Pandora Hearts

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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 everything ... is 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 pasts ... than 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 that ... stumbles 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 be ... called "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 are ... Break, 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, and ... the 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 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 in ... particular. 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.

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 based ... off 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.

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, I ... keep 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 how ... could 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.

(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 i ... have 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.

Chapters of this manga don't come out often enough. I've been waiting for MONTHS for the next chapter and it's killing me because Pandora Hearts is the most engaging manga I have ever read.

STORY: 9
First off, I can't stress enough how much I love the Victorian era. The cloths are a big reason why, and Pandora Hearts has much of the kinds of cloths I like. :P The plot of PH is elaborate and engaging, though it's not so much so that it leaves you drooling down your shirt wondering what happened. Even after it gives you a precious tidbit of info, it still leaves ... you wondering and willing you to go on. Usually with stuff like this, I'm able to predict what will happen, but that has happened only very rarely in Pandora Hearts. The tragedy of Sablier is a huge mystery and every concept of this manga is just so COOL, so DIFFERENT. Despite being and Alice in Wonderland twist, the story is completely unique.

ART: 9
The art is very good. It's easy to tell every character apart and they all look so different from face, to body stature, to cloths. I LOVE the cloths, as I've already said. I think that it's usually somewhat difficult to make suits look different, but PH doesn't seem to have that problem. I especially love anything and everything Break wears. It's Victorian with a slightly ridiculous flare that somehow makes it cool. The backgrounds are detailed and look like they've had a lot of love put into them. Not a single line is messy or wobbly, even from the beginning. The only thing I dislike is that there is a fair amount gore, which I can handle, but I don't especially prefer.

CHARACTERS: 10
Every single damn character in this story has such a hugely developed personality. There are no one dimensional cast members here, everyone is involved, and there are no useless characters, not even Oz's dad. Everyone plays their part like a chess piece on a board. It's really fun to see how everything unfolds. Oz is very well developed. Despite being raised by a rich family, he's not arrogant or self-centred, which shows that he is naturally kind. At the same time, he does have this really dark side that actually scares me on occasion and it shows all us readers that (and I quote): "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." At this point, my only complaint is that the story should have centred around Gilbert, as it was originally meant to, because more's going on with him than it is with Oz.

ENJOYMENT: 10
I loved reading PH and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat for the next chapter. It can have side-side-splitting humour, or cry-in-a-corner depression, but either way, there's a perfect balance of each. Once you start reading, you'll never want to put this manga down.

OVERALL: 9
I rarely ever give a manga a 10/10, and I'm reserving it for when I find the holy grail of manga, which this comes quite close to, if not for one small little thing that I would say if not for the fact that it's such a ridiculously huge spoiler that it just wouldn't be fair to any of you. SO, this manga is for sure worth your time. It's a Psychological Horror that's actually good for once.

Pandora Hearts is a story that cannot be described in a single word. Mind-melding, convoluted, and above all else, beautiful, this manga treats the reader to a rollercoaster of emotions they could never experience in a million years.

This piece of literature cannot be overstated. From it's fascinating world to the horrors of a hellish alternate dimension called "the Abyss", Pandora Hearts manages to surprise you in every measurable metric. At the beginning, the story may seem fast-paced, or the characters could be considered tropey, however Jun Mochizuki doesn't take much time to unmask to true nature of the universe she created.

The story itself may ... be too complex and spoiler-heavy to discuss, however there are minor flaws that one can nitpick upon. In terms of its place as a mystery, it is nothing less of compelling, with each scrap of evidence dispersed throughout the chapters slowly piecing themselves together into a beautiful picture: the truth. Despite this, it was as if all the clues to solve this mystery weren't presented to the reader. We see things that we had no idea could even happen, and at the end of it all, I couldn't help but feel as if I was cheated. Regardless, this is a flaw that is easy to look past, and doesn't necessarily take away from the satisfaction of it all; the satisfaction of perfectly pieced puzzle.
The pacing is another aspect that could be perfected, but this is only bothersome in the beginning. Once the reader gets to the bulk of the drama and action, they begin to understand the complex circumstances surrounding the world better, and aren't constantly forcing themselves to go with a flow they can't comprehend.

Don't let all this criticism avert your eyes from the fact that this has one of the single best plots I have ever seen. The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat. The symbolisms are multi-layered. The world is beyond refreshing and can be experienced again and again perpetually. Everything may seem confusing at the start, where the reader, just like the protagonist, has no clue what is going on, but this Kafkaesque atmosphere only serves to enhance the ultimate pay-off you reach after this 100 chapter journey.

Pandora Hearts is exceedingly ambitious thematically. From the ideas of loss to acceptance to self-sacrifice to friendship, this vast array of themes allows this manga to appeal to most audiences. Realistically, anyone who reads this could interpret it differently, giving Pandora Hearts a re-readable quality and truly shows the effort and mastery put into this piece of art.

The characters are all well-developed and feel human. Despite the massive cast, everyone is given a respectable amount of screen time in tandem with a unique and enjoyable personality. It's mostly because of these characters that so many different themes and feelings can be expressed. Those 2 aspects of the story work hand in hand to amplify each other's significance, making this story more unforgettable than it already is.

The art is jaw-dropping, and you can really see it's quality increase over this manga's 9-year serialization. As the series progresses, we see more page-wide panels where each individual stroke conveys the terror of a looming monster or the joy of spending time with your friends. Naturally, there are manga out there with much better art than Pandora Hearts, but it serves its purpose perfectly in this scenario, and there is no moment where anyone would genuinely wish for better art.

Ultimately, Pandora Hearts is unmatched. There will be no other manga with so much love and care poured into the construction of its intricate world, and no other manga that will give you an unparalleled feeling of joy once you clear those final, long-lasting pages.

Thanks for reading.

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 characters ... is 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.

It took me awhile to finish and I did have to reread the beginning but once I got into it, I kept wanting to finish it.
The story I thought was simple at first and I thought they would just solve it and it would be over. Of course, there were actually so many things happening and once you put it all together and figure it out, it is pretty elaborate. I got pretty confused at some parts because it did go pretty fast with its story and it was subtle in telling its plot points although thankfully not all the time. I think the ... story should've been the strongest point because of how detailed it became but it took awhile for all the questions to be answered which made it feel all over the place.
Now, the art was great too and it kept the feel of dark and light at the same time. Even though it was nice, it sometimes became hard to understand as well because of all the stuff happening. It captured reactions well and emphasis points but action parts were a little hard sometimes.
The characters were detailed and had a lot of back story but the only problem was that I couldn't figure out if they were good or bad sometimes. This was probably one of the big confusing parts because I couldn't understand their actions and what they planned to do, which I guess some would say is a good thing but this time it just made it more confusing. Still even though they were confusing they all had some depth to them even side characters.
Although this manga was pretty good, it was hard to keep reading after awhile because the chapters were so long and there was so much information at once. The ending was also pretty crazy which I say is the most confusing part. I still enjoyed reading it but there were parts that just got me bored as well. It really got interesting about half way through or after but the beginning was just hard to start.

Over all I give Pandora Hearts an eight when adding everything up. I do recommend this for people who like sad dramas, mild horror, action, fantasy and deep stories that take awhile to process. If you decide to read this, it's worth it.

Pandora Hearts is the most beautiful story I have ever read in my life.

Pandora hearts is a really complicated psychological dark fantasy with a lot of plot twist. Almost every chapter you will see pieces of memories from the character so you will be thrown to the past a lot of time, sometimes you will even forget things. If that happen, simply read a again from the beginning. For me, this is what make Pandora Hearts is beautiful. You need creativity and empathy to understand the story. You need creativity to understand the world of Pandora Hearts because many things are really different with ... our world and you need empathy to understand each character. No one in Pandora Hearts is absolutely wrong or right (Well, maybe Levi is the most toxic here but we don't know his past so I can't say anything). This story is just a bunch of purpose, misunderstanding, and feeling intertwined and sometimes clash so there are many conflict born from it. Considering the world they live in, many characters are twisted.

I never feel so betrayed by a story in my life as hard as Pandora Hearts. It feels like when you try to gather pieces of glass to make it into a ball. You heard that ball of glass will be so beautiful when it becomes ball again. You feel so excited to know what it will look like. You treasure every piece of that glass and glue it carefully. Suddenly someone bring all the remaining glass. And when you finally make it into ball again. It's pitch black. All of the things you believe in the beginning is a lie. You feel betrayed. But then you realize. Even if it's pitch black, it still looked so beautiful. So in the end, you keep it as it's.

I read this when I was in elementary school in which I was ostracized without knowing my fault for years. Little by little, it makes me think, "Maybe my existence is the wrong one, maybe whatever I do is wrong because my existence itself is wrong" that's why when the male lead was said to have a sin which is his own existence, it makes me cry. In the end, I know what is the meaning of this sin which is true but it's not his fault. It makes me think, even if now I am surrounded by people who make me think my existence is wrong, as long as I have hope, one day I will meet people who treasure my existence like Oz. Thank you for give me hope and motivation, Pandora Hearts.

I fell in love with this series ever since I looked at the first page....ok maybe not the first page.....but I still adore it. I love how it's loosely based on Alice in Wonderland, which I already loved before I started reading it and only makes me love the series more. And really, there isn't a single character in the entire series that I don't love. They're just too loveable. The art is really well done too. I can say that at this moment, I am deeply in love with this manga

Amazing dark story with lots of plot twists and perfect pace, it gets more tragic as it goes on, beautiful art, great character development with even the seemingly less important characters having a greater role to play later on. It his too bad that not many people read it, they do not know what they are missing, if you are a fan of the fantasy genre then you should definitely read it, if not you should give it a chance. If Jun Mochizuki maintains (or increases) the quality until the end this can really become a masterpiece, if not already...

At first glance, this looked exactly like the kind of manga I would avoid on principle. For one I'm not the hugest fan of the Victorian Era, or the Elizabethan Era, or whatever the heck it's called - the time period of stuck-up aristocrats and snuff boxes. For another, those character designs looked like the perfect bait for that class of fangirls that label themselves 'fujoshis' and go around shoving their gross ships down everyone's throats, whether it's a manga that even supports that sort of thing or not (one of the main reasons why I still avoid Black Butler, if I'm being honest) - ... the cast is populated with bishounens (beautiful men) and lolis (cute girls with doll-like features). I swear Arakawa Hiromu is the only female mangaka that draws male characters that actually look like real men.

But I still had incentive to give this thing a shot because a) it was recently completed (having to wait an entire month for each chapter update kinda kills a manga for me - that or Attack on Titan just got really boring) b) I kept reading comments of fans saying how amazing it is and how shocking the plot twists, which I could totally get behind; I love a good mindf*ck as much as the next person; and c) despite there being bishies and lolis, the character designs did look awesome (and, heck, beautiful men), and the artwork itself looks freaking gorgeous - I mean just look at the first volume cover.

So yeah, I dove right in and started the breathtaking, heartwrenching, soul-crushing experience that is Pandora Hearts.

Oh my God, what a beautiful story, in every sense of the word.

I think the first clue I got to how great the series would be was when I started getting my first inklings of de ja vu; I've read a lot of manga since starting university, but no other manga has ever been able to completely measure up to the amazingness of Full Metal Alchemist in my book - until Pandora Hearts. Gosh, but did I get big FMA vibes from this manga. It's not that the plots are overtly similar (although reading it over the second time with my sis [yes, this manga warranted an immediate reread] I did find I could make a lot of connections between certain elements of both series - the Tragedy of Sablier and the city of Xerxes/Cselkcess, the Baskervilles and the Homonculus, the Abyss and the Truth, illegal contracting and human transmutation, etcetera etcetera); it was more the feeling I got while reading of slowly discovering, piece by piece, something bigger and more dangerous than what the story initially presented, but foreshadowed it would; a hint here and there of a giant trump card the author is keeping hidden up her sleeve, ready to hit you with. I understood I was reading something carefully thought out and planned from beginning to end, and that no event, character, not a panel was going to go to waste (and so I tried to pay as much attention as I could, except, more fool me, I was reading this online and the translations available are awful and made things a lot more confusing than they should have been).

And it paid off really well. The plot twists, the reveals, every dirty secret, they were every bit as brain-numbingly jaw-dropping as people said they would be. Practically every mystery is explained, every loose end caught and tied, and the ending, which far from being the perfect happy ending that was FMA's ending, was nonetheless perfect for its aching bittersweetness. I can't remember the last time a piece of fiction has made me reel in shock as much as this manga has since... since... shit, maybe Harry Potter? And that never left me wanting more simply for the sake of wanting more, rather than because there was anything left to be explained. I desperately needed to listen to something appropriately beautiful and tragic before I could even begin to put my life back together to move on to something else and sadly not even any of the anime openings I had seemed accurate. Someone needs to reboot the anime and give it Brotherhood worthy openings!

In case you haven't picked it up by now, prepare for all kinds of tragedy and despair and wailing at the screen/page in anguish while reading this series. Pandora Hearts does not pull any punches, and I love it for that. More than simply having a great and thickly woven plot that only held me enthralled with its mysteries, the characters - all of them - were so delightful, so multi-faceted, and all so colorful, they provided the main drive for me to want to know what it is that happened, and will happen, to each of them as the story progressed. The attachments you will form to any or all of these characters will prove fatal, though: this manga has probably one of the highest death counts I can think of out of any other manga I have read, and as heart-breaking as it was, I loved that every death was final, and that every death meant something and affected me in some way, whether I even liked the character or not. So often in literature, or any form of media really, the death of a character would almost always feel like a plot device, something that only happened because the writers felt it needed to happen, and the knowledge of that, and how much easier it became to predict which death it would be, would mostly numb me towards the actual death when it happened. Yeah, it was sad, but now the chances of any other character dying has lessened severely. With Pandora Hearts, even knowing a character was going to die, I'd scream for it not to be true, because I genuinely loved these characters and wanted them to stick around. It wasn't sad just for the sake of it being sad that someone died, or because it was sad for the other characters, it was legitimately sad because I really really enjoyed their company and wanted them to get their happy endings. None of these deaths felt like they happened exclusively to manipulate my feelings or move the plot along, or just tossed in there for no real reason. It was a combination of everything, and at the same time because, well, shit happens, and people die.

If I had to fault this manga for anything, it would be for once again raising my standards that much higher and making it even more difficult for me to find a manga I could equate to greatness. I've read it twice over and it's already been two weeks since my second reading, and I still want more. Please, please, let there be at least one more manga out there that could make me feel even a fraction of what I felt for Pandora Hearts and Full Metal Alchemist. Let that manga be a completed one. And if not, let that manga be D. Gray Man. D. Gray Man looks cool. I really need to read it.

Also, I might need to suck it up and give Black Butler a chance, because who knows?

Story: 10/10
Art: 10/10
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 10/10