PandoraHearts, Vol. 1

Fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius is more excited about exploring the special family residence he gets to visit for his coming-of-age ceremony than the ceremony itself. But what he finds there is just the start of his decent into prophecy, danger, and the Abyss, a mythic prison from which there is supposedly no return.Pandora Hearts starts slow and couple for a few chapters, then rapidly throws intrigue and conflict at the reader in breakneck fashion. It works for me because the world and its mysteries are engaging, but there are far more questions than answers in this set up volume. Oz really knows nothing about the chaos he’s thrown into, so neither do the readers. Yet the little clues and foreshadowing provided, as well as the glimpses of the various forces at play and dire pronouncements delivered, are quite engaging and pique curiosity nicely.I enjoy the twisted layer of Alice in Wonderland that permeates everything, and am curious to see if there is eventually an in-world explanation or if it’s entirely thematic. Either way it works to add a little something extra to the manga. Its Alice serving numerous roles as enigmatic partner, powerful creature with her own agenda, and representation of “Wonderland” (rather than being the point of view outsider), gives the potential for significant depth as things proceed. I hope it’s capitalized on.From the protagonist who doesn’t know his hidden powers to the female co-lead with nebulous background and motivation to the mysterious organization investigating the world no one thought was real, Pandora Hearts has numerous cliched elements of Shounen manga at its core. But I like the way they’re presented and blended here, and am definitely going to read at least a bit more.

Pandora Hearts volume 1 is an interesting first entry to what feels like an engaging story. Quite possibly the strongest aspect of this manga is the heavy emphasis on Lewis Carroll's works, "Through the Looking Glass" and "Alice in Wonderland." The characters, particularly the supporting cast, are well rounded and given unique personalities within the story, with the exception of the protagonist, Oz Vessalius. I found the supporting cast far more intriguing than Oz, who seems to be nothing more than a focal point for the story to be told through.The story's pacing was adequate, though I do wish the first volume had spent bit more time in the Abyss, and does a good job of laying the ground work for future volumes. The artwork is also very nicely done, and shines particularly brightly in the Abyss sections of the book. I had heard from others that the characters were too similar in appearance in this book, and while that is a common problem in manga, I felt as though it wasn't that hard to differentiate the characters. There was only one moment when I didn't know who was talking, and that was only because the character was off-screen, and there were no arrows on the word balloons. I was able to figure out was speaking after thinking about it for a second, though.Bottom line: this manga is good, and I recommend any fan of manga or Lewis Carroll's works at least give this a shot.

I really enjoyed this book on three fronts: story, translation, and digital version.Pandora Hearts is an interesting story taking elements from Alice in Wonderland and adding it's own elements and twists. If you like a story with interesting characters, some action, and plenty of mysteries, definitely check this out. And despite the title which put me off of this at first, there isn't much romance at all. The hearts in the title seems to refer to both Hearts as an Alice in Wonderland allusion and in the relationships between characters (friendships, family ties, etc.).The translation keeps the honorifics when used and defines terms in the back, which is my favorite type of translation for a manga. It doesn't try to westernize everything (even if that may be slightly appropriate for a European set story). It even defines western terms that may not be well known (e.g., one volume defines a term from Dante's Inferno).The digital version is excellent. Unlike other digital mangas I've read, this one actually keeps the color pages mid-volume in color instead of making them black and white as if it were a print volume. I really liked that, especially since Pandora Hearts has such nice color pages and covers.

I finally cracked down and decided to read the manga, since I watched the anime a very long time ago, and some of the manga scans due to mangafox. Rereading it is a nice flashback to the past and I can't wait to dive further in and read. Sadly, I heard that some of the volumes are discontinued, so wish me luck into finding them with a decent price. Best series to recommend to most with its twist of Alice in Wonderland theme.

A fantastic opening to a very entertaining series. Pandora Hearts is very entertaining and does a great job at developing the characters and pulling you into the story. My son was directed to this by some friends and he was immediately hooked to the story. No doubt he will be reading these until he is all caught up. I have read this one also, and though not a typical anime or comic book person, I too found this to be an enjoyable read with many surprises and twists. A great read of which I am actually looking forward to reading the next installment.

Pandora hearts is probably the best book I've ever read and will most likely always hold that position. The basic plot is that a boy names Oz is cast down to the abyss with the reasoning being that his life is a terrible sin and it starts out as a quest to find the reasoning behind this sin but then it becomes a massive spectacle with loads of twists and turns to keep you hooked.There are several references to Alice in wonderland but this is by no means simply that tale with a twist, it tells it's own original story ad simply draws upon the Alice in wonderland feel with a few things here and there (such as the names of the chains: raven, jabberwockey etc).On top of having a fascinating story the artwork is also spectacular with loads and loads of symbolism hidden throughout, and if you can catch into it you can see some early foreshadowing.Basically just go buy it and read it. Now.

I was introduced to this tale by the anime adaptation, which "concluded" in a highly disappointing manner. But the meat and bones of the story appealed greatly to me so I waited for the manga to wrap up (since my patience is limited and I prefer not to wait for installments) in the hopes of an even more gratifying reading experience.A couple of months ago I remembered to check how far along the publication had come and received the happy news that the time had come to empty out my bank account and clear some shelf space. It was a real challenge to pace myself as the books/volumes turned up in my mail box but somehow I managed to restrain myself (somewhat) to not devour them all in one go.I've fallen head over heels in love with this manga, re-read it immediately after finishing it for the first time, and will continue to come back to it in the future.

The concept of this manga is truly unique, I really recommend this series. I love the dark atmosphere which is balanced out by the bright characters. A great read

I love this book. The printing quality is amazing and the story itself is gripping and suitable for virtually any age.Great for any lover of Manga/Anime. Loved it.

I love this manga. Cite art style and good plot that isn't a mashup of another magas plot. I'd reccommend this manga.