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人形宮廷楽団 [Guignol Kyūtei Gakudan] #1
Grand Guignol Orchestra, Vol. 1: Overture
Lucille loves heading up the traveling Grand Orchestra, roving from town to town entertaining the masses and making money. But now the musicians have met their toughest audience: people infected with the Guignol Virus, turning them into zombie dolls intent on killing all humans!
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Kaori Yuki
197 books688 followersKaori 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 13, 2013
Basically it's a zombie outbreak story with a Gothic and a vague Sci-Fi wrapping, and the heroes to save the day are the members of an outlaw-ish Grand Orchestra of four. I like the plots and the characters setting. Yeah
Edited@22/05/2021: I re-read this series again before I have to sell it, it's still a well drawn, imaginative series, way to go Ms. Yuki!
review of vol.2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PS: let me tell you one thing: hoping to read more books during self-isolation and work-from-home period during the time of the freaking WuHan virus outbreak probably doesn't work so good, I still have ton of unread and half-finished books to work on. *sighs*
Edited@22/05/2021: I re-read this series again before I have to sell it, it's still a well drawn, imaginative series, way to go Ms. Yuki!
review of vol.2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PS: let me tell you one thing: hoping to read more books during self-isolation and work-from-home period during the time of the freaking WuHan virus outbreak probably doesn't work so good, I still have ton of unread and half-finished books to work on. *sighs*
January 8, 2023
I was mostly confused while reading this. I feel like the concept was simple enough traveling band and there's zombies but they're more like wooden dolls but somehow i started and ended every page confused. I don't think it was bad and I think I got the overarching things that were happening though so I guess that's all that really matters. Anyway from what I gathered it's okay I guess the characters are all pretty distinct so it's easy to identify them early on and the art is pretty so maybe I'll pick up volume 2 sometime in the future
March 23, 2011
We start off with a quick part of Coppelia, the part when everyone becomes dolls. However this spans only two pages and really only sets the scene. Then we have a Guignol, which is basically a cross between a zombie and a wooden doll, attacking a carriage as it rolls into a town. Someone fights off the Guignol off and they get into the town. The drawbridge is pulled up, leaving the Guignols outside.
The black carriage carries the Grand Orchestra: long straight haired quiet cellist Gwindel, scarred trigger-happy violinist Kohaku and long curly haired vocalist Lucille. Making it clear now: Lucille is male. Despite what it looks like, Lucille is a man. And the Grand Orchestra, because this is the unofficial one, is in possession of the the Black Oratio, a book containing forbidden songs that the Orchestra will play for the right price.
We also meet Eles, young 'son' of the lord of the town. Who, it becomes apparent, is actually sister Celes because Eles died in a Guignol attack. But she wants to keep being taken as a boy, and carries on pretending to be Eles.
Various things happen and Eles becomes part of the orchestra.
They then travel on to another town where Lucille is mistaken for a girl and the Grand Orchestra ends up having to defeat another lot of Guignols. Underneath all this there is also the story of (C)Eles trying to seperate herself from her brother, because it was her piano playing that caused her brother to die, and Lucille attempting to find someone for the Royal Court.
I picked this up because I've read Kaori Yuki's other works, Godchild and Angel Sanctuary. And this was advertised in the back as a historical manga with zombie dolls.
So the story. Some parts of it were a little confusing because there's a lot going on. Which is similar to Godchild and Angel Sanctuary. Really, I think all her works need to be read twice through to get perfect sense.
The characters were fun and original. They all had individual personalities that made it easy to tell them apart. However there are still a lot of things I want to know more about them, such as why Kohaku gets pain whenever there's a Guignol around, what's up with Gwindol and his overprotectiveness of a hedgehog, who's that girl with ringlets Lucille's thinking about that seems to haunt him and exactly what is the relationship between the members of the Orchestra because it seems they're not together just because they're musical and friends.
On a completely different note, both Kohaku and Gwindel remind me of Undertaker from Black Butler: Kohaku's scar and Gwindel's hair that is almost always covering his eyes.
The art is pretty, obviously a shojo style but in Kaori's signature style. Its realistic and the speciall effects such as the speedlines and blood splatters work well where they are.
However some of the sound effect lettering is a bit distracting and some of via actual speech and thoughts were a little out of the way and unnoticable meaning I skipped them out when reading sometimes.
4 stars to another amazing manga with a different spin on zombies.
The black carriage carries the Grand Orchestra: long straight haired quiet cellist Gwindel, scarred trigger-happy violinist Kohaku and long curly haired vocalist Lucille. Making it clear now: Lucille is male. Despite what it looks like, Lucille is a man. And the Grand Orchestra, because this is the unofficial one, is in possession of the the Black Oratio, a book containing forbidden songs that the Orchestra will play for the right price.
We also meet Eles, young 'son' of the lord of the town. Who, it becomes apparent, is actually sister Celes because Eles died in a Guignol attack. But she wants to keep being taken as a boy, and carries on pretending to be Eles.
Various things happen and Eles becomes part of the orchestra.
They then travel on to another town where Lucille is mistaken for a girl and the Grand Orchestra ends up having to defeat another lot of Guignols. Underneath all this there is also the story of (C)Eles trying to seperate herself from her brother, because it was her piano playing that caused her brother to die, and Lucille attempting to find someone for the Royal Court.
I picked this up because I've read Kaori Yuki's other works, Godchild and Angel Sanctuary. And this was advertised in the back as a historical manga with zombie dolls.
So the story. Some parts of it were a little confusing because there's a lot going on. Which is similar to Godchild and Angel Sanctuary. Really, I think all her works need to be read twice through to get perfect sense.
The characters were fun and original. They all had individual personalities that made it easy to tell them apart. However there are still a lot of things I want to know more about them, such as why Kohaku gets pain whenever there's a Guignol around, what's up with Gwindol and his overprotectiveness of a hedgehog, who's that girl with ringlets Lucille's thinking about that seems to haunt him and exactly what is the relationship between the members of the Orchestra because it seems they're not together just because they're musical and friends.
On a completely different note, both Kohaku and Gwindel remind me of Undertaker from Black Butler: Kohaku's scar and Gwindel's hair that is almost always covering his eyes.
The art is pretty, obviously a shojo style but in Kaori's signature style. Its realistic and the speciall effects such as the speedlines and blood splatters work well where they are.
However some of the sound effect lettering is a bit distracting and some of via actual speech and thoughts were a little out of the way and unnoticable meaning I skipped them out when reading sometimes.
4 stars to another amazing manga with a different spin on zombies.
February 1, 2012
It was decent. After reading Godchild, I had a really high standard bar set for this manga since I loved Godchild so much. Yet Grand Orchestra just seemed to fall short.
Yuki puts in her side notes she was going for a "middle ages" look. Middle ages was the renaissance and medieval times, but she drew in a very obvious victorian style for what the people were wearing. Also they had very obvious 20 and 21st century styled guns. I know it's manga and fantasy and blah blah blah but things just didn't fit together well there and it really tore me apart from the book. In Godchild it was all very victorian ages, and the guns were old styled pistols and things were all in the right time period, which is what drew me to it in the first place.
The story line didn't really draw me in, either, it seemed dry and almost predictable and I don't plan on getting the second volume. The crossdressing incidents were humorous but seem repeated in anime and manga everywhere. and what I liked about Godchild was that it kind of fit outside the norm of anime and manga (besides the hinted yaoi) but Grand Orchestra wasn't different from any other manga or anime I have read. I liked the concept of the traveling band and the zombies but a lot of other things seemed cook cutter.
Also in this particular manga it was really hard to figure out what was going on, in some parts the art nor dialogue told me what was going on and I had to just keep reading and forget about what happened so I didn't dwell on it.
It's actually kind of sad since, like I said, I loved Godchild and was really expecting a lot from Yuki.
I wouldn't recommend reading it.
Though I give two stars since the art was awesome as always.
Yuki puts in her side notes she was going for a "middle ages" look. Middle ages was the renaissance and medieval times, but she drew in a very obvious victorian style for what the people were wearing. Also they had very obvious 20 and 21st century styled guns. I know it's manga and fantasy and blah blah blah but things just didn't fit together well there and it really tore me apart from the book. In Godchild it was all very victorian ages, and the guns were old styled pistols and things were all in the right time period, which is what drew me to it in the first place.
The story line didn't really draw me in, either, it seemed dry and almost predictable and I don't plan on getting the second volume. The crossdressing incidents were humorous but seem repeated in anime and manga everywhere. and what I liked about Godchild was that it kind of fit outside the norm of anime and manga (besides the hinted yaoi) but Grand Orchestra wasn't different from any other manga or anime I have read. I liked the concept of the traveling band and the zombies but a lot of other things seemed cook cutter.
Also in this particular manga it was really hard to figure out what was going on, in some parts the art nor dialogue told me what was going on and I had to just keep reading and forget about what happened so I didn't dwell on it.
It's actually kind of sad since, like I said, I loved Godchild and was really expecting a lot from Yuki.
I wouldn't recommend reading it.
Though I give two stars since the art was awesome as always.
April 26, 2019
Personally, didn’t care for Lucille, and you don’t really get to know any of the other characters beside Eles- who I absolutely adored-, however, it’s difficult to judge a Manga based off the first book. Besides, I liked the concept well enough to continue reading it eventually, especially because it was written by Kaori Yuki so it’s inevitable that it will get dark and tragic somewhere down the line, I hope.
October 13, 2010
Zombies, musicians, men who look like women, girls who look like boys, psycho good guys, super-psycho bad guys, holy crap-what next?? It's hard to decide sometimes whether to like a manga series from only the first volume, especially when it's packed with so much stuff like this one. I will definitely pick up and read more volumes before I decide.
September 20, 2018
This book was unintentionally hilarious. It starts out at a 10 on the drama scale and never goes below an 8. Everything is done in the most over the top and complicated way. The dramatic twists were out of a soap opera. I mean this all in a good way because I was entertained and I will probably read the next volume.
October 1, 2018
I'm such a fan of Yuki's art! Her stories tend to be dark and fairly twisted (some more than others), but her characters are always intriguing. This stuff is hard to put down.
This installment is about a group of enigmatic zombie hunters (In the guise of traveling musicians) that go from town to town and rid the towns of their zombies for a price. The "musicians" are very different - one androgynous, one quick to anger, and one silent. As with most of Yuki's plots, things are often now what they seem. I'm interested to see where this story goes - most likely not where I'm expecting.
This installment is about a group of enigmatic zombie hunters (In the guise of traveling musicians) that go from town to town and rid the towns of their zombies for a price. The "musicians" are very different - one androgynous, one quick to anger, and one silent. As with most of Yuki's plots, things are often now what they seem. I'm interested to see where this story goes - most likely not where I'm expecting.
July 29, 2022
Is this objectively a five-star? I don't know. I read this the first time at like 13 years old so basically 10 years ago now. I got it from the library and loved it. Since then it has haunted me, in a good way. I finally, after so long, own the whole series second hand and reading it just gives me the best nostalgia.
If I read it the first time now, maybe it would be a different rating. It's a biased five-star. It's still an interesting concept. Creepy dolls, zombies and the friendly group of outcasts. So all things I enjoy generally. So with all the memories attached, a clear winner.
If I read it the first time now, maybe it would be a different rating. It's a biased five-star. It's still an interesting concept. Creepy dolls, zombies and the friendly group of outcasts. So all things I enjoy generally. So with all the memories attached, a clear winner.
March 1, 2021
This manga series is always good no matter how many times I read it although it has been a long time since I read this volume. I loved the characters so very much especially Lucille and the characters that surround him. I found Lucille to be interesting if a bit quirky and different there is so much more to learn about him I will be reading more of this at some point. I loved the story mixing music with great tragedy and a zombies that are doll like it makes for a unique story.
May 29, 2019
An interesting start to yet another series by Kaori Yuki
July 16, 2021
It started off slow in the beginning but it picked up as I continued to read it.
July 23, 2021
from what I get, it got the Black Butler-style chaoticness in it 😂
January 8, 2022
Stunning artwork and cool premise but I tried too hard to get into it and will not be continuing
June 29, 2024
Read this in Italian, a great start, I have already loads of theories
August 25, 2025
SO GOOD now i have to track down the others…:.
March 25, 2026
I can't give it that last star but oh god the baby emo inside of me looks at Kohaku and REALLY wants to.
Read
July 18, 2020Zombies! Spies! Magic music!
April 13, 2011
I’ve read Angel Sanctuary (well part) and her Godchild/Cain series and now reading this, I have to wonder if this mangaka can do anything without cross-dressing or incest. We don’t have the latter (yet) but we do have cross-dressing galore. This doesn’t bother me and I have to admit, the idea of this manga is interesting. However, the characters need more depth but hopefully that will come in the future.
In this world, there is a virus that turns people into guignols after the guignol puppet from the early 1800’s. They become zombie like but killable with weapons and music can wipe them out wholesale. The queen’s orders are that any corpse that was a guignol must be burned and she has two orchestras, official and unofficial that travel the country rescuing the people from the guignols. Naturally, we are following the unofficial one (which has some problems with the rather heartless queen).
The leader of the pack is Lucille and yes Lucille is a beautiful dude who often dresses as a lady. For a while you aren’t really sure which he is since he goes back and forth between male and female clothing. He has a voice that can bring forth songs that will destroy guignols en masse. There is Gwindl the cellist and he’s very taciturn and we learn next to nothing about him other than he plays the cello and drives their hearse (which seems to be tardis like in its ability to hold stuff inside it) and there is Kohaku, violinist and resident gun lover shoot ‘em character.
The first and longer of the two story arcs is when the trio arrives in a town, guest of the duke only to be greeted by his lame son, Eles who hates them and music. As the story unfolds, the trio learns that Eles and his sister Celes played their mother’s piano which somehow summoned up a huge amount of the guignols, nearly wiping out their town and killing Celes. The story has a lot of twists and turns and not to ruin it let’s just say that at the end Eles goes with the trio to become their pianist.
The second story arc takes them to another town which isn’t too pleased to see them but the duke here is taken with Lucille’s beauty and Lucille plays along only to learn that was a huge mistake.
I like the storyline. The art is pretty. And with most of Kaori’s work, I end up feeling like a few panels were missing. There are some confusing parts. I liked it enough to go looking for the next in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2011
Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2011/1...
Anything weird belongs to the realm of Kaori Yuki. Anyone familiarized with her other works is sure to find the following: 1) beautiful, sexually-ambiguous boys, 2) stylized gore, 3) strange, gothic themes, 4) beautiful art and 5) freaky relationships you feel guilty for liking and 6) really crazy, twisted characters. Grand Guignol Orchestra is not an exception, but I dare say, it is one of her best and most riveting works yet - forgive me for thinking the idea of humans turned into doll-like zombies is both the creepiest and most awesome take on the zombie theme ever.
The characters are, simply put, awesome. Of course, with Kaori Yuki there is always a bit of cliché when it comes to the presentation of the characters, but the beauty of her work lies on the developing, twisted psyche of the characters. Lucille, in particular, is one twisted fella. I love it when there's the stark juxtaposition in a character of an external easygoing personality and the internal, hidden darkness that characterizes the leader of this Orchestra. All characters get their chance to show their true selves and distinct personalities and grow into complex characters. The story is really original and complicated and I love that you can tell that just from the first volume. The story has a lot of great twists and turns, but I do have one complaint and it is that when the action moves so quickly, it might seem like some panels are missing and that becomes confusing. Call me a fan girl, but to me, that's the only flaw with this volume. The artwork is beautiful and lives up to the Kaori Yuki tradition. Fans of the mangaka will not be disappointed with this new story.
This manga is incredibly entertaining. The mangaka somehow manages to create a terrifying atmosphere and a creepy setting while still allowing for some comedy and cuteness to slip between the pages. I strongly recommend it but with caution. If you are easily impressed, have a weak stomach and a low disposition for gore and horror, not to mention that if you are uncomfortable with sexual themes, you might want to skip this one, although the overall volume of the gore and horror is subdued when compared to following books
Anything weird belongs to the realm of Kaori Yuki. Anyone familiarized with her other works is sure to find the following: 1) beautiful, sexually-ambiguous boys, 2) stylized gore, 3) strange, gothic themes, 4) beautiful art and 5) freaky relationships you feel guilty for liking and 6) really crazy, twisted characters. Grand Guignol Orchestra is not an exception, but I dare say, it is one of her best and most riveting works yet - forgive me for thinking the idea of humans turned into doll-like zombies is both the creepiest and most awesome take on the zombie theme ever.
The characters are, simply put, awesome. Of course, with Kaori Yuki there is always a bit of cliché when it comes to the presentation of the characters, but the beauty of her work lies on the developing, twisted psyche of the characters. Lucille, in particular, is one twisted fella. I love it when there's the stark juxtaposition in a character of an external easygoing personality and the internal, hidden darkness that characterizes the leader of this Orchestra. All characters get their chance to show their true selves and distinct personalities and grow into complex characters. The story is really original and complicated and I love that you can tell that just from the first volume. The story has a lot of great twists and turns, but I do have one complaint and it is that when the action moves so quickly, it might seem like some panels are missing and that becomes confusing. Call me a fan girl, but to me, that's the only flaw with this volume. The artwork is beautiful and lives up to the Kaori Yuki tradition. Fans of the mangaka will not be disappointed with this new story.
This manga is incredibly entertaining. The mangaka somehow manages to create a terrifying atmosphere and a creepy setting while still allowing for some comedy and cuteness to slip between the pages. I strongly recommend it but with caution. If you are easily impressed, have a weak stomach and a low disposition for gore and horror, not to mention that if you are uncomfortable with sexual themes, you might want to skip this one, although the overall volume of the gore and horror is subdued when compared to following books
March 24, 2014
As one would surmise from the title, this one drips with gothic atmosphere. There's a certain everything-but-the-kitchen-sink quality to it that makes it hard to take seriously. So we have "guignols" which are basically zombies that resemble animated china dolls running around infecting everyone. Certasin pieces of music have the power to restore the guignols' brains to sanity and rid them of the infection, which kills them. So we get to have tearful, angst-ridden reunion/farewell scenes, and of course the Power of Music will save us all. The "orchestra" is more of a small combo, really. Oh, and we have gender confusion for at leasdt a couple of characters. Honestly this manga couldn't be any more goth, even if it were directed by Tim Burton with original music by The Cure. It comes off like some bizarre cross between Vampire Hunter D and Hellsing by way of The Violinist of Hamelin. Fun, but rather silly.
January 22, 2013
Note: I'm reviewing the whole series, because I tend to group manga arcs all into one book mentally, and I can't be bothered to ungroup it for reviews.
I think this is actually my favorite Kaori Yuki manga in a lot of ways. It's nonstop melodrama to an even further degree than normal in her manga; there were times when I was counting a dramatic revelation per page, and I'd seriously guess it averages one dramatic revelation every three pages or so. Everyone has a terrible past, everyone has feelings for someone, there are birdcages, spies, loyal knight-musicians, zombie love, crossdressing nuns, musical zombie thrones, long-lost siblings, etc. I mean, it's a series about traveling secretly royal musicians battling a zombie doll plague. If that doesn't give you an idea of the tone of the series, I don't know what would.
I think this is actually my favorite Kaori Yuki manga in a lot of ways. It's nonstop melodrama to an even further degree than normal in her manga; there were times when I was counting a dramatic revelation per page, and I'd seriously guess it averages one dramatic revelation every three pages or so. Everyone has a terrible past, everyone has feelings for someone, there are birdcages, spies, loyal knight-musicians, zombie love, crossdressing nuns, musical zombie thrones, long-lost siblings, etc. I mean, it's a series about traveling secretly royal musicians battling a zombie doll plague. If that doesn't give you an idea of the tone of the series, I don't know what would.
November 5, 2013
This book is the definition of a guilty pleasure for me, with its overblown sense of drama, the hilariously angsty backstories and of course all the pretty, pretty boys.
I think what makes this one stand apart from Kaori Yuki's other works for me is the focus on music and its power and potential. Not only are our main characters all members of the titular musical group, but they all also have the ability to affect guignols (basically a cross between puppets and zombies) with their playing.
The diverse group of characters are all fascinating in their own ways, and the whole story is quite entertaining - and the art, as always, is gorgeous.
I think what makes this one stand apart from Kaori Yuki's other works for me is the focus on music and its power and potential. Not only are our main characters all members of the titular musical group, but they all also have the ability to affect guignols (basically a cross between puppets and zombies) with their playing.
The diverse group of characters are all fascinating in their own ways, and the whole story is quite entertaining - and the art, as always, is gorgeous.
August 7, 2011
encore un très bon kaori yuki, qui nous emmène dans les années médiévales (enfin a sa façon comme d'habitude... très vite tout ça n'a plus grand chose a voir avec le médiéval), le monde est malade un virus transforme les gens en des espèces de marionnettes, "les guignols" (qui étrangement ressemble a des morts vivants....), Rutile et son orchestre traversent ce monde pour apaiser les coeurs....
les dessins sont comme toujours très beaux, l'histoire riche en évènements et en références de toutes sorte.... a découvrir...
les dessins sont comme toujours très beaux, l'histoire riche en évènements et en références de toutes sorte.... a découvrir...
August 27, 2016
I loved the Earl Cain books so I was looking forward to this new series. It had all the elements: Doll zombies! Crystal pianos! Secret agents! Black oratorio! Men dressed as women! Women dressed as men! And yet…it didn’t quite measure up. There were just too much “action” scenes (fighting) which just aren’t as aesthetically pleasing, especially in a gothic-style manga and narrative was confusing.
It’d like to Kaori pulls it together in subsequent volumes, but my library only has 2 volumes and I’m just not feeling compelled seek the rest out.
It’d like to Kaori pulls it together in subsequent volumes, but my library only has 2 volumes and I’m just not feeling compelled seek the rest out.
December 28, 2009
This was a good start for the new series by Kaori Yuki.
I was curious and that made me buy it and I'm glad I liked it that much. The story sounds kinda strange in the first place but it's interesting and the drawings are simply awesome as always.
I already like the characters and I'm looking forward how the story will go on in the following volumes!
I was curious and that made me buy it and I'm glad I liked it that much. The story sounds kinda strange in the first place but it's interesting and the drawings are simply awesome as always.
I already like the characters and I'm looking forward how the story will go on in the following volumes!
December 31, 2010
This book took a lot of getting used to. The first half wasn't too good in my opinion, but by part 2, it finally got to the good parts! The Guignols don't make too much sense still, and I finally understand the unofficial orchestra, and now that it's finally gotten to the story, I may well read the second!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews