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, also known as ''Count Cain'', is a
gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
''shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki. ''Earl Cain'' consists of five parts or "Series": , , , , and the sequel series . Debuting in the Japanese manga magazine '' Bessatsu Hana to Yume'' in December 1991, the manga was eventually transferred to '' Hana to Yume'', where it ran until 1994; the chapters of the sequel, ''Godchild'', appeared between the May 2001 issue and the October 2003 issue in ''Hana to Yume''. Together, the series spans 13 ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes, with five for ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' and eight for ''Godchild''. Two drama CDs based on the series were also released. Set in 19th-century England, the series focuses on a young
earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
named Cain Hargreaves who solves murders while encountering his father's secret organization, Delilah, that experiments with reviving the dead. ''Earl Cain'' is licensed for English-language release in North America by
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
, which published ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' as ''The Cain Saga''. The first volume of ''The Cain Saga'' was published in October 2006; the final volume was published in June 2007. ''Godchild'' was released simultaneously, as well as being serialized in Viz's manga anthology '' Shojo Beat'' from July 2005 to June 2006. The setting of the manga was inspired by "the darker, grislier side" of the Victorian upper class and her admiration of films set in the Victorian time period. For ''Godchild'', she traveled to London to do historical research and visited seven historical sites there. In the series, she refers to the Bible as well as real-life literary works, films and people. Reviewers have found a range of themes in the series. Critical reaction to ''The Cain Saga'' was mixed: some felt that the mysteries were well-done with detailed art, while others found the art crude and the short stories confusing and predictable. Reviewers praised ''Godchild'' as an overdone, entertaining series with detailed and distinct art.


Plot


Characters

Set during the late Victorian era in London, the series focuses on its eponymous
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
the seventeen-year-old son of Alexis Hargreaves and Alexis's elder sister, Augusta. Abused physically and emotionally by his father for her subsequent insanity, Cain poisoned him, after a dying Augusta warned him to escape. Before Alexis plunged into the sea, he cursed his son to have a miserable life and die alone. Cain inherited his father's title of earl as a result of his presumed death. Accompanying him is his twenty-eight-year-old butler , a former medical student with whom he shares a close bond. Cain's uncle and legal guardian tends to become upset with his behavior and course of action. Often annoyed by Cain's relationships with women, Cain's ten-year-old half sister, the outgoing and strongwilled also lives with them. Previously, she lived on the streets as a fortuneteller, after her mother died to protect her. One of Cain's friends, Oscar Gabriel, becomes her self-proclaimed fiancé to win back his father's attention. As the series progresses, he risks his life to protect her, and she realizes that he genuinely cares for her. and his secret organization, Delilah, serve as the
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
s of the series. Delilah conducts experiments to revive the dead, creating "deadly dolls" or resurrected corpses surviving on the fresh blood and organs of others. The deadly dolls each possess a supernatural ability, such as seeing the future. Among the deadly dolls is the spider-controlling , who is a doll of , Augusta's daughter and Cain's childhood love. Cain's half brother and Alexis's illegitimate son, works as a doctor for the organization, conducting experiments on humans. Although Alexis physically abused and emotionally traumatized him as well, he refuses to escape from him, and simultaneously despises and envies the bond between Cain and Riff as he believes unconditional love does not exist. His thirty-five-year-old assistant , whose body stopped growing due to a rare strain of
dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition wherein an organism is exceptionally small, and mostly occurs in the animal kingdom. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dw ...
and who was subsequently sold to a circus as a child by his parents, shows concern for Jizabel and his involvement with Alexis and Delilah.


Story

Having vowed to end Delilah's experiments with the dead, Cain solves murders while periodically running into Jizabel and other members of Delilah. After encountering Mikaila, who professes her one-sided love for him and wants to become Suzette, he becomes obsessed with destroying the organization and learns that it is secretly building a memorial temple. Meanwhile, despite Jizabel's efforts to delay Riff's second, hidden, and cruel personality from awakening, the hypnosis suppressing it breaks. Riff later declares to Cain that he secretly works for Delilah: the loyal, kind-hearted Riff Cain had known is an alternative personality used to deceive others. Alexis had intended for Cain to develop a close bond with Riff, only to break it, to remind Cain that he is unloved. After Riff's departure, Cain resolves to confront Alexis and promises Mary that they will have a
tea party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
after the conflict with Delilah ends. Led by Cassian, whose brain has been transplanted into an adult body, he reaches the tower within the temple where Alexis plans to sacrifice the brainwashed people of London to revive Augusta. Within the tower, Riff reveals his intent to overthrow Alexis. Unconcerned, Alexis divulges that Riff is Delilah's longest surviving doll and will soon die. Riff attacks Cain, but Riff's other personality resurfaces, causing him to deliberately shoot himself. Riff's loyal personality triumphs over the cruel one, but he and Cain are separated. Because Riff's wound cannot heal, Jizabel commits suicide so Riff can use his blood to briefly remain alive and return to Cain. Meanwhile, Cain successfully poisons his father and with his death, the tower begins to crumble. Cain, unable to escape and hurt by the falling debris, reunites briefly with Riff. However, the ceiling collapses and Riff tries to push him away. Cain embraces him, choosing to stay. After Cain's disappearance, Mary becomes head of the Hargreaves. Augusta possesses Alexis, and seeks out Mary in the
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
Cain had built before leaving to confront Alexis. Augusta reveals that she manipulated Alexis into abusing his sons and trying to resurrect her for her amusement. Before she can kill Mary, Augusta triggers Cain's trap in the mausoleum and dies. Years later, Mary is married to Oscar and pregnant with their child, although she still waits for his return. Crehador, a
medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...
close to Cain, sets up a tea party for Mary, fulfilling Cain's promise; he then reminisces on how he found Cain being held by Riff's corpse within the ruined tower. The bunkoban-exclusive epilogue expands the ending slightly. It shows an elderly Mary, who lies on her deathbed attended by a woman nearby and hears the laughter of Jizabel's ghost as he plays with his pet sheep. Sensing a presence nearby, she dies, and taking the form of her ten-year-old self, her soul joins Cain hand-in-hand at a tea party with their friends and loved ones—although they exist as spirits, a boy nearby can hear them.


Development

''Earl Cain'' was Kaori Yuki's first major manga series. Early in her career as a
manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
, Yuki had had difficulty selling her manga stories and had then switched genres to write romantic comedies, such as " Orange Time Bomb," following advice from older colleagues that she would not be successful with the kind of stories and illustrations she had previously been creating; after receiving increasingly favorable reader responses to a "dark" miniseries of hers, her editor decided that she should be writing similar stories. The next story concept that she pitched was ''Earl Cain.'' She chose the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
as the setting because she liked films from that time period and was inspired by "the darker, grislier side" of the Victorian upper class. Yuki considered ''Kafka'', a vampire-themed mystery which introduced the secret society led by the protagonist's father, to be the beginning of the series' plot. The "pretty risqué theme" of ''Kafka'' "embarrassed erat the time." After completing the first four parts of ''Earl Cain'' (''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram''), Yuki was uncertain about continuing the series. She wrote her supernatural fantasy manga series '' Angel Sanctuary'' (1994–2000) and the chapter "Solomon Grundy's Sunday" as a "self-introduction" which convinced her to start ''Godchild''. Yuki did historical research for ''Godchild'', traveling to
London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
, and visiting seven historical sites:
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
,
Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...
, the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
,
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...
, the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
, Thames River, and
Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...
. Because of the gap of several years between the publication of the final ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' volume and the first ''Godchild'' volume, Yuki included the characters in order of previous appearance with past episodes, and short explanations in the first ''Godchild'' volume. Yuki noted that her drawing style differed from her previous series. The darker plot of ''Godchild'' worried Yuki, but helped her to decide the series' ending. Her method of creating suspense in ''Godchild'' included adding "lots" of black screentone, "exaggerating" the characters' expressions, having an elaborate setting, and opening the chapter with an everyday scene to contrast with the "scary scenes". Yuki believed that the original story was unclear and added extra pages to clarify the
twist ending Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
of the series. Because of her decision, the ending chapter of ''Godchild'' was eight pages longer than the usual thirty pages for a manga. Yuki was divided between a happy or tragic ending for Cain, noting how readers of ''Angel Sanctuary'' had wanted a happy ending for the protagonists. She felt that the ending of ''Godchild'' was ambiguous as to whether Cain survived because there is neither blood nor a fatal wound on him. Yuki chose the final line of ''Godchild'' from the rhyme " Simple Simon", joking in the postscript that at least the series did not conclude with the line "And then there were none". As of finishing the series, Yuki said that she has no plans for additional chapters or side stories. Despite this, she included a five-page epilogue in the 2010 bunkoban release of the entire series.


Influences and cultural references

''Earl Cain'' contains references to real-life people and literary works. The first ''Godchild'' chapter, "Mad Tea Party", focuses on a mystery with elements from
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...
's 1865 novel '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', a work which Yuki has expressed her fondness for. Yuki's minor character, Victoria, was inspired by Carroll's character, the
Queen of Hearts The queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to: Books * "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 1782 * ''The Queen of Hearts'', an 1859 novel by W ...
. Carroll's 1876 nonsense poem, ''
The Hunting of the Snark ''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony in 8 Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight por ...
'', provided Yuki with the name of Jizabel's childhood pet, Snark. Additionally, the title of the third part of the series, ''Kafka'', refers to the Austrian writer
Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
, and a translation of the first line of his 1915 novella '' The Metamorphosis'' appears in the beginning of the volume. Yuki also based the story of Mikaila on the fairytale " Mermaid Princess". The chapter "Oedipal Blade" takes its name from the Greek character
Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...
, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Yuki also incorporates tales for children and lullabies into the mysteries of the series; for example, the chapter " Solomon Grundy's Sunday" uses the nursery rhyme " Solomon Grundy", while " The Twisted Fairy Tale" refers to the
Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
fairytale " The Juniper Tree". References to the bible also appear in the series. The protagonist shares his name with the murderer
Cain Cain ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl/Qāyīn is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He wa ...
, and Augusta is compared to Delilah by her father. Additionally, the series alludes to the story of the Kiss of Judas, in which
Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...
betrays
Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
to Roman soldiers by identifying him through a kiss. The influence of films is also seen in ''Earl Cain''. As Yuki enjoys the American television series ''
Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...
'' (1990–1991), reviewers have noted its influence on ''Forgotten Juliet'', the first part of ''Earl Cain''. Yuki felt that two minor characters that appear in ''Forgotten Juliet'', Maddi and Leland in the chapter "Branded Bibi", are reminiscent of the series. Yuki also drew inspiration from the film ''
Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of "''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear''") is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...
'' (1985) for "The Boys Who Stopped Time", and based the appearance of Cain's aunt on Charlotte from ''
A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...
'' (1985). In the chapter "Double", one of the characters shares his first name with the actor Emilio Estevez, and director
Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
served as the model for the antagonist. While there is no model for Cain, British actor Rupert Graves "left a strong impression" on her with his performance in ''A Room with a View''. Additionally, Riff's name comes from ''
The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...
'' (1975), which Yuki considers a visual influence on her manga in general, along with the films ''
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
'' (1986), ''
The Legend of Billie Jean ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins. It stars Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater, Dean Stockwell, Richard Bradford and Peter Coyote. Plot Billie Jean Davy, a teenager from Corpus ...
'' (1985), ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
'' (1986), '' Lost Boys'' (1987), and '' Torch-song Trilogy'' (1988). Overall as a manga artist, Yuki has been influenced by Western films and
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, which she watched in her youth.


Themes

Reviewers have focused on a range of themes in ''Earl Cain''. Noting "themes of incest and suicide" in the first four parts of the series, Thompson states that ''Godchild''s portrayal of incest adheres to "a more classical tormented sense" which results in "guilt, madness, and the punishment of heaven" for the characters. According to Lori Henderson, reviewer and contributor to ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''s blog ''Good Comics for Kids'', Yuki frequently uses the "power of love" as a theme in her works; ''Godchild'' focuses on "the darker side of love" and its effects on the characters, although she writes that the manga does explore love as a source of empowerment. Henderson also notes the theme of betrayal present in the sixth volume. Writing for
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, A.E. Sparrow writes that the "issues of beauty, loneliness, jealousy, and family ties" appear in the first volume of ''Godchild''s mysteries. A French reviewer for Manga News wrote that the theme of "the soiled childhood" occurs throughout the series, depicted by abused children or children's items, such as dolls, pudding, and puppets, playing a role in some mysteries; the children's items appear either in the background as in " The Little Crooked House" or as a major part of the plot as in "Solomon Grundy's Sunday".


Media


Manga

Written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki, ''Earl Cain'' is the collective name for ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', ''The Seal of the Red Ram'', and the sequel series ''Godchild''. The chapters of ''Forgotten Juliet'' and part of ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'' appeared in the Japanese manga magazine '' Bessatsu Hana to Yume'', beginning with the December 1991 issue; the chapters for the rest of ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' were serialized in '' Hana to Yume'', from the eighth issue of 1993 to the twelfth issue of 1994, with an additional, self-contained chapter published in the seventeenth issue. The chapters of ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' were published in five ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes by Hakusensha from July 17, 1992, to October 1994. ''Godchild'' appeared as a serial in the same manga magazine from the May 2001 issue to the October 2003 issue, and was published by Hakusensha in eight volumes from November 19, 2001, to January 16, 2004. Hakusensha later combined chapters from ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' into two volumes and published them from December 20, 2004, to January 28, 2005. Hakusensha also re-released the series in six '' bunkoban'' volumes from July 15, 2009, to March 16, 2010. Viz Media licensed ''Earl Cain'' for an English-language release in North America. It serialized ''Godchild'' in its manga anthology '' Shojo Beat'' from the July 2005 issue through the June 2006 issue. It published the series' first volume on March 7, 2006; the final volume was released on February 5, 2008. Viz published ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' as ''The Cain Saga'' and released the first volume during the ''Godchild'' release, on October 3, 2006; the final volume was released on June 5, 2007. ''Earl Cain'' is also licensed for regional language releases in Germany and Sweden by
Carlsen Comics Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Denmark, Danish publisher, publishing house which in turn belongs to the Swedish media company Bonnier Group, Bonnier. The branch was founded on 25 April 1953 in Hamburg. The publisher's program f ...
, in Italy by
Planet Manga Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, which also produces collectable stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy. The company publishes comic books in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Hunga ...
, in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing, in Spain by Glénat, and in France by
Editions Tonkam Tonkam is a prominent French publisher of manga and was one of the first publishers of manga in French, issuing its first titles in 1994. It was founded by Sylvie Chang and Dominique Véret with the financial assistance of a Parisian bookseller, ...
. ''Godchild'' ran in multiple manga anthologies: the French ''Magnolia'', the German ''
Daisuki ''Daisuki'' was a German manga anthology for girls published by Carlsen Verlag. It was the first girl's comics (shojo manga) magazine published outside Asia. One edition was about 256 pages long and costs 5.95 Euros in Germany. The chief editor ...
'', and the Swedish ''Shojo Stars''.


Drama CDs

On April 21, 1999, Geneon Entertainment released a drama CD titled . With music by
Tomohiko Kira (December 6, 1959 – July 3, 2016) was a Japanese guitarist who led the band ZABADAK. He also composed the original music for the 1988 cult horror film ''Evil Dead Trap'', and performed guitar on soundtracks of the role-playing video games ''Xe ...
, it featured
Hideo Ishikawa is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. He is most known for being voices for Kicchō Fukuda in ''Slam Dunk'', Auron in ''Final Fantasy X'', Itachi Uchiha in ''Narut ...
as Cain, Koyasu Takehito as Riff, Kawada Taeko as Mary Weather, Miki Shinichiro as Dr. Allen, and Jūrōta Kosugi as Alexis. The same company released a second drama CD, , on November 17, 1999. The drama CD featured Hideo Ishikawa, Kyoko Hikami, Takehito Koyasu, from ''Kafuka'' and included
Taeko Kawada is a freelance Japanese voice actress best known for voicing Amy Rose from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. While working at a confectionery shop after graduating from Jissen Commercial High School, she attended a voice acting school in t ...
and Junko Asami.


Reception

''The Cain Saga'' received mixed reviews from critics. Manga Sanctuary awarded the French edition of the first volume five stars, describing it as "excellent."
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's A. E. Sparrow described it as "a wonderful introduction to shojo manga for the uninitiated" and felt that both ''The Cain Saga'' and its sequel ''Godchild'' could "appeal to a very broad audience." The Book Report's Courtney Kraft praised the "fine attention to detail and aesthetics" of the art and liked the concept of murder mysteries based on children's rhymes and stories, commenting that Yuki "masters the art of creating a mystery." Conversely, Mania Entertainment's Danielle Van Gorder considered the art "still much less refined than her later work in ''Angel Sanctuary''," and commented on the amount of tragedy in the series. Manga News rated the first volume 15 out of 20, commenting that the male characters looked similar and had similar facial expressions in contrast to the more recognizable female ones. In ''Manga: The Complete Guide'', Jason Thompson rated the series two and a half stars out of four, stating: "In its best moments, ''The Cain Saga'' captures the genuine ghoulishness of the Victorian era, or at least of its stereotypes." ''The Cain Saga'' was also criticized for scenes with "poorly organized" artwork, one-dimensional characters, predictable mysteries, and confusing plot, caused by the back-story and characters. Conversely, the sequel, ''Godchild'', received positive reviews. When the first chapter premiered in ''Shojo Beat'', critics commented on the potential and art of the series, but found the chapter "listless" and confusing. Reviews of the bound volumes were positive. Writing for The Book Report, Robin Brenner described the mysteries as "unsettling, splatter-filled, and deliciously in line with the melodramatic, horrific traditions of
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
and Mary Shelley." Leroy Douresseaux of Coolstreak Cartoons wrote: "By turns bizarre and unsettling, ''Godchild'' is actually quite engaging, but can be difficult to follow for those who didn't come in at the beginning". Writing for ''Sequential Tart'', Sheena McNeil described ''Godchild'' as "a masterpiece in every sense of the word." In reviews of subsequent volumes, she lowered her score, and praised Yuki's characterization, mysteries, and artwork; she concluded: "''Godchild'' is a fantastic and different story that can't be denied." Critics praised the art of the series as detailed and distinct, with several noting the difference in the illustrations of ''The Cain Saga'' and ''Godchild''. B. D. Gest's M. Natali wrote that "one senses immediately how the art of Kaori Yuki has evolved and improved since 'The Cain Saga''. About.com's Deb Aoki placed the series on her recommended reading list of horror manga, commenting on the "ravishing" artwork and "lush gothic details." While describing the series as "the manga equivalent of Twizzlers" and the premise as "ahistoric and just plain silly," Katherine Dacey of Popculture Shock added, "Kaori Yuki's distinctive artwork and macabre sensibility make this overripe setup entertaining, even if the occasionally slangy dialogue and '' CSI''-style forensics seem implausible in a Victorian London setting." According to ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'', Yuki's art consists of "startlingly odd angles and abrupt jumps from closeups to distant shots" with which she establishes "a giddy mood" that enables the readers to be sympathetic to the events. Although Yuki's character designs stuck to "certain shōjo conventions", they were seen as detailed and "perfect" for the mood of ''Godchild''. Reviewers enjoyed the conclusion to the series, although one wanted a clearer fate for Cain and another commented on the "rushed" ending scenes. ''Godchild'' was also criticized for the characters' cruelty, Jizabel's disturbing back-story, and limited appeal of the series' universe.


See also

* ''
Black Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. It has been serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly GFantasy'' since September 2006. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old Ea ...
'', a similar Victorian-themed Gothic manga and anime series from 2006, partially inspired by '' Faust''.


Notes


References

;General * * * * * * ;Specific


External links


''The Cain Saga''
at Viz Media's website
''Godchild''
at Viz Media's website * {{Hana to Yume 1991 manga 2001 manga Hakusensha manga Hakusensha franchises Horror anime and manga Kaori Yuki Shōjo manga Viz Media manga