“We are not connected by light, but by darkness instead.”
Trigger warnings: disturbing images of monstrous creatures and deaths
About the Author: Jun Mochizuki is a Japanese manga artist best known for her manga series Pandora Hearts which ran in GFantasy from 2006 to 2015. Mochizuki began her professional career as a student. Mochizuki is also the author of the one-shot manga Crimson-Shell, running manga series The Case Study of Vanitas (Vanitas no Carte), and illustrator of the Boukyaku no Haou Roland and Caucus Race novels.
Pandora Hearts is a 24 volume series about a mystical yet terrifying realm called the Abyss, that is reminiscent of a broken toy box. Monstrous creatures called “Chains” inhabit the Abyss, and while most believe it to be a fairytale used to scare misbehaving children, Oz Vessalius, discovers firsthand that the Abyss is no fairytale. On the eve of his coming-of-age ceremony, the mysterious Baskerville Clan arrives and condemns Oz to the Abyss for a sin he doesn’t remember committing. In order to escape his hell, Oz forms a contract with a unique Chain named Alice, who can take human form. This series follows Oz’s struggle to unravel the mysteries surrounding his condemnation, the Abyss, and a tragedy from one hundred years ago.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
PRR Writer, Meghan Reinholz