That was certainly an interesting read. Now it's finally time to reply back to this also.Haha, I don't really know where to start or what to mention. After reading approx. 70 chapters in one go with each chapter containing at least 40 pages, it's difficult to summarize anything.
First of all, Pandora Hearts was a pure bliss. It's definitely a series I would instantly recommend to anyone who is into adventure, mysteries/mindfuck and feels. In order to put it into perspective just how much I liked it, I looked into my manga list and all I can say is that there are probably not more than five series which I would deem - slightly - better than Pandora Hearts.
One of the things which fascinated me about Pandora Hearts is that it didn't feel like a story about just Oz. It's shocking how well the author connected so many characters - compared to other series - to the core of this story. Oz, Alice, Break, Gilbert, Vincent, Jack and the Glens. Each of them with their own well-written storyline and - in some cases twisted - drive. Can you believe that I even felt sorry for Vincent? The author played with him in such a cruel way, how can Vincent not turn into this crazy kind of character?
Another strong point of this series are all the twists, mindfucks and mysteries. The shocking truth about Jack, Glen and the tragedy of Sablier, Break's unfortunate story and true goal, Elliot being the person who killed most of his family members, Levi impregnating Lacie who later gives birth to the Alice twins, Oz being the actual B-Rabbit and not really a human being in the first place, Leo becoming a Glen, the truth about Noise and Echo, Rufus pulling L-level mindgames, Gilbert being Glen's servant back then, okay where should I stop? And none of these twists or revelations felt like bullshit or asspulls (except for March Hare, lel), everything was firmly tied together. Well, maybe if I had read the series at a slower pace and thought about the events more, I might have found things which I would have complained about, but even then I'm sure it would be negligible.
I honestly feared the worst when the Jurors - who exceed the world of Pandora Hearts - were introduced. In my opinion, many series make the - big - mistake to extend the world to such a degree that it only leads to the downfall of the series itself. That's just not necessary, at least not for me. So, I was really relieved that the story didn't go beyond the established world, even though we were told that there indeed exists a world beyond. Kudos to the author for not risking to ruin the story and keeping everything above the world of Pandora Hearts a mystery.
What didn't I like? Now, I will complain on a very high level. First, the fights weren't that great, even though there was a lot of potential with all the chains and weapons. The fights always lacked something, and no, I'm not asking for extremely flashy fights like in Naruto. Another point would be the character Jack himself. A truly miserable and pathetic character, and as it befits such a character, his motivation made me shake my head in disbelief even considering his past. For a character who was responsible for the biggest mystery and tragedy in this story, I honestly hoped that there was more than just "Lacie" which drove him to do these things. I think Vincent was a much better written antagonist. But gosh, how Jack deceived everyone in the story, and even me!!! I thought this guy is a true hero... the Minato Namikaze of Pandora Hearts... smh... Those obsessions of some characters in general weren't my cup of tea, at least not to this degree like Gilbert towards Oz (not even Alice was obsessed/clingy as Gilbert), Vincent towards Gilbert and as I mentioned Jack towards Lacie. I can't think of anything else which bugged me.
The cast was great, do I even need to name the characters? Oz, Alice, Echo, Oscar, Gilbert, Sheryl, Sharon, Reim, Rufus, Vincent, Leo, and of course my favorite two Break and Elliot. I think it was in the last page of Break's death where the author wrote something along the lines like "words are not enough to tell Break's tale", truer words have never been spoken! It was such a wonderful, yet funny but deep lecture from the author that changing the past doesn't always bring the desired result. Break probably had the most beautiful storyline in Pandora Hearts. He was charismatic, funny, strong, suffered so much, went through so much, but he still stood up every time and moved forward. Without an eye... without both eyes, always on the verge of death. And he almost made it, almost... but the author rather preferred to torture my heart. Such brilliant characterization. I mean, I saw Break's death coming and I knew I would be never prepared for it, that much I was certain of. But dear god, when Break said that he doesn't want to die, that was the moment I threw my tablet beside me, placed my hands on my face and tried to exhale all those heavy feels in my stomach away... to no avail. Yeah, he earned a well deserved spot among my favorite characters. Then there is Elliot who is by no means inferior to Break in my opinion. The beauty of this character stems from the combination of his personality, development, ignorance and the most tragic death in this series. He left us way too early. I started to like him ever since his first appearance. Nothing went the way he wanted, but instead of becoming an unbearable emo, he rather had this proud "meh whatever, I will press on!" mentality. I loved the dynamics between him and Leo, especially the way they got to know each other, because I saw little of myself in Elliot when he refused to take your run of the mill servant, but instead was looking for someone who just treats him in an honest away. Like Elliot said, a friend and equal. Not someone who is sugarcoating everything for him or who has ulterior motives. What I also won't ever forget is the scene where Elliot rejected the handshake of Zai and told him "that hand should be offered to your son, not to a Nightray like myself.", gosh... that burn would have even vaporized Escanor in his the One mode. Not to mention his development when he put aside his prejudices and decided to judge everything for himself rather than believing what others tell. Everything about Elliot was a masterpiece. The twist/truth about him just put the cherry on the cake. He had to stomach so many brutal truths in his final moments, it's unbelievable that the author made him commit suicide and die alone. The pages where he rejected his chain and the cover page where we only see the hilt of his sword on the ground covered in his blood will be one of the most memorable manga scenes in my life. You can complain about that he died too early, that he deserved a death by the side of the people precious to him, that he deserved a shining moment in the final arc, but then he probably wouldn't be the awesome tragic character he is now.
I think it's good to end my post after dedicating a few words to my favorite characters. You can't talk enough about Pandora Hearts.
Agreed with you! =3=/
Joke xP
I hope you enjoyed my wall.
No, I didn't and now that I have seen it, I certainly need that card game and we definitely should play it indeed. xDAlso did you see this one?
We gotta play that card game x)
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Hmm... not sure if I can handle to hear those deep details ...btw don't you want to know where I got the name Miranda from?