EL TIEMPO DE OZ EMPIEZA A CORRER… ¿QUÉ SECRETO OCULTAN LAS LLAVES DE PANDORA?
Poco a poco, Oz Vessalius va descubriendo más datos sobre su nueva existencia alejado del Abismo: pese a que él sigue igual, han pasado diez años desde su cumpleaños y algunos, como Gilbert , han cambiado radicalmente de bando… ¿o no?
One of the things I like about Pandora Hearts is its focus on the family. Twisted, weird, sick families who, in their own weird way, love each other. Or, at least, I think they do. Sometimes I wish they wouldn't, but that's a whole 'nother topic.
In volume #3, family takes center stage, beginning with Oz trying to help a boy and his father, who has entered into an illegal contract with a chain. In the process, we see just how bad Oz's relationship with his father actually was. After seeing that, I was dying to know why he didn't kill him on the spot. It also explains part of why Gil is so protective of Oz.
Speaking of Gil, we get to see his relationship with his brother, Vincent, who is just two cards short of a full deck, possibly more, and with a far darker feel to him than Xerxes. We learn why Gil chose to align himself with his master's enemies, and Xerxes once again acts as a window into future events with the questions he asks.
In fact, I'm at the point where I feel Xerxes is like a stranger version of Sherlock Holmes. I want so bad to gush about him, but I'm trying to save it for the volume where he really shines.
Most importantly, we come full circle to the point where the past and the present begin to converge.
Favorite parts in this volume include (but are not limited to):
* Gil confronting Oz's father. Oh. My. Gosh. I want to see his father die a slow, painful death for the way he treated Oz. And yet, for that much contempt, he was surprisingly lenient in his punishment.
* Alice comforting Oz when he felt alone. That was such a sweet little scene, yet so very Alice. I really love watching their relationship deepen.
* Vincent welcoming his big brother back. Note the shredded stuffed animals, heh, heh.
* Xerxes talking to Gil about his obsession with bringing Oz back from the Abyss. "Open both eyes wide. That is, if you...don't want to end up like me..." Gah! When I read that, I knew I had to find out more about Xerxes' story. And so, I read on, even though the next volume promised to focus more on Gil, Alice, and Oz.
Mochizuki…you never disappoint. In this volume of Pandora Hearts we get to learn more about Oz’s relationship with his dad. Actually, now that I think about it this whole volume is dedicated to looking at how twisted a family can be… There are some really sweet parts in this volume that I love rereading because they make me smile and then there are some really…creepy parts that I love rereading because they just give me the chills.
The third volume of Pandora Hearts focuses more on Alice, Gil, and Oz. (I call them the big three.) We get to learn more about how Gil grew up looking for Oz and became the person called Raven Nightray and we get to learn about Oz’s twisted and horrible relationship with his dad. Alice has a scene where she acts really kick butt(I loved that scene). Philippe is a character I feel really sorry for. His family went from being a wealthy family to a very poor family and his mother had dies. His father is barely there and when we find out what he was doing the whole time he was away was just… awful. Philippe’s dad really shows how twisted a family can get even when they love each other. We are also introduced to two new characters! We get to meet Vincent Nightray and Echo. Vincent is Gil’s blood related brother as they were both adopted in the Nightray family just at different times. I really liked the scene where Vincent is first meeting Gil after a very long time-if you looked closely you will notice some shredded stuffed animals around the room. I got really interested in learning more about Vincent after I read that part. Echo is Vincent’s servant. We do see her briefly at the end of the second volume but only for a couple of pages. I loved reading her about her. She is very cute in a weird way… She is seemingly emotionless most of the time but I feel that there is more to her character. There is also a mysterious person who shows up in Alice’s memories quite a lot and he makes another appearance in here! Oh, you see that guy on the cover? That is Xerxes Break and let me just say that he is kick butt, awesome, creepy, and funny all at the same time. He got a bit more spotlight in this volume and I loved all the scenes that he was in. I think he is a perfect fit for the Alice in Wonderland character he is based on of(He is believed to be a mixture of the Mad Hatter and the White Knight). There are many questions about him I would like to find out about. Break also can’t use a door apparently. He will go under a table or inside a cabinet and then disappear to a totally different location. And the puppet on his shoulder is called Emily if you are wondering about that.
This volume is about the past of the characters and how they became the way they are at the present. There is a awesome fight scene but that is not the focus of this volume at all. Volume three was all about character development. We get to see a lot of scenes from the past which are very entertaining, mysterious, and enjoyable to read. There is also a really cute scene with Alice and Oz. Oz was feeling lonely and Alice was trying to comfort him….in a really Alice kind of way. It was very cute, sweet, and funny.
Jun Mochizuki is a master at everything and all things writing and drawing but what I am really impressed with is her foreshadowing. She leaves clues everywhere but just in spots that you do not think of looking. A piece of dialougue will give you a small clue if you pay attention and there is a lot of foreshadowing in the art. If you pay attention to Alice’s memories and what dialougue is in the memories and the artwork you will probably find a clue. Oh, and the mysterious person that we do not know the face off. Pay attention to him. Pay close attention. The artwork is beautiful and amazing as always. I have come to expect great art from Jun Mochizuki and she never disapoints. Ever.
Volume three of Pandora Hearts is a great volume with tons of character development and a whole lot of awesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
"A loyalty that holds fast will become a blade...and will someday...pierce those you hold dear."
PH has consistently pulled my FEELS apart. This volume dealt with the darkness in Oz's past, the cruelty and pain he suffered, and the loneliness he, Alice, and Gil all suffered.
There is no break for them. It is like reality-hardships will fall upon you. Depending on how you carry yourself, how you endure it, will shape the person you become.
We learn that The Intention of the Abyss, is essentially the creator of the Abyss. And the purpose of the Abyss is to create Chains. These Chains provide powers that serve those who enter into contracts with them. If done so illegally, the organization known as Pandora, must wipe out the illegal contractors. Pandora was created by the Four Dukedoms, which are the 4 leading families that govern the country of Pandora.
What we know of the 4 Dukedoms so far: Vessalius dukedom-Oz's family Nightray dukedom-suspected of involvement of the murder of Oz's mother
See, it's getting easier to understand the plot and world now! But there's so much more to this all.
The Dukedoms are able to rule because they have opened doors to the Abyss. Each Dukedom has tamed a powerful Chain Monster. With these monster Chains, the Dukedoms investigate the Abyss, wipe out illegal contractors...and spy on the other families.
And the Nightray's own the Raven. A Chain that has black wings can open the Abyss...and this plays an essential role in Gil's past.
Break makes it clear that Gil might not simply want to save his master. That he is in fact obsessed with Oz for the kindness he has been shown. And that his loyalty could easily cut down those who are dear to him.
All in all, best PH volume yet! Very dark, emotionally gripping and intriguing. So glad I checked this series out.
Okay, I'm going to try to summarize what I know. Maybe it'll make more sense.
Chains = powerful beasties from the Abyss? Riiiiiiight? Contractors = make agreements with Beasties to get their powers, and in turn the Chains can use the contractors bodies in this world.
Intention of the Abyss = Bunny of Death = Alice
The four big families, like Oz and Gil's, each got control over four big-ass Chains, and they formed Pandora in order to stop "illegal contractors" from making agreements with Chains from the Abyss. I guess they wanted to keep all the power to themselves.
The Four Families:
Nightray Vessalius Baskerville
Dude, what's the fourth? Have I encountered them? Huh.
Oz is in a contract with Alice. Gil has one with Raven, the Nightray family Chain. Break and Sharon also have contracts. So if they're LEGAL contractors, does that mean they're related to the four big families in some way?
This volume of Pandora Hearts focuses more on the past of Oz and Gilbert. Which is great, beautiful, painful, heart-wrenching. I loved Gilbert's devotion and protectiveness, Oz's understanding and sweetness... I also loved Alice's sometimes sweet, sometimes grumpy attitude...She feels lonely as much as Oz. And here we see Break's dark side)) It is clear, I loved the characters so much <3 And story makes much more sense now))) Hope to unravel mystery....
Ay, me rompe mucho cuando Oz recuerda lo horrible que fue su padre y lo mucho que le dolió lo qlero que fue con Gilbert.
Por otro lado, me gusta la relación que tenían ellos dos, se cuidaban mutuamente. Ahora, años después también me gusta cómo se llevan con Alice; trío de bobos, los amo mucho.
Por el lado de la trama aparecen el malvibroso de Vincent Nightgray, el retorcido hermano de mi hermoso Gilbert, y Echo, quienes trabajan para Pandora.
Tenía años sin leer el manga y estoy tan oxidada que es como la primera vez que lo leo jajaja. Me agrada esa sensación.
I got along with this one about the same as Volume 2. The one thing, at this point, that I just don't get, and it really is freaking me out which is probably the only reason it stuck in my brain, is the Bunny of Death. I assume you all know the one. The creepy bloody eyes in-your-face giant panels of BUNNY OF DEATH. Not B-Rabbit, though...that's weird too. No. BUNNY OF DEATH.
After the events of Volume 2, Oz, Alice, and Gilbert are taking things a bit easier. The group heads out to grab some dinner, and Oz runs into a little boy who he immediately feels compelled to look after.
This volume gave us some backstory into Oz’s history with his father, and what occurred with Gilbert while Oz was in the Abyss. Through the events of this volume we see how Oz's relationship with his father affects him, even today, and this really helped add dimension to his character. We also get to learn a bit more about the Nightray house, though I feel much of the story is still very shrouded in mystery.
Volume 3 of Pandora Hearts continues the work of the first two, following the story of Oz (an Illegal Contractor), Alice (one of the most dangerous Chains), and Gilbert (Oz's valet) searching for the memories of Alice. In this volume, the three take another mission to eliminate an Illegal Contractor, where the point is driven home how any person can become an Illegal Contractor for whatever reason, not just bad people. We also learn that despite his cheerful persona, Oz hides his childhood with a father who hates him and isn't even around to care for him. Finally, it turns out that Gilbert was taken in by the Nightray family after Oz disappeared, on orders of Break. This is because Break wants a spy in the family, and because Gilbert had hoped to become the Contractor for the powerful Chain known as Raven in order to save Oz. Also, we learn Gilbert has amnesia, and that the Nightray family already took in his younger brother. This is because a few Chains, with Raven being one of them, can create pathways into the Abyss. I enjoyed it as the charm and excitement of the previous volumes is preserved, but deals with more serious topics and isn't afraid to be darker.
The characters in Pandora hearts continue to be colorful and mostly lighthearted, but are now showing more of their hidden depths. Oz is a childish but hard-working optimist who doesn't want others to suffer the same way he did. Alice is an aggressive but caring individual who seems to enjoy fighting. Gilbert is a protective but easily annoyed individual who's loyalty is more to Oz then his own blood brother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Alice, Gilbert and Oz are in another small town but we’re kind of seeing the present and the past and how they’re intertwined.
Oz always teases Gil and he smiles quite often only to hide the pain he has inside him since his own father doesn’t even want him around and treats Oz as if he were a “vile creature”. So, when he goes into the Abyss, the only one looking for him is his little servant, Gilbert.
Break talks him into getting adopted by the Nightray family, a household that is not in really good terms with the Vessalius family, only to get the power of Raven, one of the four powerful Chains that can easily get into the Abyss. Gil has the conviction he will get his young master back but as we saw in the previous volumes, a lot happens yet one way or another, Oz is back in his arms.
On the other hand, in this volume we get introduced to a couple of new characters: Vincent Nightray, Gil’s younger –and sadistic- brother, and Echo, his servant. Both of them work for Pandora, just like Sharon and Break, but Vincent is just as suspicious as the people who were wearing red robes in Oz’ coming-of-age ceremony.
Now, re-reading this series has reminded me of my love for so many characters but Oz will always have a special place in my heart because I just feel him. I relate a lot to his character and I can’t help but to feel his pain as my own. I love him so, so much and he deserves the world.
We spend a little more time getting familiar with Gilbert and his and Oz's relationship. I still wish certain things were better executed since the inexperience of the author at the time shows but I still find this a pretty decent read.
It is interesting not to have my vision coloured by nostalgia for once.
Keeps being interesting. More is getting revealed, but more questions come up anyway. Lots of my theories come true, but lots of things are also very unexpected. Great balance!
The new characters are also interesting, as well as creepy.
An old character finally made an appearance in the last chapter and I'm very eager to get some of my questions – hopefully – answered in the next volume!
The story confusinggg I wish I had it in hardcopy so it’s be easier to look back precious books or pages. I really love the moments of the series where the scenes pauses and there’s a focus on a character’s face (that probably didn’t make sense but I love it haha) I really am loving the series so far! I just don’t like when I’m confused haha