, also known as ''Count Cain'', is a gothic ''shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki. ''Earl Cain'' consists of five parts or "Series": , , , , and the sequel series . Debuting in the Japanese

manga magazine are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...

Bessatsu Hana to Yume , also known as , was a Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha from 1977 to 2018. It was a sister magazine to . History was launched in July 1977 as a sister magazine to . After 41 years, it ceased publication with the release of it ...

'' in December 1991, the manga was eventually transferred to ''

Hana to Yume , also known as , is a semi-monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 5th and 20th of every month. The magazine is B5-size, and always comes with or free supplements, such as drama CDs, pencil boards (shitajiki), manga ...

'', where it ran until 1994; the chapters of the sequel, ''Godchild'', appeared between the May 2001 issue and the October 2003 issue in ''Hana to Yume''. Together, the series spans 13 ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes, with five for ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' and eight for ''Godchild''. Two

drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

s based on the series were also released. Set in 19th-century England, the series focuses on a young

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

named Cain Hargreaves who solves murders while encountering his father's secret organization, Delilah, that experiments with reviving the dead. ''Earl Cain'' is licensed for English-language release in North America by

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

, which published ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' as ''The Cain Saga''. The first volume of ''The Cain Saga'' was published in October 2006; the final volume was published in June 2007. ''Godchild'' was released simultaneously, as well as being serialized in Viz's manga anthology '' Shojo Beat'' from July 2005 to June 2006. The setting of the manga was inspired by "the darker, grislier side" of the Victorian upper class and her admiration of films set in the Victorian time period. For ''Godchild'', she traveled to London to do historical research and visited seven historical sites there. In the series, she refers to the Bible as well as real-life literary works, films and people. Reviewers have found a range of themes in the series. Critical reaction to ''The Cain Saga'' was mixed: some felt that the mysteries were well-done with detailed art, while others found the art crude and the short stories confusing and predictable. Reviewers praised ''Godchild'' as an overdone, entertaining series with detailed and distinct art.

Plot

Characters

Set during the late Victorian era in London, the series focuses on its eponymous

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

the seventeen-year-old son of Alexis Hargreaves and Alexis's elder sister, Augusta. Abused physically and emotionally by his father for her subsequent insanity, Cain poisoned him, after a dying Augusta warned him to escape. Before Alexis plunged into the sea, he cursed his son to have a miserable life and die alone. Cain inherited his father's title of earl as a result of his presumed death. Accompanying him is his twenty-eight-year-old butler , a former medical student with whom he shares a close bond. Cain's uncle and legal guardian tends to become upset with his behavior and course of action. Often annoyed by Cain's relationships with women, Cain's ten-year-old half sister, the outgoing and strongwilled also lives with them. Previously, she lived on the streets as a fortuneteller, after her mother died to protect her. One of Cain's friends, Oscar Gabriel, becomes her self-proclaimed fiancé to win back his father's attention. As the series progresses, he risks his life to protect her, and she realizes that he genuinely cares for her. and his secret organization, Delilah, serve as the

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.seeing the future. Among the deadly dolls is the spider-controlling , who is a doll of , Augusta's daughter and Cain's childhood love. Cain's half brother and Alexis's illegitimate son, works as a doctor for the organization, conducting experiments on humans. Although Alexis physically abused and emotionally traumatized him as well, he refuses to escape from him, and simultaneously despises and envies the bond between Cain and Riff as he believes unconditional love does not exist. His thirty-five-year-old assistant , whose body stopped growing due to a rare strain of

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

and who was subsequently sold to a circus as a child by his parents, shows concern for Jizabel and his involvement with Alexis and Delilah.

Story

Having vowed to end Delilah's experiments with the dead, Cain solves murders while periodically running into Jizabel and other members of Delilah. After encountering Mikaila, who professes her one-sided love for him and wants to become Suzette, he becomes obsessed with destroying the organization and learns that it is secretly building a memorial temple. Meanwhile, despite Jizabel's efforts to delay Riff's second, hidden, and cruel personality from awakening, the

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

suppressing it breaks. Riff later declares to Cain that he secretly works for Delilah: the loyal, kind-hearted Riff Cain had known is an alternative personality used to deceive others. Alexis had intended for Cain to develop a close bond with Riff, only to break it, to remind Cain that he is unloved. After Riff's departure, Cain resolves to confront Alexis and promises Mary that they will have a tea party after the conflict with Delilah ends. Led by Cassian, whose brain has been transplanted into an adult body, he reaches the tower within the temple where Alexis plans to sacrifice the brainwashed people of London to revive Augusta. Within the tower, Riff reveals his intent to overthrow Alexis. Unconcerned, Alexis divulges that Riff is Delilah's longest surviving doll and will soon die. Riff attacks Cain, but Riff's other personality resurfaces, causing him to deliberately shoot himself. Riff's loyal personality triumphs over the cruel one, but he and Cain are separated. Because Riff's wound cannot heal, Jizabel commits suicide so Riff can use his blood to briefly remain alive and return to Cain. Meanwhile, Cain successfully poisons his father and with his death, the tower begins to crumble. Cain, unable to escape and hurt by the falling debris, reunites briefly with Riff. However, the ceiling collapses and Riff tries to push him away. Cain embraces him, choosing to stay. After Cain's disappearance, Mary becomes head of the Hargreaves. Augusta possesses Alexis, and seeks out Mary in the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

Cain had built before leaving to confront Alexis. Augusta reveals that she manipulated Alexis into abusing his sons and trying to resurrect her for her amusement. Before she can kill Mary, Augusta triggers Cain's trap in the mausoleum and dies. Years later, Mary is married to Oscar and pregnant with their child, although she still waits for his return. Crehador, a

medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...

close to Cain, sets up a tea party for Mary, fulfilling Cain's promise; he then reminisces on how he found Cain being held by Riff's corpse within the ruined tower. The bunkoban-exclusive epilogue expands the ending slightly. It shows an elderly Mary, who lies on her deathbed attended by a woman nearby and hears the laughter of Jizabel's ghost as he plays with his pet sheep. Sensing a presence nearby, she dies, and taking the form of her ten-year-old self, her soul joins Cain hand-in-hand at a tea party with their friends and loved ones—although they exist as spirits, a boy nearby can hear them.

Development

''Earl Cain'' was Kaori Yuki's first major manga series. Early in her career as a

manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...

, Yuki had had difficulty selling her manga stories and had then switched genres to write romantic comedies, such as " Orange Time Bomb," following advice from older colleagues that she would not be successful with the kind of stories and illustrations she had previously been creating; after receiving increasingly favorable reader responses to a "dark" miniseries of hers, her editor decided that she should be writing similar stories. The next story concept that she pitched was ''Earl Cain.'' She chose the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

as the setting because she liked films from that time period and was inspired by "the darker, grislier side" of the Victorian upper class. Yuki considered ''Kafka'', a vampire-themed mystery which introduced the secret society led by the protagonist's father, to be the beginning of the series' plot. The "pretty risqué theme" of ''Kafka'' "embarrassed erat the time." After completing the first four parts of ''Earl Cain'' (''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram''), Yuki was uncertain about continuing the series. She wrote her supernatural fantasy manga series '' Angel Sanctuary'' (1994–2000) and the chapter "Solomon Grundy's Sunday" as a "self-introduction" which convinced her to start ''Godchild''. Yuki did historical research for ''Godchild'', traveling to

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and visiting seven historical sites:

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...

, the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

, the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

, and Hyde Park. Because of the gap of several years between the publication of the final ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' volume and the first ''Godchild'' volume, Yuki included the characters in order of previous appearance with past episodes, and short explanations in the first ''Godchild'' volume. Yuki noted that her drawing style differed from her previous series. The darker plot of ''Godchild'' worried Yuki, but helped her to decide the series' ending. Her method of creating suspense in ''Godchild'' included adding "lots" of black screentone, "exaggerating" the characters' expressions, having an elaborate setting, and opening the chapter with an everyday scene to contrast with the "scary scenes". Yuki believed that the original story was unclear and added extra pages to clarify the

twist ending A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist ending or surprise ending. It may change ...

of the series. Because of her decision, the ending chapter of ''Godchild'' was eight pages longer than the usual thirty pages for a manga. Yuki was divided between a happy or tragic ending for Cain, noting how readers of ''Angel Sanctuary'' had wanted a happy ending for the protagonists. She felt that the ending of ''Godchild'' was ambiguous as to whether Cain survived because there is neither blood nor a fatal wound on him. Yuki chose the final line of ''Godchild'' from the rhyme " Simple Simon", joking in the postscript that at least the series did not conclude with the line "And then there were none". As of finishing the series, Yuki said that she has no plans for additional chapters or side stories. Despite this, she included a five-page epilogue in the 2010 bunkoban release of the entire series.

Influences and cultural references

''Earl Cain'' contains references to real-life people and literary works. The first ''Godchild'' chapter, "Mad Tea Party", focuses on a mystery with elements from

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

's 1865 novel ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'', a work which Yuki has expressed her fondness for. Yuki's minor character, Victoria, was inspired by Carroll's character, the Queen of Hearts. Carroll's 1876 nonsense poem, ''

The Hunting of the Snark ''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony, in Eight Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eig ...

'', provided Yuki with the name of Jizabel's childhood pet, Snark. Additionally, the title of the third part of the series, ''Kafka'', refers to the Austrian writer

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

, and a translation of the first line of his 1915 novella ''

The Metamorphosis ''The Metamorphosis'' (), also translated as ''The Transformation'', is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''The Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inex ...

'' appears in the beginning of the volume. Yuki also based the story of Mikaila on the fairytale " Mermaid Princess". The chapter "Oedipal Blade" takes its name from the Greek character

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Yuki also incorporates tales for children and

lullabies A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural know ...

into the mysteries of the series; for example, the chapter " Solomon Grundy's Sunday" uses the nursery rhyme " Solomon Grundy", while " The Twisted Fairy Tale" refers to the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

fairytale " The Juniper Tree". References to the bible also appear in the series. The protagonist shares his name with the murderer

Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...

, and Augusta is compared to

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ; ) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved by Samson, a Nazirite who possesses great strength and serves as t ...

by her father. Additionally, the series alludes to the story of the

Kiss of Judas The kiss of Judas, also known as the Betrayal of Christ, is the act with which Judas identified Jesus to the multitude with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests and elders of the people to arrest him, according to the Synoptic ...

, in which

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...

betrays

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

to Roman soldiers by identifying him through a kiss. The influence of films is also seen in ''Earl Cain''. As Yuki enjoys the American television series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...

'' (1990–1991), reviewers have noted its influence on ''Forgotten Juliet'', the first part of ''Earl Cain''. Yuki felt that two minor characters that appear in ''Forgotten Juliet'', Maddi and Leland in the chapter "Branded Bibi", are reminiscent of the series. Yuki also drew inspiration from the film ''

Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of ''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear'') is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...

'' (1985) for "The Boys Who Stopped Time", and based the appearance of Cain's aunt on Charlotte from '' A Room with a View'' (1985). In the chapter "Double", one of the characters shares his first name with the actor

Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker. The son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen, he made his film debut with an uncredited role in '' Badlands'' (1973). He later received his first ...

, and director

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...

served as the model for the antagonist. While there is no model for Cain, British actor

Rupert Graves Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in '' A Room with a View'', '' Maurice'', '' The Madness of King George'' and '' The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he sta ...

"left a strong impression" on her with his performance in ''A Room with a View''. Additionally, Riff's name comes from ''

The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 independent musical comedy horror film produced by Lou Adler and Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was written by Sharman and Richard O ...

'' (1975), which Yuki considers a visual influence on her manga in general, along with the films '' Gothic'' (1986), '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985), '' Aliens'' (1986), '' Lost Boys'' (1987), and '' Torch-song Trilogy'' (1988). Overall as a manga artist, Yuki has been influenced by Western films and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, which she watched in her youth.

Themes

Reviewers have focused on a range of themes in ''Earl Cain''. Noting "themes of incest and suicide" in the first four parts of the series, Thompson states that ''Godchild''s portrayal of incest adheres to "a more classical tormented sense" which results in "guilt, madness, and the punishment of heaven" for the characters. According to Lori Henderson, reviewer and contributor to ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

''s blog ''Good Comics for Kids'', Yuki frequently uses the "power of love" as a theme in her works; ''Godchild'' focuses on "the darker side of love" and its effects on the characters, although she writes that the manga does explore love as a source of empowerment. Henderson also notes the theme of betrayal present in the sixth volume. Writing for

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

, A.E. Sparrow writes that the "issues of beauty, loneliness, jealousy, and family ties" appear in the first volume of ''Godchild''s mysteries. A French reviewer for Manga News wrote that the theme of "the soiled childhood" occurs throughout the series, depicted by abused children or children's items, such as dolls, pudding, and puppets, playing a role in some mysteries; the children's items appear either in the background as in " The Little Crooked House" or as a major part of the plot as in "Solomon Grundy's Sunday".

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki, ''Earl Cain'' is the collective name for ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', ''The Seal of the Red Ram'', and the sequel series ''Godchild''. The chapters of ''Forgotten Juliet'' and part of ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'' appeared in the Japanese manga magazine ''

'', beginning with the December 1991 issue; the chapters for the rest of ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' were serialized in ''

'', from the eighth issue of 1993 to the twelfth issue of 1994, with an additional, self-contained chapter published in the seventeenth issue. The chapters of ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' were published in five ''

'' volumes by

Hakusensha is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV series. The com ...

from July 17, 1992, to October 1994. ''Godchild'' appeared as a serial in the same manga magazine from the May 2001 issue to the October 2003 issue, and was published by Hakusensha in eight volumes from November 19, 2001, to January 16, 2004. Hakusensha later combined chapters from ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' into two volumes and published them from December 20, 2004, to January 28, 2005. Hakusensha also re-released the series in six '' bunkoban'' volumes from July 15, 2009, to March 16, 2010. Viz Media licensed ''Earl Cain'' for an English-language release in North America. It serialized ''Godchild'' in its manga anthology '' Shojo Beat'' from the July 2005 issue through the June 2006 issue. It published the series' first volume on March 7, 2006; the final volume was released on February 5, 2008. Viz published ''Forgotten Juliet'', ''The Sound of a Boy Hatching'', ''Kafka'', and ''The Seal of the Red Ram'' as ''The Cain Saga'' and released the first volume during the ''Godchild'' release, on October 3, 2006; the final volume was released on June 5, 2007. ''Earl Cain'' is also licensed for regional language releases in Germany and Sweden by

Carlsen Comics Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Danish publishing house which in turn belongs to the Swedish media company Bonnier. The branch was founded on 25 April 1953 in Hamburg. The publisher's program focuses on books for children, i.e ...

, in Italy by Planet Manga, in Taiwan by

Tong Li Publishing Tongli Publishing Co. ( Chinese: 東立出版社, Hanyu Pinyin: ''Dōng Lì Chūbǎnshè''), most known as Tong Li Comics, is a publishing company which distributes a variety of domestic and imported comics in Taiwan. History Tong Li was found ...

, in Spain by Glénat, and in France by Editions Tonkam. ''Godchild'' ran in multiple manga anthologies: the French ''Magnolia'', the German '' Daisuki'', and the Swedish ''Shojo Stars''.

Drama CDs

On April 21, 1999, Geneon Entertainment released a

titled . With music by Tomohiko Kira, it featured Hideo Ishikawa as Cain, Koyasu Takehito as Riff, Kawada Taeko as Mary Weather, Miki Shinichiro as Dr. Allen, and

Jūrōta Kosugi is a Japanese voice actor. His major roles include Arlong in ''One Piece'', Asuma Sarutobi in ''Naruto'', Akio Ohtori in ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', Isamu Kenmochi in ''Kindaichi Case Files'', Big Zenki in '' Zenki,'' and Jotaro Kujo in '' ...

as Alexis. The same company released a second drama CD, , on November 17, 1999. The drama CD featured Hideo Ishikawa, Kyoko Hikami, Takehito Koyasu, from ''Kafuka'' and included Taeko Kawada and Junko Asami.

Reception

''The Cain Saga'' received mixed reviews from critics. Manga Sanctuary awarded the French edition of the first volume five stars, describing it as "excellent."

's A. E. Sparrow described it as "a wonderful introduction to shojo manga for the uninitiated" and felt that both ''The Cain Saga'' and its sequel ''Godchild'' could "appeal to a very broad audience." The Book Report's Courtney Kraft praised the "fine attention to detail and aesthetics" of the art and liked the concept of murder mysteries based on children's rhymes and stories, commenting that Yuki "masters the art of creating a mystery." Conversely, Mania Entertainment's Danielle Van Gorder considered the art "still much less refined than her later work in ''Angel Sanctuary''," and commented on the amount of tragedy in the series. Manga News rated the first volume 15 out of 20, commenting that the male characters looked similar and had similar facial expressions in contrast to the more recognizable female ones. In ''Manga: The Complete Guide'', Jason Thompson rated the series two and a half stars out of four, stating: "In its best moments, ''The Cain Saga'' captures the genuine ghoulishness of the Victorian era, or at least of its stereotypes." ''The Cain Saga'' was also criticized for scenes with "poorly organized" artwork, one-dimensional characters, predictable mysteries, and confusing plot, caused by the

back-story A backstory, background story, background, or legend is a set of events invented for a plot, preceding and leading up to that plot. In acting, it is the history of the character before the drama begins, and is created during the actor's preparat ...

and characters. Conversely, the sequel, ''Godchild'', received positive reviews. When the first chapter premiered in ''Shojo Beat'', critics commented on the potential and art of the series, but found the chapter "listless" and confusing. Reviews of the bound volumes were positive. Writing for The Book Report, Robin Brenner described the mysteries as "unsettling, splatter-filled, and deliciously in line with the melodramatic, horrific traditions of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

and

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

." Leroy Douresseaux of Coolstreak Cartoons wrote: "By turns bizarre and unsettling, ''Godchild'' is actually quite engaging, but can be difficult to follow for those who didn't come in at the beginning". Writing for ''Sequential Tart'', Sheena McNeil described ''Godchild'' as "a masterpiece in every sense of the word." In reviews of subsequent volumes, she lowered her score, and praised Yuki's

characterization Characterization or characterisation is the representation of characters (persons, creatures, or other beings) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym. This representation may include dire ...

, mysteries, and artwork; she concluded: "''Godchild'' is a fantastic and different story that can't be denied." Critics praised the art of the series as detailed and distinct, with several noting the difference in the illustrations of ''The Cain Saga'' and ''Godchild''. B. D. Gest's M. Natali wrote that "one senses immediately how the art of Kaori Yuki has evolved and improved since 'The Cain Saga''.

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

's Deb Aoki placed the series on her recommended reading list of horror manga, commenting on the "ravishing" artwork and "lush gothic details." While describing the series as "the manga equivalent of Twizzlers" and the premise as "ahistoric and just plain silly," Katherine Dacey of Popculture Shock added, "Kaori Yuki's distinctive artwork and macabre sensibility make this overripe setup entertaining, even if the occasionally slangy dialogue and '' CSI''-style forensics seem implausible in a Victorian London setting." According to ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', Yuki's art consists of "startlingly odd angles and abrupt jumps from closeups to distant shots" with which she establishes "a giddy mood" that enables the readers to be sympathetic to the events. Although Yuki's character designs stuck to "certain shōjo conventions", they were seen as detailed and "perfect" for the mood of ''Godchild''. Reviewers enjoyed the conclusion to the series, although one wanted a clearer fate for Cain and another commented on the "rushed" ending scenes. ''Godchild'' was also criticized for the characters' cruelty, Jizabel's disturbing back-story, and limited appeal of the series' universe.

Notes

References

;General * * * * * * ;Specific

External links

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