Pandora Hearts

Pandora Hearts
Original title	パ ン ド ラ ハ ー ツ
transcription	Pandora Hātsu
genre	Fantasy , action, mystery
Manga
country	Japan
author	Jun Mochizuki
publishing company	Square Enix
magazine	GFantasy
First publication	May 18, 2006 - March 18, 2015
expenditure	24
Anime television series
Country of production	Japan
original language	Japanese
year	2009
Studio	Xebec
length	25 minutes
Episodes	25th
Director	Takao Kato
production	Atsushi Iwasaki, Takatoshi Chino, Takeshi Tanaka, Yoshiko Nakayama
music	Yuki Kajiura
First broadcast	April 2, 2009 - September 24, 2009 on TBS
synchronization

Pandora Hearts ( Japanese パ ン ド ラ ハ ー ツ , Pandora Hātsu ) is a manga by the Japanese mangaka Jun Mochizuki , which was published in Japan between 2006 and 2015. The manga was implemented as an anime series and radio play and can be classified into the genres of fantasy , mystery and action.

action

The life of Oz Vessalius, one of the heirs of an influential duchy, changes suddenly on his 15th birthday when he is suddenly confronted with a mysterious chain named Alice during his initiation ceremony and pushed into the Abyss by three strange hooded figures. The Abyss ( ア ヴ ィ ス ), which lies in another dimension, is said to be a prison for criminals who are believed to have committed unforgivable sins. The Chains ( チ ェ イ ン ), creatures from the Abyss, can only leave it with the help of a contract with a human being, the Contractor ( 契約 者 , Keiyakusha ). The contractor has a watch-like mark on his chest, the pointer of which moves when the power of the chain is used. Once the pointer has moved around, the contractor and his chain are pulled back into the Abyss.

When Oz regains consciousness in the Abyss, he faces the Chains. Before he knows it, one of these chases him, whereupon the chain Alice comes to his aid. To escape from the Abyss, Oz signs a contract with Alice. But when he returns to the real dimension, he finds that 10 years have passed in his absence. Together with the organization Pandora ( パ ン ド ラ ), which has a particular interest in Oz and Alice, the two are now looking for Alice's memories to learn more about Oz's past and the tragedy of Sablier. The tragedy happened 100 years ago and appears to be closely involved with Oz and Alice. Sablier used to be the capital of the world, but 100 years ago it sank with all its inhabitants in the Abyss. Glen Baskerville, who was killed by Jack Vessalius after this incident, is said to be responsible.

Characters

Vessalius household

Oz Vessalius ( オ ズ ベ ザ リ ウ ス )

The main character in Pandora Hearts. A 15-year-old boy with blond hair and green eyes whose father belongs to one of the four nobles' houses. His mother was killed by the Nightray family according to a conspiracy theory and his father hates him for unknown reasons and banished him to the Abyss with the help of his chain, but despite everything, Oz is an optimistic and bright boy. He escapes from the Abyss by entering into a contract with the Chain Alice. Later he learns to open and close the seal on Alice at will. He later learns that his identity and his own personality are supposed to be a lie, as he was himself a B-Rabbit and before that just a soft toy that became a chain through Jack's requests.

Alice ( ア リ ス )

Alice is a chain who gets Oz in the Abyss to sign a contract with her so that both of them can escape the Abyss. Her real form is a large black rabbit called the B-Rabbit (Bloodstained Black Rabbit), which is one of the strongest chains. When she's not fighting, she takes on the shape of a girl with long brown hair and purple eyes. She has a huge appetite and loves to eat meat. She has no memory of her past life and her goal is to find her lost memories, the shards of which have scattered throughout the Abyss. She later finds out that in her previous life as a little girl she was held captive in a tower by Glen Baskerville, where she was only visited by Jack Vessalius, with whom she developed a close relationship. It represents a connection to the will of the Abyss, since this lives as her twin in the Abyss.

Jack Vessalius ( ジ ャ ッ ク ベ ザ リ ウ ス )

Jack is known as the hero who is believed to have defeated Glen Baskerville a hundred years ago. Jack looks a lot like Oz and has a long blond braid. Oz and Gilbert meet him for the first time in the dimension of Cheshire Cat. He resides in Oz's body, acts and sometimes speaks through him. Jack is the third son of the Vessalius family and worked as a self-proclaimed music box maker. His best friend at the time was Glen Baskerville. After Glen composed the melody "Lacie", Jack built a pocket watch for him. At the time of the Sablier tragedy, Jack was killing Glen. It later turns out that Jack had a close relationship with Gilbert and Vincent, but not, as Gilbert initially thought, was their first master. He was also the one who got them off the street.

Oscar Vessalius ( オ ス カ ー )

He is Oz's uncle and also acts as his father figure. At that time he brought Gilbert from the street into the Vessalius household, and Gilbert also sees him as his father's substitute. Like many members of the four great noble families, he works in Pandora.

Ada Vessalius ( エ イ ダ )

Oz's little sister who loves him very much. She now goes to the noble school Latowidge (Japanese ラ ト ウ ィ ッ ジ). Even though she has aged ten years after the incident with the Abyss and is therefore older than Oz, she continues to behave like his little sister. She was last seen on a date with Vincent Nightray. She has a black and a white cat.

Zai Vessalius ( ザ イ )

Oz and Ada's father. In a flashback, he can be seen as a cold-hearted person who only has contempt and hatred for his son Oz. In Retrace 40 you can see that a long, large scar runs across his face, revealing the fact that his son was transported to the Abyss. He controls a chain called Gryphon, which he uses, among other things, to push Oz into the Abyss. Even when the master of the Nightray House told his son Eliot to hate the Vessalius family, it looked like he and Zai were friends. He sent Oz to the Abyss along with the other Baskervilles, Duke Nightray being his alibi. Gilbert recognized him then, so he protected him from Oz's attack to prevent Oz from killing his own father. Zai also knows the location of the fifth door to the Abyss, which the Baskervilles call their own.

The Will of the Abyss ( ア ヴ ィ ス の 意志 )

She is Alice's twin sister and lives in the deepest corners of the Abyss, and her name is also Alice. Unlike Alice, she is nice, happy and like a little girl. She has long white hair and always wears a white dress. Since she and Alice swapped bodies every 12 hours when Alice was still human, she also had a deep connection with Jack. Alice said that she could communicate with her when she was still in the Abyss. After Vincent told Alice in the Abyss that Jack was dead and it was her fault, she freaked out and destroyed her memories. Her wish is no longer to be the will of the Abyss and to protect Alice. In some translations she is referred to as "Alyss" in order to be able to tell her and Alice better apart.

Nightray household

Gilbert Nightray ( ギ ル バ ー ト ナ イ ト レ イ )

Gilbert is Oz's best friend and loyal servant. He was taken in by the Vessalius family as a young boy and acted as Oz's servant at the time. For him, Oz is the most important person and he would sacrifice himself for his master at any time. He was present at the Oz ceremony and was used by the hooded figures of the Baskervilles to attack Oz. When he sees the face of one of the hooded men, he stands in the way of Oz, who wants to attack him, and is seriously injured himself.

When Oz returns from the Abyss, he meets Gilbert, who is ten years older than Raven (jap. 鴉, Reibun), who, like his little brother Vincent, was adopted by the Nightray family after Oz's disappearance and who also works for Pandora. At first, Oz doesn't recognize his old friend because he has changed a lot. But when he sees the scar on his chest that he unintentionally inflicted on him during the ceremony, he recognizes his friend Gilbert in Raven.

Gil is still afraid of cats and is a very good cook. In addition, he learned to use the firearm in Oz's absence, with which he now does everything to protect Oz. 100 years earlier he was Glen's servant, but was seriously injured by Jack and died. His brother Vincent opened the way into the Abyss to save him.

Vincent Nightray ( ヴ ィ ン セ ン ト ナ イ ト レ イ )

Gilbert's younger brother. His left eye is gold, his right one is wine red and is called the "Eye of Misfortune". He loves Gilbert to the point of obsession. His servant Echo ( エ コ ー ) acts like a doll, never shows emotions and is loyal to her master. He is a member of Pandora. He used to despise Alice and always annoy her. He even killed her cat, Cheshire, which later became a chain in the Abyss. He was surprised when he met the will of the Abyss in Alice's form in the Abyss.

Elliot Nightray ( エ リ オ ッ ト ナ イ ト レ イ )

Is a Latowidge Academy student just like Ada. He attends this school with his servant Leo. When Oz, Oscar, Alice and Gilbert break into the school, Oz hears the tune of his pocket watch. He goes in search of those who seem to have played it. So Ada leads him to the library, where he meets Eliot and Leo. There Eliot reveals to the completely perplexed Oz the end of his favorite character Edgar from the novel "Holy Knight", which both of them like to read. When Ada reappears, it turns out that Eliot doesn't like it when Ada uses his name because he hates the Vessalius family because of their arrogance to have the hero from 100 years ago in their family.

Despite Eliot's dislike of her, Ada believes in the good in him and thinks he is a nice and reliable person. Eliot is the legitimate heir to the Nightray family. Since Gilbert and Vincent were adopted by the Nightray House, the two are his adoptive brothers. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, regardless of the opinion of the other party. His opinion counts and nothing else. It is later revealed that he and Leo were playing the tune of Oz's pocket watch. Eliot even claims to have composed it, suggesting a strong connection with Glen Baskerville. He suffers from nightmares that show memories of Glen. This suggests that Leo, who houses the souls of all Glens, also has a powerful effect on normal people. When he and Leo meet Oz and Co. again in Sablier and thus also Zai, he defends Oz. The student Leo serves him.

Rainsworth household

Sharon Rainsworth ( シ ャ ロ ン レ イ ン ズ ワ ー ス )

She is also a member of Pandora and even though she is 23 years old, she still looks thirteen. The reason for this is a legal contract with a Chain that has not aged her since she first met Oz Vessalius. Her chain is Eques, a chain in the shape of a black unicorn. She has a close relationship with Break as she was the one who found him after he returned from the Abyss. She has seen him as her big brother since she was little.

Xerxes Break ( ザ ー ク シ ー ズ ブ レ イ ク )

He is a member of Pandora and a servant of the Rainsworth family. He has a legal contract with the Chain Mad Hatter. There is usually a small doll called Emily on Break's shoulder. Break also loves sweets, cakes and tea. On the outside, Break always seems in a good mood and without any worries. He used to be a bitter person who never opened up to others, but after losing his left eye he started opening up thanks to Sharon's mother, Shelly. His left eye was stolen from him by the will of the Abyss and now functions as Cheshire's eyesight.

In the 29th chapter of the manga it emerges that Break's real name is Kevin Regnard. He used to be a servant to the Sinclair family until his master was killed in his absence. He blamed himself for his death at the time, as it would have been his job to stay with him and protect him. So he concluded an illegal contract with a chain in which he was obliged to kill people. After his clock ran out, he was drawn to the Abyss, where he met the will of the Abyss and Vincent. In exchange for his left eye, the Abyss's will changed the past for him and he had to promise her that he would destroy her and protect Alice. By the time Kevin returned from the Abyss, 30 years had passed and he was at the Rainsworth Family Gate. He has since served the Rainsworth family.

Baskerville household

Glen Baskerville ( グ レ ン バ ス カ ヴ ィ ル ) Glen was the leader of the Baskervilles 100 years ago. His chain is called Jabberwock. He used to be Jack's best friend and is the composer of "Lacie". Lacie was also the name of his sister, who was very important to him. Lacie could perhaps be an anagram for Alice, who he had locked in a tower for years. His goal was to get the will of the Abyss, who lived as a twin of Alice in the Abyss. The name "Glen" is actually a title that is passed on. So there are different glens throughout history.

Lacie Baskerville (Reishi レ イ シ)

She was Glen Baskerville's sister and is the mother of Alice and the Will of the Abyss. The grave where Oz finds the music box is her grave. Lacie was born a "Child of Misfortune" with red eyes. When she was a child, she agreed to an experiment. She was impregnated by Levi, the previous Glen, before being thrown into the Abyss. There she gave birth to the two twins Alice and the Will of the Abyss. She had a very close bond with Jack Vessalius. She helped him when he was on the street. She stole food for him, killed to protect him. Through this she won his undying love and unconditional loyalty. She had a very beautiful singing voice. After her, Glen composed a melody that was unknown until before her death. After her death, Jack decided that this melody should be named Lacie.

Lotti ( ロ ッ テ ィ )

The girl who kidnapped Oz at Latowidge Academy. She was involved in the Sablier tragedy and killed many people. She was then in love with Glen and was serving the Baskerville family. Her real name is Charlotte, but Jack nicknamed her Lotti. She can't forgive Jack for killing Glen 100 years ago. Your chain is called Leon. It is shaped like a lion.

publication

Pandora Hearts has been published as a manga series in Shōnen magazine GFantasy since issue 6/2006 of May 18, 2006 by Square Enix . The chapters also appeared in 24 edited volumes.

The volumes sold up to 150,000 times in Japan in the first few weeks

Yen Press publishes the manga in North America. Between March 2011 and June 2016, all 24 volumes were published in German by Carlsen Verlag (as of June 2016).

Adaptations

Anime

Studio Xebec produced an anime series on the manga in 2009, directed by Takao Kato . The artistic direction was taken over by Keito Watanabe and the character design was created by Chizuru Kobayashi and Shinichi Yamaoka. The first broadcast took place from April 2, 2009 to September 24, 2009 by TBS and with a short offset by BS-i, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting and MBS.

The anime was licensed for the USA in 2010 by NIS America, the American subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software , as one of a total of four titles with which the company intends to enter the US anime market. Pandora Hearts was published in France by Kazé and in Germany by Kazé Deutschland . The series appeared in this country from November 30, 2016 on four boxes. In France, the entire series is available on 3 volumes.

synchronization

The German dubbed version was created by TV + Synchron in Berlin . Gabriele Böhm was responsible for the dialogue direction and dubbing .

role	Japanese speaker ( seiyū )	German speaker
Oz Vessalius	Junko Minagawa	Dirk Petrick
Alice	Ayako Kawasumi	Ghadah Al-Akel
Gilbert Nightray	Kousuke Toriumi	Matthias Deutelmoser
Gilbert (child)	Azuma Sakamoto	Sebastian Fitzner
Sharon Rainsworth	Kana Hanazawa	Jodie Blank
Xerxes Break	Akira Ishida	Christian Gaul
Jack Vessalius	Daisuke Ono	Bernd Vollbrecht
Ada Vessalius	Kaori Fukuhara	Maximiliane Häcke
Oscar Vessalius	Hideyuki Umezu	Stefan Staudinger
Zai Vessalius	Tōru Ōkawa	Jan-David Rönfeldt
Vincent Nightray	Jun Fukuyama	Tim Sander
Elliot Nightray	Hirofumi Nojima	Dirk Stollberg
Rufus Barma	Yūya Uchida	Daniel Welbat
Rhyme lunettes	Jun'ichi Suwabe	Thomas Schmuckert
Glen Baskerville	Kishō Taniyama	Stephan Ernst
Charlotte Baskerville	Megumi Toyoguchi	Angelina Geisler
Catch	Takayuki Kondo	Jörg Pintsch
Grin hangover	Kappei Yamaguchi	Nico Sablik
echo	Ryō Hirohashi	Anita Marietta Hopt
Philip	Kumiko Higa	Moritz Russ
Leo	Akeno Watanabe	Heiko Akrap

music

The music for the series was composed by Yuki Kajiura . The song Parallel Hearts by FictionJunction was used for the opening credits, the credits were underlaid with the titles Maze and Watashi wo Mitsukete by Savage Genius.

Episodes

Radio play and soundtracks

A first part of the anime's soundtrack was released on a maxi single by Victor Entertainment in Japan in April 2009. An album followed in June.

On December 21, 2007, Frontier Works released a radio play CD on the manga.

synchronization

role	Japanese speaker ( seiyū )
Oz Vessalius	Junko Minagawa
Alice	Yukari Tamura
Gilbert Nightray	Katsuyuki Konishi
Sharon Rainsworth	Yui Horie
Xerxes Break	Toshihiko Seki

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Japanese Comic Ranking, March 31-April 6. Anime News Network, accessed December 31, 2009 . 
2. ↑ Japanese Comic Ranking, August 3-9. Anime News Network, accessed December 31, 2009 . 
3. ↑ Japanese Comic Ranking, November 30-December 6 (Updated). Anime News Network, accessed December 31, 2009 . 
4. ^ NIS America to Release Anime Titles in North America. In: Anime News Network . February 11, 2010, accessed March 12, 2010 . 
5. ↑ Pandora Hearts: First information about synchronization. Retrieved September 21, 2012 . 
6. ↑ Pandora Hearts in the synchronized file. Retrieved September 21, 2012 . 

Web links

• Official Manga Website (Japanese)
• Official website for the Manga (German)
• Anime Official Website (Japanese)
• Website of Fuji Creative for Anime (English)
• Manga and Anime on Anime News Network (English)