...the Abyss.
W-what the hell? Who's there?
Pandora Hearts was adapted by a manga of the same name by Jun Mochizuki. Produced by Xebec, and directed by Takao Kato, the story takes place in a universe of two different dimensions... of sorts: a humanity inhabited Victorian era-esque setting of corsets and petticoats, and a macabre reimagining of Lewis Caroll's Wonderland, the latter infested with eldritch abominations known as Chains with apparent appetites for manflesh. There's very little doubt that this show took its inspiration from Alice in Wonderland. We follow Oz Vessalius, a somewhat mischievous, but otherwise goodhearted youth and heir to one of the four great dukedoms of the realm. Due to circumstances involving a seemingly brief stint in the Abyss, a white-themed Alice choking him within an inch of his life and a red-themed Alice, henceforth known as simply Alice, enslaving/contracting with whatever was left, Oz, the chosen one, the red-themed Alice, and the loyal attendants/oddly dispositioned allies of the Chain-smoking agency dubbed Pandora, set off to unravel the mysteries of this Abyss and its governess, its Will. Adventure with sprinkles of madness, this show is sure to satisfy shounen itches.
Introspection atop heaps of despair, this show is also sure to interest those looking for a little more. A caveat of note toward this otherwise sensationalist review: existentialism. Most of the main characters are experiencing or have gone through some form of existentialist crisis. Personal existentialist crises framed with questions such as... Why was I born? Why do I continue to live? Is there any reason for me to? There's Oz, with his eerily resigned nature toward distressing events and his stilted affirmation toward martyrdom stemming from the trauma of being an unwanted son. There's Alice, with her past memories' absence and the anguish of being perceived incomplete, the outsider, alone. Self-sacrifice for self-gratification. Suspended animation, or rather, its sensation. In fact, most of the main cast are experiencing or have experienced these issues at some point or another, and most are pursuing numerous truths, the truth behind the numerous tragedies connected to the Abyss, the truth behind Will of the Abyss, the truth behind the Abyss itself. But most interestingly of all these veracities are the ones that are personal. For Oz and Alice specifically, they need the truth in confronting their own demons before progressing elsewhere, no matter how painful that may be.
Then after, is finding the truth behind the melody. “Lacie” in all its reiterative forms, more predominantly as a simple music box number, is a work of art. Played on its own many times throughout the show, without words, with more than just feelings, this melody weaves a tale of its own. Rather than one of one-sided angst, it croons of tragedy as it compels its listeners to muse why music so beautiful, a product of which can only find in happy days, is so sad. Coupled with details of the story seen and spoken, the musical yarn is given clarity. The story, in turn, is given weight. Crafted by the talents of one Ms. Yuki Kaiijura, who composed the rest of the OST, a special mention must be said of the OP, “Parallel Hearts,” by Kaijura's Fiction Junction. With a similarly soul-rending violin solo at the beginning and haunting vocals throughout, the crescendos and decrescendos of the song match well with the fluctuating intensity of the visuals, even if those visuals do little more than introduce the settings and cast members. The EDs, ED1 “maze,” and ED2 “Watashi wo Mitsukete,” translated “Find Me,” by savage genius are of a more obligatory note by comparison. ED1, which hosts its own pretty and well-paced dynamics, is comprised mainly of Alice, suspended, vulnerable, insecure because of her lack of an identity, interspaced by Oz providing just that. ED2 is of a lighter toned portrayals of the major recurring characters accompanied by singing that wouldn't be half bad if it stayed on pitch towards the end.
The animation is consistent, nothing as eye-catchingly comparable as some of more scenic and uncanny set pieces, the notable exception coming to mind being all those murderous dolls from the latter, save those demarcatedly anime forms of stylized humor, deliberately deformed head sizes, facial expressions, and whatnot. Funny for those who like that humor, and honestly, it'd be rare to find an anime fan that wasn't, but there's no denying that, on its own, it's silly to a fault. And that quality's a problem for a show like this, especially at its inception. Here I am, breathing in the setting, the atmosphere, the substance of the established relationships, the gravity of the sinister elements at play, and then a stupid anime mug later, my immersion's shattered, and I'm left disgruntled trying to re-piece it into a semblance or even shell of what it was from earlier.
It becomes less of an issue the further on the story progresses, but the comedy, however balanced with its dramatic counterpart never really changes from this aforementioned nature, and then a new issue erupts revolving around the characters. We see our main cast in serious situations. We see our main cast in silly ones. Yet we never see much in between, and because of that, the relationships in this show lack real grounding. Real relationships constitute more than just stress and hijinks; they are made up of normal moments, of people sharing their interests in fairly realistic ways. That doesn't mean humor can't be implemented to spice these moments up, but if they are to feel sincere, then they can't be more than just elements.
Then there's another bothersome feature that has less to do with the animation and more to do with the direction. Eyes are said to be windows to the soul; it's especially true for anime, since eyes are an effective way of demonstrating powerful emotions without the need for any further body language. It's an attractive for production studios running under tight budgets, but Pandora Hearts abuses it so much on the male main protagonist that it becomes sensationally meaningless, and I'd argue it's uncharacteristic of Oz to be eliciting such pained eye expressions every episode to other episode. Such direction has to be used sparingly if the intent behind them is to signal that shit's hit the fan, because if the show as a whole is polluted with them, then it's hard to take them seriously.
Lastly is this show's heavy-handed reliance on flashbacks. Flashbacks are viable means of characterization and plot progression, especially when the object of them is to coax drama. Anyone who's a fan of Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica would attest to their effectiveness when used properly. However, Pandora Hearts does two things wrong with them. One, it uses them incessantly. Two, it uses them right before or during the majority of the series' numerous dire situations. The dramatic value a flashback may carry over to a narrative diffuses the more often it is used. Coupled with the fact that it's often used when it's convenient, to introduce it right at the moment where we are supposed to care about characters the most, it borders on contrivance. The only flashbacks I find reasonable are the ones around Alice, whom the audience is supposed to regard as somewhat mysterious, one of the major plot drives being that she's unlocking memories as she goes. It also helps that those memories are also pretty tragic.
And there you have it. Filled with execution flaws, but nonetheless layered with substantive ambition and terrific music, minding the rough start it's a show to try out when you have the time. That's me, and before I break into anymore literary nonsense, I think I'm going to get a new hat. The one I'm currently wearing is rather nice, but it's kind of old and, to be honest, I think it's giving me migraines. Could be the trapped dust, or maybe it's the mercury. How's that idiom go? Mad as a-
...the Abyss.
W-who keeps saying that?
I give Pandora Hearts a 7 out of 10.
