Pandora Hearts, Vol. 14

Pandora Hearts #14

by Jun Mochizuki

Just when it seems the tragedy of Sablier is on the verge of recurring at Isla Yura's residence, the sinister blade of the Headhunter swings once more. From the darkness where the mysteries of Fianna's House and Humpty Dumpty converge, one truth will come to light: an unmoving reality that is itself so shocking, it seems like an illusion...Will Oz and his allies ever recover?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Comics, Adventure

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jun Mochizuki (望月淳 Mochizuki Jun) is a Japanese comic artist (manga-ka), best known for the fantasy shounen series Pandora Hearts/パンドラハーツ.

Reviews

[Totoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Break was so hoooooooot ^ ^

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m actually speechless…Elliot omg…

Also I’ll never get over how talented this author is in both story AND artwork just w o w

[Danaï · Rating 5 out of 5]

jun mochizuki I must simply ask that you unwrite the last 2 chapters thank you

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elliot on the cover of volume 14 - definitely my favorite cover to date in this series - what more could I ask for?

Oh, that's right. An amazing story inside to go with said awesome cover.

And, that's what I got.

Wow. I'm nearly speechless after reading the last page of this volume. Part of me knew it, part of me was successfully diverted by the red herring in the last volume (which I'm not sure was a red herring or the author's last minute decision change??), and part of me still feels like I have no idea what is really going on.

Regardless, I got my Break fix. He's my favorite, so when there's some good action scenes with him fighting *two* Baskervilles at the same time, I'm pretty happy.

And, Gil was actually useful!

Pandora Hearts is so much fun to read. There's something there for everyone with such a diverse group of characters, twisting plots, and fantastic art. Now if only I didn't have to wait two months for the next volume to find out what happens next!

[ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

HUMPTY DUMPTY I REJECT YOU

i really think this is one of the best volumes even though it causes me so much emotional distress if i could give it more than 5 stars i would

[Ageminireader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am utterly speechless.

[Phantomº · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 54:"This keen intent to kill...it's so nice." - the Mad Hatter
Chapter 55: Gilbert and Break, their long relationship... "I'm this idiot's left eye" I am not crying just something is in my eye.
Chapter 56: "I don't know how to fight as part of a team..I could end up killing you by mistake." ...oh hi Reim *shocked pikachu face*
Chapter 57: ...Mochizuki sensei is so cruel.

[dzmitry · Rating 5 out of 5]

no thoughts head empty just me being mind-blown because of the turn of events and just me thinking about how good gilbert looks in this hairstyle and how xerxes break is probably my favorite character

this manga will end up being on of my favorites i feel it!!

[fxtiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chlopu pojawila sie kosa w rekach

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really sad
And shocking
A lot of shocks in these recent volumes

[Typh ☕️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Gil x Xerxes feels + THE TRAUMA ?? ELLIOT ???

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just in so much pain. Elliot was my favorite……

[Cakesaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well well well well if this isn‘t my constant five-starring of this series coming back to bite me

because this was the best volume yet

god damnit it was SO GOOD

[khione · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think i’m understanding a little..eh..?

[ʀ⭒. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm too stunned-

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

No. Just no. Disrespectfully NO.

[aleyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABAJAIXISKHAHZ!!!!🆘🆘‼️‼️⁉️❓❓⁉️

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ya tocaba llorar pt. 2

[MissAnnThrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 September 2013

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Good lawdy! The cover of Elliot on Pandora Hearts, Vol. 14 is breathtaking. It is probably the best cover in the series so far and it perfectly suits one of my most adored characters. The colors and patterns on his coat are just stunning. Wow...just...wow...


Jun Mochizuki and Yana Toboso are the two manga-ka whom I would give my left kidney in exchange for their artistic talents. They produce the most elaborately detailed covers that fill you with envy and awe. Coincidentally, all of my favorite characters have had the best covers. I cannot wait to see what Jun Mochizuki comes up with next.

As predicted with the intense ending of the last volume, this installment is full of excitement and action. Sprinkled in between all the blood and violence are some surprisingly tender moments. The loyalty and friendship these characters share just gets me all warm and fuzzy. Whether it's Oz and Alice, Elliot and Leo, or Vincent and Gil - the love they have for each other is unshakable. The winner of the Best Friend EVER award goes to Gil. He is a faithful friend to a fault. I love him so much more for having Break's back.

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I never tire of him using Raven. *swoon*


Aside from Gil and Break kicking ass, there are some other truly awesome moments. First and foremost, Reim is alive! Hooray!! This volume also shows almost everyone's chains unleashed, which set up for some very intense fighting. Raven, Mad Hatter, and B-Rabbit are amazing, and learning of the Dormouse's abilities is fascinating. Yet another thrilling moment happens at the end when Jack shows up and takes out the annoying Yura.

Whenever Vincent has a large role in a volume, I'm just tickled pink. I am really enjoying the strange chemistry between Ada and Vincent. I think her oblivious nature is good for him. It's also fun to see Vincent talk sense into Gil about not worrying about Break. I found it amusing how Vincent saunters into a room filled with danger and how Echo does all the dirty work. She's pretty badass.

Oh, Elliot. My heart bleeds for the poor fellow. Even with the twist at the end with his mother, he is still one of my absolute favorites. In fact, it makes me love him even more but I am twisted like that. Plus, his adorable bonus story makes it nearly impossible to resist him.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, yes. El circo de la tristeza parte II. Qué chingona es Jun para manejar sus tramas de forma que siempre hay un cliffhanger y tus teorías te dejan como payaso.

Pobre Elliot, en serio. Pensar que hizo lo que hizo sin notarlo, y lo que se viene con Leo, n'ombre.

Por otro lado, yo solo quiero que Oz y Gil sean felices, pero no se puede, nunca se puede. Uno porque ya puede usar el poder de B-Rabbit sin que Alice intervenga (uy por qué será) y el otro porque los asuntos del pasado siempre andan a la vuelta de la esquina y más cuando tu hermano está medio crazy taxi y obsesionado contigo.

En fin, qué bueno que le pusieron su estate quieto a Isla Yura y su idea demente de recrear la tragedia de Sabrie.

[Amy Keeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to fangirl over in this volume, I'm not even sure only hitting the highlights would be sufficient. I'll try.

* The opening pic with Oz surrounded by photographs, some of them obviously not from his own memories.

* ADA. I LOVE ADA. Her devotion to Vincent and his growing affection for her are one of the things I'm really starting to enjoy about this manga. (Now watch. Mochizuki will kill both of them off. ;_;)

* Echo's growing independence.

* Fang's protectiveness toward Lily. Seriously, I fell in love with Fang in this volume.

* I loved and hated what happened to Elliot's mother. On the one hand, her blind fanaticism and belief made it clear something extreme had to be done. On the other...well, I don't know what to say. Watching that hurt.

* Oz and Jack. It's debatable in this volume just when Oz is Oz and when he's Jack. Oz has already shown he can give a pretty good imitation of how he acts when Jack takes over. And there's a number of similarities between the two. However, when Oz talks about what he's going to do to Yura, it's hard to believe it's Oz talking, especially when Jack clearly shows up later. It just doesn't seem like Oz.

* Oz and Alice. The changes that are taking place within their contract are fascinating in this volume. Oz seems more himself, and yet he's not himself. Alice's memories come together more.

Actually, when it comes to Oz, Alice, and Jack, this volume deserves some serious time examining the images/plot.

* Break and Gil. Gil's flashbacks, his realizations, his growth in this volume are all amazing, and brings us one of the best lines in the whole series.

* Break and Reim. Gah, I love their friendship!

* Elliot and Leo are obviously the focus by the end of the volume. And the revelations surrounding Elliot tore me up.

Small warning: this volume ends on a pretty intense cliffhanger, soooo...on to volume 15!

[Azelyn Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I know about this series is a lie.

Okay, not everything. I managed to predict one plot twist, but the others? Nope. There were like five, and they all left me feeling stunned.

I’m not sure if these are much of book reviews anymore. More like book-ish rants. Then again, all the other reviews I’ve seen on Goodreads are rants. Warning: if you don’t want spoilers, don’t read the later reviews!

Isla Yura is a villain. Called it. He was far too creepy to be likeable.
Reim is ALIVE!!!
WHY ELLIOT!?!?!

Then it ended on a cliffhanger. Again. But what really bugged me was that it ended in the middle of a sentence. Fine, Mochizuki, mess with my inner-grammar nerd in addition to my fangirl one.

Suffice to say, I did not end up sticking to reading only one a day as I told myself I would. Whoops.
I gave this book 5/5 stars for great plot twists and a compelling story, even though it destroyed my feelings and made me stay up way too late while being jetlagged. See Pandora Hearts, Vol. 1 for my recommendation.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn! ok! Now that was both expected but completely unexpected at the same time lol.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series

I'd like to start by saying that with my two decades of manga reading, Pandora Hearts has recently earned its way to being one of the best manga series I've ever read - and to think I almost didn't pick it up!

There's actually a bit of a story to it: Pandora Hearts was being released around the time I knew I would be moving overseas. At the time, I had no idea how moving to the other side of the world would affect my manga buying. Also at that time, I was working at a comic store with staff discounts at my disposal and I never had to worry too much about picking up whatever I fancied. When I first saw Pandora Hearts, I thought the art looked beautiful and this just might be a really good manga. It also struck me as a manga series that could go on for quite a while [which was a reasonably accurate assumption as 24 volumes is not a length I could commit to lightly]. Not knowing how I'd get my hands on manga or how long this series would be let me to putting it back on the shelf. And I confess, it was filled with quite a bit of regret.

When I finally did move overseas - a family friend had a good bye gift. The shape was easy to discern: it was undoubtably a manga volume. While thankful for receiving a gift, I was also nervous: having worked in a comic store, I knew for sure: I either already own it or am not interested in it. In addition, the friend in question doesn't know the first thing about manga. To my surprise, it was the first volume of Pandora Hearts which was probably the single only volume she could have taken from the shelf that wasn't already in my possession and did interest me. How she managed to pick out that one I don't know, but it's a coincidence I feel thankful for and, in some cheesy way, made me feel like it was just meant to be that I read Pandora Hearts after all.

Fast forward to 2023, I finally found the time to read this 24 volume series and am absolutely delighted. My original observation remains: the art is absolutely stunning. With the exception of a oneshot debut work, it's hard to believe that this is quite close to being a beginner's work - you'd not believe it just looking at the first volume's art.

My other thoughts are largely around how hard it is to praise a story you think is so thoroughly good as this one is. It's not really a plot you can explain to someone, it's a story you have to read for yourself as even the latest volumes will throw some surprises at you. But I think, besides the art, what really contributes a lot to this work are the characters. Oz might be our main character, but we have a large cast and they are all lovingly created. There's hardly a character you won't be able to like in one way or another, even the most broken of them. It's quite a feat to create a story that makes you care and worry about almost every character's fate.

And worry you can indeed: it has light and beautiful moments, but it is essentially a dark tale and you'll constantly worry whether the characters will make it through. Needless to say, there are losses throughout the story. There are plenty of twists and turns, things that will surprise and shock you.

I will also add that the plot is complex and not always easy to follow. Some characters have multiple names - this becomes even more difficult for some characters who also have multiple personalities who also have multiple names. Not everything in the plot made entire sense to me - it's hard to say whether they were plot holes, not explained well enough or I was simply missing something - a reread might answer that. But regardless, when these moments arose, I decided to just go with the flow and it didn't disrupt my reading experience at all.

Besides a bit of confusion here and there, I can't fault this series with anything. The pacing is well done, the 24 volumes were neither too long nor too short [something I often complain about] and it wrapped up nicely. For such a dark read, there's also a lot of soft story telling which just concludes this with a very wholesome ending. There is close to no romance but I wasn't missing it [and I'm a big romance reader] - the friendships and bonds between the characters were absolutely beautiful even without much romance thrown in.

I'm glad I did read this series and it is definitely going down as one of my favourites. Highly recommended.

[Emily Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wait so the head-hunter really is Elliot?! Or is it Leo?! I'm so confused. I thought Leo might've possessed Elliot's body somehow and got Elliot to stab and kill his own mother but now I'm thinking Elliot is the head-hunter. But is Elliot actually the head-hunter? and I'm confused by the ending, is Elliot dying now?!

I was so relieved when Gil stopped Break from sacrificing himself. Like, thank you, Gil. Thank you. Someone needs to keep an eye on Break, especially now that he's so reckless and he thinks his life is worth sacrificing since he believes he's going to die soon anyway (which he probably is but still.)

Oz is slowly starting to go insane/psycho again and when his eyes turned red, I thought, "oh no. He's going to kill everyone in sight in a blind rage". But thankfully Alice stopped him once again. If she hadn't knocked some sense into him then he probably would've massacred everyone.

Ok that moment where Vincent had ptsd from the tragedy of Sablier and he lashed out at Ada was so intense. And when he called out to Echo when Ada was about to get stabbed in the back, I was so shocked. I didn't think he cared enough for her to save her life like that. But it could be just a spur of the moment sort of thing since he wondered why he had went out of his way to save her like that. I still don't think he actually loves her, but I think he doesn't hate her as much as he believes he does. I don't think he'll ever love her the way she loves him but I don't think he wants to "defile her" as much as he thinks he does. I just don't seem him actually pursuing a romantic relationship with her in the end, at this point if that does happen, then it'll just feel rushed and unnecessary because I truly don't believe he loves her that way. And if that's the case, then even if they do get married, I don't see them lasting for long. To me, they just aren't very compatible and they're way too different to understand each other. Vincent also doesn't seem like the type of person to open about his past to someone like her.

Oh and that plot twist where Reim was revealed to be alive not dead was soo good. I'm glad he's not dead. I'm not really attached to him yet but I didn't want him to die.

Also, is Leo supposed to be the reincarnation of Glen or is it Elliot? Hmmm, I wonder who it could be...since Elliot said he created the song "Lacie" which was originally created by Glen and Jack but then again, it could also be Leo...hmm, I wonder...

[Ray Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Break found out about Reim getting hurt, and though he wasn’t dead like we all thought, Break wanted to sacrifice himself in order to take down the Baskervilles –which he did, at least he killed Fang. Eventually Gilbert kinda helps him get on his feet again, since the Mad Hatter consumes most of his life, and he rescues him from an imminent death.

Meanwhile, Alice is being held captive ‘cause Yura was the one who orchestrated the Baskervilles attack in the first place. Oz loses his cool and takes control of the B-rabbit with his powerful scythe again (Jun, I see what you did there! You were telling us from the beginning who Oz was but we didn’t want to believe it!). He will do anything for Alice, even if that means killing everyone in Yura’s mansion.

By the end of the volume we figure out who was the actual killer of the Nightray family members… and it’s quite shocking to see how Elliot got traumatized by it. He was too a Humpty Dumpty illegal contractor which means that Leo might be the new body who should have Glenn Baskerville’s memories –previously they stated that whenever his Glenn’s body perishes, a new powerful chain is born and it’s always near the next reincarnation.

Once again the volume ends up with a cliffhanger so I can’t wait to read the next volume!

This volume contains Retrace 54 – 57.

PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | volume 9 | Volume 10 | Volume 11 | Volume 12 | Volume 13

[୨୧ A Literate Taxidermy ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ3 stars that doesn't know who they're ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

jumbled non edited notes taken while reading:

elliot's volume art is so serene and haunting, and the fact there's no bunny motifs is interesting

54:
- vince having sablier flashbacks by the recreation play is fucking VILEEEEE //3
- don't tell me he's gonna blame himself for this one too
- and he's looking for gil now too ( screaminggggggggggg into the void)
- ADA IS A FUCKING GIGACHAD. i love her, i hope they develop an actual friendship
- gilbert shooting kids?? DAMMMM. didn't know he had it in him

55:
- so gil is vicious. i like that
- vince not killing the kids, even though gil was willing to is so fascinating, he is brutal, just tortured a man, but he is willing to mediate to also not agitate Elliot. the trio dynamic is so interesting
-echo is gonna get her ass kicked, also why would SHE try to help break when fucked her ass up
- gil realizing that vince might be something he doesn't know about.....
- raven making a debut yipeeeeeeeee

56:
- again with the master/ servant dynamic that makes me uncomfy, i wish vincent would beat up oz
- not the lily smiling when she heard reim voice just for her to be betrayed AGAIN.
- rip fang
- is it fucked up to say vince is my favorite character?
-oz eyes turned red, like alice's eyes interesting
- BRO I SWEAR TO GOOOOOD THE NIGHTRAYS CAN'T CATCH A BREAKKKKKK AND NOW ELLIOT HAD CAUGHT GIL & VINCE'S DOOMED DISEASE
- did break just told gil that vincent is with the baskervilles????????
-ooooh oz taking alice's power could be a tension point.....

57:
- AAAAAAAAND it ruined... what do i keep saying? the author is allergic to tension and conflict, it's actually getting on my nerves
- omg so elliot just lost his entire fucking family???
- just gonna say it now: jack is annoying and i don't trust him, also his entire writing into the story is boring, he feels too convenient
- vincent seeing jack for the first time //////3
- so elliot is the head hunter, i predicted it
- elliot joins the trauma bros hated by life and god
- wait is elliot leo and leo is elliot the fuck is going onnnnnnnn??????

[A Literate Doofus · Rating 3 out of 5]

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ3 stars that doesn't know who they're ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

jumbled non edited notes taken while reading:

elliot's volume art is so serene and haunting, and the fact there's no bunny motifs is interesting

54:
- vince having sablier flashbacks by the recreation play is fucking VILEEEEE //3
- don't tell me he's gonna blame himself for this one too
- and he's looking for gil now too ( screaminggggggggggg into the void)
- ADA IS A FUCKING GIGACHAD. i love her, i hope they develop an actual friendship
- gilbert shooting kids?? DAMMMM. didn't know he had it in him

55:
- so gil is vicious. i like that
- vince not killing the kids, even though gil was willing to is so fascinating, he is brutal, just tortured a man, but he is willing to mediate to also not agitate Elliot. the trio dynamic is so interesting
-echo is gonna get her ass kicked, also why would SHE try to help break when fucked her ass up
- gil realizing that vince might be something he doesn't know about.....
- raven making a debut yipeeeeeeeee

56:
- again with the master/ servant dynamic that makes me uncomfy, i wish vincent would beat up oz
- not the lily smiling when she heard reim voice just for her to be betrayed AGAIN.
- rip fang
- is it fucked up to say vince is my favorite character?
-oz eyes turned red, like alice's eyes interesting
- BRO I SWEAR TO GOOOOOD THE NIGHTRAYS CAN'T CATCH A BREAKKKKKK AND NOW ELLIOT HAD CAUGHT GIL & VINCE'S DOOMED DISEASE
- did break just told gil that vincent is with the baskervilles????????
-ooooh oz taking alice's power could be a tension point.....

57:
- AAAAAAAAND it ruined... what do i keep saying? the author is allergic to tension and conflict, it's actually getting on my nerves
- omg so elliot just lost his entire fucking family???
- just gonna say it now: jack is annoying and i don't trust him, also his entire writing into the story is boring, he feels too convenient
- vincent seeing jack for the first time //////3
- so elliot is the head hunter, i predicted it
- elliot joins the trauma bros hated by life and god
- wait is elliot leo and leo is elliot the fuck is going onnnnnnnn??????

[Ayxan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, a lot had happened.
Last volume was so thrilling that it kinda sucked all the energy out of me, although this volume was also very exciting.

One of my theories kinda came true, even though I suspected it the least from my list. Really nice how much of a genius Jun is; there'll always be a plot-twist you don't expect, or, even if you saw it coming, it'll still be a surprise. Or it's shocking because you considered it.

But, since so much went into this volume, some things just have been randomly left open. As much as I care about the revelation from the last chapter, I'd also really like to get back to the other characters. I feel like maybe a bit too much was packed into this volume... or maybe it's just my weariness.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Alice...no llores.
Todo lo que te haga sufrir...
Todo...todo...todo...
Todo lo que te lastime...
¡Yo lo destruiré con mis manos!

Cada tomo que avanza, me recuerda porque la historia de Pandora Hearts es una de mis favoritas.

Y es que el desarrollo de la trama es alucinante. Cada capítulo descubrimos secretos nuevos, no sabemos en qué momento nos arrebataran a alguien que nos guste y terminen por rompernos el corazón.

Pero estoy deseando continuar y enterarme por fin del final que hace muchos años esperaba.