Pandora Hearts, Volume 24

Pandora Hearts #24

by Jun Mochizuki

Someone once said that all they would find there was darkness that swallowed everything whole. But that never meant that light was nowhere to be found--

They finally arrive at an answer to the question of how to save their world. It is the product of many months, even years. Cruel yet kind, it is a simple formula. Now, led on by the cogs of destiny, it spells the end of but one story...as if it were no more than a ridiculous fairy tale.

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

338 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2015

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

[Sasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been meaning to rewrite this review for a while and tbh I think now is the right time :)

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I've been with this manga for a long time, it was the only manga that I've ever gotten attached to this much, after watching the anime I honestly didn't expect to get a lot from the manga or more accurately more than the anime offered but I was very mistaken.

Pandora Hearts is without a doubt my absolute favourite manga and I hope to read the Light Novels at some point. The story Mochizuki Jun wove in these chapters is complex, appropriately dialogue heavy, with action scenes and amazing characters + their development that just brings it all together.

So many questions were answered in this final volume, one of them which probably stuck with me for a long time was Lacie's "I'm sorry." I've always wanted to know why exactly she's saying that and having it be for the future version of Glen was an amazing reveal, it definitely puts Mochizuki Jun on a tier higher than most mangakas I've read the work of, having her be a troll most of the time was annoying as expected but after seeing how she wrapped up everything so nicely while giving an epilogue as well makes it more than worth it.

I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was seeing them save their timeline and the feeling I had when I reached the final page of this series. All the years I've followed this series led to that one moment and I'm satisfied with how it ended, not being able to look for a new update took a while to get over but I'm more than okay now and the best part is that Mochizuki Jun is most likely going to be taking me for a ride all over again in Vanitas no Carte.

I do wish for the brotherhood treatment for the anime everyday and I will continue to wish for it for a long time (while also hoping that Bones will be the adapting studio) because this is seriously something I would love to see animated from A to Z without having anything altered, cut or just plain forgotten. I'm looking at you Square Enix, please make it happen!!

[Waad · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If all the people break, and all the world breaks, and everyone and everything goes mad, then I can be normal, just like everyone else, right?”

My tears may never dry.

This has honestly been a roller-coaster of every emotion possible from the moment I picked it up one (un)fortunate day 5 (4? 6? I forget) years ago. Honestly one of the most complex (and tragic) stories I've ever read. I'm still reeling from the shock of how everything turned out.

Jon Mochizuki is a strong story-teller, and she's not afraid of crafting one long detailed story with complex developed characters only to twist it up and change everything, but plot twists don't happen for the sake of plot twists. Everything is alluded to and has been foreshadowed beforehand. Everything. Every word uttered and every panel drawn had been carefully done. Here, nothing is as it seems. You could trust a character or a phrase or a panel for years (and I do mean years) only to discover differently. After all, how can you trust characters that aren't even sure of who they are themselves?

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

The story revolves around the Abyss and Sablier, a city that has fallen a century prior to the start of the story. It begins when Oz Vessalius, the main character, is cast into the Abyss in his coming-of-age ceremony for the crime of existing. There, he wanders for a decade before meeting Alice, an amnesiac resident of the Abyss, and makes a contract with her. He is thus thrust back into the world alongside Alice, and in doing so, they ignite a self-fulfilling prophecy where the Tragedy of Sablier hangs back upon them.

Everything is twisted here, and that makes for a beautiful, dark, tragic story for everyone involved. It's confusing, chaotic, and overwhelming at times, but everything makes sense by the end. Pandora Hearts is not a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, but it does borrow heavily from it in terms of themes and names, and much like the residents of Wonderland, everyone is mad here.

I usually don't add mangas to Goodreads (I have MAL for that), but I couldn't not add this. Also, I should've known this was only gonna end in tragedy once I figured out that the publisher was Square Enix. Also, I'm still not over the deaths and will probably never be.

[kori baskerville · Rating 5 out of 5]

It couldn't have ended in a better way, in spite of being so bittersweet.
I found Pandora Hearts just by chance, and I'd dare to say it's one of the best casualties I've ever bumped into. Beautiful characters and a very beautiful plot, it gathers all the elements I could ask for in a story of any kind.
Thank you for sharing your creation with us, Mochijun. I'm truly thankful, for I am certain I will carry this world in my heart for the rest of my life.

PS: I am utterly in love with Xerxes Break. God, I don't think I've ever been this fascinated by a character. Easily one of my all-time favorites.

[Roya · Rating 5 out of 5]

به یاد ندارم با هیچ داستانی این‌قدر دردِ شخصیت‌ها رو حس کرده باشم. بهترین چیزی که می‌تونم درباره‌ش بگم اینه که بعد از «قلب‌های پاندورا»، بدترین مصیبتا تو اکثر کتابا یا فیلمایی که خونده‌م یا دیده‌م، بیشتر شبیه شوخیای مسخره‌ به نظر میان T__T

[izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the most beautiful manga I have read.

[Kali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volumes 21-24

Reading this again after nine years, and it's just like back then - I feel like I won't ever stop crying. I'm sad, I'm happy, I'm melancholy, I'm feeling every emotion imaginable probably. This story is so very important to me.

[Nitzan Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY REVIEWED ON AFTERWORDS

I recommend looking at this review on my blog for the full visual experience ;)

If you're looking for a funny, cutesy manga to pass your time with, LOOK AWAY BECAUSE PANDORA HEARTS IS NOT THAT. While immensely funny at times, Pandora Hearts is heartbreaking in it's core, weaving through dialogues, characters and beautiful art style an intricate, gut wrenching tale of love, loss and obsession.

From the very beginning, Pandora Hearts engulfs you in this sense of mystery and intrigue. What is going on here? What is the truth? What is the motives behind the characters actions? It piles questions on top questions, wrapping it up with a cast of endearing, funny, sweet and somewhat broken characters.

The main core of the manga are Oz, Alice and Gilbert. And yes, there are some very clear elements of both Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz interwoven into the tale.

Oz is the successor to the house of Vessalius, one of the four dukedoms of this fantasy world. He is a lovable but odd child. He has a hard time believing he is lovable. Believing he is worth something. He doesn't fight for anything, and at times seems oddly detached from this world. Someone might need to literally beat him up in order for him to realize his own self worth.

None of it is helped by his disastrous 15th birthday coming of age ceremony, where the party is disrupted and Oz gets cast into The Abyss, a twisted, eternal prison, for the simple sin of "existing".

The Abyss is what gives birth to "Chains" - strangely toy-like creatures with superpowers who can only exist in the real world by forming a contract with a human... and eating other humans. There, Oz meets Alice - a human shaped chain who offers to help him escape this prison if he forms a contract with her.

Oz does, forming a connection beyong a simple contract with the spunky girl. Alice is a peculiar chain. First of all - she has a proper name. She is human in her looks and behavior - acting a bit like a naughty child; she loves food; she is funny and sweet and innately attuned to Oz's feelings and moods. She tries to cheer him up constantly, because he "is her manservant and only she is allowed to make him sad". In short, she is a delight.

But why is Alice so different? Yet another mystery slowly unraveled by this manga.

cool Gil!

.... Real Gil...

And finally, the person who awaits Oz and Alice in Real Life, working to free Oz on his end - Gilbert. Oz's servant and best friend, he defines himself by his master, he will do anything for him, he is a bit weak and he's very insecure. He balances Oz's devil-may-care and Alice rush enthusiasm perfectly.

These three are squad goals and I love them dearly. Together, they work to find the truth behind what happened to Oz, what happened one hundred years ago... and what is about to happen next.

Around them are funny, odd, sweet, smart and crazy characters; from the Mad Hatter whom I long to give a hug, to Liem and Sharon, the count, UNCLE OSCAR (I love him), Ada, Elliot, Leo and of course... Vincent. Wacked-up, strangely endearing, impossibly impossible Vincent.

Everyone in this manga are such a mess, but a mess I loved.

Now when I first started this series, it was still on-going, and in it's relatively happy-go-lucky, just-fun-and-games stage. So I was not expecting it to punch me in the face suddenly and then keep punching non stop. Seriously, I started crying at around chapter 54 and continued crying up to the end.

I am not okay. This is not okay!

If you're looking for a manga that could really hit you in the feels and make you both engross and interested and completely heartbroken for everyone at the same time, manga with bitter-sweet endings, then... this one is for you.

Otherwise , stay away because this will break you.

Hope this review made some form of sense! lol

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[Phantomº · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't try to excuse yourself by saying you're doing it for someone else's sake.

This is a proper ending. Bittersweet, heartbreaking but true to its core and the ideals Pandora Hearts showcased since the first volumes.
Please do read this series; there might be moments, characters, words that will affect you deeply. Hope we see you at the tea party.

No matter how much despair awaits them, I wish that at the end of their story, the gentle light of hope will shine on them...♥

[Yi Lun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated this 5☆ based on the series as a whole. Pandora heart really is a stroke of genius, a work of art and so highly under-rated. The amount of twists and turns is dizzying and Mochizuki-sensei definitely knows how to build up an illusion and then shatter it so completely, leaving reader at a complete loss of what to expect next. It so well-thought out too. There are many things which are alluded to in earlier chapters and only after subsequent readings will you pick up on bits and pieces that make you think "How could I not have seen that?". Although it might start off a bit slow, it is a mix of fantasy, friendships and imagination which is so highly worth the read. I also love the allusions to 'Alice in Wonderland' which was obviously a source of inspiration to the manga. The ending was completely bittersweet and really hurt but it fit Pandora Hearts perfectly!

[Ray Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desde que empecé a leerlo hasta que terminé fui un mar de lágrimas.
You don't know my pain, don't understand it.
5 estrellas se queda corto.
Ha sido uno de los mejores finales que he leído y me duele todo.

[Ajx ☽ 🍓 Charyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an intense yet beautiful ride! I’ve finally finished the story e I’m so glad I read it.
This volume is so so so precious and the final chapter so important to me. I wish Oz and Alice didn’t disappear and die but i’m so much consolate and glad they reincarnated and were found by Vincent (also, Vincent became such a beautiful person, please, I love him and I was going to cry because of his death at the end).



Gilbert waited so much years again to but he never ever gave up and still had a hope inside his heart<3



So, basically I had all I wanted: beautifully written characters, developments, complex plot, philosophy and psichology of the characters, well written side characters, perfect art style that makes you feel every feeling and emotion inside. I can’t even explain how much I suffered for this story yet loved it, everyone of his character included. I also loved the character’s development of many ones, such as Jack, Glen and obviously Vincent.



I critic just one thing: one volume specifically was a little bit too confusing (maybe it was so to me but yeah).
Also, I wanted to know more and more about Elliot, but maybe it will be in the “Last Dance”? idk



So yeah, I’ll miss Gilbert, Alice, Oz, Vincent, Sharon, Break, Elliot, Leo, Echo and so on. But I’m happy that, when I’ll think back about them, I’ll know they are living (or stay wherever they are) in peace now and they finally found serenity and love.



“In this world that holds every color possible…let’s now begin spinning the tale once again…here in this golden afternoon—


WELCOME HOME”


Thanks, Jun Mochizuki.

[Tami (tami.letters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó el manga, llore, rei, sufrí, todo 🥺
En verdad igual me sorprendieron algunas partes y otras las predije un poco antes de leerlas.
Debo decir igual que es súper enredado a veces dónde se mezcla el pasado de 100 años con el presente 😱
Me encantaron todos los personajes en verdad. Independiente de si fueran buenos o malos por así decirlo, porque cada quien siempre tuvo sus razones por sus acciones y deseaba algo, además del egoísmo que implicaban las acciones. Hubo mucho engaño también y secretos entremedio.
Amo la amistad entre Oz y Gilbert, son los mejores 🥺❤️
Alice es muy tsundere pero me encantó su personaje, además va evolucionando bastante en la historia.
Me dió mucha pena la muerte de ciertos personajes, no sé merecían eso 😭 pero bueno no daré nombres para no dar spoilers 🤭

100% recomendada la historia (aunque contiene violencia, sangre, muerte), pero lea bajó su propio riesgo 😅

[Faye Fite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. That's about as good of an ending as I could have asked for. It's so sad, but in a bittersweet way. You all need to read this series. Come suffer with me. =)

Seriously, though. All of the characters are so well-developed. The supposed heroes have unexpected twists, and the "villains" are complex, often have heartbreaking motives, and really aren't bad. That takes a lot of skill. I'm impressed. This is certainly a series worth reading.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I had any tears left but I ended up crying a lot. I think I would've liked to know a little more about what happened to everyone afterward but this is still a fitting end to the series.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series!!! *cry for hours*

[Margot Looten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sobbed so hard it was amazing ✨

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I hate you.
I love you.
I will never forgive you."

-St Alia of the Knife to her mom
-also me to this book

[Areej · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

لي كم سنة اماطل فيها بالنهاية خلصتها بيوم واحد

بديييعة، جون عندها القدرة برسم الجمال وابدعت بذي المانجا اسلوبها بالسرد والرسم وتريب الاحداث والغموض والبلوت تويست شيء شيء شييء عجبني مره بس يعيبها ان درامتها بيض بصراحة

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CRIED AGAIN
Such a great manga, honestly. Not too long and really good!

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

My god this has been.. I don’t even know how to describe it. Tears were shed, heart was broken and brain was shambled. I honestly do not think anything would have the hold this story has on me.

All of the characters had flaws and reasons, some understandable more than others and it really showed how people can lose themselves and then gain back who they truly are. Oz, Alice and Gilbert, a trio that will stay in my mind forever…

A special thank you to the queen Raghad for introducing me to this masterpiece 🙏🏻

[Wordsworn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holding true to my standard of "any book that can make me cry, in a good way, gets five stars."

This series has been such a wonderful adventure! It's bittersweet to finally see it end. And while the ending might not be "perfect" or completely happy for everyone, it is a Good and Fitting End. Painful as it is, I like it that they don't choose to change the past, that beloved characters who sacrificed themselves weren't just "magically" brought back to life after the world was saved.

I love that Oz and Alice knew the cost, and chose to save everyone anyway. I love that they got to say goodbye.

I love Oz telling Gil that the reason he was crying, the reason he didn't want to disappear, was because he'd come to care about so many people, and had so many good memories...and that despite being sad, he was still happy to have found so much joy and meaning in the time he'd had with them--happy to have found something that was worth being sad to lose.

I love that Gil was determined to keep waiting. For both of them. Because his faithfulness was always his strongest point.

...And the fact that after all that time, Oz, Alice, and Gil found each other again...makes it just a little bit perfect. I think maybe I love that most of all.


A beautiful series. Would heartily recommend. <3

[Agustina · Rating 5 out of 5]

El mejor manga que leí en mi vida.

Vengo siguiendolo desde el 2010, aunque lo tuve que dejar porque los capítulos tardaban mucho en salir, y la historia es tan enredada y tiene tantos giros que se me hizo imposible.

Sin embargo, estoy muy feliz de haber decidido volver a leerlo desde el comienzo. Valió totalmente la pena.

Los dibujos de Jun Mochizuki son espectaculares, cada detalle es impecable.

La historia no puede ser mejor. Cuando pensas que conocés a un personaje, cambia totalmente. Cuando pensas que ya entendés lo que pasó, en realidad no es así.

El anime es bueno, pero no llega a abarcar ni 1/4 del manga.

Para los que lo lean, recomiendo el OST de Pandora Hearts (del anime) de fondo. Los últimos capítulos con los instrumentales tristes son devastadores.

No suelo escribir reviews, pero éste manga superó mis expectativas.

En resumen: Son muchos sentimientos juntos. Felicidad, tristeza, confusión, sorpresa, desilusión, todo en el mismo manga.

5/5. Del 1 al 10, un millón.

[Jinghay (these.blank.pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not satisfied with this ending..
:<

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think there’s enough words in the world that I could to describe how perfect this series is and how its quite literally changed my whole DNA.

Always makes me tear bend

[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.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fui muy feliz de tenerte a mi lado...
Fui muy feliz de que estuvieras conmigo...
Me alegra haber estado aquí todo esté tiempo..."

Pandora Hearts es una de mis historias favoritas de la vida. Aquí le 🛐 a Jun Mochizuki 🫶

Y por ese motivo me negaba a leer el final de esta bella historia que Panini manga nos trajo a México 🤌

El abismo ha sido cerrado, el ciclo interminable de oscuridad y maldad ya ha llegado a su fin. A su paso ha dejado muchas pérdidas, demasiadas despedidas que con el paso del tiempo duelen cada vez más.

Pero siempre queda la esperanza, y aunque he derramado unas cuantas lágrimas, me alegro mucho de poder tener un happy ending, con un feliz reencuentro y un feliz... Feliz no cumpleaños en la hora del té ☕

[Cami L. González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lloro a mares. Fue tan lindo, todo, lindo y triste, pero lindo. Me gustó la relación de Vincent y Gil, al fin pudieron ser los hermanos que tenían que ser. Me dio pena por Ada, pero me gustó que demostrara que su amor era real de esa forma. Todo me gustó, no tengo más quejas que el hecho de que no mostraron los rostros de Oz ni Alice al final, me hubiera gustado, pero ese abrazo de los tres fue maravilloso.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hemos llegado al final de esta historia y voy a ser sincera no será una de mis favoritas pero estuvo entretenida.

Esta historia me quedo debiendo desde muy temprano, había tantos giros en la historia que la verdad me perdí y unas cosas no las llegue a entender, pero estuvo lo suficientemente interesante que me hacía querer saber qué pasaba con los protagonistas, motivo por el cual seguí comprando la historia.

Aun así he de decir que este último tomo fue muy emotivo; un final digno de esta historia que parecía una montaña rusa por tanto giro en la trama.

Me encanto la visión que le da el abismo a Oz , en serio se me estrujó el corazón . Y lo más uff fue el final de Gil, ese personaje fue mi favorito

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can't believe I finished the series. I was really confused in the beginning and the pacing was really fast, but I got used to it. in the end I understood most of the story, but I gave up on forcing myself to understand what was going on in the middle of it, which was a good idea not going to lie because I could enjoy the story more that way.

I liked it and I'm glad I read it.

[珊 · Rating 5 out of 5]

that place is said to be engulfed in darkness. but even if that were really the case, there must be a light somewhere.

pandora hearts is a story about loneliness, hope, and most importantly, love.