Movies / Animé and Toons

Pandora Hearts Premium Editon Volume 1

By Chris Zimmerman
December 15, 2010 - 08:45

Pandora Hearts is the kind of series that should appeal to the hot topic crowd. Reveling in excessively gothic imagery and drowning in emoness, the series was tailor made for punk rock teens and fans of Burtonesque imagery. And how very apropos, considering both share a connection to Alice and Wonderland.

Offering no shortage of gothic Lolita dresses and whacked-out scenery, Pandora Hearts knows exactly for whom it caters. References to Alice in Wonderland are abundant in this semi reworking of the beloved children’s fable, despite the countless liberties taken. Whereas the book presented a maelstrom of child-like enthusiasm encapsulated within a world turned upside down, Pandora Hearts thrusts viewers into a darkly depressing and visually haunting world that would scare any child into their right mind.

The series follows a Victorian noble named Oz, who spends the days teasing his servants and partaking in aristocratic activities designed to prepare him for the future. During his coming of age ceremony, Oz finds himself the target of a massive conspiracy that results in his banishment to the other-worldy abyss. There he meets Alice, an uneven tempered girl with the ability to turn into an ax wielding rabbit. On more than one occasion, she threatens Oz’s life, though admitting that she can’t kill him due to some unknown connection he has to her past. The two agree to work together to further their own ends, encountering strange individuals determined to take both their lives.

With such an interesting premise, one would think the plot would progress in a timely manner, unfortunately, the series is under the misconception that it is a book, spending agonizing minutes explaining the plot, over and over, to the point that the dialogue feels as though its stuck on a loop.

Pandora Hears has the fantastical imagery down pat, filling itself to the brim with sharply dressed aristocrats in Victorian era garb and twisted environments for them to occupy. The animation drowns itself in dark colors and atmospheric imagery designed to haunt a child’s dreams. Its all very surreal and eerily enjoyable but unfortunately, it is nearly undone by the poor image quality that is no fault of NIS America. There is a noticeable amount of grain that distracts from the animation and makes it threatens to pull viewers out of the series. The official word is, this effect was done by the director to add texture, in which case, it fails on every level, doing little more than defacing otherwise eye-pleasing animation.

Characteristic of NIS America, the premium addition comes packaged in a sturdy box and is accompanied with a hard cover art book. This is really fantastic treatment and it’s a shame that most companies opt out of giving the fans more for their buck. The discs themselves feature a pair of gag shorts that aren’t particularly enthralling but are appreciated none-the-less.

Pandora Hearts is a series that should appeal to dark fantasy enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the series is terribly uneven and despite its gorgeous imagery, the grain and distracting exposition make it tedious to sit through. Still, like a Tim Burton film, it’s pretty to look at, and that’s all that counts, right?

B-

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12