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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
I would like u all to stop these miscommunications and tell your friends u care about them
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
I knew it was going to happen but I still got shocked...
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
ummmm IT WAS SO GOOD but no please please tell me that Reim is alive
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am honestly really confused by how Humpty Dumpty works but it’s okay. Plus points for handsome looking Gilbert Minus points for killing off Reim and even more plus points for the ending comic strip featuring Jack Vessalius’ body pillow 〜♡
I think, once a person gets to this point, if they haven't already read the other volumes, then they just want to know that the series is still strong. In fact, even if you've read the other volumes, you probably want to know if Pandora Hearts has begun to sag.
If that's why you're reading this review, I have to say this series is as strong as when it first started. In fact, this volume is absolutely stunning in its depth.
This volume focuses on two main things. First, the innocence of childhood and its subversion by violence. In some cases, the children are the victims of violence (or those who have violent goals) but in others the children themselves are the perpetrators, often after becoming a victim themselves. (Hope I phrased that right.)
Lily, for example. She's on the cover. In this volume, we learn why she has that tattoo on her face and what being a Baskerville actually means. It's an interesting concept. More importantly though, we find this information out through Break's friend Reim, who (in the previous volume) had joined Oz and the others in their search for the next seal. Lily attacked his group and left him alive so she could see his Chain. She's a heartrending blend of an innocent child who only wants to be loved and a murderer who will kill without hesitation if Glen wishes it.
And her story is definitely not the saddest in this volume. Not by a long shot.
We also get to see the friendship between Leo and Elliot: how they met, how Leo became Elliot's valet, and who Leo really is, personality-wise. There are also hints of something darker at the source of their master/servant bond, shown through Elliot's flashbacks of what looks like a suppressed, and very bloody, memory. And the worst part is, that memory seems to be tied to Fianna's House, the orphanage previously mentioned as being tied to Pandora...and all that that implies.
Finally, once again this series shows me why I fell in love with it. Actions have consequences. Break...good gosh, Break. I felt for Elliot, for the orphans, for Reim and Lily. All of those stories either horrified me or made me look for the tissues. Sometimes both. But Break's story is heart-rending on a whole new level.
Ever since he lost his sight (mostly) a couple volumes ago, Break has been doing so well that it's easy to forget that he can't see. He's still smart, funny, and good in a fight. We're reminded of his inability only when Sharon asks him to dance in volume 12, and that's a conscious choice, not a screw-up.
However, in this volume, the consequences of his sight loss are more grim, and he knows it. Clues he could have picked up on his own only come to his attention when someone else talks about them, and in one instance he has to involve Gil in trying to discover something. Gil, naturally, is clueless and wants to know why Break would need his help.
It's at this moment that we see how much his body's deterioration has been getting to Break. He's not okay, he's not the same as he once was, and it's brought on more despair than he's been showing. When we finally get a glimpse of what it's like to see through Break's eyes, I swear I felt so much admiration that he would have the guts to even try to keep going forward with his goal that I'm convinced I'll be useless for days afterward if Mochizuki kills him. But even at that moment, he doesn't collapse into a little pool of self-pity, oh no. He's still both Mad Hatter and White Knight and all that comes with both.
I have never wanted a character to live more than Xerxes Break.
One last thing before I move on,
Side Note: Break already pointed out the similarity between B-Rabbit and Mad Hatter when they were in Cheshire's lair, though what he pointed out was their similarity in ability (i.e. they seemed specifically designed to destroy Chains). I don't think it's a stretch to see other similarities pop up as the series continues.
Other highlights:
* The interaction between Oz and Leo. Very nice.
* Sharon's reaction to the first corpse of the evening. It shook her, but she kept going. And I loved how quickly Break noticed her reaction and yet how he trusted her to keep going. He focused on what he needed to do.
* The reaction of the Baskervilles to Lily's arrival.
* Ada's worry over Vincent.
* Reim's chain. Seriously, I did not expect it at all. In line with that, Break's opinion on it made my heart glow. Their friendship is a real treat to watch.
*
* The contrast between Elliot's relationship with his snobbish older brothers (who do love him btw) and his relationship with Gil, his adopted brother.
If that's why you're reading this review, I have to say this series is as strong as when it first started. In fact, this volume is absolutely stunning in its depth.
This volume focuses on two main things. First, the innocence of childhood and its subversion by violence. In some cases, the children are the victims of violence (or those who have violent goals) but in others the children themselves are the perpetrators, often after becoming a victim themselves. (Hope I phrased that right.)
Lily, for example. She's on the cover. In this volume, we learn why she has that tattoo on her face and what being a Baskerville actually means. It's an interesting concept. More importantly though, we find this information out through Break's friend Reim, who (in the previous volume) had joined Oz and the others in their search for the next seal. Lily attacked his group and left him alive so she could see his Chain. She's a heartrending blend of an innocent child who only wants to be loved and a murderer who will kill without hesitation if Glen wishes it.
And her story is definitely not the saddest in this volume. Not by a long shot.
We also get to see the friendship between Leo and Elliot: how they met, how Leo became Elliot's valet, and who Leo really is, personality-wise. There are also hints of something darker at the source of their master/servant bond, shown through Elliot's flashbacks of what looks like a suppressed, and very bloody, memory. And the worst part is, that memory seems to be tied to Fianna's House, the orphanage previously mentioned as being tied to Pandora...and all that that implies.
Finally, once again this series shows me why I fell in love with it. Actions have consequences. Break...good gosh, Break. I felt for Elliot, for the orphans, for Reim and Lily. All of those stories either horrified me or made me look for the tissues. Sometimes both. But Break's story is heart-rending on a whole new level.
Ever since he lost his sight (mostly) a couple volumes ago, Break has been doing so well that it's easy to forget that he can't see. He's still smart, funny, and good in a fight. We're reminded of his inability only when Sharon asks him to dance in volume 12, and that's a conscious choice, not a screw-up.
However, in this volume, the consequences of his sight loss are more grim, and he knows it. Clues he could have picked up on his own only come to his attention when someone else talks about them, and in one instance he has to involve Gil in trying to discover something. Gil, naturally, is clueless and wants to know why Break would need his help.
It's at this moment that we see how much his body's deterioration has been getting to Break. He's not okay, he's not the same as he once was, and it's brought on more despair than he's been showing. When we finally get a glimpse of what it's like to see through Break's eyes, I swear I felt so much admiration that he would have the guts to even try to keep going forward with his goal that I'm convinced I'll be useless for days afterward if Mochizuki kills him. But even at that moment, he doesn't collapse into a little pool of self-pity, oh no. He's still both Mad Hatter and White Knight and all that comes with both.
I have never wanted a character to live more than Xerxes Break.
One last thing before I move on,
Spoiler
and maybe I'm just reading too much into it but with so much foreshadowing it's very easy to start imagining things and let your theories go wild. Anyway, something about the way Break held his hand to his head now and then in this volume reminded me of Oz when the ringing in his ears started. That ringing seemed to make Oz just a bit crazy. If that's true, it would add even more depth to Break's reactions in this volume.Side Note: Break already pointed out the similarity between B-Rabbit and Mad Hatter when they were in Cheshire's lair, though what he pointed out was their similarity in ability (i.e. they seemed specifically designed to destroy Chains). I don't think it's a stretch to see other similarities pop up as the series continues.
Other highlights:
* The interaction between Oz and Leo. Very nice.
* Sharon's reaction to the first corpse of the evening. It shook her, but she kept going. And I loved how quickly Break noticed her reaction and yet how he trusted her to keep going. He focused on what he needed to do.
* The reaction of the Baskervilles to Lily's arrival.
* Ada's worry over Vincent.
* Reim's chain. Seriously, I did not expect it at all. In line with that, Break's opinion on it made my heart glow. Their friendship is a real treat to watch.
*
Spoiler
Gil managing to land a blow on Break. I love each of those frames, though it was like a stab of the knife because I knew what it meant.* The contrast between Elliot's relationship with his snobbish older brothers (who do love him btw) and his relationship with Gil, his adopted brother.