orn.frieda - 2017-02-04 15:31:07

i watched this during the “olden days” when anime was on youtube and everything was fan translations. i love this series, but i ended up stopping because the anime was kinda disappointing to me. i am still keeping up with the manga and the original art is beautiful. the plot is just constant twists and turns. this however, was not that.
it started out okay but then veered off into original ending territory. also, the animation had constant off model moments and sometimes it was just painful to look at after seeing the original art. there were sometimes of monologues that i guess explained part of the plot but not very well. also, the whole exposition = monologues or long thoughts and flashbacks works in books but sometimes not very well in movies and tv. the music was good at least.
i would recommend reading the manga rather than watching this.

stark.bertrand - 2016-01-02 03:52:30

A paper airplane that crashed into the ground; it had the potential of being great-- alas, it was not.

trantow.kallie - 2015-07-02 02:53:18

Pandora Hearts has such potential and this ANIME  just wasted most of it. While the voices and music were great, the animation, and story were not (I mean that ending...). For those who see potential value but could not find it, I would suggest the manga. Pandora Hearts is definitely not something you want to miss out on.

vivienne00 - 2014-09-29 00:47:47

Story

The mystery of Pandora Hearts is suspenseful. It’s unpredictable, (for the most part). And it’s entertaining.

The story starts out quite slow, and continues on fairly slowly too. Pacing is quite an issue for those who like fast-paced shows, but I find that those who are more patient aren’t really bothered by it, and neither was I. It follows the amazing manga quite well until it nears the end, where everything just seems to fall apart. Half of the mysteries were left unsolved, and the ending felt sort of anticlimactic.

Other than the ending, the plot develops really well and is always moving forward, sometimes slowly and sometimes not. Pandora Hearts is an intricate story with multiple sub-plots, but it’s never overwhelming.

One thing I really love about Pandora Hearts is that is is heavily inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and even draws some names and such from the original story. However, it is not simply one of those remakes that long to be loved for how gothic they are. Instead, it is it’s own individual story, and it’s a very good one.

While the ending leaves much to be desired, numerous other mysteries are still solved earlier in the series, which gives a small sense of closure, but not enough to satisfy the fans that Pandora Hearts has gathered.

Animation / Art

The animation is pretty good, and so is the art. There’s not much to discuss about animation quality other than that, but I would really like to point out the character designs and the overall ambiance Pandora Hearts has.

The characters designs are just so cool. They’re epic twists on classic Victorian fashion, and they have a gothic feel to them. As does the rest of the setting. The ambiance also draws off of Victorian London, but it has distinct differences. It has a really nice feel to it.

Music

The opening of Pandora Hearts is just beautiful in every way. The song and the animation. It all fits the anime very well, and every time I watch it or hear it somewhere, I am flooded with nostalgia. Sadly, the opening is surrounded by strict copyrights. The first ending is also beautiful and fitting. The second ending is… well, it’s pretty average. Nothing really special about it, just a song and some pictures of characters.

Pandora Hearts’ soundtrack was composed by the amazing Yuki Kajiura, and she did a marvelous job. The OST has tracks ranging from happy to sad, but the best tracks, (and there are many), are the haunting and dramatic ones that fit the anime to such a degree that it’s sort of scary. A gorgeous-sounding orchestra and haunting vocals make for a captivating OST. If Pandora Hearts was just a confusing, mediocre mess, I would still watch it for the soundtrack. Because it’s beautiful, and I could listen to it over and over again. Thank you, Yuki Kajiura.

Characters

I would have to say that besides the outstanding soundtrack, the characters of Pandora Hearts are what makes it such a great anime. Why is that, you might ask? Because they have development! The type of character development that causes them to make different choices and see the world differently! Isn’t that just great?

But no, seriously, Pandora Hearts has stellar character development. The characters seem like some cookie-cutter stereotypes at a first glance, but they are given much depth and development. Add that to how likeable they already are, and there you have quite the cast.

Most of the pacing issues I think are actually caused because of the time spent on character developments and backgrounds. I had no problem with this at all, but I know others might.

Enjoyment

Overall, Pandora Hearts is an entertaining ride that I’m looking forward to taking again. The highlights are the characters, the music, the intricate storyline, and the overall ambiance. The ending was very frustrating and anticlimactic, and for some reason I don’t remember much from the ending. I don’t know, I just remember having all of these questions. Let’s just hope that Pandora Hearts gains enough popularity, (and money), to get a second season. Or even better, a remake!

Final Conclusion: 9/10

wendell.hoeger - 2014-05-28 09:23:39

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Pandora Hearts is really is an amazing journey.It’s not easy to categorize Pandora Hearts into any specific genre. The anime tries to play safe by pleasing everyone by mixing vast diversity of themes,which include action,comedy,monsters,drama,supernatural,mystery,the anime often switches back and forth between different mood; monster fight-tear squeezing drama-comic relief and so on. The regular alternation of mood is well executed and does not interfere with the overall plot line.

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[-]Setting:-
Oz is heir to one of the Four Dukes Houses and has turned fifteen.At his coming of age ceremony he is cast into a prison called "Abyss" and is saved by a "chain" named B-Rabbit(Alice).He is now bewildered of the thought of him being cast into the Abyss for no proper reason.He sets on a journey with Alice to find the 'Truth' with his pals and to know what an organization "Pandora" wants with him.

(*)Four Duke Houses:-

(-)100 Years Ago:-
-Baskervilles
-Nightray
-Reinsworth
-Barma

(-)Present:-
-Bezarius
-Nightray
-Reinsworth
-Barma

[-]Story:-
A really unique story I've seen in a while.Unlike other anime, Pandora Heart’s story heavily relies on what happend in the past, not the present. The gravity of the anime solely depends on the constant revelations of bits and pieces of history surrounding a tragedy called,"The Tragedy Of Sabrie". The storytelling balances well between providing entertainment and maintaining the anime main plot about discovering the truth behind The Tragedy of Sabrie. Just when I was tired of the unsolved mysteries of the past the main-plot kicks in and new information about the past of certain character or what happened in the past will be revealed and the show gets back on tract. The whole anime is like a big jigsaw puzzle and it’s almost at the end of the season that we will see,how the characters and events are connected.

At the start,Oz is an extremely stereotypical hero(young),kind,honest,reckless and prone of getting into troubles.Initially,Oz's role in the first few episodes was disappointing for me as he didn't have any particular goal,motive and was constantly being pulled by the strings of Alice,Baskervilles and Xerxes(knight of Reinsworth).He is the object of every faction’s mission but he never really takes action on his own and the worst thing about his character is that he barely knows anything about what’s happening around him.Heck,I knew more than him what was happening around him.Nevertheless, during the final part of the series, Oz’s uniqueness becomes more distinguished because instead of becoming more powerful like he would be if he were in other anime, he starts to embrace his weakness and flaws. He even keeps clinging to the fact that he is really weak and has many flaws as a human.

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[-]Characters:-
The character development in Pandora Hearts is truly amazing.No way that anime didn't have any character development. Each and every character is mysterious,with comedic sense and it really is hard to pick a favorite one.Well,I would go with Alice (xD).All the characters are simply enrapturing.Every character is quirky in his own way and have some kind of chemistry with each other.Despite the well characterized protagonists, the antagonists, like the Baskervilles and Vincent Nightray, seem to be completely forgotten and appear to be just shadowy figures that make hollow threats with devilish smiles.

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[-]Visuals and Original Score:-

The animation quality is way below today’s standard with lots of lazy shots and static sequences. Combined with unnaturally foggy lighting and dim colors that plague the entire show.But in some of the scenes the animation was something like,chibi,and I really liked it!I wonder why they could not have done this beautiful story justice.

The Original Score is brilliant.The OST work is truly beautiful.Yuki has really done a beautiful job. The osts blend in perfectly with a particular scene and it is like blasphemy to say anything bad about it.The Opening song,Parallel Hearts,is just awesome and this wasn't the same with the Ending,this one wasn't on par and wasn't catchy with the rest of the Score.

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Towards the end of the story it was totally rushed.The ending sequence was deliberately inserted.All the Abyss was set loose and the Chains start rampaging the city and our heroes are forced to take action.It was like the production house wanted to end it some fight scene and explosions.Unfortunately,the final sequence doesn't provide any new information about the past and leaves behind of truck load of unanswered questions.This anime is really entertaining and left me longing for more. But as an individual series, the anime is severely incomplete and can be quite frustrating to watch.

Bottom line,Pandora Hearts is a ride filled with lot of mystery,fun and is a solid show and desperately needs a sequel,though we can start off with the manga,which I will,but I really want another season of Pandora Hearts.

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Final Rating:-4.5/5

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predovic.madisyn - 2013-06-08 02:29:05

As an anime fan who loves a good  anime  based on Alice and Wonderland, I was pretty excited for this one. The manga of Pandora Hearts is about a boy named Oz who, after discovering the existence of a place called the Abyss and a girl called Alice inside it, sets out on a journey to help Alice recover the pieces of her memories. The plot becomes much more complex, however, and corruption and intrigue soon set in within a decent cast of minor characters. 

Sadly, the anime of Pandora Hearts was not so spectacular. 

The story starts out the same, but the anime is largely episodic, with an ending that feels like a cop-out. The writers could have done wonders with it if they had stuck to the plot of the manga, but instead they chose to limit it to a roughly 24-episode series that is as disappointing as Black Butler's anime.

The art is beautiful, however, and the Victorian themes come through very clearly. The artists really knew what they were doing. But the animation uses too many key frames and could use more full-body motion to be more visually stimulating. 

The voices were good, but what is even more impressive is the music. Yuki Kajiura's soundtrack is wonderful, and the character themes are impressive and varied. 

The characters are much like they are in the manga, which is something of a save for the anime. Alice is without doubt one of the most interesting characters, given her unknown origins and strange, disjointed memories.

I enjoyed the anime, accepting its episodic nature until the end. Then I was thoroughly disappointed by the ending, which was abrupt and entirely separate from the manga. 

Overall, I would give this anime a 6 out of 10. What it does well it does very well, but what it does poorly it  does pretty badly. I would only watch it before reading the manga in order to avoid disappointment.