Re: Pandora Hearts ch. 59 (just got caught up!)

[kill_me_faster]

*sigh*

I give you props, Mochizuki-sensei, but at the same time, I seriously hate your fucking guts. Excuse me while I go kill myself now.

[EDIT]: To summarize my mood, have a random music download HERE. Oh, and if you haven't started reading this series yet, you losers, DO IT NOW. Urrrrgh, the mangaka has been trolling the shit out of EVERYONE

Comments

[kill_me_faster]

Well............. I don't think the author is really TROLLING, per se, as that seems more like creating developments intentionally because the fans will hate them. In this case, it's more like, the author pulled a REALLY huge DID NOT SEE THAT COMING, and it was like being physically punched in the gut. Basically, she made you believe one thing, foreshadowed and led up to it and everything else, and then boom! Something entirely different happened completely out of effing nowhere (but it still makes perfect sense within series canon! That's why it's brilliant).

Also, without spoiling too much, she basically killed off a character who in the realm of typical shounen manga would have been granted blanket immunity from permanent death (not the "fake" stuff that permeates Bleach, but ACTUAL DEATH), and it was something of a shock. You're mocking yourself for going into mild hysterics over the fate of fictional characters but honestly, this recent development in Pandora Hearts actually KEPT ME UP AT NIGHT THINKING ABOUT IT.

It's a really good series, I swear. It's something of a Blue Bishonen Ghetto, but don't let that lead you into thinking that that's what gives the series it's popularity. It's really good. There are a lot of plot twists, and with a few notable exceptions, most of the cast are really likable and definitely NOT AT ALL what they seem. It's 60 chapters in, but there are STILL a bunch of things that aren't answered, and that's what makes me like it. The pacing is fast and the fight scenes don't drag out for that long (there aren't many of them, either).

Even the villains are kind of sympathetic! (Lawl.) If you're curious about the series itself, but want a more interesting introduction to it, I'd recommend the anime. It's 26 episodes, and follows the manga pretty faithfully up until the last two episodes. The soundtrack is also done by Yuki Kajiura! :O

Anyway, yes, you should dive in. There's only one other person on my friends-list who keeps up with this series.......... ;_____________; You should watch/read it, and then we can FANGIRL/SOB FOREVER.

How was Black Butler, haha?

[cephiedvariable]

I was a little sold at Yuki Kajiura. I might just give this a look. I strenuously avoid the Blue Bishounen Ghetto these days but I like the promise of "characters who are not what they seem."

I

I love Black Butler

okay. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I love it. ;___;

but I wouldn't strictly call it "good".

[kill_me_faster]

Why on earth would you avoid the Blue Bishounen Ghetto? Well, admittedly, some authors use it as an excuse to avoid having any REAL plot (hi, Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! :D), but Pandora Hearts isn't like that. It's really fast-paced for a shounen. It seems like it has to be waaaaaaay more than 60 chapters so far, considering everything that's happened, but it isn't. It's great. And yeah, the soundtrack for the anime is awesome.

Oh man, NONE of the characters are what they seem, practically. Hope you like angst! (Lawl.)

[cephiedvariable]

The older I get the less tolerance I have for series that don't have a strong female cast for some reason? The last three "fandoms" I've been super into (DC Comics, Babylon 5 and Homestuck) have such exceptional female casts that slipping back into the world of anime shounen junk is kind of jarring somehow. (~-_-)~

Kuroshitsuji didn't count somehow because it hit every single one of my narrative kinks. Victorian London? Check. Friendly neighbourhood sociopath? CHECK. Young boy who is way too world weary and vicious? Check. Slashy dynamic where the character with less power actually holds all the power in a super tangible way? Boy howdy check.