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REVIEW: Pandora Hearts GN 3




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Kalessin



Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Posts: 931
PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:28 am Reply with quote
Well, if the anime follows the next part of the story as faithfully as it's followed the manga up through volume 3, we should definitely be getting some juicy Abyss stuff in the next volume. But if you particularly don't like dialogue, then Pandora Hearts as a whole will likely disappoint. It just loves exposition, dialogue, and characters introspecting. So, even when you get nice dose of juicy action, there's plenty of the exposition and dialogue mixed in, and if the anime is any indication, dialogue and exposition will likely almost always outweigh the action. Personally, I think that it works quite well, but if you want constant action, you're going to be disappointed. There should be some major story-progressing content in the next volume though.
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Jaymie



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 915
PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:00 am Reply with quote
Oh Hell no.

Actually, I didn't really like this arc much, so I don't care. And the art starts to improve like crazy around Volume 6.

Volume 4 is the start of the Cheshire Cat arc, and that arc literally follows the "show, don't tell" principle.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:28 pm Reply with quote
As has already been said Pandora Hearts is not about fights, so if anyone is reading it in hope of seeing fights, she or he should stop and find a different manga.

As far as the seeking of Alice’s memories is concerned, this also very soon stops being the most important part of the story. It is not a feather of the week type of story like TRC, the searching for Alice’s memories is pushed into the background, like in TRC after the Tokyo arc the search for Sakura’s memories is pushed. The biggest difference is that in PH the focus is shifted much earlier.

While the flashbacks may slow down the story, they are important, I mean it is nice to know something about important characters. Gilbert is definitely one of them. Notice that both Alice and Gilbert don’t remember their past.

And I agree the Cheshire Cat arc is juicy, it doesn’t show the abyss, but the memories Alice wanted to erase, and what is more important Jack is there *__*.

There may be more telling instead of showing, but I would rather reread Pandora Hearts than be bored witless by reading the first TRC volumes that are desperately low on content.
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wandering-dreamer



Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 1733
PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 5:39 pm Reply with quote
I think there was a good point made in the review that PH is a lot of talking, so much that I could actually see it working well as a novel also and frankly I have no problem with it. I'm a big fantasy novel fan already so I don't mind sitting through quite a bit of exposition (I mean, I read Soul Eater for god's sake, after that everything feels much more subtle) and the art is fairly pretty, especially as the series goes on.
So, action heavy? Heck no, but plot heavy oh yes, I can see a lot of other CLAMP fans liking this series too, if YP is marketing this as action then there is something seriously wrong going on.
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Kalessin



Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Posts: 931
PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:19 pm Reply with quote
Aylinn wrote:
And I agree the Cheshire Cat arc is juicy, it doesn’t show the abyss, but spoiler[the memories Alice wanted to erase, and what is more important Jack is there *__*.]


Well, the Cheshire Cat arc doesn't technically deal with the Abyss much, but the world of the Cheshire Cat is very similar to the Abyss in many respects, so much of what someone would be looking for in the Abyss-related stuff is in the Cheshire Cat arc. And it's not like the characters are going to keep hopping in and out of the Abyss all the time anyway. It's the kind of place that everyone tries to get out of, not return to.
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CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 4:06 am Reply with quote
Quote:
If Pandora Hearts could be accused of a sin, it would not be for having a complex fantasy world—there's nothing inherently wrong with that. Rather, the series' guilt lies in the way it presents this world: constant sit-down-and-talk sessions, with the intricacies of the Abyss being presented through dull conversations instead of making maximum use of a visual medium.

Why is this a problem? Yeah, I grew up in the 60's watching Wild Wild West & Star Trek where they had to have the characters explain things so it's not an unusual idea. We're dealing with a hidden conspiracy/secret organization type thing. Exposition is expected. It's really only negative when they feel the need to explain every little thing again & again.
I once read an article on Dark Shadows that commented if it had been a typical soap opera where characters discussed vampires over a cup of cofffee, the show wouldn't have worked--it worked because they showed vampires, werewolves, etc. The same works here. Pandora Hearts isn't Bleach or One Piece. It has more words than the usual shonen title. (Gintama Vol 20 tore itself apart over having too many words. I loved it). Gintama & Excel Saga are both a bit higher on word content than the average manga-so's Zetsubo-Sensei. Pandora Hearts is setting up a fairly complex universe as opposed to Bleach where Kubo created a universe more rooted in the existing universe--he only needs to explain the differences from our reality. On top of the separate universe, this title is also a mystery so there are clues to be dropped toward unraveling that puzzle.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 6:13 am Reply with quote
Kalessin wrote:

Well, the Cheshire Cat arc doesn't technically deal with the Abyss much, but the world of the Cheshire Cat is very similar to the Abyss in many respects, so much of what someone would be looking for in the Abyss-related stuff is in the Cheshire Cat arc.

I agree.

Kalessin wrote:

And it's not like the characters are going to keep hopping in and out of the Abyss all the time anyway. It's the kind of place that everyone tries to get out of, not return to.

Yep, no one will make a trip to a place where the flow of time is twisted. Moreover, people that go to the Abyss are driven crazy, so even fewer reasons to make an expedition. If I remember correctly, the last time when the Abyss stuff has been shown, it was in volume 7, where one of the characters’ back-story is revealed.
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