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ゴッド チャイルド [God Child] #1
Godchild, Vol. 1
International hit by the creator of Angel Sanctuary
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.
Four gripping tales of murder and mayhem complete this chilling first installment from the renowned author of Angel Sanctuary . Godchild is a manga series that gothic fans shouldn't miss!
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.
Four gripping tales of murder and mayhem complete this chilling first installment from the renowned author of Angel Sanctuary . Godchild is a manga series that gothic fans shouldn't miss!
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 2001
41 people are currently reading
9404 people want to read
About the author
Kaori Yuki
201 books675 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 188 reviews
July 25, 2011
This series of atmospheric Gothic mysteries suffers from two main flaws.
The first, the weakness of the Victorian setting, was more annoying to me as it could easily have been improved by even minimal research. I mean really minimal, like using wikipedia to check whether an event had happened before or after the year the action takes place. The characters' speech and behavior was totally inauthentic -- a bunch of kids playing dress-up in frilly gowns while exclaiming "Cool!" and "Totally!" to one another.
The second problem was psychological shallowness. This wouldn't be as big a deal except that the story consists of a series of mysteries (can you still call them that when they are completely obvious to the "detective" as well as the reader?) which are motivated entirely by psychological issues that make no sense. Maybe this is supposed to be Gothic? Everyone is just CRAZY! and that's why they do CRAZY shit liking running around London* in a bunny mask decapitating girls.
*Except that after being told there is a serial killer with this modus operandi, we see a girl murdered at a party and find out she is only the second victim. Pretty prescient of the police to catch on at victim one, eh?
The first, the weakness of the Victorian setting, was more annoying to me as it could easily have been improved by even minimal research. I mean really minimal, like using wikipedia to check whether an event had happened before or after the year the action takes place. The characters' speech and behavior was totally inauthentic -- a bunch of kids playing dress-up in frilly gowns while exclaiming "Cool!" and "Totally!" to one another.
The second problem was psychological shallowness. This wouldn't be as big a deal except that the story consists of a series of mysteries (can you still call them that when they are completely obvious to the "detective" as well as the reader?) which are motivated entirely by psychological issues that make no sense. Maybe this is supposed to be Gothic? Everyone is just CRAZY! and that's why they do CRAZY shit liking running around London* in a bunny mask decapitating girls.
*Except that after being told there is a serial killer with this modus operandi, we see a girl murdered at a party and find out she is only the second victim. Pretty prescient of the police to catch on at victim one, eh?
June 3, 2021
Oh....what can I say...I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH!
and here is the evidence of my devotion: fanart based on Earl Cain and Angel Sanctuary
and here is the evidence of my devotion: fanart based on Earl Cain and Angel Sanctuary
July 16, 2007
'Silly and pretty and angsty and utterly mad,' as my friend Erin would say.
Slasher murder mysteries are set to nursery rhymes, a noble collects poisons, dead people are reanimated, a child of rape is whipped into submission and rescued by his butler, a crazy doctor wants to cut his brother's eyeballs out, and an evil organization blows up a lot of buildings. It's mad Victorian mayhem for the most part, but also full of gentle subtlety, particularly in the relationship between Riff and Cain.
Rife with Kaori's usual obsessions - incest, whips, butterflies, black magic, and a rather morbid interpretation of the Tarot.
I've read all the volumes but only included the first one on my list, as each one is powerful in its own way.
Slasher murder mysteries are set to nursery rhymes, a noble collects poisons, dead people are reanimated, a child of rape is whipped into submission and rescued by his butler, a crazy doctor wants to cut his brother's eyeballs out, and an evil organization blows up a lot of buildings. It's mad Victorian mayhem for the most part, but also full of gentle subtlety, particularly in the relationship between Riff and Cain.
Rife with Kaori's usual obsessions - incest, whips, butterflies, black magic, and a rather morbid interpretation of the Tarot.
I've read all the volumes but only included the first one on my list, as each one is powerful in its own way.
May 13, 2008
Overall Rating: C+
Synopsis: Victorian mystery starring a young, attractive count named Cain, who investigates supernatural mystery. How could I not love this? The story starts in another series called "Count Cain", but that isn't made clear until you get into the manga, it's a collection of short stories with no connection, and the characters seem shallow at best.
When I first read a description of God Child, I thought I had found a new favorite. The description read, "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. Yet beneath his regal bearing lies a pained existence that haunts his very soul. 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, Cain investigates his father's alleged involvement with a secret organization known as Delilah". In short, it sounded like the kind of book someone preoccupied with their appearance and a love for supernatural stuff would love, so I immediately picked it up.
That, was a mistake. First, and foremost, because it is the continuation of a series called The Cain Saga, but that isn't indicated in the summary or a quick glance inside. Then I found out the first series hasn't been translated yet, and so the released the second series first. WTF?
After I found that out, it made a little more sense, but the first volume of God Child reads like a collection of short stories featuring the same characters. Also, the author is the same one that writes Angel Sanctuary and both books have a weird fascination with incest. Another minus for me.
It's possible, that in The Cain Saga, the characters are better fleshed out and that it would make this volume of God Child more enjoyable, but as is, I didn't care about the characters at all. When Cain's sister, Mary, is trapped and could be made into a living doll, I was more interested in the girl threatening to do so, than Mary. Which leads me to the one thing I liked about the volume, the mysteries. Each short story had its own mystery and horror elements, and while the characters weren't that interesting, the mysteries were engaging. One involved a killer dressing up in a white rabbit mask and killing young girls, and one involves the aforementioned living dolls.
If you're bored and want to read something in the store, this may be one to pick up, but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. Though, I may try to track down the first volume of The Cain Saga when it's finally released in America to see if I like the characters. Who knows, maybe they'll surprise me, and there won't be any implications of incest. Sadly, I doubt it.
For more manga and anime reviews, please check out Hobotaku.
Synopsis: Victorian mystery starring a young, attractive count named Cain, who investigates supernatural mystery. How could I not love this? The story starts in another series called "Count Cain", but that isn't made clear until you get into the manga, it's a collection of short stories with no connection, and the characters seem shallow at best.
When I first read a description of God Child, I thought I had found a new favorite. The description read, "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. Yet beneath his regal bearing lies a pained existence that haunts his very soul. 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, Cain investigates his father's alleged involvement with a secret organization known as Delilah". In short, it sounded like the kind of book someone preoccupied with their appearance and a love for supernatural stuff would love, so I immediately picked it up.
That, was a mistake. First, and foremost, because it is the continuation of a series called The Cain Saga, but that isn't indicated in the summary or a quick glance inside. Then I found out the first series hasn't been translated yet, and so the released the second series first. WTF?
After I found that out, it made a little more sense, but the first volume of God Child reads like a collection of short stories featuring the same characters. Also, the author is the same one that writes Angel Sanctuary and both books have a weird fascination with incest. Another minus for me.
It's possible, that in The Cain Saga, the characters are better fleshed out and that it would make this volume of God Child more enjoyable, but as is, I didn't care about the characters at all. When Cain's sister, Mary, is trapped and could be made into a living doll, I was more interested in the girl threatening to do so, than Mary. Which leads me to the one thing I liked about the volume, the mysteries. Each short story had its own mystery and horror elements, and while the characters weren't that interesting, the mysteries were engaging. One involved a killer dressing up in a white rabbit mask and killing young girls, and one involves the aforementioned living dolls.
If you're bored and want to read something in the store, this may be one to pick up, but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. Though, I may try to track down the first volume of The Cain Saga when it's finally released in America to see if I like the characters. Who knows, maybe they'll surprise me, and there won't be any implications of incest. Sadly, I doubt it.
For more manga and anime reviews, please check out Hobotaku.
November 12, 2021
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.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
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.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
February 26, 2009
Another 'good idea, badly done' series.
Bored, rich and possibly psychotic young victorian gentleman solves bizarre crimes.
Only problem is the gothic is cranked up to 11, the mysteries are generally unpleasantly grisly and no one in the cast is likable.
The writer and artist seem too busy making sure you never forget that this series is really goth ( or maybe it's emo, I mix the two up) and not your typical victorian mystery series that it feels really forced and hollow.
the art is nice and they capture the look, but the story seems more concerned with shocking us than entertaining.
Bored, rich and possibly psychotic young victorian gentleman solves bizarre crimes.
Only problem is the gothic is cranked up to 11, the mysteries are generally unpleasantly grisly and no one in the cast is likable.
The writer and artist seem too busy making sure you never forget that this series is really goth ( or maybe it's emo, I mix the two up) and not your typical victorian mystery series that it feels really forced and hollow.
the art is nice and they capture the look, but the story seems more concerned with shocking us than entertaining.
December 21, 2013
I like Godchild so much more than the prequel Cain Saga. There is more emotional character interaction showing Riff's devotion to Cain and Cain's love for Mary Weather.
Cain is a complicated character stemming from the systematic child abuse he suffered and the knowledge of the incestuous liaison that lead to his creation. I would certainly not want to get on his bad side, as he can be cruel, calculating and aloof. His interaction with Riff and Mary show that he is not completely broken, however.
Looking at the reviews, Godchild seems to be Marmite, you either love it or hate it, but I would recommend you find out for yourself your preference!
Cain is a complicated character stemming from the systematic child abuse he suffered and the knowledge of the incestuous liaison that lead to his creation. I would certainly not want to get on his bad side, as he can be cruel, calculating and aloof. His interaction with Riff and Mary show that he is not completely broken, however.
Looking at the reviews, Godchild seems to be Marmite, you either love it or hate it, but I would recommend you find out for yourself your preference!
January 26, 2009
I bought this on the strength of Kaori Yuki's most popular series, Angel Sanctuary, which I love for both the storyline and her faultless artwork, I couldn't help feeling somewhat let down after reading the first book in this series.
Set in the smog filled streets of victorian London, the collection of short stories center on the young earl Cain, an expert in poisons who seems to attract intrigue wherever he goes. Written for a gothic/lolita audience (although perhaps a little too obviously in some places), no fault can be made about the ambience of the story- with corsetted aristocrats, grisly murders and frills and lace galore, every page is a dream to look at, especially the outfits.
I think it was the characters I actually had a problem with. With Angel Sanctuary, it's partly the ridiculously epic nature of the story that encourages me read, but also because the characters are halfway to being normal and likeable celestial beings, about whose fate you actually care enough to buy the next book. However, with this all important series-starter I just didn't get that feeling. The rather lecherous main character seems to spend most of his time either sadistically plotting the downfall of others or drooling over his butler, whilst his sister (who, in true Yuki style, he seems a little too fond of) is simply brattish and tediously unlikeable. This, however, was just a personal problem for me. There's no doubt this is a beautiful collection of creepy stories which no doubt I'll bring out every other Hallowe'en or so, the next time I want to look at a collection of beautiful, slightly blood-splattered dresses.
Set in the smog filled streets of victorian London, the collection of short stories center on the young earl Cain, an expert in poisons who seems to attract intrigue wherever he goes. Written for a gothic/lolita audience (although perhaps a little too obviously in some places), no fault can be made about the ambience of the story- with corsetted aristocrats, grisly murders and frills and lace galore, every page is a dream to look at, especially the outfits.
I think it was the characters I actually had a problem with. With Angel Sanctuary, it's partly the ridiculously epic nature of the story that encourages me read, but also because the characters are halfway to being normal and likeable celestial beings, about whose fate you actually care enough to buy the next book. However, with this all important series-starter I just didn't get that feeling. The rather lecherous main character seems to spend most of his time either sadistically plotting the downfall of others or drooling over his butler, whilst his sister (who, in true Yuki style, he seems a little too fond of) is simply brattish and tediously unlikeable. This, however, was just a personal problem for me. There's no doubt this is a beautiful collection of creepy stories which no doubt I'll bring out every other Hallowe'en or so, the next time I want to look at a collection of beautiful, slightly blood-splattered dresses.
April 25, 2019
4.5 stars to the entire series as a whole. This series is dark and twisted in a Kaori Yuki way, and it is beautifully done. I enjoyed every twister moment of it. Loved nearly all the characters dearly, which made me feel all the more for them. Combine that with her beautiful gothic art and you have a wonderfully dark series that fulfills it’s purpose.
July 10, 2012
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.
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.
October 1, 2021
This series has a prequel series written by Kaori Yuki called “The Cain Saga”. Please note that you don't have to have read Godchild before it or it before Godchild.
Alright, this series is...dark but weird. I read this volume before I read the prequel series and I can’t tell if the story is meant to be paranormal or not. It keeps hinting at a curse, and occult things keep happening, but none of it turned out to actually involve any kind of magic...but I could be wrong.
That aside, the story itself is mostly episodic with a ‘murder of the week’ style mystery. The characters are actually very interesting and likable too (sadly a rare quality in some Shojo Beat stories).
But the strangest part is that the plot is almost identical to the Black Butler series, complete with the Superman butler, an orphaned Earl that inherited his title at a young age, and has a traumatizing past and the scars to prove it. Even the ‘dark side of English nobility/society’ is there.
Basically, imagine dropping Bruce Wayne into a Victorian England gothic horror setting and lose the Batman secret identity bit. I recommend this series to anyone who likes detective stories too.
This series has 8 volumes.
Alright, this series is...dark but weird. I read this volume before I read the prequel series and I can’t tell if the story is meant to be paranormal or not. It keeps hinting at a curse, and occult things keep happening, but none of it turned out to actually involve any kind of magic...but I could be wrong.
That aside, the story itself is mostly episodic with a ‘murder of the week’ style mystery. The characters are actually very interesting and likable too (sadly a rare quality in some Shojo Beat stories).
But the strangest part is that the plot is almost identical to the Black Butler series, complete with the Superman butler, an orphaned Earl that inherited his title at a young age, and has a traumatizing past and the scars to prove it. Even the ‘dark side of English nobility/society’ is there.
Basically, imagine dropping Bruce Wayne into a Victorian England gothic horror setting and lose the Batman secret identity bit. I recommend this series to anyone who likes detective stories too.
This series has 8 volumes.
January 4, 2012
I liked the stories, more or less, but the art, while pretty, was a clusterfuck. Far too often I couldn't tell who was saying what. Because it's manga, the pages are tiny, cramped, and entirely black and white. Some manga can get past this and make art where everything is clear, but Godchild isn't one of them.
There were way too many panels that were taken up by *entirely* exclaimations like "CRASH!" or "WOMP!" so that Yuki wouldn't have to go to the trouble of drawing the actual events take place. Many events went by far too quickly, in tiny, TINY panels. It just rubbed me the wrong way. But then, I'm used to Western comics.
It's also extremely similar to Black Butler, and while the Earl of Cain series originated far before BB did, since I watched Black Butler before reading this I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how very many similarities there were. I'm not really bashing it here, since it's my own issue.
I do like the stories. They're interesting and I liked how many of them had to do, in some way, with Victorian ettiquette. I just wish I didn't have to keep stopping to figure out what the fuck is going on.
There were way too many panels that were taken up by *entirely* exclaimations like "CRASH!" or "WOMP!" so that Yuki wouldn't have to go to the trouble of drawing the actual events take place. Many events went by far too quickly, in tiny, TINY panels. It just rubbed me the wrong way. But then, I'm used to Western comics.
It's also extremely similar to Black Butler, and while the Earl of Cain series originated far before BB did, since I watched Black Butler before reading this I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how very many similarities there were. I'm not really bashing it here, since it's my own issue.
I do like the stories. They're interesting and I liked how many of them had to do, in some way, with Victorian ettiquette. I just wish I didn't have to keep stopping to figure out what the fuck is going on.
September 17, 2010
This manga series, set in Victorian England, follows Cain, a wealthy young man, his younger half-sister Mary Weather, and his butler Riff as they try to solve murder mysteries around London. Cain is an expert in poisons and this knowledge often helps him to find the killers.
I'm not sure why so many horror manga are so episodic in nature; if there was one mystery per volume I think it would give me more time to get to know the characters and give the mysteries a bit more depth. It would also be nice if the mysteries were presented in such a way that the reader could try to solve it along with Cain, but for the most part his conclusions are based on information not given to the reader. Also, some of the action sequences were difficult to follow, I often had to re-read them to figure out what had happened.
I loved the artwork, the outfits, and the way the chapters or story arcs are often titled after nursery rhymes or archaic phrasing. There was quite a bit of bloody violence but not much swearing or sexual material. While this series is a spin-off of some other series, I did not feel like reading earlier series was necessary to understand this one.
I'm not sure why so many horror manga are so episodic in nature; if there was one mystery per volume I think it would give me more time to get to know the characters and give the mysteries a bit more depth. It would also be nice if the mysteries were presented in such a way that the reader could try to solve it along with Cain, but for the most part his conclusions are based on information not given to the reader. Also, some of the action sequences were difficult to follow, I often had to re-read them to figure out what had happened.
I loved the artwork, the outfits, and the way the chapters or story arcs are often titled after nursery rhymes or archaic phrasing. There was quite a bit of bloody violence but not much swearing or sexual material. While this series is a spin-off of some other series, I did not feel like reading earlier series was necessary to understand this one.
March 24, 2015
The first volume of an eight part manga series that follows on from the same author's Count Cain Saga. It follows the adventures of teenage poisoner and heir to a massive fortune, Cain C. Hargreaves and his faithful butler and sidekick Riff, as they investigate the misdeeds of the mysterious underground organisation Delilah. At least that is the surface premise of the series.
Running as a sub-plot throughout the volumes is Cain's own dark back story and that of his disfunctional family. The volumes are split up into four segments, each with a different mystery for Earl Cain to solve, with the aid of the faithful Riff, Cain's ten year old half-sister Merryweather and their friend Oscar.
There is a beautiful, deliciously gothic/steampunk style to the illustrations and the stories weave traditional fairytale themes with more conplex psychological drama. Though the author has refuted this, there is an undertone of M/M between Cain and Riff, although this is never explicit and their relationship in the main is strictly that of master and servant.
Not a straightforward read, but gloriously still one of my all time favourite manga serials.
Running as a sub-plot throughout the volumes is Cain's own dark back story and that of his disfunctional family. The volumes are split up into four segments, each with a different mystery for Earl Cain to solve, with the aid of the faithful Riff, Cain's ten year old half-sister Merryweather and their friend Oscar.
There is a beautiful, deliciously gothic/steampunk style to the illustrations and the stories weave traditional fairytale themes with more conplex psychological drama. Though the author has refuted this, there is an undertone of M/M between Cain and Riff, although this is never explicit and their relationship in the main is strictly that of master and servant.
Not a straightforward read, but gloriously still one of my all time favourite manga serials.
April 24, 2024
First read:
December 20th,2014
Parental advisory:
Bloody death scenes,child abuse,suggestive themes/dialogue,mentions of torture,cruel characters and "horror" scenes.
This isn't a shojo manga for kids,please keep this in mind.
This manga was serialized in several shojo manga magazines including Shojo Beat magazines for kids despite it's violent themes and inappropriate content.
I don't recommend this story for anyone under 18.
Also the series isn't a yaoi or BL.
Cain and Riff are straight and Cain has only dated female characters.
Beware that most reviews in her books on GR are bias and usually posted by people who didn't read the entire book or series.
I recommend reading reviews of manga like this one from Manga Updates/Baka Updates,people on there tend to be more honest and less attention seeking.
I will write a full review of Godchild volume 1 after I finish reading the final book of the Cain Saga and re-read this GC vol. 1.
December 20th,2014
Parental advisory:
Bloody death scenes,child abuse,suggestive themes/dialogue,mentions of torture,cruel characters and "horror" scenes.
This isn't a shojo manga for kids,please keep this in mind.
This manga was serialized in several shojo manga magazines including Shojo Beat magazines for kids despite it's violent themes and inappropriate content.
I don't recommend this story for anyone under 18.
Also the series isn't a yaoi or BL.
Cain and Riff are straight and Cain has only dated female characters.
Beware that most reviews in her books on GR are bias and usually posted by people who didn't read the entire book or series.
I recommend reading reviews of manga like this one from Manga Updates/Baka Updates,people on there tend to be more honest and less attention seeking.
I will write a full review of Godchild volume 1 after I finish reading the final book of the Cain Saga and re-read this GC vol. 1.
June 28, 2016
Cursed Earl Cain solves an array of mysteries in Godchild, set in Victorian England. The art is gorgeous and the murders are gory and sure to please horror fans.
The trouble, I think, stems from the shallowness of the plot and characters. Though interesting and intricately-drawn, the characters aren't terribly well-rounded. After reading this volume, I don't feel much like I know the characters, and I have no connection to any of them. The plot relies on the usual tropes: Cain's sister always needs to be saved.
Maybe the true problem comes from the art itself: some of the scenes are hard to track. I couldn't always identify the speaker, and, since I had to stop every few panels to figure out who was saying what, I couldn't focus much on the story (and I've been reading manga for years, so that's not the issue).
Overall, this is an interesting idea, but it doesn't pan out well. Not for me.
The trouble, I think, stems from the shallowness of the plot and characters. Though interesting and intricately-drawn, the characters aren't terribly well-rounded. After reading this volume, I don't feel much like I know the characters, and I have no connection to any of them. The plot relies on the usual tropes: Cain's sister always needs to be saved.
Maybe the true problem comes from the art itself: some of the scenes are hard to track. I couldn't always identify the speaker, and, since I had to stop every few panels to figure out who was saying what, I couldn't focus much on the story (and I've been reading manga for years, so that's not the issue).
Overall, this is an interesting idea, but it doesn't pan out well. Not for me.
February 2, 2016
Are you kidding me look at this artstyle.
I would love to join this mad tea party for that reason alone! Kaori-san really outdid herself in this and Fairy Cube, Vol. 1. The plot is an episodic goth fairy tale re-twist. It's very wordy and is written to make you think about darker shades of your own self.
I would love to join this mad tea party for that reason alone! Kaori-san really outdid herself in this and Fairy Cube, Vol. 1. The plot is an episodic goth fairy tale re-twist. It's very wordy and is written to make you think about darker shades of your own self.
September 29, 2021
The art style and the stories are awesome. I especially like the very first one with the forgotten Juliet. It sets the tone for all the other mysteries perfectly.
I forgot, that Cain only appear on 3 of the five stories but the other two are just as good as the other three.
The one with the Life Elixir was particularly tragic. Gallagher only wanted revenge because he was to weak to say no to his former friends. He seems like a very tragic figure and I like him.
I cannot wait to dive in the next volumes and rediscover Cain's story. Onwards :-)
I forgot, that Cain only appear on 3 of the five stories but the other two are just as good as the other three.
The one with the Life Elixir was particularly tragic. Gallagher only wanted revenge because he was to weak to say no to his former friends. He seems like a very tragic figure and I like him.
I cannot wait to dive in the next volumes and rediscover Cain's story. Onwards :-)
June 24, 2009
I adore this series. It combines so many of my favourite things. Victorian England, dark gothic themes, murder mysteries, poisons, gorgeous Japanese art, and most importantly a distinguished, tortured main character. It's brilliant, really. I like it more than the Cain Saga, but it's built upon it, and really just an extension, so it's all good really.
Highly recommended, especially to those who are fans of the themes I've listed above.
Highly recommended, especially to those who are fans of the themes I've listed above.
March 28, 2009
The story of Cain is continued from The Cain Saga. If you haven't read The Cain Saga, I recommend that you do since GodChild contains spoilers for the first series and it helps explain a bit more on what's going on.
Anyway, Godchild is my absolute favorite manga series. I love Kaori Yukis art, it's so beautiful and her stories are so dark but elegant.
Anyway, Godchild is my absolute favorite manga series. I love Kaori Yukis art, it's so beautiful and her stories are so dark but elegant.
February 24, 2021
Do you like gothic murder mysteries? Do you like Victorian London?
/Working on Review/
/Working on Review/
June 25, 2016
Обожавам артът на Каори Юки.
Обожавам и викториански Лондон.
Но тази манга просто ме не хваща. Всички глави в това томче се въртят около едно и също нещо, и писва.
Обожавам и викториански Лондон.
Но тази манга просто ме не хваща. Всички глави в това томче се въртят около едно и също нещо, и писва.
January 30, 2020
A Gothic manga that's kind of twisted and batshit in the best way. I love how manga creators evoke this kind of highly stylised, carnival-mirror version of Victoriana.
November 17, 2024
Other than a guy begging a 10 year old girl to marry him I really liked this volume!!
I’ve always wanted to read spooky stories involving nursery songs,rhymes or stories because they’re often very dark themselves.
But yeah beware the creepy dude who seemingly lusts after Cain and his 10 year old sister
(Tad confusing to read alone if you’ve never read “The Cain saga” the author has written because the godchild is the sequel to that. So I don’t understand some of the plot unfortunately)
There is also mentions and depictions of physical abuse
I’ve always wanted to read spooky stories involving nursery songs,rhymes or stories because they’re often very dark themselves.
But yeah beware the creepy dude who seemingly lusts after Cain and his 10 year old sister
(Tad confusing to read alone if you’ve never read “The Cain saga” the author has written because the godchild is the sequel to that. So I don’t understand some of the plot unfortunately)
There is also mentions and depictions of physical abuse
February 19, 2021
This is much better than I thought it would be. I am so happy to find such good, gothic story lines in a manga. This has a lot of the same feel as a good Jack the Ripper story. A little bit of Sherlock Holms can even be seen in the main character as he puts the pieces of the crimes together and gets himself into and out of the trouble which seems to follow his family.
July 1, 2024
Okay this might be my bad, I didn't know there was a whole prequel series. But this volume was so incredibly confusing.
The gothic style is cool, the characters seem cool but I also don't know them in the way I suspect I should at this point.
There is so much happening? And there is so much random gore? I am just confused.
The gothic style is cool, the characters seem cool but I also don't know them in the way I suspect I should at this point.
There is so much happening? And there is so much random gore? I am just confused.
March 21, 2010
In this book is about a guy named Cain who goes on different adventures. However this is not your regular adventures. In this manga Cain is like a detective and he has to find the culprit behind many childhood murderers. The murders dress up and kill like different childhood stories. Like one murder killed dressed up like the rabbit from Alice and Wonderland.
Audience: both 14, on up
Purpose: entertainment
Medium: Graphic Novel
Genre of Setting: Fiction
Genre of Plot: Mystery
Genre of Style: Idealism (cliff hanger)
This book was good, but it was a bit confusing at some parts, because this series is a sequel to a different series. So if you want to understand the story better (learn what the characters are like more), then you probably want to read the other series. Other than the confusing part it was a really good book. I liked how in the book you have the guy who is Cains dad “adopted” son, and the son wants to kill Cain because he is the fathers’ real son. Typically in books I read they don’t have that, and it’s a really good twist to the story.
Journal Entries
Entry 1:
On the page were it shows the murderer -who turned out to be the dad- limping down the hallway looking for the Alice room (from Alice and Wonderland) because his houses bedrooms were themed after the different characters from the book. Anyway it shows a close up of the picture of Alice, and the murderer creeping in. The author did not put to much emphasis on the fact that it was the Alice room, but it was a key point because on the next page, after the murderer had cut off the girls head did he find out that the body belonged to his daughter. Later it explained that Cain had switched the pictures. It was very important to show that one small frame because without it, the reader would have been very confused. This shows how even the littlest part of the book can make the biggest difference, because if the author had mad the picture of Alice really big then it would have given away to much information about what was going to happen next.
Entry 2:
The author put in some of the realistic elements, because you as a reader can tell that the characters are in fact regular humans, nothing to special about them. However the author doses not go into to much detail about how the person looks. In some parts in the book the author does put in more detail to illustrate shadowing or how the person is standing compared to someone else. I do think that the author did not put that much emphasis on how the character looks because with the way that she has drawn the book; in some scenes she has a very abstract looking people to show different emotions. Like in some scenes she has the persons had really big and the eyes are kind of drawn over with very dark horizontal lines to show that they are angry. You can not to that if the character is drawn to very specific detail.
Entry 3:
I would say that this book is a historical fiction mixed with maybe some science fiction because this book does take place back in the old days, were there was no electricity and women always had to wear dresses. This book has some science fiction in it because in some chapters they have the work of medicine that is not necessarily a real type of medicine but could be. This books genre of plot would be action mixed with mystery, because in a lot of the chapters the reader is trying to figure out who a killer is, or what happened to certain people. It’s action because throughout the book the main character Cain is constantly saving someone, and catching the bad guy. In some chapters some drama is also mixed in because you have the girl who has a really big crush on Cain and doesn’t think of herself as good enough for him, so she takes some “medicine” to make her more attractive to Cain. And of course there are the other towns’ girls who also have huge crushes on Cain as well. (Sometimes it seems like high school)
Entry 4:
Reading a graphic novel is different from reading a novel because in a graphic novel you can actually see what the writer want you to see, when in a regular novel you have to come up with the details on how things look yourself. There are also a lot less words in graphic novels. Some advantages to reading graphic novels are like I said before; you can actually see what the author wants you to see, but that can also lead to some disadvantages. In a regular novel you can make your own movie in your mind on how the events happen. But in a graphic novel they make up the movie for you, it cuts down on some of your creativity. Now that depends on what type of reader you are, if you like the fact that in graphic novels in can cut down on the creativity or not. However if Godchild was written like a novel then it would be kind of hard to read because of all the details that are drawn instead of written, because in a graphic novel there are some things that you have to interpret yourself that a novel just tells you flat out.. So trying to make Godchild into a novel would be hard. You would have to go back to the author and ask what she would have written in certain parts, because in graphic novels you can interpret many different ways.
Audience: both 14, on up
Purpose: entertainment
Medium: Graphic Novel
Genre of Setting: Fiction
Genre of Plot: Mystery
Genre of Style: Idealism (cliff hanger)
This book was good, but it was a bit confusing at some parts, because this series is a sequel to a different series. So if you want to understand the story better (learn what the characters are like more), then you probably want to read the other series. Other than the confusing part it was a really good book. I liked how in the book you have the guy who is Cains dad “adopted” son, and the son wants to kill Cain because he is the fathers’ real son. Typically in books I read they don’t have that, and it’s a really good twist to the story.
Journal Entries
Entry 1:
On the page were it shows the murderer -who turned out to be the dad- limping down the hallway looking for the Alice room (from Alice and Wonderland) because his houses bedrooms were themed after the different characters from the book. Anyway it shows a close up of the picture of Alice, and the murderer creeping in. The author did not put to much emphasis on the fact that it was the Alice room, but it was a key point because on the next page, after the murderer had cut off the girls head did he find out that the body belonged to his daughter. Later it explained that Cain had switched the pictures. It was very important to show that one small frame because without it, the reader would have been very confused. This shows how even the littlest part of the book can make the biggest difference, because if the author had mad the picture of Alice really big then it would have given away to much information about what was going to happen next.
Entry 2:
The author put in some of the realistic elements, because you as a reader can tell that the characters are in fact regular humans, nothing to special about them. However the author doses not go into to much detail about how the person looks. In some parts in the book the author does put in more detail to illustrate shadowing or how the person is standing compared to someone else. I do think that the author did not put that much emphasis on how the character looks because with the way that she has drawn the book; in some scenes she has a very abstract looking people to show different emotions. Like in some scenes she has the persons had really big and the eyes are kind of drawn over with very dark horizontal lines to show that they are angry. You can not to that if the character is drawn to very specific detail.
Entry 3:
I would say that this book is a historical fiction mixed with maybe some science fiction because this book does take place back in the old days, were there was no electricity and women always had to wear dresses. This book has some science fiction in it because in some chapters they have the work of medicine that is not necessarily a real type of medicine but could be. This books genre of plot would be action mixed with mystery, because in a lot of the chapters the reader is trying to figure out who a killer is, or what happened to certain people. It’s action because throughout the book the main character Cain is constantly saving someone, and catching the bad guy. In some chapters some drama is also mixed in because you have the girl who has a really big crush on Cain and doesn’t think of herself as good enough for him, so she takes some “medicine” to make her more attractive to Cain. And of course there are the other towns’ girls who also have huge crushes on Cain as well. (Sometimes it seems like high school)
Entry 4:
Reading a graphic novel is different from reading a novel because in a graphic novel you can actually see what the writer want you to see, when in a regular novel you have to come up with the details on how things look yourself. There are also a lot less words in graphic novels. Some advantages to reading graphic novels are like I said before; you can actually see what the author wants you to see, but that can also lead to some disadvantages. In a regular novel you can make your own movie in your mind on how the events happen. But in a graphic novel they make up the movie for you, it cuts down on some of your creativity. Now that depends on what type of reader you are, if you like the fact that in graphic novels in can cut down on the creativity or not. However if Godchild was written like a novel then it would be kind of hard to read because of all the details that are drawn instead of written, because in a graphic novel there are some things that you have to interpret yourself that a novel just tells you flat out.. So trying to make Godchild into a novel would be hard. You would have to go back to the author and ask what she would have written in certain parts, because in graphic novels you can interpret many different ways.
May 12, 2020
Is this series super fucked up? Yes. Is it one of my favorite series in the whole world? Yes.
January 18, 2022
Black Butler before Black Butler was written, with less shotacon. A playboy lord and his devoted butler solve crimes with the aid of the lord's fascination with poisons. Classic gothic manga that helped push along the gothic lolita trend in the 90s and early 2000s. Godchild has a ton of nostalgia for me.
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