Forgotten Juliet (Cain Saga, Book 1) [Paperback]

kaori Yuki (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2006

Born under an evil moon harboring dark secrets, Earl Cain C. Hargreves, the youthful heir of the aristocratic Hargreves 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!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A prequel to Yuki's popular Godchild, The Cain Saga is an anthology of five different tales all set in the same 19th- and early 20th-century London locale and concerning the young mystery-investigating earl, Cain C. Hargreaves. "Forgotten Juliet," the opener, is a ghost story about grave robbers, a dead girl, some green poison that isn't what it seems and a romance that shouldn't have been—the already knotty story line is further confused by some poorly organized artwork. "The Youths Who Stopped Time" is a more engaging mystery set in a posh boarding school circa 1918 and taking its atmosphere of naughty schoolboys and secret societies straight from the film Young Sherlock Holmes (as Yuki admits in one of her chatty columns sprinkled throughout). Yuki also admits to being a huge Twin Peaks fan, whose influence shows itself throughout, especially the closer one gets toward the final, Laura Palmer–inspired story. The tone overall registers in high camp. Although Cain will have no trouble pleasing fans of Godchild, it's hard to imagine those already not well-versed in that story having much patience with this fast-paced but garbled collection. (Oct.)
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About the Author

Kaori Yuki was born in Tokyo, Japan, and started drawing at a very early age.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (January 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591169755
• ISBN-13: 978-1591169758
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga > Shojo (Girls)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Before Godchild, March 29, 2007

By 

J. Gebhard (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgotten Juliet (Cain Saga, Book 1) (Paperback)

This vol kicks off the Cain Saga series, which lasts for five vols. It can best be described as a beginning work since two of the stories contained within this vol have nothing to do with Cain nor his past. However, what is contain in the vol are some enjoyable one-shot works and three stories to provide some background knowledge on Cain. Especially if you have read Godchild vol 4. The "Miss Muffet" arc's background begins here.

On whole you can tell that this is a beginning work. The stories are short but still built up nicely. Later vols in the Cain Saga series begin to display Karoi's writing talent better - by the second vol. This is a fact that she even acknowledges herself in the postscript. But I think is rather hard on herself. This vol shows how she was feeling out the world that Cain is from and dabbling in other areas as well. Plus if you are a Karoi Yuki fan you should have this vol just cause.

Lastly, the art is not at all similar to Godchild which is more gothic. The art in this work reflects its original publishing date in the mid 1980s. The characters have more wavey hair and Cain looks older than in Godchild. I think that this is the problem. As a stand alone work the art is still beautiful. But when compared to Godchild, I prefer the art style presented in Godchild since it is more modern and clean.

Overall, give Cain Saga a chance. While it supplies information for the Godchild series it should not be compared to the series. The writing is still engaging true to Karoi's nature and the art is equally as beautiful.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps I should have read Godchild first?, May 26, 2007

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgotten Juliet (Cain Saga, Book 1) (Paperback)

Kaori Yuki, The Cain Saga: Forgotten Juliet (ViZ, 2006)

Yuki, whose Godchild raised the bar in Gothc manga, here starts a five-volume miniseries on the genesis of Cain and co. I decided to read this batch before diving into Godchild, and after reading this one, I'm not terribly sure that was a great idea; I'm guessing established fans of the series probably caught a lot of stuff I didn't get. After all, they already know the characters.

That said, Yuki has (and professes) a love for British and American cinema, and it comes through quite nicely. For one thing, she's probably the best manga artist at coming up with English names I've ever come across. No Raye Penbers or Winry Rockbells here, folks! Her characters are also (usually) distinct from one another, enough so at least to distinguish them. (Unless, that is, they're supposed to look alike; there's a lot of mistaken-identity plots and the like running through these pages.)

An interesting beginning, though I wish I'd had more background. I may switch over to Godchild before continuing on here. ***

5.0 out of 5 stars Kaori Yuki is the best, June 1, 2007

By 

C. Lee (Encinitas, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgotten Juliet (Cain Saga, Book 1) (Paperback)

I don't know what the previous viewer was saying about the art being "dated". Kaori Yuki is one of the most talented artists out there. If you like darker stuff with beautifully illustrated Victorian style and decor, you'll absolutely love The Cain Saga and Godchild. Granted Godchild is more refined, since it's her later stuff, but you won't regret buying Cain Saga....anyhow, you'll need to read it before you read Godchild because it's part of the storyline.

But don't just read these reviews; go to the bookstore and check it out, then come back and take advantage of the buy 4 for 3 deal at Amazon. = )