Godchild
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| Godchild | |||
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| Genre | horror, mystery | ||
| Manga: Count Cain | |||
| Authored by | Kaori Yuki | ||
| Publisher |  Hakusensha |
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| Serialized in | Hana to Yume Daisuki |
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| Original run | 1992 – 1994 | ||
| No. of volumes | 5 | ||
| Manga: Godchild (sequel) | |||
| Authored by | Kaori Yuki | ||
| Publisher | Hakusensha |
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| Serialized in | Hana to Yume  Shojo Beat Daisuki Magnolia |
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| Original run | 2001 – 2003 | ||
| No. of volumes | 8 | ||
Godchild, also known as Count Cain (Hakushaku Cain), is the gothic shōjo manga by Kaori Yuki.
Count/Earl Cain was originally serialized in Hana to Yume and became popular through online scanlation in the U.S. The series is divided into two parts. The original manga was completed up to volume 5 where Kaori Yuki placed it on hiatus in order to complete her other manga Angel Sanctuary. After the completion of Angel Sanctuary, Count Cain was resumed and published under the new title, Godchild, which concluded in 8 volumes, making the Cain Series 13 volumes in total. Godchild is currently licensed in English by Viz. "Godchild" made its first appearance in Viz's magazine Shojo Beat, where it ran monthly until its last appearance in the June 2006 issue. The arc is also serialized in volume format by Viz. The first five volumes, titled as The Cain Saga, are being released by Viz as a prequel to Godchild.
Although generally known as a gothic series, Godchild gathers elements from many genres including mystery and suspense, horror, shōnen-ai, psychological and historical. The series is praised for its twisted plot, morbid humor, dark yet flamboyant style, and excellent artwork and an examination of depravity of human nature. The manga, being set in the Victorian Age, has Gothic Lolita fashion.
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[edit] Summary
Count Cain is the story of a nobleman with an interest in poison from 19th century England. Cain inherited the title of Earl of Hargreaves when his father (supposedly) died falling into the sea when Cain tried to poison him. As he fell, he cursed Cain to a life of solitude. The story follows him through many mysteries involving poison. Most of the stories focus on human nature and emotional/social conflict. Some parts of the story develop out from the actual events taking place in London, like the Jack the Ripper case. Some of the chapters revolve around Cain's past and Riff, his servant whom Cain is very intimate to and sees as one of his family. Later in the manga, the plot becomes more connected and details his struggle against a secret society established by his father named Delilah (in which the name overshadows the secret revealed by the end).
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main Characters
Cain C. Hargreaves: Cain is a young English nobleman who is also known as the Earl/Count of Poison for his fondness in collecting and storing different kinds of poisons which he calls his "children". Cain's childhood was filled with both physical and mental abuse inflicted by his father, Alexis. He was whipped on the back daily because Alexis claimed that Cain is a cursed child and this is the only way he could be forgiven by God. Cain's mother, Lenora, tried to strangle him to death because he was the illegitimate child of her husband Alexis and Alexis's sister, Augusta. Cain became Count at the age of twelve after killing his father (Cain is named after the biblical figure, Cain, for the fact that he was the first human to kill a relative, though, in this case, a brother named Abel). He has green-gold eyes (they're actually green but the gold in them comes because he is a child born of the incestuous relationship). To outsiders he seems like a wealthy incorrigible playboy. The only people he trusts are his head butler Riff and Mary Weather, who people consider to be his half-sister through Alexis's relationship with a maid. The manga based his physical appearance on British actor Rupert Graves .
Riffael Raffit: Named after the butler from the movie the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Riff is Head Butler for the Hargreaves. Riff is Cain's personal servant and does everything for him (including tying his shoelaces). Riff was the first person Cain has ever trusted and the only one who's allowed to see and touch his scars on the back. (Quote: "If you betray me, I will go and die" --Cain to Riff; from "Kafka") Riff was a medical student originally, but his house burned down and his entire family died. It was through Alexis, a friend of his father, that he received the job of being a servant. Later on, the story unfolds the truth that indeed, Riff was dead since the fire incident at his house. However, he was brought to life again by the dark medical knowledge practiced by Delilah and initiated into the organization as the "Tower" of the Major Arcana. Moreover, the nice and loyal nature of Riff is indeed an artificial personality implanted by Delilah.
Mary Weather Hargreaves: Cain's little half-sister. First she was believed to be the daughter of Cain's father and a maid. Her mother committed suicide by swallowing poison and Mary lived as a street fortune teller before Cain found her. Near the end of the story, Cain reveals secretly to his Uncle Neil that she doesn't share the same bloodline as him. She was fathered by the head of servants in Cain's house who died before she was born. Nevertheless, Cain loves her as his true sister despite knowing the fact. Mary is very outgoing and strong willed, and often annoyed by Cain's relationships with women. Cain hands the title of Earl/Count to Mary Weather toward the end, making her the head of the Hargreaves family, and Mary is determined to live up to his expectations.
[edit] Members of Delilah
Jezebel Disraeli: Cain's brother by adoption. Jezebel is a sadistic doctor and works for Cain's father in the secret society Delilah. He loves to collect human organs and always keeps the organs of his mother and sisters at hand. It is revealed later that Jezebel is actually Cain's half brother from Alexis' relationship with Jezebel's mother. As a child, Jezebel was a vegetarian who genuinely cared for life, but was forced to eat his pet sheep by Alexis. He craves for his father's love and thus hates Cain because Alexis spends all of his attention on Cain. He is unofficially "Death" in Delilah's Major Arcana until later in the series (he had no desire to undergo the bothersome regeneration necessary to join Major Acana officially). The mangaka, Yuki Kaori, claims that Jezebel is her favorite character.
Alexis Hargreaves: Cain's father. The only person he ever loved was his sister, Augusta, despite his marriage to a woman named Lenora. He resolves to make life impossible for Cain because he is responsible for the insanity and death of Augusta. As the leader of Delilah, he is the "Card Master" and assigns members within the group their ranks. By the end of the story, he appears to be suffering because of the plot set down by his sister. He was killed and afterward possessed by the spirit of Augusta.
Eda: Also known as Ida of Lunacy (see Godchild, vol. 3). A gypsy who performs on the streets. Half of her body is burnt and she is an outcast even amongst her own people, given her short, fair hair (often concealed by a wig of long black hair). She is the loyal bodyguard of the "Card Master" (Alexis) and wields crescent shaped blades. In the third volume of Godchild, she threatens to kill Jezebel when he tries to strangle his father in a macabre game. Straightforward and seemingly unemotional, she obeys her orders without question and refers to the moon as her only friend. Her rank in Delilah is the "Moon" of the Major Arcana.
Snow Owl: A mysterious figure with white hair and dark round glasses referred to only as Snow Owl by the members of Delilah. His rank in Delilah, true name, and abilities are unknown. He seems to be a spy of sorts, who frequently reports back to Alexis concerning those he has been keeping a watchful eye on. He is a talented violinist and frequently makes references to musical terms in his speech. (He resembles Rurouni Kenshin's Yukishiro Enishi.)
Mr. Coffin Maker: The "Ace of Swords" of Delilah's Minor Arcana. He is able to build coffins perfectly suited for the victims he has killed. His mother was wrongfully imprisoned by her mistress, who believed her husband was falling in love with another woman. As a result, his mother gave birth to him in jail. While dedicated to his missions, he ends up falling in love with Marjorie, the daughter of an abused, deceased mortician. He dies in a fire that burns down Marjorie's house, but manages to tell her to live a happier life with her aunt in a letter that also reveals to her his real name: Grifford.
Cassandra Gladstone: The high priest who initiates members of Delilah into the Major Arcana via a ceremony that reveals the member's deepest secrets. While performing this ceremony for Jezebel, he discovered secrets about him that has lead to Cassandra attempting to take Jezebel's life a number of times. In public, he appears as a socially active gentleman who is well known in the charity circle.
Meridianna: She appeared to be a fortune teller at the beginning and fell in love with Cain. But later she is revealed to be already dead but only resurrected by Delilah as a "doll". Upon learning the truth, she chooses to sacrifice herself in order to protect Cain against Jezebel. Cain is devastated by her death since she is the first person he could love who is not blood-related to him, though he later realizes that the reason he was so intensely attracted to her was because her blue eyes eerily resembled his mother's and Suzette's.
Mikala: She is actually a child-version of Cain's cousin Suzette (also known as Judith) resurrected by Delilah, but has a completely different personality from Suzette. Mikala is told by Alexis that she is born for Cain, and that Cain belongs to her only. She is able to summon poisonous spiders and uses them as weapons to force Cain into submission. To Alexis, Mikala's ultimate purpose is to have Cain's child and the child is to become the container of "Delilah"'s (a.k.a. Augusta's) spirit. However since Mikala dies before anything could happen, the plan fails.
Cassian: One of the lower members of Delilah who is working for Jezebel. He is actually a man of 35 with a young boy's body. Cassian was a circus clown who was bullied by others because of his appearance. He decided to join Delilah hoping to get an adult body in exchange. He obeys Jezebel well, even if it means killing innocent girls in order to rip out their eyeballs (see Godchild, vol. 1).
[edit] Supporting Characters
Oscar Gabriel: Cain's friend and Mary Weather's "self-claimed" fiance. Although he is from an aristocratic family, Oscar is disowned by his father and therefore tries to win back his father's attention by marrying Count Hargreaves's sister. In truth, Oscar had a fiancée whom he loved dearly but died in an accident and he claims that Mary is the spitting image of his fiancee (although we find out later that it is actually Cain who looks exactly like her). Oscar often provides humor to the manga through his various unsuccessful attempts to win Mary's heart. Although he is not so bright, Oscar is very loyal to Cain and truly cares for Mary. In the "Mortician's Daughter" arc, he is very nearly killed by the Coffin Maker (in a case of mistaken identity).
Neil Hargreaves: Cain's uncle, Alexis' cousin, specifically the son of Cain's grandfather's sister. He is Cain's legal guardian and has a tendency to become upset with Cain's behavoir and course of action. He and Cain are often at odds because Cain believes that Neil's strictness derives from caring more about Cain's inheritance than Cain himself. Alexis reveals that Neil loved Augusta and claims that Neil only took care of Cain and stopped the rest of the family from disposing of him when he was born because Neil saw aspects of Augusta in her son. In Godchild, vol. 3, Neil admits to Cain that he loved Augusta, but confesses the real reason he chose to take care of Cain was because as an infant Neil felt as though Cain seemed lonely and was touched when the infant reached for his hand. The two end up on considerably better terms afterwards.
Dominic Clehadol (Crehador): A medium who can talk to the dead who first appears in the Butterfly Bones arc. Clehadol comes from an old French aristocratic family that has declined. He initially appears to be working for Alexis, who offers the medium the position of the "Magician" of the Major Arcana, and is suspected as a member of Delilah by Cain. While he does work for Delilah on occasion, he does it strictly for money, and will not take the "Magician" position due to his distaste of the aristocracy. He later allies with Cain against Delilah and provides useful information on the organization to Cain.
[edit] Others
Augusta Hargreaves: Cain's aunt and real mother. She went crazy after giving birth to Cain and jumped out of the window of her institution when Cain went to visit her. By the end of the story, her spirit appears to be the real wicked one who has plotted and been responsible for Cain's suffering. The name of Alexis' secret society Delilah refers to her.
Suzette: (Appearance in "Forgotten Juliet") Also sometimes named Judith. Cain's cousin (daughter of Augusta) and his first love, who, in truth, is his half-sister. She planned to elope with her lover by faking death, but he was only after her money and left her buried alive (with her ring that was later taken from her grave and ring finger to create Mikala). She committed suicide when she found out her lover's betrayal. Later she was resurrected as a "doll" by Jezebel and named Mikala.
Emmeline: (Appearance in "Mark of the Red Ram") Cain's fiancee and a victim of Jack the Ripper. Emmeline is the sister of Cain's childhood friend, Gilford. Emmeline used to be a shy and chubby girl who had low self-esteem due to her appearance, but resolves to become the perfect daughter only to please her parents and live up to the family name. She loves Cain but he does not return her feelings, although Cain feels very guilty because he is partially responsible for her death.
Emile Cromwell: (Appearance in "Butterfly Bones") The son of Cain's Uncle Leonard. He kills his mother, Abigail to protect Lukia, his half-Japanese half-sister, because she is the only one who genuinely cared about him. It is revealed that Alexis had told Emile how to kill his mother and, due to the guilt, he later commits suicide from the shame. He claimed before he died, that he did not want to stain Lukia from the blood on his hands. Alexis proves to Cain that he is still alive by causing Emile's suicide, leaving his son with the haunting words, "You can't save anyone."
Lukia Cromwell: (Appearance in "Butterfly Bones") The beautiful daughter of Cain's Uncle Leonard and his uncle's first wife, a Japanese woman named Tohko. Lukia, like her mother, is shunned and abused by her step-mother, Abigail. During a seance requested by Abigail, Lukia ends up acting erratically and leaves her family believing that she has been possessed by her vengeful mother, who committed suicide when Lukia was a child. Abigail attempts to have Lukia killed during a second seance, but instead she winds up killed instead while Lukia regains her senses. Cain proposed marriage to her in hopes of finding Abigail's murderer. It is later revealed that her step brother, Emile, killed her stepmother because, although she was his mother, Abigail caused Lukia's mother to commit suicide.
