A father willing to kill for his son’s sake causes Oz to remember things he’d rather forget.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Jun Mochizuki
Translation/Adaptation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say:
Having returned from the infernal Abyss only to find his whole world changed, young “sinner” Oz Vessalius embarks on an attempt at normalcy after being reunited with his best friend and valet, Gilbert, whom he had presumed dead. But during a trip into town with Gil and Alice, an unexpected encounter leads Oz down memory lane…For Oz, however, the path is one covered with the most menacing of thorns. And lying in wait to assail him there…the baleful eye of his father, the echoes of cursed words Oz would much rather forget…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Pandora Hearts is not a series to jump into blindly. There was a long break between the release of the last volume and this one, so a refresher was needed on some of the side characters. I wish there was one a character guide and a ‘story so far’ guide for this series, so I wouldn’t have to spend time wracking my brain remembering who is who.
There are mystery elements to the story, so not knowing where allegiances lie and the motivations of the characters surrounding Oz, Alice, and Gil is part of the hook. It also has the unfortunate side effect of making the events that take place happen without context. There are unseen politics going on in the background that are just beginning to be explained in this volume.
Much of the meat of the story this time focuses on Oz and Gil’s past in the Vessalius household. Oz has always come off as a spoiled rich kid, but now we see that his smile and dark sense of humor are a coping mechanism for having an uncaring father. Not just uncaring, but spiteful. Oz is a disowned child who’s lived trying to be accepted by a father who considered him an abomination. We still don’t know why, which is probably going to be a key motivating factor for the story going forward.
Alice spends the volume aloof and distant now that Gil has come back into Oz’s life. She verbally spars with Gil and gives off the vibe of a bored and dangerous wild animal. When she finally gets the chance to battle another chain in this volume, she becomes a terrifying, violent force spewing curses at her enemies. Quite the contrast to her cute looks.
Coming to the assist during the battle are Echo and Vincent. Echo is amusingly no-nonsense, and she happens to be the girl who Oz mysteriously glimpsed back at the end of volume two. Vincent seems equally calm and serious, but Xerxe seems to hate him with a passion and suspects him of treasonous activities.
Gil finally fills Oz in about what happened to him during the ten years Oz was trapped in the Abyss. The amusingly manic Xerxe came to him with an offer to be adopted by the Nightray family in exchange for Gil becoming his spy. Gil at first turns him down, till Xerxe explains that it would be Gil’s best chance for rescuing Oz. The Nightray family also happens to have a connection to Gil; the young boy the family had taken in previously is Vincent, Gil’s long lost brother. The reunion isn’t exactly the joyous occasion it should be, because whatever bloody tragedy tore these brothers apart has left both emotionally scarred.
In Summary:
Each volume of Pandora Hearts packs in a lot of information. Heavy foreshadowing appears to be popping up in every chapter with lots of talk about an event that happened 100 years in the past. The art evokes a half-gothic, half-shonen vibe, and it’s very nice to look at. Alice-in-Wonderland themed manga seem to be common nowadays, but Pandora Hearts takes inspiration from the darker side of that work and takes it in a wild direction, leaving the usual trappings behind. With a better understanding of Oz and his past, I’m now more curious to see if he can survive and succeed, and I’m looking forward to the next volume.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: October 31st, 2010
MSRP: $10.99