Pandora Hearts, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Right from the beginning, Pandora Hearts is full of twists and turns. While some of them can be guessed, what really impresses me is the number of curveballs that Ms. Mochizuki throws; the plot keeps you almost constantly in suspense, and though there are a few divergences, it never really loses focus on the central mystery of the Abyss and the Tragedy of Sablier. The nice thing, too, is that hints and reveals occur fairly regularly, so you're never wading through long pieces of filler waiting for the next plot development. The main problem with this first volume is that it takes a few chapters for things to really get started, so don't give up too quickly!

The characters are, with one notable exception, fantastic. Gil, Alice, Break, Vincent, Sharon, even Ada - everyone has hidden depths, making them much more interesting and giving them surprising psychological realism; they're not just defined by one incident or character trait. The exception is, oddly enough, Oz, the main character. I'm not sure what it is, but his development sometimes seems forced, and he's one of my least favorite characters. It's a testament to how strong the other characters are that the series is still good in spite of him.

Based on a vaguely steampunk Victorian aesthetic, the art style is gorgeous (the level of detail that goes into the costumes and settings is incredible) and really evokes a subtle sense of gothic horror. Another reviewer commented that he or she found it hard to tell the characters apart, but I think the context almost always makes it clear. It's also nice to see so many side-comics thrown in! They can really lighten the mood when the story gets to its darker places.

Finally, this series has an excellent sense of humor. You wouldn't think that you'd find time to laugh between a girl selling her soul and the main characters being forced into a hellish nightmare world, but Ms. Mochizuki has sprinkled some hilarious comedy throughout (Gil is quite attached to his hat, as you will see). It really helps to keep things in balance, and it sets Pandora Hearts apart from other thrillers.

ADVISORIES: I wouldn't recommend this to anyone below the age of 13. There's not much in the way of foul language or sexually suggestive material, but there is quite a lot of violence right from the start. If you can't handle blood, you might want to give this one a miss. It's actually quite similar to D.Gray-man in general feel (except that the plot has yet to dissolve into an incoherent mess).

Combining shades of Alice in Wonderland, Edgar Allan Poe, and Victorian England, Pandora Hearts is an incredible thriller with large doses of the macabre and screwball humor. Even if you're not generally a manga fan, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, supernatural mystery with strong characterization. It's one of the most engaging manga series I've ever read, and may be my favorite after Black Cat!

Take some shojo artwork, add a heavy dollop of horror, a big chunk of cracked-out Lewis Carroll...

... and voila, you've got "Pandora Hearts." The first volume of Jun Mochizuki's manga is graced with lush artwork and a great combination of horror and fantasy, but it's also incredibly confusing at times (all these characters look alike!) -- all in all it's an enjoyable experience, but it will also leave you frantically headscratching.

Oz Vessalius is being appointed the future head of his family in an ancient ceremony... only to have it turn into a battlefield between a bunch of sinister hooded figures and a "Bloody Rabbit" that turns into a young girl. The hooded men announce that his sin is "your very being" -- and he's dragged into a bizarre, surreal other dimension called the Abyss, where magical "chains" try to snare him. The only exception is the B-Rabbit, aka Alice.

Obviously, Oz wants to escape the Abyss -- and Alice wants to go hunting for the memories she has lost. So when he's attacked by an enemy chain, Oz reluctantly enters into a contract with Alice -- only to find himself in the grasp of a mysterious organization called Pandora.

I have to say one thing about "Pandora Hearts" -- it doesn't lack for plot. Secret organizations, mysterious monsters, a magical watch and a mood-swinging girl who turns into a giant black rabbit-headed humanoid. It's like a manga Lewis Carroll on crack.

It's also incredibly confusing, since the surreal incidents, mysteries and battles are strung together right up until the end. It took a few repeat readings to figure out what was going on, especially since Mochizuki's artwork often makes the characters look rather similar (f'rinstance, it's hard to tell Sharon apart from Oz's little sister, and either Alice has a split personality -- or there are two Alices).

However, Mochizuki does an excellent job setting up a fascinating world and premise: a sort of 19th-century fantasyland, with an alternate-dimension prison filled with powerful "chains" that want to unite with a human. The first volume is pretty much about setting up that premise, and Mochizuki does it with plenty of humor and horror (creepy-grinning children, the Mad Baby, and other horrors of the Abyss).

He also produces some likable characters -- Oz is a likably mischievous, rather bored boy who seems to be neglected by his absentee father. Not exactly the sort of person you'd expect to be thrown into Abyss. Alice seems to have massive mood swings (tomboyish -> shy -> angry -> gleeful), but she's an intriguing character as well -- and it remains to be seen how she and Oz will mesh.

"Pandora Hearts" is a confusing muddle of beautiful art and intriguing ideas, which doesn't really gel into a story until the second half. Not bad, but a rather rough start.