Dennis Gonzalez
NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Final Volume of Pandora Hearts, Volume 24.
By Jun Mochizuki.
Today, manga (Japanese comics) is a relatively widespread medium of storytelling and is generally accepted as another valid form of literature, with manga sales reaching new heights. For example, best-selling manga and extremely popular anime Demon Slayer released episodes of the anime in theaters worldwide, and the manga Oshi No Ko’s anime adaptation received critical acclaim from many, shooting to first place on MyAnimeList within just the first episode airing. However, no matter how popular manga and anime get, there’s always something that ends up slipping under the radar.
Take Pandora Hearts, written by Jun Mochizuki and serialized in May 2006, which I find to be one of the best manga series that I’ve read so far. Despite its brilliance, it wasn’t quite given the attention that I feel it deserves. This article seeks to inform people on what Pandora Hearts is about, why it was overlooked, and what exactly makes me think that it deserves a spot among the most well-written and well-known manga of all time.
Pandora Hearts is a manga written and illustrated by Jun Mochizuki, a female Japanese manga writer (mangaka), who is also known for writing Crimson Shell, and famous for writing the manga series; The Case Study of Vanitas. Pandora Hearts was serialized in Square Enix’s shōnen magazine, titled Monthly GFantasy or Gangan Fantasy. It ran in the magazine from May 18, 2006 to March 18, 2015, consisting of 104 chapters and 24 manga volumes. It has been relicensed by Yen Press and was localized in English on December 15, 2009. Pandora Hearts also received an anime adaptation of 25 episodes, which aired from April to September 2009, with a 9-episode OVA (original video animation) releasing from July 2009 to March 2010. Today, Pandora Hearts has around 5.5 million copies in circulation.
The premise of Pandora Hearts seems simple; During his coming-of-age celebration, Oz Vessalius, the mischievous heir of the noble Vessalius dukedom, is thrown into the Abyss and condemned for a sin which he knows nothing about. The Abyss is a terrifying realm that is said to have no escape, but while trapped there, Oz meets Alice; a young girl who is not what she appears to be. The two team up to escape the Abyss as Oz struggles to figure out what exactly is his sin, and the various mysteries that shroud him and the people he cares about.
However, the story is so much more than that. The plot of Pandora Hearts is one of the most interesting and complex plots I’ve ever seen. It is rich with twists and turns, putting me on the edge of my seat with every new reveal. The plot intricately weaves a tapestry that slowly starts revealing its true nature as the story goes on, keeping you invested and wanting to find out more. The characters are very entertaining, with their own little quirks and gags, but are still incredibly realistic and nuanced. They each have their own motivation and goals, as well as reasons for their actions.
The protagonists are likeable, with the main team (which shall be unnamed for this spoiler-free review) working off each other well. Each of them establish strong relationships with their own dynamic, and interactions that are nice to witness come to fruition. This makes the conflicts that build up between the characters even more heartbreaking and difficult to see them work through.
Characters of Pandora Hearts.
By Jun Mochizuki.
The world building, while probably being the weakest of the three mentioned, is eventful and full of little things that occurred in the past that end up being important as the story continues. While the world itself may not be too descriptive when it comes to topics such as maps or geography, the events referenced and the concepts brought up related to the world gives the impression that people already lived and still live there.
The themes of Pandora Hearts cover a wide range of topics, from justice to family, friendship, morality, and so much more. One thing that stands out to me is how Pandora Hearts shows the bond between characters very well. It highlights how they interact, and makes you reflect about the effect other people can have in your life, and the effect you can have in theirs.
So why does Pandora Hearts, despite having an intriguing plot, gorgeous art, amazing characters, and overall very good writing all by Jun Mochizuki, seem like a forgotten gem in the manga community? I believe it stems from a mix of a slow start, a somewhat niche kind of story, and the unsatisfactory nature of the anime adaptation. Pandora Hearts starts off very slow, with the plot only kicking in strongly after some time.
The first few chapters being dedicated to exposition, character work, and general laying of groundwork for the rest of the series probably put a lot of people off from continuing the series. Pandora Hearts is also not the type of series that usually gets popular, especially due to its release date. At the time, the big hits were usually very high adrenaline, action packed manga, or a slice of life romance type story with either a high school or sports-type setting.
A manga like Pandora Hearts did not seem to fit the main demographic at the time, and perhaps its age combined with the lack of huge popularity discourages readers today.
Lastly, the anime adaptation of Pandora Hearts is considered very unsatisfactory, especially compared to the manga. Unfortunately, most manga really start blowing up due to receiving an anime adaptation, with a few big exceptions. However, Pandora Hearts’ anime simply paled in comparison to the manga. The art lacked the charm of the manga’s, the pacing was worse, and the ending was rushed, not even really completing the story of Pandora Hearts.
The only commonly accepted good thing to come out of the anime was its original score, which I admit is amazing. However, no remake or second season has been made, making it especially unlikely for Pandora Hearts to become very popular.
Oz Vessalius in the Pandora Hearts anime (left) and manga (right).
By Studio Xebec (Left) and Jun Mochizuki (Right).
Now, the question arrives; is Pandora Hearts really worth the read? Well, if you’ve gotten here and read everything in this article, then the answer is definitely yes, for some people. Pandora Hearts isn’t suitable for everyone. If you want an easy to read, quickly starting, light hearted adventure with high action and the power of friendship, then Pandora Hearts isn’t the right manga for you. Pandora Hearts is a deep read; it includes many dark tones and complex plotlines, but also a story about friends with their own problems, and how they work through it and try to stay together.
Pandora Hearts is definitely worth the read if the genre interests you, and I personally have it as one of the most well-written manga of all time, in addition to being in my top three. It deserves more recognition, but with the comeback and possible new season of Jun Mochizuki’s more well known series; The Case Study of Vanitas, hopefully people will remember Pandora Hearts again. Maybe some new people will want to check this story out, and maybe some old fans will decide to re-read it. Either way, Pandora Hearts is an amazing, incredible manga, and definitely deserves more attention.