Pandora Hearts v.2

              

Oz Vessalius may have survived his stint in the Abyss, but he is no closer to discovering the truth behind the “sin” for which he was condemned. On the advice of a mysterious man who appeared to him when Alice regained the first of her memories, Oz, along with Alice and Pandora’s Raven, embarks on a mission to investigate the site of his disastrous coming-of-age ceremony in search of answers. However, what begins as a simple investigation becomes the revelation of a harsher reality, which comes swooping down on Oz as the hands of the clock continue ticking away mercilessly…

Volume two brought many unexpected surprises and answered quite a  few questions that we, as readers, might have had after volume one.Of course Mochizuki-sensei made the use of backstories for these:


Friendship between Oz and Gilbert 
Going back to volume one, we saw Oz and Gilbert to be friends, and we had an idea that they were close, but volume two explained the type of friendship they had, which was summarized by a phrase Gilbert said, "we are linked by our shadows, not by our light."  This friendship is powerful and it might be one that cannot be broken. Now we can understand why it is that Gilbert tolerates everything Oz does, and yet we know, that Oz truly cares for Gilbert. It was extremely touching. And I can't wait to see more of this friendship.


Relationship with dad
Oz relationship with dad  is not only mysterious but full of regrets. Oz regrets not asking his father why he was hated so much by him, but never got to it. So now that he is on a journey regarding the Abyss, he doesn't want to not regret anything. It might have been just miscommunication between father and son, a probability, but we won't be able to know till the next volume. ( Well, I hope so!)


Alice's memory
We were finally able to have a snippet of Alice's memory in volume two. And if many of you remember volume one, there was someone in the shadows when Oz met Alice for the first time, that said person was in her memories too! He is linked to her memories disappearing, and I want to know how they are all chained together. Yes, Alice looked so innocent and happy in her past, and I started to wonder, what happened that made her not only a chain, but a brat. But don't worry, I still think she rocks!


Volume two  explains so much to us.


For example we find out what the Incuse is and how it works.  Why Oz is very important, for he is the key to the Abyss. The Baskervilles are tie into this (the guys that sent Oz to the Abyss). There is also the connection between Raven and Gilbert, so when I first read about it I was stunt! I wasn't expecting it, and I congratulate Mochizuki-sensei for making me go agape about it.


Review
Pandora Hearts volume 2 is amazing! And as you can see through my breakdown, there is so much detail giving to us by Mochizuki-sensei to the point where it wasn't overwhelming. It all flowed nicely and at a constant pace. The art continues to be beautiful yet dark. But what I loved the most is that, even though this manga has so much darkness and sadness, Jun Mochizuki gave us pinches of comedy, creating a balance to the story. 


This continuation is a great story to a wonderful series. So please support Jun Mochizuki and purchase her manga!

Pandora Hearts v.1

By: Jun Mochizuki
Publisher: Yen Press

The air of celebration surrounding fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius’s coming-of-age ceremony quickly turns to horror when he is condemned for a sin about which he knows nothing. He is thrown into an eternal, inescapable prison known as the Abyss from which there is no escape. There, he meets a young girl named Alice, who is not what she seems. Now that the relentless cogs of fate have begun to turn, do they lead only to crushing despair for Oz, or is there some shred of hope for him to grasp on to?








Story

Pandora Hearts is the dark-theme version of Alice in Wonderland that  keeps us turning the page.  The pace of the story is easy to follo, and nothing is what it seems, which is a  plus for some of us.  Jun Mochizuki did not rushed her story, which is why we have so much detail and symbolism, and we have a great cast that balances each other out. But what I liked the most is that even though this is somewhat of a serious story,  we still find scenes that make us laugh; giving a balance between horror and comedy.

Characters

Oz  Vessalius

He's the protagonist of the series with a very care-free attitude that cherishes the relationship with his younger sister, Ada, and his best friend, Gilbert. He is caring and lonely ( of course he won't admit it) and doesn't really have a relationship with his dad. In fact his dad is a mystery. But most importantly, he becomes Alice's contractor. For someone that has gone through a lot in his past, he knows how to not make others worry, making us, the reader, come to like him, and think as to why someone like him would have to go through so much.

Alice a.k.a B-rabbit

She's a pretty awesome character. She's cynical, crazy, powerful, and out for revenge, since she's been in the Abyss for quite sometime. But underneath all that though, we come to see that she really is nice and caring, and would like to know more about her past. Now what caught my attention about this particular Alice is that she doesn't let others rule over her.

Gilbert

In a way I feel bad for him because he gets picked on and pranked on by none other than Oz, his friend and master.  There is more to Gilbert's past, but we are not informed in this volume. Oh, and he dislikes cat.

Lady Sharon

When she is first introduced Oz gets all fluster and finds her to be the most attractive young lady. Not only does she come from a wealthy family, and looks like such a nice and polite young lady, but carries as secret, which we don't know till almost at the end of the volume. 

Xerxes Break

To me he seems more like Lady Sharon's shadow with a sarcastic attitude that carries a talking doll name Emily.. Yet I can't help but think that he has a secret agenda.  But what would that be?

Baskerville Race

They are the ones that cause Oz  adventure. Whatever it is that they were trying to accomplished sure didn't go as planned. 

Final Thoughts

Maybe this one story might have quite an amount of characters that seems to be a very important part of the plot, so what I'm hoping for is for Jun Mochizuki to not lose track of what she wants to tell us; without dropping important characters and adding additional characters that might be no real use for.  As well as following her plot.

But most importantly, this is definitely a series to look into, if you are looking for something with a hint of horror and comedy, in a twisted world.

My Thoughts on Bunny Drop v.1

 Yen Press

So first of all, let's begin with the synopsis:

Going home for his grandfather’s funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won’t this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi’s love life?!




That and the movie preview is what got me interested in the series. So let's break it down.


Main Characters:


Daikichi
The story revolves around Daikichi who apparently thinks that the opposite sex is his enemy. Who works in a 9-5 job with lots and lots of overtime. Who has been carefree and lacks responsibility (which of course is hinted by his family members). And who, as volume one progresses, begins to slowly become an adult. But truth be told, I just think he's misunderstood.


Rin
Rin is the oddball; the six-year-old that is to tall for her age and too shy to speak. Well that's how the family sees her. But as she begins to live with Daikichi, not only he, but us, were able to see that she is a lot more responsible then Daikichi is. In a way, she balances him. I guess she is the adult and Daikichi is the little kid. A role reversal.


Grandpa
There isn't much at the moment. I know, he's dead, but I feel like there might be more... like if he is surrounded by mystery, so definitely something to look forward to!


Other Characters
I don't want to go on detail about them (for now), but Daikichi's family is definitely in the loop. At the beginning of the novel, you can't help but feel annoyed by them, but by the end, they are, kind of, okay...


Story
The story is amazing and truly touching. The fact that Yumi Unita touches on topics about death, divorce, parenthood, and responsibility in a serious manner while throwing some silliness at the side is amazing! (and I used amazing twice here). 


Comments 
Definitely something worth buying. Its refreshing while touching familiar topics. The art style is very different from other mangas I've read, which would explain why this is a lot taller then most of my mangas. And the fact that we see how a child, who acts as an adult, and an adult who acts like a child begin take their respected roles; makes us ask for more.
So, thank you Yen Press for bringing this to the U.S.


Till next time

A Manga Series by the Name of Death Note v.1

 

 Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?

A story that involves a shinigami, a smart high school kid that is bored out of his mind, a notebook that can bring death to the names that are written in it, and Sherlock Holmes detective. A pretty interesting synopsis wouldn't you agree?

So lets break it down. 

Character

Light 

First of all he is the protagonist of this manga. Right from page one we get to see who Light is: smart, popular, attractive, do I dare say middle class, but most of all he's bored and believes that the world is corrupt; the last two thing are what drive this series.

Of course him finding the Death Note is what gives him the opportunity to change the world, and gives him the chance to try and create an oasis, HIS oasis. 

Yeah, the way I see it... Light is a Sociopath, and yes, I did some research on it and found out that signs of this particular disorder start showing up around the age of 15.

Gosh... Tsugumi-sensei sure did the research, and this totally shows it.

Ryuk

He is the shinigami that intentionally dropped the Death Note on earth. Just like Light, he was bored and wanted something to do, and as we read volume 1, we come to understand that he sees humans as a form of entertainment. He is also intrigued by Light.

L 

Volume 1 gives us bits and pieces of his personality and right away we realized that he is going to be Light's biggest obstacle.

L is a well-known detective (a Sherlock Holmes) and clever as a mouse. His identity is not known by the reader and by Light during the first volume, so that was disappointing, but its what keeps some of us buying the manga, hoping to see who L really is. 

Story

I like the pace of the story. There is plenty of information giving to us, including what exactly is the Death Note. Although, what did amused me was that the rules on how to use this Death Note was a little to repetitive for me. In fact, I think I can come an use the Death Note if I ever see it on the ground one day. But most importantly this is an attention grabber and makes you want to buy the second volume just to see what happens next. 

Till next time