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For what seems to be a more Shoujo-y manga, it had quite a bit of action - and violence. And though there were implied romances between certain characters they never got disgustingly mushy (and they didn't quite pan like you think they would... or even at all). The female characters that may seem weak are all strong in their own way and it works well (not like they're hitting you over the head with it). I also appreciate the motif of how love can be so easily twisted (be it parental, sibling, or romantic) - and this winds up being intrinsically tied to the plot.

The ... plot overall only seemed to be convoluted but all of the pieces of the puzzle came together quite nicely in the end. The twists and turns of the plot and how the characters themselves develop were interesting and often unpredictable so this was definitely worth the read.

And this is nitpicky but - Though the characters and settings were drawn very well, it felt like some actions were misrepresented. It was hard to tell sometimes what exactly was happening on certain pages. Reading on, you were able to intuit what had just happened but if the brief moments of vague art/paneling was intentional, it didn't help create suspense only confusion that took you out of the story. There's a right way and a wrong way and sometimes it wasn't quite right (because of shifting camera angles or misplaced emphasis, I couldn't help but think the anime probably would handle certain things better).

Read this if you like feels, dark brooding characters, Victorian aesthetic, Alice in Wonderland, tragic backstories, twisted love, a bit of chaos, and meaningful character deaths.

Don't read this if you don't like confusing plot lines - if you can't appreciate a good thriller/mystery and need everything served up on a platter for you right away mayyyyybe you don't have the patience for Pandora Hearts.

Also Vincent is best boi. Read to find out why :D

*updating as I read*

Slowww updates.

But I still love how chill this manga is. It makes me really happy. The plot is really slow but I like that. Actually, I'm 22 chapters in and not entirely sure there is one.

I'd say the best way to describe this is as a "realistic" Isekai. There are things in this that make me feel like if I were to get taken to a fantasy RPG world, this is not too far off from how things would actually play out. Which actually makes it more immersive.

Mukouda was dumped into a fantasy world. He didn't ask for it. He was ... let loose when his skill was not beneficial to the king's cause. Now left to wander around his new homeworld ordering stuff off the internet, he takes up an interest in cooking and his new skill gets him coerced into forging a contract with a Fen beast. Shenanigans ensue.

The characters are essentially stereotypical rpg classes and tropes but still, they can't shake a certain charm. Each chapter mostly wraps itself up on it's own but also leads into the next. So you feel fulfilled after a chapter but are happy to have more.

I also really love the artwork for this manga and find it to be unique.

This is worth the read. I'm thoroughly enjoying. If it stops in the middle, at the rate it's going, I wouldn't be angry for how it left off so long as the chapters keep resolving themselves --- but I sure do hope it keeps going!

So I just binged this entire manga and I gotta say, I rather enjoyed it.

The main arcs were pretty formulaic. But honestly, repetition is something that most fairy tales often contain. Even though you know "the power of friendship" would win out in the end and that "everything will be OK", I still couldn't chalk it up as some thing that was cliche enough to stop reading. The entire manga had this certain charm to it that kept me going.

I feel that Mashima planned this story out pretty well. There weren't elements that felt phoned in. He was dropping hints many chapters before anything went ... down. Even the things that were too convenient (abilities, modes of transportation, etc) were welcome because it made the story go faster. There weren't any useless chapters of the group just going from one place to another, there was always something happening. It never felt like it was dragging.

I liked all of the characters, I can't say there were any that I hated. And I think all of the main crew experienced some good development. I guess a lot of people weren't happy with the ending but I didn't see it as a problem. Not everyone has to have a resolved ship and Mashima left it open ended enough to revisit later.

You can definitely tell that Mashima was looking to the greats. Plenty of shenanigans and ridiculousness to go around. This is a shonen manga if there ever was one. Boobs, butts, bath scenes, crude humor, and all XD

Remaking Tezuka is a tall order. Urasawa's execution was flawless.

Dr. Tezuka himself introduced "The Greatest Robot on Earth" as being one of the more popular chapters from the Tetsuwan Atom series. The robot Pluto was a more complex character. Tezuka went on to say how upset readers were when it was all said and done; they wanted more - and fortunately Urasawa gave us more and then some.

The characters in the original work, the seven strongest robots in the world, had very simple substance and short existences within the original 180 page story (aside from Atom of course). Urasawa takes the blinks of life they ... had within Tezuka's work and stretches them out giving them so much more depth. Especially evident in his portrayal of Gesicht, who he reframes as the main character.

Some might say an "unfortunate flaw" in this remake is that it is a remake. The thought being that those who read the original story wouldn't enjoy the suspense of Pluto as much because they would already know the outcome. In spite of having read the original first, however, and with Urasawa being a master of suspense, Pluto still left me without a clue of what would happen next.

In order to truly appreciate Urasawa's take on Pluto, you should read the original Astro Boy chapter "The Greatest Robot on Earth." You must see for yourself how he was able to take Tezuka's work and, not necessarily make it better, but make it an amazingly good and different thing all on it's own, just as Doctor Tenma revived his Tobio.

(P.S. You might also want to read the "Blue Knight" arc from Astro Boy too. Our Tezuka fan-boy managed to weave that one in as well with his Brau-1589.)