Welcome to Alice in Wonderland with anime characters! Also, we're all mad here! ^.^ Hope you have fun.
Well, let's just say that it's your fifteenth birthday. It's definitely a good, fun day. You are surrounded by family and friends that love you. And when you reach the climax: BAM! Your world falls apart. You lose everything. You have no idea where you are, what's happening or what you're supposed to do. You don't really know what to believe anymore. Everything you once knew is gone. Now then, what are you going to do?
Story: 8 out of 10
Pandora Hearts tells the story of a young boy named Oz Vessalius. He is the heir to one of the four Duke Houses, the most powerful families at the time. Oz turns fifteen on the first episode, and his having his coming-of-age party thingy, where he'll take the responsibilities of the Vessalius household. Then, some cloaked people appear and send him to the Abyss. The Abyss is a dark, broken toyhouse- like place. There's no order in Abyss. The people who have sinned greatly are said to be sent there. And it's an one-way trip. And what's this thing about how Oz's greatest sin is his very existence? Well, that's for him to know and for you who are reading this to find out.
Artwork: 7 out of 10
Artwork is good, I'll give it that. Characters are very well drawn, detailed and all. Backgrounds, nope. They're all blurry, just to show that, I don't know, they're in a city, forest or something. The only place which is carefully detailed is the Abyss, which is the main location. It is literally Alice in Wonderland- like. The art gets, like literally old and like it's been kept in a dusty place sometimes.
Soundtrack: 7 out of 10
Music is beautiful, fits the era and everything. It's haunting at times which fits the story and character moods. OP is good, kinda classical music. It could be just a bit more upbeat, but it's still good. EDs are a bit disappointing. The first one is pretty cool music, but it gets darker than the show needs to be and the second one is very light. Literally, bipolar disorder endings. But overall, good.
Character: 10 out of 10
The characters are this show's strongest point. Oz is always cheerful, joking and so-called flirting. Well, beneath it all, he's shattered, and accepts things as they are, cuz he's afraid of changing them or what's going to happen if they change. He's afraid of telling people very seriously what's right and wrong, cuz he doesn't want to lose them. He gets better. Alice is a bossy, arrogant, wild and kind of sadistic girl. Most of that comes since she lived in the Abyss, but it's about to change. She starts to understand the world for what it is. Raven/Gilbert is all shrouded in black, but his personality, not really. Character worth mentioning are Xerxes Break and Vincent Nightray. Xerxes Break is an eccentric, kind of manipulative, mad hatter type character. Well, even that ain't enough to not make him the darkest of them all. Vincent, (or Vince, that's how I like calling him) Gilbert's brother is charming and sweet with everybody but horror and sadism are what identify him. There are a lot of other characters, but you'll have to see for yourself.
Overall, Pandora Hearts is a good anime. I guess the reason why some people don't like it is cuz it ends without solving 80% of it. Well, that's the author's answer for, you know, buy the manga. But if you don't mind that, this anime will surely get to you. You'll be literally lost in Wonderland.
