The Cain Saga

Author: Kaori Yuki

Summary: Born under an evil moon harboring dark secrets, Earl Cain C. Hargreaves, the youthful heir of the aristocratic Hargreaves family, is a man on a quest to find the truth about his family's past. Written in dark, harrowing episodes, The CAIN Saga chronicles how Cain solves the strange crimes that seem to plague his cursed existence, yet somehow bring him closer to deciphering the puzzling circumstances surrounding his father's tragic death.

Five gripping stories of love, friendship and betrayal--"Forgotten Juliet," "Branded Bibi," "The Youths Who Stopped Time," "Double," and "The Death of Cleo"--comprise this poignant first installment of Kaori Yuki's hit gothic manga series. Gothic fans will be left in awe long after this series has ended!

My Review: Or not... While one might expect so much from such a build up, I have to say that the Cain Saga was one big fat disappoint, not to mention a waste of time. While it did bring to light some confusion from Godchild, it was twice as disturbing and inappropriate, all the while brought together with a rough story telling and rough looking art.

I hate to say this, but it’s true. I was prepared to give it as much of a good rating, (or generally good) as Godchild, but it’s like taking a step backwards. Since technically it is if your read it second. Word of advice, if you plan to read this collection of stories, skip right to Godchild. It makes perfect sense on it’s own and isn’t as gruesome or risqué.


Art: The art was truly so-so. It just felt really rough to me, really rushed. There really is never any attention to detail, and the characters sometimes end up looking ugly. Not one of my favorites, no way.

Characters: The characters in and of themselves are nothing special. Even the more lighthearted personalities are dampened, just by the dark and dreary plot line. Cain is just as thickheaded, Riff is still just as butlerish, Mary Weather is twice as annoying, Jizabel is still just as bloodthirsty, and on and on it goes...

Plot: We start off jumping into the plot, unsure where things are going with this arc bunny hopping that makes you wonder if there really is any method to the madness. We start off with the wrong set of main characters and finally find our way to Cain. Then we do some  backwards history, jumping into the past, where we really could have started from the beginning, and then wind our way back. Come Volume 3, I think it finally knows where it’s going and gets back to the main plot, so to speak...

And do we ever find out where we’re going after that? Apparently not...

Disclaimers: I’m remembering a whole lot more I could have disclaimed about in Godchild, but I guess it’s alittle too late for that. But since this is fresh in my mind, there’s a whole lot more to worry about in the Cain Saga.  It’s pretty violent, though all things considered, not as violent as some others. Then we throw in vampires just for fun. And Jack the Ripper. It’s a bit more loose than I’m used to, but nothing too blatant right out there that makes your eyes bulge out of their sockets in shock. There’s quite a few abusive situations, mention of prostitutes, and sexual (some of them underage) situations, (not that it ever really shows anything). Glimpses. I’m not recommending this though, I, in no way, truly enjoyed this series, so I’m just stating the facts, and moving on...

Favorite Character: N/A

Favorite Quote: N/A

Recommended: Older teens & up

Over-all Rating: ★★★☆☆

~ Darkitty