, and proceeds to tell you that everything you thought about life was wrong. That is basically Pandora Hearts in a nutshell. You go along reading it, and just as you start to get a hold of the situation, BAM PLOT TWIST. You would think that the one or two plot twists are good enough? BAM MORE PLOT TWIST. Eventually, I started to doubt every little thing the author put, and I was right to doubt. Pandora Hearts has so many plot twists I lost track. Does this mean that the story is bad? NOPE. It made the story all the more interesting to read, and elevated the story higher. The story was well written, that there weren't major plot holes that ruined the overall enjoyment of the story.

Enjoyment ~ 10

I loved Pandora Hearts with a passion. I would always be excited and savored every page as a new release came out. And just as the chapter was coming to a close, and the climax was coming, and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, in small print at the bottom left corner it says "Please wait until next month to find out what happens next!". With this, I throw my hands in the air in a small fit of rage as my initial excitement dies down and a sense of dread comes over me as I count the number of days left until the next chapter. This however did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the manga. This actually made it better, as I became more and more eager as the manga was coming to an end.

Overall ~ 10

Overall, I loved every little thing about Pandora Hearts. What can I say? It was part of me ever since I was about 13 years old. It brought me great joy, sadness, anger, excitement, and many more emotions. Any story that can bring all these different emotions is one that I would consider a masterpiece. Although I won't say that it will be for everyone else, I recommend this manga to every that reads manga to even those that don't. It is a great manga with a great intriguing story, art that is pleasing to the eye, and likable and relate able characters.

Pandora Hearts is and possibly will always be my favorite manga of all times. The time i spent reading this manga was worth it and I hope that many future readers will enjoy it too. With this my review comes to a close, and so will my 5 year journey with reading Pandora Hearts. As I continue to read more and more manga, I will definitely always come back to this one.

"A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are."

I'll make this review spoiler free. If there's any spoilers, I will warn you of them. I found this manga by first watching the anime of it. The anime was wonderful even though some moments were stretched. However, the story didn't go all the way to the end and so many questions were left unanswered. This is the first manga I've ever read and so far it's been worth it. CHARACTERS ~ I think all the characters are wonderful in each aspect and I love that they all have some story arc. They all come back at some point and are not just there for laughs for example.They're also very smart and relatable characters and it's easy to pick your favorite (mine is Xerxes Break btw). They're all very fun and energetic and play well in the story.

I'll write a little bit about every main character here.

Oz Vessalius

Oz is the protagonist of the manga. He has a habit of accepting everything weird while it happens without asking any questions. In other words, he just rolls with things. Of course accepting everything has it's ups and downs and they're of course touched upon the manga. He's also a big flirt and loves helping others in need and catches on things very quickly.

While I love Oz as a character, I can't help but feel a bit annoyed by him from time to time. He's too much of a good guy to me even though he isn't perfect. He often seems a bit weak but it could be just about not getting any love from his father. Of course there's nothing wrong with being weak. I don't know, he just isn't my type of person I guess.

Alice

Alice is a chain of the Abyss that Oz made a contract with. She is tough and honest to her feelings. Alice is very smart like all the characters in the manga. She understands loneliness well after being alone in the darkness of the Abyss and relates to Oz well. She also loves meat.

I love Alice. She's always energetic and doing something. She's smart and complements Oz very well. She doesn't worry too much and just overall gets things done. She's of course flawed like any normal person and that makes her beliavable. Sometimes she takes things too far and often argues with the other characters.

Gilbert Nightray

Gilbert is Oz's servant. If you don't want ANY spoilers about the manga you shouldn't be reading any further - if you're okay with spoilers from the first couple chapters then this shouldn't reveal too much. [SPOILER ALERT BEGINS] In the beginning Gilbert is a year younger than Oz. He is shy and afraid (mostly of cats). He can also be very brave when needed the most. After Oz returns from the depths of the Abyss it's gone 10 years from the time he was cast there. In that time Gilbert has grown into a man wearing all black. He has gained confidence and can be very hotheaded from time to time. When the story continues, he becomes more and more afraid of losing Oz from his life because he feels he's not needed anymore. He also carries the burden of joining a rival duke house of the Vessalius, the Nightrays.

Gilbert is a wonderful angsty character. He's been mocked in the manga many times and it always makes me laugh. Because of his hotheadedness he and Alice always find a reason to fight and I just love that. They're hilarious. Gilbert is a well written character who always takes action to protect Oz and others he cares about. There's not much more to say about him, other than that he's great. [SPOILER ALERT ENDS]

Xerxes Break

Break serves the duke house of Reinsworth. He's brave, smart, mysterious and like most of my favorite characters, wonderfully weird. He eats a lot of sweets and likes to steal other's desserts. He enters closed spaces from the weirdest places and gets out of them the same way. He doesn't trust people that easily and thus doesn't have many friends in the beginning.

What should I say about this character? Well, what shouldn't I! He's not only my favorite character of the anime and manga, he's also my favorite character of all time. And not without a reason. He's story arc is perfect and I look up to him in every single way. He's always doing something funny or badass (except in the touching moments) and takes the story forward. He's also very determined and does anything to achieve his goal. He's funny and unique. If I write anymore it's all going to end up with me screaming "I LOVE HIM SOM MUCH OMGOMGOMG" so I'm just going to stop right here.

Sharon Reinsworth

Sharon is the pretty girl of the story. She's young and beautiful and like any Reinsworth woman should be, very elegant. She loves girl talk. She of course has a darker side too, acknowledging her own weakness.

Even though this characters doesn't have many flaws she still seems very human. She's often smiling and likes to help out when she can. Like I already wrote, she awknowledges her weakness later in the manga and that's probably why I'm okay with her character.

STORY~

The story was covered in mystery from the very beginning. The secrets took a long time to be revealed and every time you got to know something it just raised more questions. At some point toward the end of the manga they just suddenly revealed all the biggest secrets in a big pile of information. It was okay and played very well in the story like every other aspect of it, but it took a little more time to process that way. All of the secrets are very well thought out and give you very satisfying results. Every character plays a part in the story and it never seems out of place. The story seems to be going towards a more and more epic ending every chapter and I can't wait to see how it all plays out in the end.

ART/STYLE~

Being the first manga I've read I can't say too much about the art, but I'll try to write something anyway. I thought the art was very beautiful and the character easily identifiable. The backrounds, when there were some, looked amazing. Compared to anime styles at least there isn't really anything outstanding or that different about it, but to my eye it was all just so beautiful.

LAST THOUGHTS~

After read the manga as far as I have I just love it so much. Every single aspect of it. I wish they would've continued the anime farther as well. The manga always surprises me and makes me shake from excitement waiting for the next chapter. It's so well written that I can't even handle it. It's perfect. Yes, it's that good. It makes you think about things you normally might not, mostly around the subject of what is selfish and it has opened my eyes to so many things. It also gives you great drama, action, comedy and fantasy moments. I have nothing else to say, but

"Don't try to excuse yourself by saying you're doing it for someone else's sake"

Who said that? You'll know if you read the manga ;).

“Oz Vessalius. With my chain of condemnation, I hereby pronounce judgement on you. Your sin...is your very existence.” With its first words, Pandora Hearts makes a promise: to answer this question. What could the sin of a fifteen year old boy possibly be? It draws you in. And it doesn’t let go. I’ve read Pandora Hearts twice in the span of roughly one month, so I figured it was time I finally write a review. Pandora Hearts is, objectively speaking, the best piece of fiction I’ve ever encountered. Perhaps not my absolute favorite, but…well, even if it isn’t my first favorite, it’s definitely my second favorite (all myhomies know my number 1).

It’s one of those manga series that I would recommend to pretty much everyone, even people who have never touched manga before. I don’t believe you can define it by its medium. It’s a story that goes beyond the limits of its demographic, of its genres, and the culture it originates from.

So let me tell you why you should read it.

"A messenger from the Abyss comes to those who've committed deadly sins.”

Pandora Hearts is a very loose retelling of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. It takes place in a fictional Victorian country where an entity known as the Abyss is kept. The government organization Pandora controls the Abyss and keeps monsters that live in it, known as chains, from escaping and wreaking havoc. The protagonist, Oz Vessalius, knows nothing about these affairs. He’s part of the Vessalius family, one of the four aristocratic dukedoms that make up Pandora. Oz is set to have his coming of age ceremony the day the story opens and enter high society, but that's where everything starts to go wrong. Red-robed messengers of the Abyss called Baskervilles enter his ceremony and tell him that his sin is his very being. Once cast into the Abyss, Oz has no choice but to make a contract with Alice, the feared chain known as the B-Rabbit. And once more, he is thrust into the real world and taken into Pandora’s custody. Oz has become an illegal contractor, and slowly the clock on his incuse will tick until it completes its cycle, sending him once again into the Abyss. Oz agrees to help Pandora so he can discover what his original sin is and help Alice retrieve her lost memories.

…What if I told you all of this only happens in the first few chapters?

That fact alone should tell you just how dense this entire series is. I’ve barely introduced the main characters, plot, or world. Yeah, Pandora Hearts is kind of scary in that way. The amount of information thrust at you with every chapter can be kind of terrifying. It’s overwhelming. But it’s so worth it.

In all honesty, I wasn’t very impressed with the series at first. I’d found it through Jun Mochizuki’s other series, The Case Study of Vanitas (VnK), and I think one of the biggest issues people have with her series is that there’s a very sharp learning curve. In both, you’re just bombarded with so much information. Vanitas has more exposition, but it’s also easier to get the hang of things since a lot of it is rooted in real-world factions and countries. Pandora, on the other hand, purposely withholds information from you. And that’s because it’s tricking you. Mochizuki is, essentially, very, very good at tricking people. Her stories are subversions. They tell you one thing, present themselves as one thing, and then, before you know it, the story is turned upside-down. Here's the best analogy I can think of: reading her stories is like being told you're playing chess, only to later be told you were actually playing football on the fucking moon all along.

I found Pandora to be overly confusing at first, with a lot of the plot points feeling pointless, up until around the one third mark. I mean, I enjoyed it, I was just constantly confused. My logic was always, "I think this is good, but I can't even tell what's happening." And yeah, I do think she could have done a better job at making most of the early arcs flow better. Sometimes it just felt like events happened not because that’s the natural progression of things, but because they need to happen for the plot, which isn’t the best feeling in a story. That being said, after the one third mark, my perspective began to finally shift. That was the first plot twist that really made me question what I knew, and made me truly intrigued to keep reading. And as I kept reading, I began to realize that all of these seemingly pointless side quests actually had an enormous meaning in the overarching plot. You see, every single character interaction is intentional. Everything that happens is intentional. Every bit of dialogue, illustration, and plot is completely intentional. Everything connects in an intricate web that paints a picture, and you have to piece it together. Pandora Hearts is complicated and frustrating, but it’s worth it. You have to give it time and patience, but it’s worth it. Because once you do have that final picture, it takes your breath away.

Pandora Hearts is one of the few things I’ve read where the plot twists actually feel significant. The ones in the beginning didn’t necessarily shock me, but they did made me go, “Oh, I’m intrigued.” I wanted to see where they went. And so as the series goes on, you’re lulled into a false sense of security. Because Mochizuki doesn’t just tell you what’s happening—she makes it a fact. She builds up the world so meticulously that you don’t even question anything. So when the major plot twists come so late in the series, it doesn’t just feel like a plot twist—it feels like the entire world has been shattered. Everything you thought you knew wasn’t true. They were all lies. Mochizuki tricked you, and you fell for it. For anyone who has read the series, I think you’ll know the exact one I’m talking about, because I don’t think anyone could have predicted that entire thing. Because, again, it wasn’t just a reveal, it wasn’t just you discovering something new—it was a complete rewrite of what we knew as the truth.

But arguably Mochizuki's strongest ability is character writing. One of the defining features of the series to me is that the lines between good and evil are often blurred. Sure, there are some antagonistic characters introduced, but whether or not their motivations are justified is largely up to you. Most of the ambiguous morality comes in during the Feast Arc, which is also the first arc that is just pure pain given to you in book form.

Oz Vessalius was a pretty average protagonist for most of the series. I found him a bit cliche and kind of boring, especially compared to the protagonists from VnK. He grew on me as the series went on, but there wasn't anything about him that was mind-blowing... Until there was. I can't describe any of this to you since it would spoil most of the series, but Oz has the (second) best character arc in the series. He really encapsulates Mochizuki's ability to turn your thoughts on a character upside-down within such a short span of time. All it took was a few volumes for him to become one of my favorite characters in the series, and probably my second favorite protagonist in general (all my homies know my number 1). Oz is one of the two characters that most of my tears were shed for. I loved his relationship with the other characters and how they all came to accept him. Everyone truly felt like family. Oz, like the series, needs patience, but I promise you that he is phenomenal.

Xerxes Breakis my favorite character and by far has the best character arc. However, I also didn't care very much for him in the beginning. He seemed like a character that was weird simply for the sake of being weird, without a lot more substance. I remember one of my notes for him in the earlier volumes was that he reminded me of Hisoka, which...is absolutely not a good comparison. Ironically, he was also the first character that I truly came to like. The sudden turn in my investment around the one third mark was because of him. Obviously I'm not going to say much, but I will say that Break is my favorite character for a good reason, and he’s easily the most beloved in the fanbase. His arc was perfectly done. He was the other character that I cried over the most. It was all perfect. Seeing his relationships slowly change was the highlight of the series, and every time he appeared in a scene I smiled. I absolutely adore this candy-loving, middle-aged man who can’t enter a room properly.

Gilbert Nightray is universally beloved because there's quite literally nothing to dislike about him. Gil does remain a bit stagnant for a while, and I also didn't care about him as much as some of the other characters for a while, but his arc is also perfectly done. His relationship with Oz and Vincent was sweet and I loved how he grew because of his connections with the two. He's easily one of the best characters because, again, there’s simply nothing to dislike about him.

Alice and Sharon are the last in the main five, and my thoughts on them have an inverse relationship: I think Alice lacks character growth but has a really good place in the plot, while Sharon has good character growth but barely any narrative influence. I was a bit disappointed that nothing more was done with them during the bulk of the story, but I did ultimately like their conclusions (and cried over them, let's be honest). In general, I really like both of their characters and personalities and think they’re great, even if a bit overshadowed.

Now for two of my personal favorites—Vincent Nightray and Jack Vessalius. For Vince, I despised him at first. He was creepy and weird and made me feel ~unsafe~, but his arc was so well-written. I loved his relationship with Gilbert and how morally-gray he was. Vince constantly does the wrong things for the right reasons, and the right things for the wrong reasons. He’s so layered and was so easy for me to empathize with, especially considering his place in the story. He's a bad person, sure, but I still understood his motivations for everything he did. Vince, somehow, became probably my third or fourth favorite character in the series, behind Xerxes and Oz. And Jack—a character that only becomes very important midway through the series, but one of the most important in the series. I won’t say much about him because so much of his identity is linked to the plot, but let me just say, Jack is a completely flawlessly written character. He served his purpose in the plot better than anyone else. He’s tied with Vince as one of my favorites.

There are so many other characters as well—Echo, Reim, Elliot, Leo, Lottie, Oscar, Ada, Barma: all characters that were amazing. Even the side characters are all fleshed-out and feel alive. There is no stone left unturned in this series.

Pandora is often compared to Fullmetal Alchemist, so, if you're an FMA fan, you may be wondering just how similar they are. Mochizuki has mentioned that FMA was her inspiration, and both her and Arakawa read each other series (Arakawa even has a blurb in the Yen Press release of VnK). And yeah, there is clear inspiration in all of Mochizuki's works, but the biggest similarity is the basic concept of Pandora. Both are about teenage boys who've committed some sort of sin or taboo and have to work for/are taken care of by the government. They're on some sort of quest to reverse their sin or discover what it is. The villains are also inhuman and their true intentions are largely a mystery. (Also Ed and Oz both have daddy issues!) One of the main differences in the ~vibes~ is that, in general, Mochizuki's series are only Shounen by pure definition (aka being published in a Shounen magazine) when the art and general feeling seem more Shoujo, or at the very least ungendered, and also the fact that most of her fanbase is women. Pandora is a drama with bits of action in it, not a full battle Shounen in the slightest. But if you like Fullmetal Alchemist, I would highly recommend Pandora Hearts simply for their minor similarities, because I really do think there's a lot in here that you would enjoy. And I also think there are a lot of references to FMA that would be fun to pick up!

I also think the early art style might scare some people away because...yeah, it does look a bit rough at times. However, within a few volumes it improves, and around volume 16 it very abruptly becomes the same style as The Case Study of Vanitas, which is stunning. I always love when art styles change throughout series, because to me it feels like we're witnessing the evolution of a artist’s abilities. I can tell which part of the series a panel is from simply from the art style, and I just think that's such a beautiful representation of Pandora Hearts as a whole. A gorgeous, lush story that changes as the mangaka's own abilities do as well.

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Jun Mochizuki is one of the best writers I’ve come across. I think she’s amazing at subverting expectations and writing characters, but I also just like her. I’ve read all of her major series (PH, VnK, and Crimson Shell) and in every one I’ve always felt this sense that she just enjoys what she does. She writes because she wants to. She writes manga because she has a genuine want to tell a beautiful story and share it with the world. She’s not afraid to tell a complicated story either. She doesn't write stories that would appeal to the largest audience, but stories that appeal to her. And because of that, every page feels like it has so much passion put into it, so much love and care.

In the end, all of her stories are tragedies, but they never feel nihilistic. For every character death or complete rewrite of what we knew as the truth, there’s a bit of hope thrown in there. It’s such a bittersweet feeling, her stories. I wrote in my original review for the last volume that I had a lot of conflicting feelings about the ending, but after reading it twice, I don’t think it was that I was conflicted about the way it ended itself. I was just so…sad but happy at the same time. I was so sad about everything that was lost, but I was also so happy because of how much hope it was filled with. For every tragedy, there is something gained. Thinking about the ending still makes me feel physically ill because of all these conflicting emotions. This is the only piece of fiction I can think of that has made me cry at multiple points in a first read. And then, when I read it a month later, I cried at all the same parts.

And thus we reach my conclusion: read Pandora Hearts. Go in completely blind and embrace having no idea what's happening. There's a simple beauty in that. You have to be patient, but it's worth it in the end.

Stumbling upon The Case Study of Vanitas was probably the best mistake of my life, simply because it got me to read this. I think Pandora Hearts is beautiful. It's full of pain and despair and melancholy, but it's also full of hope and joy and love. It's one of those stories where I feel grateful to be alive solely because I was able to read it.

So now I leave it to you. It needs time, but once it starts to click, it'll be a feeling like nothing you've ever experienced.

Happy Unbirthday!

"Welcome home."

This will be a semi-review and I will try to be as general and spoiler free as possible. If there are spoilers I will mark them inside [ ] Pandora Hearts has earned it's rep of being a beautiful and complex story that earned most of its praise through the plotting and recontextualization. To give some backstory, I own 15 volumes of PH in german of which I read 8 of 10 years ago. I also watched the anime even earlier than that. I never finished the story because it was still publishing at that point and I didn't complete manga that went over 13 volumes ingeneral (Black Butler suffered the same fate).

So I am not completely new to this series or utterly ignorant to some of it's story. Therefore the rumored confusing start wasn't much bother to me. I went into this story completely unspoiled of it's entire second half, however. This will be kinda semi-relevant for a point I will make later down this text.

Plotting & "Recontextualization"

I have a plucking feathers to do on this one. Pandora Hearts is a throughout erratic story, focused on one central event that defines the entire plot line and several characters existence in result, and all information regarding this event is cluttered and strayly presented in the narrative. Most information is told through expositions by recently or completely fresh and new characters. The series relies on relentless info dumping. It gives you zero hints, you just have to sit back there and watch it unfold. Other mysteries start with a 0 point, an objective and then an investigation to find out the "whodunnit". PH is one of these narratives that start out with minus information and you get very little bread crumbs as you move forward into the story. There are several aspects of the worldbuilding that are simply never explored or fleshed out in any way, and suffice as mere plot devices. (This will be adressed again under "Worldbuilding")

Reading PH was to sit through a wave of characters being introduced every other chapter, them info dumping the main cast or directly to the viewer (extremely minor spoiler in this bracket: [there is a segment in the ch 40s~ where Duke Barma basically expositions something to the duchess at length, and it was definitely a direct exposition to the viewer rather than to this character, who acted as a gateway]). The mystery is characters hiding information, revealing only concepts (minor spoiler for the last arc: [Echo's chain as example only got really relevant in the last arc, and was done over with in the same time span.]) or information the moment they have to be relevant for the current arc. Extreme lack of foreshadowing and the foreshadowing that exists is very low dosed.

Throughout the narrative directly lies to the viewer by marking red harrings, making it seem like a character is narrating themselves meanwhile it's the thoughts of someone completely else, or making it look like characters are connected through the panelling. All false narratives. A recontext is hardly possible if the context was a false truth to begin with. A context that was never established cannot be recontextualized. Information is dumped on your head when it is relevant, not long before introduced and to matter long later. All meanings are pretty direct unless it was a "well actually".

I at least give PH some compliment on showing past panels when they call back to some events from long way back, since the story is so dense with information it helps keeping track of some of it.

Plot Twists [Major Spoilers so skip the section unless you've completed the story]

Here is where my "I went in blind" paragraph is relevant.

The twist that Jack is actually the baddie was rather predictable. He was too angelicy framed from the start and I am not a beginner to story telling. The narrative did not a very good job at hiding it's intentions because of mentioned issues in the story telling above.

The plot twist with Oz however, I actually really liked. I also liked the reveal that Vincent opened the gates to the abyss. How these twists influence the story? Eh, it makes Oz a rather unique concept for a main character but Jack's entire character motivation doesn't really develop beyond what he narrates over and over. Man was obsessed with Lacie, which in return acted rather abusingly towards him. This is not really ever adressed much I had to notice.

I also have to say that I didn't enjoy the arc from ch 40-70 at all. It has tonal whiplashes and the plot twist with [name spoiler: Elliot] was not executed well in my opinion. I liked his character too, it is a shame. It fails because of the flaws in the plotting as mentioned in the section above.

Character motivations

In the middle of the story it seems like major characters like Gilbert take a huge step back to then come back in the climax to really "do something". Oz is about to go mayham but gets hold back by Alice, several times. Will mention this later down. Vincent also was framed more cunning and dangerous than he ended up being in the climax. He was actually seriously pathethic. I understand it makes sense in relation to this character motivation but seriously, this whole baddie personality just feels like another red herring.

[Post-plot twist spoilers: The Lacie, Glen and Jack triangle works for the most part, but overall I find the execution clumsy and the narrative text mediocre. Also prior mentioned Lacie acted a little abusive which was never really adressed imo]

Characters [I mention character names]

This manga has outright character stereotypes I dislike. There is this weirdo Jack obsessor around the 50~ chapters who just felt tonally inconsistent with anything else going on, and was just a pain to watch for me. I also dislike the edgy loli that Lilly is, she isn't good and I consider her completely unnecessary. I enjoyed Oz, Vinc and Gil but all of them kinda get shafted at points and mishandled because of the erratic story telling. I think Oz's first arc's existentialism gets forgotten and overshadowed with the last two arcs reveals. Jack is okay. I understand the motivation but I don't value it that highly in the grand scheme of stories I have already consumed. I tried to enjoy Echo and her arc but I honestly have to say it felt like another Rei Ayanmi rip-off, and also suffers under the plotting issues. By the end, I ended up being disappointed in all of these characters journeys, that I cannot say I really have a favorite. And I consider Elliots arc mishandled as well, he was top 3 for me until that point. [Major Spoiler: I especially didn't like that Leo became a Glen vessel and less of his own character, until the climax when he tells Glen to fuck off...]

Alice I didn't like much. She is kind of a punk. I am neutral mostly.

[ Major Spoiler for Oscar: Towards the very end of the story Oscar, Oz's uncle, gets some of the limelight and I thought his chapter was outright corny and misplaced. Way too late into the story for a character that barely set foot into it. He is not much of a relevant character. I understand the emotional implications, but he hardly a rounded character for him to come this late into the story and pull up a heartfelt family moment. All the dialogue in that chapter was cliche and I didn't enjoy it. ]

On a more positive note, I think the character with the best arc was Break. Easily the most consistent and satisfying one for me.

Worldbuilding

[Spoilers]

At first I thought the children of ill-omen that have red eyes get mistreated because of some prejudice, but apparently they are related to the abyss and that's why they get shit on. This is never really explained further than how it relates to the abyss. Why do some kids just get born with red eyes? Who determines this? Something with Baskervilles. Please explain.

There is also the abyss and how it works from a political standpoint in relation to other states ... though the abyss is an only-this-country thing, there is no mention of the outside world and what they think of it. I don't expect a "where did the abyss come from", but the world seems so tiny because of this, which bothers me a lot. Think of FMA, that seems like a properly large and fleshed out world breathing life from all corners.

[/]

Comedy

Fans will probably hate this topic but sorry it has to be done. [Very minor spoilers I guess]

I wouldn't say the comedy is outright awful, but I think it gets worse over time as the story becomes more serious. In the middle Oz is about to go berserk like 3 times and Alice interrupts him each time with a comedy routine. I understand it makes sense for her character and there are reasons to not go berserk, but it really took out the air of the tension and made me facepalm. It is an anime cliche to do this and I fairly dislike it.

Imagine in Houseki if Bort comes in to save Phos, but they do it in a comedic way. It takes you out fo the tone and therefore the tension. Of course that makes no sense for Bort's character to do so, but this example is to show how whiplashy that feels.

Especially in the climax these comedic interruptions were bothersome. Please just take yourself seriously to the end, you can do it!

Panelling & Space

People seem to have complaints about this. I pesonally, don't see an issue with the panelling itself, except when it is used to confuse the reader into another lie of its narrative, but I have my issues with the lack of establishing of space. PH has very little backgrounds and it's kinda its detriment. In the middle Oz and gang enter a room and apparently it's a trick with mirrors, but you don't actually see the mirror until the second Oz points at it. What's the point? The entire space in the moment was unreadable or ununderstandable for me as a reader. Action is outright bad. Who aims where, where did they come from, how big is anything right now; it is not good at determining space and it makes it a rough read.

Art

The art is really good. Except the lack of backgrounds, I really like the clothing, the hair, and the character designs. I think the manga looks good. Color pages are flat out gorgeous. The story has several moments of tonal whiplashes and the art doesn't reflect the tone it's going for. You can see the pattern.

Climax

I think the last set of chapters are a proper climax and put a good lid on the pod. It was a proper ending and if you were really invested in the story up until that point you will not be let down. Though I have my reservations with the buildup up to the very last moment of the last chapter.

Conclusion

Pandora Hearts at it's heart (haha) is a story about not being able to let go of the past, grief and people seeking love. It doesn't achieve its themes to the best of its abilities and makes things purposefully perplexing and disorderly to look more complex, and I think it has too many flaws for me to give it the benefit of the doubt. In my very honest opinion, there are better stories out there with better plotting in a long shot that don't exhaust me as much as this one has.

My overall score is a 6.5/10

Pandoras Hearts is one of those Mangas that has a great storyline with great parts to it, but also some things that can drive the reader nuts. Story: 6 I found the new use of shingami in the manga to be very unique, unique in the fact that the soul reapers so to speak, aren't really dead souls in the asspect that we usually see, like in Shifumi Letters or Bleach. This was a plus when I first started watching the Anime, which drew me to the Manga. Also, the storyline is chalk full of references to Alice in Wonderland. Many of the characters and chains are basedoff of characters from the book, and if you have read the books or seen any of the adaptations, this too might also draw one in.

I also saw a resemblance to the short Manga, Fairy Cube. The re are small elements in there that fit into both, like the stuffed rabbit toy, the small girl, or even the fact that there is a raven based being in both of these peices of work. Perhaps Pandora was influenced. In fact, it is likely that Pandora is highly influenced by a lot of things.

Normally, this would get the story a eight or higher, but I came across the problem of the fact that there are some rather dry cliques and humor running about that tend to get dragged out to the extreme, to the point at times of annoyance. I wish not to go into them as that would rather ruin the story.

Art: 8

The art is lovely, and well done, but there are a few times that it gets a little bit sloppy. This tends to be more noticible if one comes from an Anime that has brushed up and covered these mistakes up. And to note, I've studied art, so I could possibly be nitpicking things, but there were a few points where, even though I enjoy the art work pretty much, there were times I was a bit turned off. But then I'd come across an extremely good peice and it would go back and forth..

Character: 7

Gilbert is my favorite character. You learn early on that he has problems beliving in himself and his abilities, not to mention self esteme issues. He is also very loyal, yet also very childish, for which he gets made fun of. One also learns that his outward appearance doesn't exactly match his inner, but this isn't something one learns until later on.

Alice is another one of my favorite characters. Most of the really good humor comes from her, Gilbert or the Uncle, but mostly her. She also has a majorly firy temper that one can find quite enjoyable. Her self pity moments are rather logical, as she has been trapped in the abyss for so long.

What isn't so good is our main hero. Sure, he is all spunky and happy go lucky in the beging of the Manga, but when he takes an angst trip, boy does he take them. One needs to be forewarned that there might be times that one might want to strangle him for these reasons. There are also a few other such problems too, that brings a really good character cast down from normal.

Enjoyment: 9

Despite the problems in the Manga, I find I am enjoying the storyline very well. It is unique enough that one wants to find out the ending and to see where the author takes the reader on this journey.

Overall: 8

One needs to be fully forewarned, as great as Pandoras Heart is, there are going to be times when one may or may not get frustrated with the storyline. I know I have and I have had to put it down, cool down a bit, and come back. Particularly when the main character has gone into his angsty moments.

I do not really have a ton of specifics to say here because I just really could not care about this...there was nothing to hate and nothing to love. The premise was a little interesting, but this manga prefers to bog itself down with poorly written gags, atrocious dialogue, and frivolous declarations of affirmation than actually focus on either action or story. The basic premise of the story is nice enough - secret mysterious prison like madman world that exists alongside the normal world and represents awful things for pretty much any human being. Okay, nice enough! Except...they never explain pretty much anything about it inparticular. Even worse, our main hero is straightaway declared to be the key to obtaining that power...and no one really says why. We get some vague exposition along these lines, but never anything interesting or helpful; all the interactions and dialogue are more along dramatic lines.

Similarly, there is an interesting enough idea of needing to get back Alice's memories. Great, so we have an actual mission! Except there is no real rhyme or reason to how she gets them back (she just does), and it never really becomes anywhere near a main focus; again, dramatic character interactions and meetings kind of train wreck all of this.

The characters are all essentially uninteresting - Oz the tragic hero who overcompensates by being excessively friendly and accommodating, Gilbert who exists basically to be his homoerotic friend (they made his character dark for a while, then just totally destroyed that to get him back to being homoerotic), Alice the initially tsundere, then just naive and secretly really nice...(ch. 20 p. 32 - She gets angry easily, and her words are harsh, but...the real Alice is very gentle, and loves to cry, and she is very stupid as well...her appetite is also very huge!) *yawn*. Some of the characters have potential for being interesting, like Break or Vincent, but then never actually get to be interesting. The dialogue, always fractured, and ADD of this work ensure that they cannot have any profound details or interactions. It always comes back to bad gags or bad friendship speeches...

All in all, this is not really a work worth anyone's time. It offers a nice concept and world, but fails to flesh them out, it offers boring characters, boring dialogue, boring character interactions, beyond typical gags, and the banter is always lacking in wit. It throws vague calls to Alice in Wonderland mythos and expects you to think that it makes it instantly awesome (unfortunately...this works on almost everyone...). This is a work that offers frivolities instead of awesomeness.

(Spoiler free) Pandora hearts is a journey, a puzzle. and its quite misleading as a series. There is hardly anything "romantic" about it. At its core its a tragedy with characters that have psychological problems and it further potrays themes of self worth, loyalty, friendship, obsession to name a few. Some stories are character driven, some are plot driven, some only rely on symbolism and complexity to tell a tale, In case of pandora hearts, its all of the above. It balances everything with a twisted and a complex plot and amazing yet relatable characters(my favs being Oz and Gilbert) . Frankly its the only book series ihave actually cried on and it did gave me depression for some time frankly(in a good way) .

The author is extremely talented in making the readers care for the characters in just some panels which is the main reason i suppose. I mean she is pretty brutal in a way (but those are spoilers soo..)

No information from the start is irrelevant because each event in the manga is correlated with one another. The mystery aspect of it is very unique(unlike typical mysteries) . The plot twists are one of kind because i doubt anyone can predict the story once it reaches a certain point. With one of the most beautiful yet heart wrenching ending, i believe this can make anyone feel empty for a long time

Rating 100/100 but i dont really have an intention of raising the standreds to high...

On a side note its confusing in the start and needs some amount of patience from certain/some viewers.

What's the best way to describe Pandora Hearts? Tough call. Because it's pretty far out there. Think of it as a hybrid of Fullmetal Alchemist and Black Butler. FMA, for the thick plot, mystery, and variety of characters. Black Butler, for the gothic-Victorian-supernatural-fantasy themes and art style. And throw in some character names from Alice in Wonderland. And freakishly creepy doll-monsters. And another dimension.... Despite having an incredible variety of themes, they work together surprisingly well. You get an action/drama/fantasy/mystery. Plot twists or character developments keep coming, so things never get boring. Actually, Ikeep having to re-read chapters just to make sure I've gleaned all the clues out. So there's high re-read potential. Despite the heavy amount of plot, character is just as important. So whether you like interesting characters, or an interesting plot, there's enough to keep you satisfied.

I was surprised to see this often categorized as a "shounen" manga. Is it because the hero's a guy? Because the lead lady wears a miniskirt? Because there's some action? In my opinion, it has a MUCH stronger gal appeal than guy appeal. But that's just my opinion. If guys like it, great!

Bit of a synopsis:

Our hero is Oz, heir to a dukedom, 15 years old (and oddly small for his age). His side-kick is his incredibly loyal and meek/shy servant Gil. Well, that's how things start out. But soon Oz is sent into the other dimension, and meets our lead lady, Alice (who also takes on the form of a giant rabbit). After Oz and Alice leave the dimension, they meet Break (aka the "Mad Hatter"), Lady Sharon, and eventually a slew of other characters. One by one, we see the characters' backgrounds unfold. Later, Oz has to make some reforms to his own attitudes. He seems to be a normal kid, but we find that he's had some painful experiences that have given him a poor opinion of his own self-worth.

Plotwise, there's a lots of things we need to follow. We need to figure out who the Baskervilles are, what was the tragedy of Sabrie, Gil and Vincent's pasts, why Alice's memories are missing, what's the deal with the watch, who is the mystery guy in Oz's dreams...yep. Lots of plotlines to follow.

Like drama? Mystery? Character development? Gothic-Victorian manga style? If so, you'll love Pandora Hearts!

(P.S. If you like the manga, be sure to check out the anime! It's pretty faithful, and just as delightful as the manga. It does a good job at playing up the comedy too.)

Sorry, I am going to make this review long so i can go into detail forgive me =) ~story~ The story line was brilliant and different from anything i had ever read/heard of and it was amazing. The creepy feel it gives off makes the story line addicting with its twists and turns that leave you amazed and wanting more to its lovable ability to suprise you and never let you guess what happens next the story was much better than most play offs of alice in wonderland plus alot better than the original other worldly alice in wonderland. ~Art~ With amazing character disign and great costumes howcould you not love the art. The artist made sure that each character looked completly different from the one before and that no two characters were alike in any way.

~Characters~

Each character had a unique past that was both emotional and tramatizing that they grew from and learned from though they dont realize this untill later threw the manga. The characters connection to eachother at first seems thin if existant at all but as they are thrown into situations in which they must depend on one another and as they face death their bonds slowly grow untill they are unbreakable. The characters were lovable.

Because I found the story had a somewhat slow beginning, in spite of everything that happens in the first volume, I never imagined I would end up adoring Pandora Hearts as much as I do at this point. I'll start with the characters, since they really pull this entire manga together for me. I have never ever came across such unique, distinguished, characters before in a manga. There is a large cast, and every single character - even the minor characters - have depth. They have personality and secrets and make mistakes and they all feel very real. What I especially like about the charactersis that they are easily recognized. They all have their own specific characteristics, even between Jack and Oz.

The story. THE STORY.

There are no words to describe how the plot of Pandora Hearts blows me away. If you're going to read this, which I really hope you do, because you will not be disappointed, then the story is something you have to experience for yourself. So I'll leave it at that. What I really like though, is being able to go back and reread certain volumes and discover a new secret, or a reason for something that confused me previously. There's never a dull moment when Pandora Heart's really gets going.

The humour is also an extremely welcome bonus. The funny parts are hilarious, the serious parts are intense, the conclusions are mind blowing, and the full-page art panels (I'm not sure what to call them) are breathtaking.

"Someone once said it was a dark place that swallowed everything up- but it wasn't as if there was never any light there." No matter how long it has been since I first started reading Pandora Hearts, the sadness, and happiness I felt after I finished reading it are still vividly in my heart. The story and characters are just phenomenal, with everything meticulously planned and devoid of any mainstream clichés. Story ~ 10: Unlike most adventure and mystery series, Pandora Hearts actually focuses on the story and world-building just as much as it does on the protagonist. It has a remarkable storyline and plot twists,and the way everything is introduced makes the experience so enjoyable. Nothing is expected yet, it all makes sense as the story progresses. The story is truly like a puzzle. Every piece has a meaning, and the full picture only reveals itself once every piece is present. Yes, this manga has a slower pacing than what people are used to, however, no other manga conveys emotions as well as Pandora Hearts does.

Characters ~ 10: In addition to its incredible storyline, Pandora Hearts also has many well-written and dynamic characters. For example, they all have unique designs that match their affiliations, history, and personality. As every side character is important to the progression of the story, instead of being there to make the protagonist shine, the side characters make the story shine. By the end of the story, almost none of them will be forgotten by the reader. That is how incredible the characters are in this manga. The immersion and experience while reading it are no joke.

Art ~ 10: Finally, this manga's beautiful art brings the story and characters together. The author has such an extraordinary ability to draw atmospheric panels that every panel can be hung on the wall. As one reads the manga, an overwhelming feeling of melancholy is present, and this is such a strong emotion as it resonates with everyone. While joyful panels are drawn in a way that evokes sadness beneath them, dark panels elude a sense of hope. As one can tell, the author's use of blacks and negative space is unbelievable.

Overall ~ 10: This manga is an absolute masterpiece. It has such depth and complexity that cannot be found elsewhere. I love it so dearly that I hope others can too. Also, while the anime is a whole different situation, listen to its soundtracks! They are so fitting to the series's mood.

"Someone once said it was a dark place that swallowed everything up. But...it wasn't as if there was never any light there--" I consider Pandora Hearts to be in its own category above all others - the level of craftsmanship and love gone into the storytelling is simply nothing short of a masterpiece. It is an exploration of psychology, an exposition of life and death, and a story filled with immense joy and sorrow. The artwork starts out good, and continues to improve significantly until the very end. Pandora Hearts is not just a typical Shonen/Action/Fantasy manga, but rather it supersedes all that. Please, please giveit a read.

We start at the beginning with Oz, Gilbert and Alice. The dark mysteries behind the Abyss, Chains, and the Tragedy of Sablier are slowly explored over the course of the manga, and you grow to appreciate every single chapter. Who really are Oz, Gil and Alice? Unravelling the mysteries of their pasts, along with many other characters, is also one of the strong points of the storytelling.

Pandora Hearts is not just a fantasy story about the Abyss, Chains and supernatural powers beyond our comprehension, but it is a story about trauma, tragedy, friendship, love, and life itself. One common recurring theme in Pandora Hearts is "self-sacrifice", and throughout the course of the story, the meaning and perception behind "self-sacrifice" is constantly explored through multiple perspectives and characters.

Another major theme explored in a lot of depth in Pandora Hearts is "trauma" - how do we face our future knowing the sins we might have committed in the past? Overcoming trauma, realising our own fears, these are all things that each character in Pandora Hearts eventually have to come to terms with.

As you read the manga, you will begin to greatly love the main characters, whether it be Oz, Gil, Alice, Break, or Elliot, and the level of character development is unrivalled. Each character's action has a noticeable impact on the story, and by the end, you will feel extremely attached to many of the main characters. The beginning, the journey, and the ending are near-perfect.

Pandora Hearts really forces you to think about life on a larger scale, and to appreciate the world and beauty around us. I've really taken a second look at my own life and my surroundings after reading Pandora Hearts, and I really thank Jun Mochizuki for writing and drawing this masterpiece of a manga. The experiences I've had reading this manga will be carried with me for my whole life, and I am truly grateful for it.

"Those who come to the Abyss are all the same. They're all desperate to get something back. But everyone goes mad partway..." *shock face* See, I really, really don’t understand how a mangaka and f-ing story writing genius, can immerse readers in something so gloriously messed up, beautiful, emo, crazy, funny, deep, and downright strange like it's nothing. More than just a few times I laughed out loud and shook my head thinking: psshh, that’s absolutely ridiculous and stupid, then turned the page only to stop just short of curling up into a ball in a dark corner, gently caressing the book and whispering softly toit, while crying myself to sleep. How the heck can a person accomplish not looking like a mad person while reading this series (it’s not that I’m actually just crazy…honest)? This is just one of those books where you WILL get people whispering about you and strange, slightly fearful, glances if you read it in public, cause incomprehensible outbursts of emotion are a thing throughout this series.

Okay, now that I’m done with my rant, on with the actual review:

I honestly never expected to really like this series and wasn’t expecting much from it. I tried to watch the anime a couple years ago, but couldn’t really get into it (never made it past the first part of the 1st episode). After the first volume I figured I’d enjoy it, but it probably wouldn’t be a favorite. Once I got to the 4th volume I figured I’d really like it, but might not buy it (in my poor defense I’ve got a pretty extensive list of manga to buy so I’m really reluctant to add to it). But past that…I stopped caring about the total price of the series, food, and sleep. The last couple arcs almost killed me with all the FEELS.

“Finally I saw... A world so bright I almost wanted to cry... It was then, that my consciousness was engulfed in darkness."

I actually had to put the book down a few times and walk away in an attempt to take it all in, especially since I was still trying to deal with the aftermath of a few events in the arcs before that. Wait, my bad, I’m ranting again lol.

Okay…

The Story:

A well-deserved 9/10: It's got an Alice in Wonderland type thing going on and explores pretty complex themes, primarily identity and existence, and how things like the presence/absence of memory, human (or otherwise) bonds/connections, and the past can shape one’s identity and sense of self.

The story is riddled with mysteries that Mochizuki skillfully reveals bits of in each arc like puzzle pieces that don’t become a clear, coherent picture until the last arc. Only after completing the series did I understand that there was actual meaning behind some of the seemingly unimportant details I glanced over volumes ago. This is honestly one of those stories that you could re-read multiple times before being able to take in how carefully put together the story is. I even really enjoyed the side stories at the end of most chapters/volumes that I admittedly tend to skip over the first time I read a series.

The Characters (8/10):

Most of the main characters are made up of the typical shonen anime/manga archetypes which made me think of them as shallow at first, but they all have quite a bit of their own depth. Through there ventures they experience past and present grief, love, despair, and even emotional/psychological challenges. Character development is a thing all the characters go through, even a lot of minor characters.

The only issue I had was with Alice. Despite being such a central figure I was left feeling like she had much less depth and development, especially when compared to Oz, Gil, and even a few less central characters like Xerxes. Even so, none of the other characters felt like cookie cutter versions straight out of other works (even the minor ones), and I loved, or at least liked, pretty much all of them.

And, though I’m no expert, The Art-8/10:

It’s clean, easy to follow, and Mochizuki draws the expressions of characters in a way that conveys a wide and complex range of emotions, from emotional agony (he’s pretty good at this one), surprise, downright insanity, joy, anger, and everything in-between. You can tell he put a lot of work and detail into each scene including the backgrounds. I personally really like Mochizuki’s style (the darker, creepy scenes are done and arranged very well) though, at least from what I read so far, it’s a pretty typical one.

Overall: 9/10

Anyone looking for a good fantasy, and/or mystery, should definitely give this one a shot.

"Someone once said it was a dark place that swallowed everything up. Even if that were true, an enveloping darkness like that...in this world that holds every color possible...also contains the light of hope."

Ok...I wrote 10 for everything. It's hard not too! I adore this manga...I first started reading manga Sailor Moon and that got me hooked. When I watched the Pandora Hearts anime I was; Meh...I loved the characters but my personal opinion is that they messed up the plot a bit. Too many holes. Then I read the manga and it was wonderful! Each character has a good/ happy/ tragic backstory. The plots twists are amazing, they will surprise you. I didn't expect to really like this because surprisingly I am not fond of Victorian era. Kurshitsuji is a exception. This is a wonderful manga thatyou should read! It made me cry, laugh, and cry some more. The plot and the art is breathtaking. Pandora Hearts is one of the best mangas out there.