NISA continues strong with their anime line-up as they bring us Pandora Hearts Volume 1 Premium Edition DVD. This DVD set, as with Persona ~Trinity Soul~ and Toradora, contains 2 DVDs and a beautiful artbook of the anime.

Pandora Hearts is an adventure, fantasy, and Alice-in-Wonderland themed anime that revolves around the adventures and mishaps of Oz Vessalius and Alice.  The anime begins in the setting of the Vessalius family’s mansion, where Oz Vessalius is running off to have fun when he is suppose to prepare for his Coming of Age Ceremony. When Oz ran off to play, he and his attendant, Gilbert, stumble upon a single lone grave with a cross and a pocket watch. Oz picks it up, and opens it, then proceeds to wind it to find it playing a melody. The pocket watch then shows Oz a vision of a room full of dolls, and a girl who wants to kill him. Gilbert shakes him awake from his vision all while the melody continues to play and eventually reaching another girl elsewhere and awakening her. During the Coming of Age Ceremony, a group of red hooded people known as “The Citizens of Baskerville,” crashed the ceremony and attacked Oz when the Silent Clock, a giant unmoving clock in mansion. It began to move and struck midnight. They manipulate Gilbert to cut Oz in the chest to initiate a spell circle then proceed to punish Oz.

The Citizens of Baskerville claim that Oz’ existence was of sin, and therefore they send him to the Abyss, a place where people who commit grave sins are sent never to return. When Oz awakes, he finds himself in a strange place with what seems like various toys, furnitures, and buildings floating around and is attacked by a mysterious creature, called a Chain. Chains are creatures that cannot exist outside of the Abyss unless bound to a contract with humans. Chains feed on human beings for nourishment and manipulate humans to binding contracts by informing them that they can fix their past to make their future better. Oz travels around and eventually gets attacked by a Chain only to be saved by B. Rabbit, a humanoid-like Chain. After saving Oz, B. Rabbit informs Oz she wants to bind a contract so both of them are able to escape the Abyss. She also proceeds to inform him of her real name, Alice, which is needed to be said to bind the contract. Oz is hesitant at first, however, when they are attacked by a Chain again and Alice is in danger, he hastily decides to save her by binding a contract. This unleashes her powers as the B. Rabbit and she kills the Chain saving them both. The pocket watch proceeds to then open up an escape portal for Oz and Alice allowing them to escape from the Abyss. They end up back in Oz’ world in Oz’ mansion where 3 other people are there awaiting their return. Oz looks around and wonders where everyone else from the ceremony went with many things having changed unbeknownst to him.

The Pandora Hearts Volume 1 Premium Edition DVD box set is packaged nicely in a black box with – white font, and a picture of the 3 main characters on one side, and Pandora Hearts Volume 1 Premium Edition on the other. The package is done in same style as Personal ~Trinity Soul~ and Toradora were when they were released earlier in the year by NISA. There is a total of 13 episodes in this volume along with 5 Pandora Hearts Bonus omake episodes on the second DVD. The make is a comedic light of the anime that shows the characters in a comedy spoofs as well as explains what has happened up that point in the anime. The artbook is a beautifully designed hardcover artbook with character backgrounds explained, artworks, and a manga short at the end. The character backgrounds are very detailed and explains in depth how each character’s personality traits, amongst other things, are. The artwork is drawn in color, and nicely to display different interactions between the various characters.

Pandora Hearts, the anime itself, is very intriguing thus far with the Alice-in-Wonderland feel making things seem fun and serious all at the same time. The character interactions and individual character flashbacks, greatly entertain the audience as well as explain various stories and tie up loose ends. This is an overall great anime to checkout if anyone is into mystery, and especially Alice-in-Wonderland themed subjects. For the fans of the anime and anime fans alike, look forward to Volume 2, as the anime continues to intrigue.