Technically speaking the artwork for the first few issues of the manga is amateur with irregular proportions, awkward facial expressions, and relatively simple backgrounds and designs; however, since Jun Mochizuki (the creator) was just starting out as a mangaka that is to be expected. By issue 15 (around a year after the manga’s release) her artwork is equal to her contemporaries. Her ability to convey emotion, use of continuity and character designs is where her strength as an artist and a writer truly shines. Characters in the series often say one thing, but think or mean something completely different and Mochgizuki-sensei is able to effectively show what the character might be feeling rather then what he or she might be saying through various gestures and facial expressions which creates a beautiful sense of atmosphere, personality and emotion. Also bear in mind that Mochizuki-sensei, like many female mangaka of shonen series, draws many of her characters in a very bishonen style (as a female reader I cannot complain), so just be wary if you are the kind of reader who is bothered by bishonen men in a shonen series.
Another potential flaw of the series for some viewers/readers is the fact that, like Death Note, no one ever stops talking. Pandora Hearts is not a series that you can just pick-up and start reading or watching at random; it has a progressive, complex storyline that is riveted with dialogue and I would recommend reading/watching the series more then once in order to fully understand and appreciate the story. However, I caution the anime only watchers that due to the intriguingly developed plot and characters the 25 episode anime series barely reaches the surface of the story only covering the first 32 issues of the manga before catching-up to the manga thus forcing the anime series to end just as its starting. Because of this the anime suffers and is barely even able to enter truly compelling aspects of the series making the anime more of an introduction or trailer to the series rather then full series, Pandora Hearts is a series that absolutely requires you to read the manga in order to fully enjoy. Luckily, aside from the final three episodes which come off as pointless, lazy and barely watchable, the anime remains relatively faithful to the manga and free of fillers (thankfully), which makes it quite easy to get into the manga afterwards.
The animation itself is nothing special. It is rather mediocre for an anime series made in 2009 especially in comparison to series such as Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood (2009) or Black Butler (2008) which were released roughly around the same time (then again comparing Xebec to anything by Aniplex is like comparing cheese to the Holy Grail, so the cheaper animation style is to be expected). Aside from a few instances of stuff characters and backgrounds with nothing more then moving mouths or frames, the anime doesn’t fail to capture the more subtle expressions and gestures of the characters that Mochigizuki-sensei so skilfully produced in the manga. Despite being a Shonen series Pandora Hearts (both manga and anime) doesn’t have the usual amount of action you would expect from its genre, especially in the earlier episodes/issues. Nevertheless the action portions of the series of both the anime and manga are interesting and engaging. The manga scenes are drawn so the reader can understand the situation and can occasionally produce some truly astonishing imagery, while creating a dramatic atmosphere that can evoke an emotional response when desired which is successfully recreated in the anime series.
Despite the low production value of the anime series, the addition of voice actors and dramatic music is used effectively to feelings of action, humour and drama in many ways the manga cannot. As of yet, a dub of Pandora Hearts has not been released so I have no comments regarding the English voice actors however, most of the seiyu are top notch at portraying their respective characters in an effective manner. Junko Minagawa successfully conveys the childlike innocence, and damaged disposition of Oz Vessalius. Ayako Kawasumi is able to capture the tomboyish, brash, yet fragile nature of Alice. Toriumi Kousuke is able to successful portray Gilbert’s overly protective, anxious attitude while still maintaining the sullen, attractive, loyal personality that makes the fan girls squeal with glee. Hanazawa Kana is able to capture both the sweet and terrifying aspects of Sharon’s character, and the legendary seiyu Ishida Akira masterfully portrays the humorous, carefree, sly, dangerous nature of Xerxes Break. There is also a wide range of secondary characters such as Elliot, Leo, Echo, Vincent and the Baskervilles whose voice actors tend to be hit or miss. Some voice actors such as renowned Jun Fukuyama (most famous for playing Lelouch from Code Geass) brilliantly portrays the chilling, emotional disturbed character of Vincent Nightray. However, some voice actors such as Hirofumi Nojima as Elliot Nightray and Akeno Watanabe as Leo fail to effectively convey the personality and quirks that make the characters so enjoyable to read in the manga.
The series is an excellent balance between tragedy and light heartedness which makes it all the more enjoyable and I was personally surprised I enjoyed the series as much as I did. The characters are the highlight of the series for me, every character has some sort of personal flaw or past issue that influences and impacts their current actions and assists in their development. For fear of spoilers I will not reveal too much, however I will say that the first impressions you get of the characters will either be wrong or they will change later on in the series. I find that the characters react to situations and develop more like real people then regular manga/anime characters do which makes them all the more relatable and enjoyable. I also enjoy the Alice in Wonderland motif present throughout the series. Mochigizuki-sensei integrates characters, plots and themes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland into her own story thus creating personalities, plot points, and weapons in ways that are neither absurdly surreal like the in Dragon’s Lair II (apologises to fans of the series) nor overly whimsical like the Disney adaptation of the story but clever, innovative and sometimes dark ways. Overall Pandora Hearts is well developed, emotional satisfying series that has a progressive, complex plot with surprising innovative characters and some dark, violent turns and interesting twists that do not seem forced or contrived. Despite the flaws in the anime series, I feel that it is a great introduction to the series and well worth checking out. Nevertheless, the true heart of the story lies in the manga and is definitely one underrated series worth checking out. I give the anime series a 6/10 for providing a great introduction to the series, great voice actors, no fillers, mediocre animation, and a terrible ending. I give the manga and series as a whole 8.5/10 for outstanding character development, attractive artwork, emotional response, and complex storyline.
