Manga Review – Pandora Hearts Vol 1 by Jun Mochizuki (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Manga
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: December 15, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0316076074
Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in the Pandora Hearts series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

“The air of celebration surrounding fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius’ coming-of-age ceremony quickly turns to horror when he is condemned for a sin about which he knows nothing.

Thrown into the Abyss – an eternal prison from which there is no escape – Oz meets a young girl named Alice who is not what she seems. Now that the relentless cogs of fate have begun to turn, will they lead only to crushing despair for Oz, or will Alice provide him with some shred of hope?”

I have heard a lot of great things about this manga series but I also know it’s tough for a manga series to grab my attention and make me love it in the first volume. Well, this one was spectacular…it grabbed my attention, held it, and made me want the second volume immediately!

The story is a bit complex and confusing at first, but things really come together as the story progresses. I loved the characters; especially Black Rabbit and Oz. The story starts out looking like it’s going to be all light and fluffy and then takes a serious turn for the creepy, dark and strange as things continue.

I loved the idea of the Abyss and how it wasn’t what Oz thought it would be in the beginning. There are so many interesting mysteries presented to the reader in this volume.

The whole story has a bit of a Victorian theme to it and is kind of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland (maybe?). The illustration is really well done with lots of detail and beautiful characters.

Overall this is a spectacular start to this manga series. I always am a little leery when I start a new manga series because a lot of them are similar. However this one was amazingly engaging and different and I am in love with it. Fans of Black Butler should check out this manga series, it has some of the same type of flavor to it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge