Pandora Hearts
So, as of yesterday, I've caught up to the latest chapter of the Pandora Hearts manga, aka chapter 56.
I admit I had to literally drag myself through the first 2 volumes. The beginning was like having everything thrown together at once, the translation was vague, I almost had no idea what was going on and who was who, it has this feeling as if the manga is not really my thing, and with my finals over, I wasn't in the mood for something dark at all. If it weren't for my friend's insistence on me reading it (and the fact that she's playing a favorite game of mine because of my insistence as well, sorry Invi-chan _ __") I would've seriously dropped it at chapter 2. I'm glad I didn't.
Pandora Hearts has a seriously great plot, with twists and questions all over the place but it doesn't seem dragged out at all. I haven't read Alice in Wonderland (blasphemy yeah I know ò___ó) so I'm not so sure about the parallels, but from what I've heard those are carried out brilliantly. One of the things I like most about PH is its lovable and awesomely original characters. They all are very fleshed out and seem very real, and although there are traits of stereotypes, they are by no means stereotypes themselves. I'm really awed jealous by that, what's with the rather huge cast of the manga. It also has a good balance between humor and emo stuff, so that it's not overbearingly dark. The story as it goes along flows (much much) better than it was in the beginning, and I feel that complicated plot points are easier to understand (of course, unless it's meant to be vague). And I think I don't need to mention how good the drawing is.
Of course, it's not without its flaws. One of them is that it's a monthly series TAT. This makes it really hard to follow the plot line as a lot of stuff is forgotten in 30 days without any reminders (unless you're a rabid fan and reread it every day). Not to mention the gruesome wait kinda put a dam on my mood, especially when I know it's no where close to finish :-< This is also the reason why I dropped some of the other monthly series and only reread them when they're almost done (xxxHolic, FMA). Another thing is that it makes me think of ships most of the time, while with this kind of manga I really really don't want to think about ships ;A;. It would've been better imo if those relationships that make my shipdar (gay and het) buzz were just great friendships instead. (Except for some cases where I'd think they are better off being a couple, like OzAlice, because I really think Oz is better with Alice D: I'm glad I didn't get into OzGil even though I've seen it from as early as chapter 2. Poor Gil D: I'd put him with Break if I hadn't shipped him with Reim already*).
And yes, this post is one example of how I'm so much better at criticizing than praising. Unless I'm head over heels in love with it. Then the post will be all praise and one sentence criticizing. *kicks self*
*Talking about Break/Reim, they were one of those pairings where I thought to myself when reading: "People will ship them", then grew on me ever since Break was blind, and the latest chapters sealed the deal for me. It's also one of those pairings where I feel guilty to get into. Still haven't get a good grasp on their personality though *blames Reim for being so much in the background and me for reading PH so fast*, so I hesitate to read fics for fear of bad in-characterization grows on me and change my perspective from what should've been D:. This feels like torture *sigh*. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind and take whatever comes D:. I'm also very very interested in Elliot/Leo, if anyone's curious.
I admit I had to literally drag myself through the first 2 volumes. The beginning was like having everything thrown together at once, the translation was vague, I almost had no idea what was going on and who was who, it has this feeling as if the manga is not really my thing, and with my finals over, I wasn't in the mood for something dark at all. If it weren't for my friend's insistence on me reading it (and the fact that she's playing a favorite game of mine because of my insistence as well, sorry Invi-chan _ __") I would've seriously dropped it at chapter 2. I'm glad I didn't.
Pandora Hearts has a seriously great plot, with twists and questions all over the place but it doesn't seem dragged out at all. I haven't read Alice in Wonderland (blasphemy yeah I know ò___ó) so I'm not so sure about the parallels, but from what I've heard those are carried out brilliantly. One of the things I like most about PH is its lovable and awesomely original characters. They all are very fleshed out and seem very real, and although there are traits of stereotypes, they are by no means stereotypes themselves. I'm really awed jealous by that, what's with the rather huge cast of the manga. It also has a good balance between humor and emo stuff, so that it's not overbearingly dark. The story as it goes along flows (much much) better than it was in the beginning, and I feel that complicated plot points are easier to understand (of course, unless it's meant to be vague). And I think I don't need to mention how good the drawing is.
Of course, it's not without its flaws. One of them is that it's a monthly series TAT. This makes it really hard to follow the plot line as a lot of stuff is forgotten in 30 days without any reminders (unless you're a rabid fan and reread it every day). Not to mention the gruesome wait kinda put a dam on my mood, especially when I know it's no where close to finish :-< This is also the reason why I dropped some of the other monthly series and only reread them when they're almost done (xxxHolic, FMA). Another thing is that it makes me think of ships most of the time, while with this kind of manga I really really don't want to think about ships ;A;. It would've been better imo if those relationships that make my shipdar (gay and het) buzz were just great friendships instead. (Except for some cases where I'd think they are better off being a couple, like OzAlice, because I really think Oz is better with Alice D: I'm glad I didn't get into OzGil even though I've seen it from as early as chapter 2. Poor Gil D: I'd put him with Break if I hadn't shipped him with Reim already*).
And yes, this post is one example of how I'm so much better at criticizing than praising. Unless I'm head over heels in love with it. Then the post will be all praise and one sentence criticizing. *kicks self*
*Talking about Break/Reim, they were one of those pairings where I thought to myself when reading: "People will ship them", then grew on me ever since Break was blind, and the latest chapters sealed the deal for me. It's also one of those pairings where I feel guilty to get into. Still haven't get a good grasp on their personality though *blames Reim for being so much in the background and me for reading PH so fast*, so I hesitate to read fics for fear of bad in-characterization grows on me and change my perspective from what should've been D:. This feels like torture *sigh*. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind and take whatever comes D:. I'm also very very interested in Elliot/Leo, if anyone's curious.