Out of the fire and into the Abyss

Since anime is watched by a broad range of audiences of both genders, all ages, and many different nationalities, there's quite a few series out there that are meant to target a specific age group or gender. Terms like “shounen” and “shoujo” work to specify which audience is most likely to enjoy the title, and although some titles fit neatly into these categories, the greatest and most memorable anime series are the ones who push these classifications aside and reach out to many different viewers at once. After all, if there's so many of us otaku out there, what's the point in limiting the audience where you don't have to?

Oz, Alice, and Gil

Pandora Hearts is a title which manages to grasp a widespread audience with one simple trick: it tells an entertaining story using an enjoyable cast of characters. There's a healthy dose of action, mystery, bishounen leads, tsundere heroines, supernatural twists, drama, darkness, and complex emotional dilemmas, and the premise itself is interesting and unique enough to set itself apart from other titles in the fantasy/mystery genres. In other words, it's got a little something for everyone, and is held together by a strong narrative that will hook all kinds of fans into its world.

Our memory-less chain, Alice

The story begins with the coming-of-age ceremony of the fifteen year-old Dukedom heir Oz Vessalius, a bright and easy going boy who has enjoyed a life of relative luxury in spite of internally suffering from the rejection and absence of his noble father. However, when Oz's ceremony begins, something odd happens: a host of cloaked figures emerge, declare him an unforgivable sinner, and thrust him without further explanation into the hellish realm of the Abyss.

The Alice in Wonderland inspired Abyss

In the Abyss, Oz meets a former human named Alice who has been transformed into a “Chain,” a creature who resides in the Abyss and cannot escape. Desiring to protect her, Oz forms a pact with Alice and returns to the surface to find out that ten years have passed, the girl he rescued has no memories of herself and who she is, and that the two of them are at the heart of solving the mystery behind a tragedy that happened to their world 100 years ago.

Though we've all seen the memory loss trope used before for better or for worse, Pandora Hearts' complex world of conflicting factions, uncertain loyalties, and deadly secrets give the familiar theme a fresh twist to keep it from coming across as overdone. The viewer is rarely certain of who to trust and what the motives of each of the characters and organizations are, so there's never a sense of security in which direction the plot will take. While this may frustrate some viewers, it's definitely a benefit for those who want a story they've never watched before.

Pandora Hearts is an incredibly complicated title, on the other hand, so unless you're willing to focus on the story and work on keeping the universe rules straight while you're watching, you're probably going to end up quite lost. This is not a good title to watch while multi-tasking or over a long period time, and if you don't invest fully in it, it's going to seem like a whole lot of fantasy gibberish. Unfortunately, the fact that the anime does not cover the continuation of the manga, several things don't ever get fully explained.

The action and mystery plotlines are well-done and interesting, but Pandora Hearts is also a story very much focused on the relationships between the characters. The supportive friendship between Alice and Oz is particularly beautiful, as is the mutually trusting master-and-servant bond between Oz and his attendant Gil. Though there are a lot of bittersweet emotions behind both of these relationships, there's also quite a bit of comedy sprinkled in to keep things from getting too heavy. They may have tough pasts, but Alice is absolutely hilarious when she's scarfing down meat like an animal and Gil is having a dramatic freak out over his fear of cats.

Gil and Oz

Another bonus? Yuki Kajiura and FictionJunction, the musical masterminds behind stellar OSTs such as Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and Madoka Magica, produced the soundtrack, and it is absolutely beautiful. If you haven't had the chance to listen to Kajiura's work, I'd recommend all three OSTs in a heartbeat. It's truly amazing how much better a scene comes across when the music compliments it perfectly.

Is Pandora Hearts worth checking out? Definitely. The title will probably make the most sense to fantasy fans who love new universes and their intricate workings, but it's just once of those shows that works well across several different target audiences due to its diversity and unique narrative. The fact that there wasn't enough manga material at the time to stretch into a longer series is a bit disappointing, but with 20 volumes now out following the show's conclusion, there's still plenty of room to get your fandom fix!