Pandora Hearts Episode 1

Finally the new anime season is underway! I had to choose today which new series to blog about and since I had high hopes about Pandora Hearts it won! Yay for making the truly TOUGH decisions XD

Well...we don't know yet! But stick around to find out!

Even though this show was not really what a lot of people were expecting I still enjoyed it. So hopefully my post will show a more positive side to this show and other people will give it a chance. Or they will just shake their heads at me and declare me wrong.

Seriously though, I think this show deserves a chance. I know that tons of new shows have just been released and it is easy to pass up a show whose art is a little...iffy and the plot a little slow. But I still think this series has potential and I hope a lot of other people will discover that potential too. So come, read and be converted.

Pandora Hearts is very big on friendship!

The series starts off with one young man on the ground and one being tortured. A robed man says he is going to pass judgment on him in the name of the Chain of Judgment. There is then a huge explosion destroying a massive part of the city. We then see a head Maid (or Governess…person) looking for the master of the house. His personal servant Gilbert lies about his master’s location even though he is tortured with a cat. His master Oz and Oz’s young sister Ada thank Gilbert for his lies and those three run off towards the chapel. Gilbert seems in awe of their surroundings and how old the buildings seem to look. Oz seems a little shocked to see the clock at the chapel and there is a flashback of the destroyed city. All three of these kids are caught by Oz’s Uncle. The Uncle takes them all back to the house and they talk about the reason everyone is there, for Oz’s coming of age ceremony. Oz tries to change the subject and mentions the explosion (which is called “The tragedy of Sabrie”) and how it happened a long time ago. The Uncle acts weird when that subject is mentioned but the Head Maid lady pokes around changing the mood. The Uncle allows the kids to run off again before the ceremony but warns them if they are late the Chains of the Abyss will get them! Oz scoffs that he is no longer scared of that fairytale while Gilbert explains what the Chains of Abyss is to Ada. It apparently is a legend about how criminals are dragged into this dark place to be punished for their deeds.

YAY FOR FAIRY TALES!

While playing Oz informs Gilbert that he will take part in the ceremony. Gilbert says he can’t as he is just a lowly servant. Oz orders him to…but then informs him they are friends thus he must. Oz takes the other two kids around and shows them “secret areas”. Oz starts to hear a melody and wants to investigate where the sound is coming from. While exploring part of the ground collapses beneath Gilbert and Oz. Gilbert investigates one lone grave near a tree and comments it is so old the name is no longer visible. On the grave is a watch that Gilbert feels drawn to. When he picks up the watch he is transported into a room with crazy dolls. The dolls start screaming they are so excited to see Oz and that he has finally returned. A young girl enters the room and is happy to see Oz again. She says that even though she is trapped there forever it is okay since Oz is with her. Oz demands answers and the girl gets upset. She chokes him and tries to stab him…and Gilbert wakes up his master. Oz pretends to be okay and insists that Gilbert be a part of the ceremony. After being lectured over being dirty and late Oz gets dressed but has bruises from the strangling. While Gilbert is trying to figure out what to do he is approached by a person in a robe. Nobles begin to gather for the ceremony and the mood gets tense. Oz thinks to himself had he gone down a different road that none of this would have happened and things would be different. Gilbert now looks different as he claims he likes his new body and smiles evilly with the robed person. Oz starts walking towards the ceremony knowing that something is off and he stares at the watch looking for answers. A young girl is floating in nothingness as she hears the same music that Oz heard before. She is the girl from the room earlier and looks much calmer. It appears she is actually IN the watch as Oz closes it shut. The end.

Me thinks that will be very important later on..

So….it was a little confusing as I expected from the synopsis. That’s okay….for now. This series has 25 episodes so there will be plenty of time to explain all this mess. Or it will have plenty of time to create more messes and leave us all feeling MOG ANGRY! We shall wait and see.

The art was not what I was expecting. Maybe I should just stop assuming the art I see in the promo pictures will be similar to the art used in the series. False advertising apparently doesn’t apply to anime. XD Or I am just an art style snob. Of course it wasn’t as bad as the Weiss Kretz switchero but still. Parts of the show were okay in regards to the art style and other parts just seemed lazy. I would expect to see a different kind art style BETWEEN episodes not in the same one. So I was not blown away by the art to say the least.

Art style is very important that's why!

Both the opening and closing theme songs were pretty good. Once I hear the full version of both songs I will have a better opinion of them. But they had a decent beat and the anime clips for the songs were pretty decent. No one seems to be topping To Aru Majutsu no Index though.

Quite a few people both on forums and blogs have complained that Pandora Hearts was boring and it really didn’t do the manga justice. Well, I have not read the manga so I can’t complain on that end. And well…I didn’t think this episode was boring.

Lots of people being killed sounds like action to me!

Perhaps the people who do have information about the manga were expecting more action and that is why the deemed it boring. Or maybe too much was focused on “fun times” playing and being a goofy teenager. Apparently a show has to be UTTERLY confusing and leave everyone with huge X_X eyes for it to be AWESOME and worthy in the anime community. But I have had my fair share of brain exploding shows. Give me a little of “boring” with a side of adventure any day.

Don't make such harsh decisions fellow bloggers!

And I really thought that in terms of….action there was a LOT of it. The first scene is full of confusion as it is based on something later on in the series. Now in my small mind I tend to think this scene will be based events that will happen towards the end of the episode, what with Gilbert laying on the ground unconscious and not looking like a demon. But know how wrong I can be it might be explained next episode.

And of course there were a lot of comic relief moments.

We were told that a horrible event may have happened over 200 years ago that created a rather…large crater in the Earth. Since it looked like Oz has prior knowledge or was THERE at the time…creates confusion. And confusion tends to keep people awake during a series right?

Oz seems to have forgotten a great deal of things....

Now it did get a little boring with the let’s play and be silly kids and not listen to adults. I will give the critics that. I am sure that the episode could have moved a little faster to them falling in that hole and finding the grave/watch. A bit too much of the mean old maid lady and Oz torturing Gilbert.

Crazy evil Oz is fun too!

I was left a little confused on Alice trying to kill Oz. She acts as if she knows him but she tried to stab his eyes out. Yet at the end of the episode we see a much saner looking Alice. I tend to think that this has happened before and that Oz has been to this world before and forgotten or he has been reincarnated. But yeah, Alice being all evilified one minute and cool the next was slightly confusing.

Apparently she's a bad witch...

I felt bad for Gilbert being taken over so quickly but it makes sense. In the promo posters he looks so much older so SOMETHING had to happen. I just wonder what side he and the robe men are going to be on.

Sadness. :( Poor Gilbert.

I am sure as the series progresses we will learn more about the Uncle who knows more than he is letting on and whose grave that really is. My thoughts are that is Oz’s grave or his fathers. I am not sure what the Abyss has to do with anything as Oz does not appear to be a criminal.

It flowed so magical into the conversation too...

The Alice and Wonderland theme is very prevalent but not overwhelming. More of an edgier version with a killer rabbit and a half evil Alice. Better watch out Oz, rabbit wants its pocket watch back!

The watch, rabbit hole, innocent girl in a pretty dress...

So overall I was left feeling alright about this first episode. I wasn’t really expecting much since I know nothing about this series so I wasn’t disappointed in anything but maybe the art. It didn’t leave me feeling bored and I will surely watch the next few episodes at least. Hopefully for all it will improve and it will gain a bigger audience.