Comics / Manga

Godchild: Volume 6

By Leroy Douresseaux
July 28, 2007 - 17:42

The Earl Cain Series by manga-ka (creator) Kaori Yuki comprises 13 books, which are divided into 5 series.  One of the five series, entitled Godchild, is a single story arc told in 8 volumes.  Godchild, like the other Earl Cain books, is set in Victorian London, and centers on Earl Cain Hargreaves, the heir of the Hargreaves family.  Cursed (by his father) to a life of solitude, Cain investigates mysteries involving poison, particularly 19th century English poisons.

In Godchild, Vol. 6, Cain is attempting to unravel a series of murders of young women that he believes is tied to the unveiling of a lavish public memorial.  As usual, Cain is determined to reveal the dark secrets of aristocratic London society, mostly to strike back at his father, Alexis, who is deeply tied into high society and is also running a secret society named, Delilah.  In the midst of his mission to bring down the complex social network his father has created, Cain doesn’t realize that one of his closest confidants is actually a double agent in service of Alexis.

THE LOWDOWN:  Godchild is a gothic shojo manga (manga for teenage girls).  It has elements of Victorian mystery and the penny dreadful (lurid serial stories popular in 19th Britain), as well as elements of pulp fiction and the cozy mystery.  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 (like this reviewer).  Yuki has created a large cast of characters and their relationships with one another can be downright creepy, but in a way, that makes this all the more attractive.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of manga that incorporates cosplay and goth-loli may want to try this.  Also those who enjoy Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell may also enjoy this.

B-

Shop Godchild at the Amazaon aStore.

 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12