Customer Reviews

Forgotten Juliet (Cain Saga, Book 1)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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. ***

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. = )

I picked up Cain Saga (aka. Count Cain) having read most of Angel Sanctuary and loved every minute of it. Cain Saga was written just before Angel Sanctuary, in the earlier volumes of AS, Yuki talks about it during her chat columns. Cain saga ended up being written in two sections with Angel Sanctuary sandwiched between them, consequently there are a lot of stylistic differences between Cain Saga and Godchild, the second part of Cain Saga.

Cain Saga's first volume is a lot more difficult to get into. I've read a few other Yuki works such as Cruel Fairytales and Boys next Door in German, but the artwork seems very crowded in the first volume. The layout is very disjointed making it harder to follow the already complex storylines, most of which actually have very little to do with Cain at all. This book serves more as a prequel or a stand-alone version of short stories than as the first volume of the series, which really starts in volume two.

Please don't be put off by the first volume, Cain Saga is a very good series. It swaps AS's fantasy elements for murder mystery realism, although it can push the boundaries of plausability a little. Yuki's fast-paced stotytelling makes for a really good read, although occasionally I do have problems telling the characters apart. I haven't got round to reading Godchild yet, but it's on my list.

About two years ago Viz Media launched their Shojo Beat line of graphic novels. Besides a slew of highly anticipated bi-monthly graphical novel serials, Viz decided to take the chance of releases a monthly manga anathology magazine ala Shounen Jump. One of the most puzzling decisions for the magazine was the procurement of Kaori Yuki's "Godchild". I say puzzling because "Godchild" is actually a direct sequel to Cain Saga a series which the artist stopped suddenly to work on her most famous series "Angel Sanctuary"- think Jerry Springer-esque contorted love triangles and insane family feuds set in The Divine Comedy. As it wasn't until now, two years later, that "Cain Saga" is finally available in English, magazine subscribers were put off by Godchild's I'm-missing-half-the-story vibe, so much so that it was booted out of the magazine for its unpopularity. Now that I have read Cain Saga vol 1: Forgotten Juliet, I understand why Viz was so reluctant to release it.
Forgotten Juliet is a Victorian mystery anathology. Three of its five stories center around Earl Cain Hargreaves. However, his character is never really defined well enough to set this story apart of any of the other Mystery-Solving-Aristocrat stories. As for the stories themselves, they are not particularly clever or memorable.
In "The Forgotten Juliet", the titular story, the young beautiful Suzette, a cousin of Cain's, dies under mysterious circumstance. The girl seemingly rises from her grave and begins taking revenge on those she knew in life. Cain suspects something other than the supernatural is afoot.
"Branded Bibi" is a rather ridiculous story about vengeance. A nobleman lost his beloved child many years ago. When the man recieves a letter from a woman claiming to be Madalaine, he asks Cain to investigate. The ending is so far-fetched that its sure to cause a few groans.
"The Boys Who Stopped Time" does not feature Cain at all, but a boy investigating the strange happenings at his boarding school.
"Double" is probably the worst story in the collection. Len promises to meet his friend Emilio after his friend becomes a big movie star. When Len goes to see his friend many years later, he suspects that this is not the person he once knew.
"The Death of Cleo Dreyfus" is shortest and the best story. Cain suspects a friend of his was poisoned by his own brother. He proceeds to deal with the killer in his own way.

Besides the weak story-telling, I imagine the dated art is another reason Viz was reluctant to bring this over. Later Kaori Yuki work is known for its delicate and detailed line work and bizarre imagery. While hints of those characteristics are here, the artwork as a whole is more rounded and cruder than her later stuff.

Forget This Long Winded Text Book Stuff.I Have Been Waiting For Kaori Yuki's Count Cain Saga To Come Out. I Myself Like This Very Much.I Like How She Made Varios Stories With Varios Charaters.Nothing Created By Yuki Could Ever Disapoint Me.This Is A Very Great Piece To Add To Your Manga Colletion.Can't Wait For The Others To Become Avalible.