Pandora Hearts is one of the very first manga I'd ever read at the time. Immediately upon reading around 70 chapters, it was uncontestedly my absolute favorite. I thought at first that it was caused by the small number of manga I'd read, however, throughout the years, and having read many more manga, novels, and watched many more anime, it still reigns supreme.

Story: 10/10
The story in itself, one of retrieving lost memories, isn't necessarily a unique premise in an of itself. However, Jun Mochizuki did an IMPECCABLE job weaving the plot in such a way that I doubt it could leave anyone indifferent towards it. The story starts fairly slowly, with a jolly 15 year old noble getting ready for his coming of age ceremony. However, the status quo of his life is soon shaken when he is punished for the sin of merely existing. We follow his quest in search of the truth. How is his existance a sin? How is it related to the characters he meets throughout the series?
Chapter in & chapter out, we learn more and more disturbing truths about the story through the different memory fragments the cast stumbles upon and through the different antagonists that they meet. The reader can clearly tell that they're all related, however, they're left puzzled because it's unclear how they could possibly be. Each little character, whether from the side or main cast, plays an important role in the overall development of the story. As one reads, they discover the bonds that tie everything together, the characters, the memory fragments that we stumble into, the main character's sin... The story evolves faster and faster without ever getting too fast, but while getting us excited and worried about what the events will turn into. Soon, we reach the climax that has left truly left its mark on me and everyone who I've spoken to that has read it. Each little piece of the puzzle that we had learn serves for the greater purpose of the story. So many lines that we don't pay much attention to by the characters were foreshadowing it, yet it came as such a shock that I literally had to stop reading for a while to catch my breath and process what I'd just read. The show is full of amazingly written plot twists that never fail to amaze me.
The manga explores so many philosophical ideas throughout its run time and manages to make the reader actually ponder about so many things about real life. It makes you think about so many things all the whilst getting you hooked. I truly think Pandora Hearts is the best story that I've ever read.

Art: 9/10
The story starts off with okay art. It does convey the dark vibe of the series correctly but it fails to be outstanding. However, throughout the chapters, it improves so much while still giving off the same feel. By the end of the manga, the art is top tier.

Characters: 10/10
Many artists fail to make their characters human. They can't make the reader attached to their cast so they opt for some less than ideal strategies in my opinion. Many anime & manga that I've seen with a similar theme to Pandora Heart's employs strategies like showing graphic abuse towards the cast as a means of making us care for them through basic human empathy without the scene adding anything to the plot itself. Pandora Hearts, though, makes you care about the characters because the writer was so adept at making them human. You understand why Alice feels so lonely when you've been told that she'd survived many years without any memories in a world where she alone was human. You understand how deep its impact on her was when (mini spoiler:) you see how insecure she gets and how bad she feels whenever she is left behind, alone and watches as a third party whenever Oz moves ahead of her & interacts to someone else. We understand why Break is so cynical when we learn about his loss from his backstory. Why understand why Oz remains unphased about so many things that would have ruined anyone else's mood because of what we're told about his childhood. Mochizuki Jun doesn't have to hammer their traumatic past over our heads over and over. We just see its impact and understand it ourselves. You can tell that she knows her characters perfectly and you can understand every one of their actions and why they would choose it after having gone through whatever they've been through. Truly one of the manga with the best, most human cast I've ever seen

Enjoyment: 10/10
To me, a piece of art (be it music, litterature, painting, movies, ...) is only a masterpiece so long as it makes you feel something. If it touches the audience in any way after experiencing it. Pandora Hearts excelled at that. The story left me on the edge of my seat, always thirsty for more and more of the manga every month that I had to wait for a new chapter (once I caught up). I cared for the characters and was attached to them. They felt so human an organic that I couldn't help but empathize with them. Their philosophies did change my point of view about many real life topics. I really enjoyed the series.


Overall: 10/10
Truly my favorite manga of all time. The story is amazing, the cast gets you so attached. No scene is unnecessary, everything is linked. Each time I re-read it I'm amazed by the intricacy of every event that occurs in the manga and the crazy amout of foreshadowing throughout the chapters. I also enjoy the Alice in Wonderland references. Highly recommended