Pandora Hearts, Vol. 1

I have heard a lot of great things about this manga series but I also know it’s tough for a manga series to grab my attention and make me love it in the first volume. Well, this one was spectacular...it grabbed my attention, held it, and made me want the second volume immediately!

The story is a bit complex and confusing at first, but things really come together as the story progresses. I loved the characters; especially Black Rabbit and Oz. The story starts out looking like it’s going to be all light and fluffy and then takes a serious turn for the creepy, dark and strange as things continue.

I loved the idea of the Abyss and how it wasn’t what Oz thought it would be in the beginning. There are so many interesting mysteries show more presented to the reader in this volume.

The whole story has a bit of a Victorian theme to it and is kind of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland (maybe?). The illustration is really well done with lots of detail and beautiful characters.

Overall this is a spectacular start to this manga series. I always am a little leery when I start a new manga series because a lot of them are similar. However this one was amazingly engaging and different and I am in love with it. Fans of Black Butler should check out this manga series, it has some of the same type of flavor to it. show less

It's pretty confusing, but that seems to be the goal of the mangaka, so it's fine. I'm all for mysteries anyway.
Alice in Wonderland adaptations/references aren't really my thing, since there are just way too many and it's getting lowkey annoying, but it does seem interesting. Maybe it's the Pandora Box also.

I don't like Miss Sharon much, who seems like she's gonna end up with Oz, meaning, she's gonna stick around until the very last chapter, and I already have enough of her. This is going to be great.
Alice also isn't the best, but she got better at the end of the volume.
I'm much more interested in Gilbert and what secrets he's keeping. And what exactly happened with him at the ceremony.

This first volume is crammed full of stuff – the Abyss, Chains, the coming of age ceremony, the Baskervilles, Pandora. Just a little bit too busy for my tastes. I don't know what I would have thought of it all if I hadn't already seen the anime. I did think there were some nice aspects, though. For example, I liked the whole setup with the Chains, and Oz's friendship with Gil was good (although Oz does occasionally look like a bully).

From what I can recall, the anime and manga seem to be very similar. The anime had some extra padding – I'm pretty sure the part with Oz's time in the Abyss was shorter in the manga.

There are technically several Alice in Wonderland references – Dee and Dum, Alice, B-Rabbit, plus more to come later on show more – but the connection is so light that I'm not sure why Mochizuki did it in the first place.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

This gothic supernatural mystery will be loved by all "Alice" fans. Mochizuki's work is saturated with references to it, most of which a lot of people won't get unless they have a very good knowledge of the books. The artwork, story and atmosphere are also excellent- and it gets even better in the next volume.

When I first read this manga, it seem like most characters is related to Alice in Wonderland which it was interesting. It has a lot of action and enjoyable to read. When I was reading this first volume of the manga, I couldn’t wait to read the next volume. This is how much I really like this manga. I also watch anime of Pandora Hearts which has different ending than manga. There was a lot of scene in manga that anime didn’t have. While I was reading, I was wondering how Oz will able to get out of the abyss and now I was able to found out when I keep on reading. Additionally, I thought this manga is great manga to read and author did a great job on thinking of the story for this manga.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the premises of Pandora Hearts - An Alice in Wonderland feel mixed with mystery and intrigue! The characters were interesting and I want to know more about Alice!

At some points however I felt a bit lost...



I'll check out volume 2 just to see where this story goes, and hopefully I am less confused.

Illustrations: 3 stars
Story: 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars

A really good fantasy manga with great art and interesting characters.