All of the lost memories have been returned to their rightful owners, and the past is finally clear.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Jun Mochizuki
Translation/Adaptation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say
The truth of the being known as Oz Vessalius is exposed to Pandora, which has been captured by Leo and the Baskervilles. Amidst the warped tragedy that plays out mercilessly, the one who has lost everything catches a glimpse of the ridiculous fairy tale contrived by one man. The forbidden box has just been opened… What will be found within?
Content: (please note that content portions of this review contain spoilers):
Pandora Hearts has been dropping some huge revelations in the last few volumes, unleashing a torrent of pent up secrets and exposing long held beliefs about the nature of things as being complex lies. The last volume ended on a shockingly brutal note, with Oz being seemingly betrayed by his best friend and stripped of identity.
We get an extra set of color pages at the opening of this volume to remind us of just how bleak it all looks for Oz. It’s a lovely illustration, I’m pleased Yen chose to print it in color.
I didn’t expect this volume to open with Oz in any state to communicate, but I suppose I was underestimating him. The Baskervilles have assumed control of Pandora, and have Oz, Break, and Sharon locked up. Leo has gained the memories of Glen, and is no longer the friend Oz once knew. He intends to destroy the intention of the abyss and set things right.
The Alice we know has been returned to the Abyss, back to the side of her twin. Her long lost memories, once so key to the plot, have been returned to both sisters. Alice was responsible for the shattering of her own memories, trying to lessen the inherited love for a deranged man. The ramifications of trying to forget caused a multitude of events to be set into motion.
Which leads us back to Oz, and what he truly is. Early on in the story it was easy to believe that Oz was somehow Jack reincarnated, and the truth isn’t far from that. At least in regards to his physical form. Jack was stuck in a loop of immortality, where the system of the world denied him from returning to the Abyss upon death to be reborn anew. He couldn’t die, so the world began to age him in reverse back to birth and up to the age when he died, over and over. Each time a little of Jack’s remaining soul crumbled away. Oz’s spirit, linked to Jack via his chain powers, became the only whole soul left in that body. It makes an crazy sort of sense in the strange system that Mochizuki has set up. It’s the universe trying to fix an anomaly in it’s system, a shattered soul which is too broken must be purged somehow.
It also goes a long way to explaining why Oz’s father hated him so much. He truly wasn’t his son. He was an obligation, a burden, and a reminder of a son that should have been.
None of this is comforting to Oz, and he gets support from an unlikely ally, Echo. She really is nothing more than a doll as well, and she brings some levity to the scene, trying to cheer Oz up. Of course the rest of the Baskerville’s are eager to carry out Glen’s orders and execute the B-rabbit as soon as possible. Much to Break’s amusement, as he seems to be aware of events happening outside his cell walls. (How exactly can he know what Gil is up to?)
Gil was another character I was expecting to take all of this very badly. In fact I expected him to be in worse shape than Oz. I didn’t think he would realize how to break free from his chains, literally. It’s good to see that everyone may be down, but they are far from out.
Oh yes, and I can’t forget the bonus extras. Break trying to cheer up Sharon for her lack of panel time, Oswald accusing Levi of not making good by his sister, Break trying to cheer up Sharon again (with Reim’s help.) Also, a Pandora Hearts BUTLER CAFE MENU. That’s some expensive coffee…
In Summary
I honestly didn’t think that Pandora Hearts would be able to explain the tangled tale it was telling adequately, yet it has done so masterfully well. The last lingering questions about how the present came to be, Oz’s existence, and the sordid affair that led to it all have been brought out before the light. Now I think we are truly entering the end game, however long that may take. Free of their shackles and the roles that others had set for them, Oz, Gil, and Alice have to find their own way forward. The final players are moving into position, and now it’s a matter of trying to make things right with the world and the abyss. If they don’t, then their very existence is at stake. That a grand saga this is turning out to be!
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A –
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: B +
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: December 17th, 2013
MSRP: $11.99
