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Pandora Hearts #8

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 8

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Alla soglia dei quindici anni il nobile Oz trova uno strano orologio da taschino e, toccandolo, viene catapultato in un sogno delirante. Tornato in sé, dopo aver scoperto l’esistenza di una dimensione chiamata Abyss popolata da esseri denominati “chain”, stipula un contratto con uno di essi, Alice. Per entrambi inizierà un lungo percorso di ricerca, tra ricordi perduti e meravigliosi personaggi... In questo numero Oz, Alice e Gilbert verranno messi al corrente di informazioni che potrebbero cambiare completamente la loro visione delle cose e le decisioni da prendere per il futuro.

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2009

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965 people want to read

About the author

Jun Mochizuki

184 books909 followers
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.

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5 stars
2,076 (61%)
4 stars
893 (26%)
3 stars
348 (10%)
2 stars
59 (1%)
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13 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa.
135 reviews177 followers
December 10, 2014
I know, I know, I'm kind of "cheating" with all these mangas, but I really want to get my GR-challenge done.
Profile Image for Victoria ✮⋆˙.
1,119 reviews124 followers
June 23, 2020
The art in this series is just phenomenal, and how dark it is??? Im in love! It does get a little confusing at times rsllijf some characters apart though
Profile Image for gabi.
1,042 reviews31 followers
March 5, 2017
GILBERT, DO NOT LISTEN TO WHAT VINCENT SAYS. I love these characters so much!
Profile Image for Jana.
169 reviews8 followers
November 21, 2018
Note to self: i must reread it again
Profile Image for Martine.
182 reviews11 followers
June 25, 2012
Oh, the revelations! Oh, the angst!
So, finally we know why Break came up with his opinion about sealed royalty and it’s funny that he and Gil have something in common after all.
But the part I loved most was the festival of St. Bridget, when Oz met little Echo. Oh, I love her so! While Break is my favorite male character of the series, Echo is by far my favorite female character (due to all the things we find out about her in this volume and the next one) and it’s so great that she gets to spend some time alone and finally finds out what happiness is. And she gets to speak her mind! Aw, I feel so sorry for her, being considered as a mere tool by her masters (and getting molested by Vincent, as well!) – Oz is probably the first one who cares about what she thinks and the one who makes her aware that she has the right to make a choice, as well.
I swear, this manga will destroy me some day, because I’m torn between being thrilled and feeling sorry for the characters. “Poor [insert name of character]” is what I keep on thinking. This time it was “poor Echo” and “poor Gil” (not “poor Break” because of the cute moment between him, Oz and Gil which outshines his dark past, a past that he doesn’t seem to struggle with so hard. I guess.)
And then the incredibly angsty moment between Vincent and Gil – seriously those two are the pair of brothers with the most unhealthy relationship! And I say that although I now know Anri and Shiro Yoshiwara from “Adekan”, so that means a lot!
From the storyteller’s view, Vincent is an incredibly interesting character, but from the view of a reader – no, I don’t want to know so much about Vincent, I’m too scared by what I’ve already seen. -.- I mean… slicing stuffed animals aside – how can a man so insane have the wits to manipulate his brother so well? Just a few words and Gil is a crumpled mess – HOW DOES HE DO THAT? Most intense moment I’ve ever witnessed since playing Final Fantasy VII.

I’m too messed up for some smart final words.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Amy Keeley.
Author 17 books22 followers
October 29, 2012
"Then people become stronger by 'living for somebody else'. Then how to go about it rightly? What should one keep in mind...? It must be never using 'for somebody else' as an 'excuse'..."

I know Cheshire's on the cover, but he's not in here a whole lot. However, the points that are made are an exploration of the same kind of devotion Cheshire felt for Alice (before he died of course).

First, Break. Remember how much he hated Cheshire's blind devotion? Well, here you get to see the full story of how he ended up at the Rainsworth mansion. By the end you wonder how he really feels about the Intention of the Abyss. His hatred of Vincent also becomes a teeny-bit ambiguous, probably because he sees the similarities between them himself.

We also realize the enormity of the burden he's been carrying all this time right under everyone's nose, all from the same blind "devotion" as Cheshire. And we learn just why he hates that kind of devotion so much. You thought the sins of the previous chapter were bad? It's nothing compared to what he felt was his ultimate sin.

By the end of his story, we see that the past is better left alone and that people are better not. We strengthen each other, or should.

We also see that Break is still very much the person he once was. But maybe a little wiser for the wear (to loosely quote the esteemed Willy Wonka).

Then, we move on to the other side of things and watch Vincent's insanity, all due to choices he made, like Break, for somebody else. But Vincent, like all of us, doesn't exist in a vacuum, and those choices ripple outward to warp everyone they touch. Gil, for example. Because, you see, Vincent loves his brother beyond reason. And that terrifies Gil. In the process of getting freaked out by his brother's words, he gets a few flashbacks that increase that freaked out feeling and make Vincent even more creepy than before (if that's possible).

Highlights:

* Barma's attempt at blackmailing Break.

* The page where Alice says Gil, Break and Oz are comrades. Break's reaction was hilarious!

* Echo-chan! She is absolutely adorable! Her diary is fascinating, her view of Vincent is definitely unexpected, and her approach to life in general is like watching an animated doll who wants nothing more than to be real. I'm a sucker for those kind of characters.

* Oz and Echo-chan at the festival.

* Jack and Alice. Seriously, that scene creeped me out almost as much as the scene between Gil and Vincent.

* All the pictures of Break. As much as I've been fangirling over Jack, my heart really warmed at all the pictures of Break in this issue. Some of them are almost as gorgeous as the ones of Jack, though not nearly as, um, clean.

Also, this volume contains the original one-shot that got this series started. It's interesting seeing how the idea originally formed in Jun Mochizuki's head. From a writing standpoint, it's also interesting to see what changed, and what didn't.

Volume 9 is up next after this brief intermission.
Profile Image for Miss Ryoko.
2,701 reviews174 followers
March 4, 2012
BAHAHAHA!!! I loved the "Sharon-onee-sama's Love Advice Room" special at the end! I died laughing!

The Pandorahearts Special One-Shot was pretty bad ass too! Gil was lookin' super fly (and his coat reminded me of Vash's from Trigun) Plus, I love any time when the B-Rabbit shows up... he's creepy and bad ass all at the same time.

To the volume now, it was really interesting! Vincent makes a pretty awesome villian, although, at times I have a hard time figure out who the villians and who the heroes are, and that's really fun. I really love this series. I love the story, the characters, the art. It's all great. I'm really sad that there will be wait time between volumes now :-(

Oh well, I can wait... hopefully :-p
Profile Image for Nərmin.
643 reviews175 followers
April 23, 2017
Crazy! We have learned Break's past and it's pretty dark.. Poor Break..
And we saw poor Echo, who is even beaten by Vincet...
And I hated Vincet the most! He is manipulative and cruel bastard!
And the way he manipulated Gilbert.. Come on Gilbert, don't believe him! Poor Gilbert too...
Everyone is poor in this volume... saaad and daaark...
Profile Image for Ray Flores.
1,706 reviews255 followers
April 13, 2021
What did we learn? That Alice and the Intention of the Abyss are basically the same. They’re twins who were born in a different dimension, that’s why Alice’s memories are all over the place and the Chains look like her stuffed animals. But, who knows whatever this means…

In the following chapters we see young Vincent talking to Break and then him being threatened by Gilbert, who won’t forgive him if he dares to hurt Oz. At the same time, Echo and Oz casually meet in a festival and they spend the day together.

Overall, I think this has been one of the weakest volumes so far but it still entertaining enough to keep going with the series. Perhaps it’s just the calm before the storm.

This volume contains Retrace 31 – 33.

PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7
Profile Image for mellsmurmur.
78 reviews
December 31, 2023
тяжело не смотреть на губы, которые не можешь поцеловать, а на винсента, который явно что-то сделал, но он всё равно такой крошечный. 😭 эта его ещё обсессия гилбертом. обожаю, как алиса боится шэрил и шерон, хотя они обе такие солнечные, мягкие и пушистые, словно зефирное облако. отдельные плюсики шэрил за её навыки метания веера, ну эта женщина! и наконец-то герцог барма объявился, хоть вспомню, что у него там за лор и как они с блейком связаны. вот блейк отдельная история тоже. я очень надеюсь, что ошибаюсь на его счёт по своим воспоминаниям, но что если нет?.. такое ощущение, что если сейчас буду переделывать тир-лист, то он наредкость субъективным выйдет, хах. но вообще за эти два тома без каких-либо вопросов ставлю пять звёздочек. сняла бы, может, за позицию оза, которая мне опять непонятна, но потом благодаря размышлению гилберта она плюс-минус объяснялась, поэтому не буду.
Profile Image for Emma.
115 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2021
Jag är lite osäker på vad jag tyckte om denna då den var intressant och jag känner att abysen blir bara mer och mer intressant men samtidigt så hände det ingenting i denna vol vilket borde ha gjort det tråkigt.
Profile Image for Kazu.
223 reviews24 followers
February 11, 2022
Seguimos en la misma línea, muchos personajes, todos con el mismo color de pelo y forma de la cara que parecen los mismos, todo muy confuso y la trama va dando tumbos de una cosa a otra con muchísima información. Sin sentido.
Profile Image for Ady Weasley.
1,792 reviews45 followers
April 21, 2022
El pasado del sombrerero les da pistas a Oz, Gil y Alice sobre lo que los ata y el camino que tendrán que recorrer.

Odio a Vincent en serio esta un poquís mal de la cabeza
Profile Image for ʀ⭒..
287 reviews42 followers
June 21, 2025
Leave Gilbert alone I'm begging you
Profile Image for Nora.
76 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2025
I don’t know who I should feel bad for anymore..
MY HEART 😭😭
Profile Image for Sookies.
410 reviews6 followers
August 9, 2013
Après presque deux ans sans avoir lu ce manga, je l'ai repris avec plaisir et je découvre que je ne suis pas si larguée que ça. On va de révélation en révélation et de nombreuses questions se posent encore. Impossible de s'ennuyer avec cet univers, c'est avec plaisir que je poursuis l'aventure.
Profile Image for Elaney.
149 reviews8 followers
August 9, 2014
4.5/5 stars. I didn't like that " special one-shot" at the end. The rest of the volume was brilliant. I mean, background on Break and hints about Gil's past? YES, PLEASE.
Profile Image for Bibliothecat.
1,755 reviews76 followers
October 8, 2025


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.
Profile Image for toast.
80 reviews
July 23, 2022
So, we finally get to find out about Alice‘s connection to the will of the abyss, but I think Break‘s past was a more central focus this volume. He actually managed to change the past after being dragged to the abyss, but it turned out worse than before. The amount of guilt he must live with is terrible.

The festival was a nice change of pace where we got to see Oz doing what he does best: befriending people. Echo got to finally experience an ounce of happiness and even spoke her mind about how horribly Vincent treats her (seriously, he is the worst). I was so happy for her, I really love Echo‘s character and I hope we get to see more of her!

But I don’t know if we will since she switched places with Zwei who is apparently her other personality?! Oh my god, all of the characters are connected and intertwined.

I also just want to say that Vincent creeps me out massively. He abuses Echo and manipulates Gil so much and now he is also getting his filthy little hands on Ada?! Man, this guy is involved with literally every problem that comes up in this story and while he is an interesting character, he really makes my skin crawl whenever he shows up.

Finally, I really liked the scene between Gil and Vincent, though. Gil screaming that he would kill anybody for Oz‘ sake, was a nice parallel to the previous instances we had of people blaming their actions on wanting to help someone. Even Vincent did that with regards to Gil, which made it even more impactful that Gil realised that he has this dark potential in himself. He has to get rid of his emotional dependency on Oz, istg.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jack Reynolds.
1,095 reviews
March 6, 2025
*Warning, there will be mild spoilers*

As I'm hitting post anime content, my interest in this series is continuing to grow. I appreciate how Mochizuki's building on her characters in ways that help circumvent them falling into their set tropes. What I'll be most curious about going forward is how the last chapter prior to the bonus story (fun to see how the concepts and initial characters were built upon) hints at two pivotal relationships. Echo may seems to find Vincent's antics annoying, but she does care for him in a way that she finds hard to describe (in part because she doesn't talk much). Seeing her outside of his care allows us as readers to get to know her without the attachment, plus see more of her as a person rather than just a humble servant.

I also need to give Mochizuki props for delving into Gilbert and Vincent's fraught tension as siblings who have been through trauma and how that's affected them. Whether worry about being left behind (In Development Land or by Oz. Wherever your brain wants to go) or their role in the Tragedy of Sablier, the framing simmers for the latter's care (or pseudo incest feelings. Again, (don't) let your imagination run free) of his elder brother and wanting him to feed into his illicit thoughts. Granted, Gilbert was trained as an assassin, yet Vincent feels like the double agent type. Break's past also offers a little irony towards his role in the main group and shows his importance to the overall story. I'll lift my white flag for him in support/fear.
Profile Image for Emily Grace.
Author 1 book5 followers
June 29, 2022
I really hate Vincent, I don't get how anyone can like him now. Jack is starting to grow on me though, but Vincent, even as a child he's downright psychotic. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt but even after Break was able to go back in time and change the past, Vincent still ended up more or less the same. The fact he's trying to manipulate Gilbert into wanting to kill Alice is making my blood boil. Not only that but Vincent is starting to seem more or less like an antagonist and even if he is Gilbert's adoptive brother that doesn't excuse him from his cruelty. I was so glad when Gilbert stood up to him and made it clear to Vincent that if he was scheming against Oz then he would kill him, despite the fact they're brothers.

I really hope Break lives and doesn't die but I have a feeling that isn't going to happen. But I'm hoping he at least lasts a few more volumes. This is only the 8th volume and there's 24 I believe so please don't die on me yet, Break. Also, I was sort of right about the whole "dark side of Alice thing" but I knew Alice, the one with Oz currently, isn't the same Alice who stole Break's eye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2025
.*.*.*.* 2 stars that had their points cut with scissors .*.*.*.*

chapter 31:
excuse me, a grown ass man sneaking into a teenager room????!!! the fuck did i witness the twink being a groomer??? in no way in hell is that ever acceptable? the fuck?

Vincent is a piece of shit and for what, it feels cheap. bitch is a psycho baby, can't wait to know about the trauma there *sarcasm*

chapter 32:
cute little monster


chapter 33:
yandere/ yangire anime sibling trope goes brrrrrrr

what did i sayyyyy Gil "master fetish" is based on something else! and he was doing it out of fear of losing security /33
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews

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