The Cain Saga, Vol. 3: Kafka

伯爵カイン [Hakushaku Cain] #3

by Kaori Yuki

Earl Cain Hargreaves investigates the macabre mysteries that haunt eighteenth-century London in this chilling prequel to Godchild !

Delve into the tortured past of Earl Cain C. Hargreaves, charismatic heir to a wealthy family full of secrets, lies and unthinkable crimes. The prequel to the Godchild series, The Cain Saga follows the young Cain as he attempts to unravel the secrets of his birth, all the while solving each new mystery that comes his way.

More secrets of the Hargreaves legacy are revealed! Cain meets two people destined to impact the future of the family--one might be a vampire, and the other is much closer to Cain than he could imagine. And in a psychologically twisted tale of identity crisis, "Ellie in Summer Clothes," a young girl wakes up to discover she's not who or what she thought she was at all.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Fantasy

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Kaori Yuki (由貴香織里) is a Japanese manga artist.

She debuted in 1987 with Natsufuku no Erii (Jap: 夏服のエリー) on the manga anthology Bessatsu Hana to Yume published by Hakusensha.
She is best known for her gothic manga works, such as the Earl Cain series (Jap: 伯爵カイン, Hakushaku Cain) and Angel Sanctuary (Jap: 天使禁猟区, Tenshi Kinryōku)

Her work is typically serialized in one of Hakusensha's two shōjo manga anthologies, Bessatsu Hana to Yume and Hana to Yume. In 2010, Kaori Yuki was one of many manga artists whose work would appear in the new shōjo manga anthology Aria by the publisher Kodansha on July 28, 2010.
Her doujinshi-ka name is MoonClock.

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cain Saga, Volume 3: Kafka tells a gothic tale setting in Victorian era’s England. The protagonist Earl Cain was a young noble who was infamous for his collection of rare poisons and a series of mysterious murder that seemed to be following him everywhere he went.

In the Vol. 3 of the series, Cain fell prey to an unknown illness and was sent to a remote village for a recovery trip. The village was plagued by hideous vampire attacks and upon his arrival Cain encountered a disfigured female vampire who believed she needed to drink the blood of young people(mostly maidens) to regain her lost beauty. Cain narrowly escaped the attack, but in the next day he met the young heir of a castle which was supposedly haunted by the spirit of a vampire countess, the said heir lived with his older sister, who looked strangely similar with the female vampire from the night before….... So begins a tale of forbidden love, conspiracy and bloodlust.

Elegantly drawn and masterfully constructed with all the twists and turns of epic mystery, the Cain Saga by Kaori Yuki is a masterpiece that I strongly recommend.

PS: Well, sometimes it's nice to re-read good old stuff.

[Kayla Lodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be my favourite out of the series so far.. this was the only one so far that was one long story the others before this one were a bunch of short stories and that’s why I love this one so much

[SwedishGeekGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and haunting like always, so great!
The Cain saga volume 3 by Kaori Yuki get a 10/10 stars.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

Synopsis: Deep in the heart of 19th century London, a young nobleman named Cain walks the shadowy cobblestone streets of the aristocratic society into which he was born. Forced to become an earl upon the untimely death of his father, Cain assumes the role of head of the Hargreaves, a noble family with a dark past. With Riff, his faithful manservant, and Mary Weather, his 10-year-old half sister, Cain investigates the mysterious crimes that seem to follow him wherever he goes.

Review: A detective manga series that draws a lot of inspiration from classic gothic horror fiction and tropes. It's a love letter to writers such as Agatha Christie, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, the Bronte sisters, the Grimm brothers and even Shakespeare. Family curses, a brutal father and son rivalry, religious allegory, destined betrayal, violent supernatural murders, dark fairy tale undertones, a gloomy atmosphere and melancholy characters. The art is flowery and gorgeous to look at, the classic tropes are pleasant for fans of classic horror elements and there's a few scenes that pack quite an emotional punch. It's a bit melodramatic and over-the-top at times, but it actually gives it more of that authentic, pulpy feel of popular penny dreadfuls from the Victorian era.

[Liawèn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long story about Cain and evidence that his father might be alive and vampires. That's what I love.
Merryweather is the cutest and I never for a second believed that Riff would betray Cain. :-D They are only alive if they are together.
I cannot wait to see what happens with the doctor. I think he is alive. That's going to be interesting.

The second story was a funny little story. I almost felt like Merryweather was sitting in the library reading a book and we read the story through her eyes. Okay, I mean the time is all wring, but that's how I felt :-)

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favourite volume of The Cain Saga so far. The theme is very risque, but it somehow fits with the topic of vampires. I like that this volume tells a standalone story arc (as opposed to the previous volumes, which focused on multiple short story arcs). I also quite liked the bonus story, about a girl who wakes up in a boy's body. It was sad and sweet.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third volume of The Cain Saga is the most 'Godchild' to date. It's one long, drawn out story rather than several episodes. It's a vampire tale which introduces the series villain; evil doctor and cultist Jizabel Disraeli.

Cain, faithful butler Riff and beloved sister Mary Weather visit a castle supposedly haunted by a vampire. A tale of murder, suicide, incest and hypnotic possession ensues. The theme of this one is Kafka, as the title implies, but honestly it feels more gothic melodrama than kafka-esque.

I really wasn't keen on the story or the art, which probably only deserve 2* - However I do love the characters - Jizabel is a deliciously conniving and evil villain and faithful Riff is a wonderful contrast.

There's some nice Cain/Riff slashability about this one - and we even get to see Cain in drag which is fun. I was reminded of Black Butler, although Riff is human rather than demonic.

There's a bonus story about a boy who gets possessed by an ex-lover of his father - a school teacher who had affairs with two of his students. Pretty meh all-round on this one. Its quite confusing and the art work is patchy.

Still fans of Riff and Jizabel won't be disappointed and if you like gothic tragedy, tales of incest, murder and insanity, this should be right up your street.

[Yoda Bor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cette fois, c’est à un vampire qu’a à faire face Cain.
Alors qu’il part tranquillement à la campagne histoire de se remettre d’une tentative d’empoisonnement, il tombe dans une région marquée par d’étranges meurtres.
Accompagné de sa sœur Maryweather, de son fidèle majordome Riff et de son nouveau docteur, Ansel Allen, il commence à douter et ne sait plus à qui il peut se fier.

Malgré la présence de jeunes filles en détresse assez agaçantes, ce tome marque un peu un tournant de la saga avec une histoire suivie et l’introduction d’une mystérieuse organisation, Delilah, dont la personne à sa tête ne restera pas longtemps un grand mystère.
Les fausses pistes se multiplient et si le cerveau derrière les meurtres est assez facile à démasquer, les raisons de son geste le sont beaucoup moins.
Le seul point noir en fait, c’est que je n’ai pas cru un seul instant à une fourberie de Riff. Celui-ci est bien trop attaché à ses principes et à son maitre pour simplement même envisager de le trahir.

Le dernier chapitre est bien plus anecdotique, Kaori Yuri reconnait d’ailleurs qu’il s’agit d’une œuvre de jeunesse mal dessinée. Le sujet est tout de même intéressant mais j’ai trouvé le scénario assez brouillon.

[Martín D. Herrera Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relato largo de cuatro capítulos. Una gótica, del Conde Cain y compañía (su hermanita Merryweather, el mayordomo Riff y ahora se añade su doctor Allen) pasando unas vacaciones en un castillo de la campiña, que, según rumores pueblerinos, está habitado por vampiros.
La cosa no tarda en ponerse sangrienta y perversa, con unos cuantos giros en la trama que van brincando impredeciblemente entre el realismo y la fantasía.

A esta altura de la serie, he de admitir que varios tópicos, aunque no dejan de ser impactantes por tan siniestros, ya empiezan a cansarme de tan repetidos: incesto, abuso infantil, personalidades dobles, y eso de que un personaje se hace pasar por otro porque por casualidad tienen la misma cara (y esta vez es a propósito, no estoy criticando las ilustraciones).

Como un plus, el libro concluye con un relato corto no relacionado: sobre una chica en una escuela japonesa contemporánea, que reencarna en un chico. En este hay pedofilia.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a prequel to the series called Godchild by Kaori Yuki. A note from the editor states that you don't have to have read Godchild before this or this before Godchild.

Vampire murder mysteries and villains hidden in plain sight. This volume shows how strong Cain's bond is with Riff (the fujoshi probably had a field day with this one) and the first appearance of a major villain. Make sure you pay attention or you just might miss some very important details.

There's also a bonus chapter about a romance between a teacher and his student(s). Also body-swap shenanigans.

This series had 5 volumes.

[Genesis · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was quite different than other volumes within the cain series--one story taking over the entire volume. it was interesting though how new and important characters were introduced. also i will always love how clever cain is--nothing gets by him. i am curious as to why incest is such a big theme in this series though.

[Rici · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Mal eine lange Geschichte über Cain und dann auch noch Hinweise, das dessen Vater lebt! Kurz haben auch angst um den Butler.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un altro volume inteso. Innamorata follemente di Cain!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il ritorno del padre di Cain nostra quanto la storia stia entrando nel suo clou. Che ansia.

[Kiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

...well that was something. Yep. Something.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this series, great gothic Shoujo manga! Love the story, characters and art style 😻😁👌❤��

[Kaory Ciel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creo que ha sido de mis favoritos. Me mantuvo sufriendo, pero luego dio un giro tenebroso y a la vez muy bueno.. De nuevo, la relación de Cain y Rift me llena el corazón

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is titled "Kafka" but it's definitely more inspired by Matthew Lewis and absurd in a completely different way.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 stars for me for this volume.

[elio ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved it, it just gets more dark and twisted

[Anisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like reading all the background stuff the author adds. Cool to know the last story was their debut piece.

[Sadie Bermingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kafka, the third volume of the Cain Saga, as the title suggests, takes paranoia and delusion as it's primary themes. Unlike the previous volumes, Kafka is a single storyline exploring more of Cain's past, his doubts about the loyalty of the people around him and his nightmares about his mother and father.
Following a mysterious illness he is treated by a young man who claims to be the son of the family doctor, who was one of Cain's childhood playmates. He recommends a break in the country and Cain and Mary find themselves at a country hotel recommended by the doctor who whispers to Cain as they leave that he believes the young Earl did not have a fever but had been poisoned by someone in his own house.
The nearby castle is supposed to be the haunt of vampires, according to the doctor but the owner of the hotel laughs this rumour off. On the first night of his stay Cain hears a noise and is attacked whilst taking air in the grounds of the castle and bitten by a beautiful vampire girl. On stumbling back into the hotel he is bitten again by a man he initially believes to be Riff. He lashes out and marks the man with his nails.
In the morning when Riff brings his tea the manservant is wearing a plaster over a wound on his cheek.
Cain goes to pay a call on the keepers of the nearby Witherby Castle. Whilst there he is lured by the sound of music into a curtained off room where he discovers a young woman, the owner's sister Justine, who has the cane that he dropped during the scuffle when he was bitten. He initially believes her to be the vampire but she has no scars from the struggle so he dismisses the thought. When he returns, Mary admonishes him for sneaking off alone and demands to be taken to the castle with him next time.
Cain acquiesces and soon Mary and Justine are fast friends. Doctor Allen is proving to have secrets of his own and seems determined to make Cain believe that Riff has betrayed him. But why...?
Soon the villagers are falling like flies to the vampire and Cain begins to see parallels between the incestuous love his father had for his mother and the relationship betweem Dirk and his sister as he delves ever deeper into the mystery, forced by his own paranoia to solve it alone.
Kafka is the darkest by far of the Cain Saga volumes and the denoument is far from happy but it is the most satisfying storyline in this series yet.
A bonus story at the end of the volume is Yuki's first published comic, Ellie in Summer Clothing which is a stand alone tale and oddly not connected to the Cain Saga at all.

[Strangerealms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think The Cain Saga, and its sequel Godchild, have the most messed up and tragic characters I've seen so far. It's dark, it's gloomy. Don't expect happy endings in these two mangas, dead bodies keep pilling up. All the characters are so complex.

The Cain Saga art is not as good as Godchild, one can guess the artist art was not mature yet unlike when she made Godchild much later. Still it's a must to read to fully understand what happens in Godchild. There are a lot of good contents to find there too (like about how Oscar and Cain met). In the other hand, Godchild's art is so beautiful it's mesmerizing. The characters are so beautifully drawn and each have their unique look.

The hero Cain gets involved in different events so the mangas are a bit like short stories put together, all of them involving some supernatural of some sort. He has on his side the ever faithful Riff, his butler and friend. But in the background lies his father's shadow and his secret organization, who become Cain's ennemy throughout the series. Among the ennemies is the fascinating half-brother of Cain, Jizabel, who is also part of said organisation. Jizabel is helped by Cassian.

It's interesting to see the mirror relationship between Cain and the protective Riff and Jizabel and the protective Cassian.

I really love these two mangas. I love rereading them, going back into the story, and seeing again those fascinating characters living briefly up until the ending.

P.S. My review is about both series. I got The Cain Saga in French since the Englih version was not out.

[Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked seeing the introduction of Disraeli, and I also enjoyed delving into Cain and Riff's relationship with this volume. The length of the Kafka story made the plotline thoroughly developed, much unlike the stories previous. I think Yuki's Cain Saga would be more successful if every manga was one huge story instead of several small ones, therefore, giving each story time to develop effectively.

I would love to see more of Cain's playboy side. Yuki draws women so beautifully, and I love seeing the way Cain acts around them - it's a different and interesting side to his serious and intellectual character.

The last story was interesting - though if the climax hadn't gone so fast, it would have been more effective.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how this volume dealt with multiple chapters of a larger story. Since there was more time to devote to developing the story, it didn’t feel as rushed. There was this one scene where Cain took a blanket off of a mirror and the face that showed up in the glass scared the crap out of me. I was still kind of confused about what exactly was happening with Julianne and her brother. Thankfully, the translation I was reading had an explanation note towards the end. I thought ‘Godchild’ had an abundance of icky parts, but this series has it beat. I swear, I’ve never read so much incest in my life— people getting with their siblings, parents, cousins and so on. The dark themes are what I love most about Kaori Yuki’s mangas, but wow. On to the next volume!

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was significantly different in structure from the previous two: rather than short stories, some about Cain and some not, the bulk of this volume is one long story about the Earl and his family and a mysterious mystery. I didn't hate the story, but I didn't like it as much as I did the stories in volume 2. The last section of the volume is Yuki's debut piece "Elle in Summer Clothes," which I thought was pretty impressive for a debut work and was fairly interesting. Overall, there's a lot here to enjoy (although I do find it kind of inconsistent that the volume is an homage to Kafka, who worked after the saga takes place . . . )

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kafka" - a creepy story about vampires, murders and secret societies. Cain investigates yet another case. But this time, he and Riff go their separate ways and Cain has no one to rely on but himself. Cain's relationship with Riff is my favorite part of the saga!

The additional story, "Ally in a Summer Dress" (or what's it called in English) is set in our present time and is unrelated to the Cain saga.

[Emily G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kafka volume of this series is very gothic and dark. The tale revolves around a vampire tale, linked to a brother and sister that ends tragically, but in a bittersweet way.

More importantly perhaps Cain encounters Disraeli and the Delilah organisation. I love how Cain and Riff are one step ahead of them though, although I didn't enjoy Riff being dismissed!

[Lissibith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this volume quite a lot - the storytelling got a good deal more solid here than in volumes 1 and 2. However, this was also where I started getting strong Yami no Matsuei vibes. Some of the plot felt a little forced here, but the overall development felt a lot more significant.

[Luminalsl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encore une fois ce tome est excellent. Cette série ne prend pas une ride, chaque tome s'avère meilleure que le précèdent, bref je l'adore. La relation entre Riff et Cain est si poignante et intense, sans parler de la petite Mary. Bref une lecture bijou