Godchild, Vol. 1, 1

What makes this manga so different is the characters themselves. They are so incredibly real. They come right off the page at you! I love how Kaori Yuki adds in twisted fairy tales into a murder mystery story and better yet it takes place in Victorian England! All of the characters really grow on you especially Oscar and Mary. This is writing at its finest. My favorite line has got to be when Cain tells Riff that he's the only one who can touch his scars and the look he gives Riff, too. This series can also be read more then once. There is a lot that goes on and it's worth going back just to see what events lead up to the very last chapter. Truly a manga like no other! You will not find something as unique as this. I just can't put it into any category either. It stands on its own and is clearly Kaori Yuki's finest accomplishment. I hope people will come to realize how amazing this series is and give it a chance to shine as an anime, too. Because it really does deserve to be one.

Godchild is the sequel to The Cain Saga, which has also recently been brought out by VIZs Shoujo Beat line of manga. To enjoy Godchild you don't have to have read The Cain Saga first, since it introduces the characters and plot well enough to easily get the gist of what goes on. For those of you familiar with Kaori Yuki's work in either The Cain Saga or Angel Sanctuary, you'll find that Godchild has a very different style to it, although the layout is much the same as in The Cain Saga, being episodic, but still gently swimming through one general story arc. I won't spoil any of it for you, but suffice it to say there's a family conflict here. Godchild is certainly extremely gory, and not for the faint of heart. This said, gore is pretty much the only thing that works toward it's OT (older teen) rating (unless of course, you can factor in sheer freakin' creepiness). There are five episodes in the first graphic novel, each of which deals with some fairy tale or children story turned visceral and bloody murder, which are always wonderfully portrayed by Yuki's wonderful art and writing style, and if you're into stuff like that, this should definitely be a plus. I only have beef with one part of Godchild: it's classification. By almost no means other than art should Godchild be considered a Shoujo manga. Just because Kaori Yuki's other works have been Shoujo, doesn't automatically make this one so. However, this complaint doesn't have a whole lot of merit, as it doesn't make one ounce of difference in how enjoyable the experience as a whole should be for you. Overall, Godchild is equal parts story and character driven, coupled with an art style that's absolutely a joy to behold. But don't let the classification fool you - it's not a romance for the most part. If you're into horror, mystery, early 20th century aristocratic London, or manga as a whole, Godchild is definitely worth picking up and intently flipping through.

When I read the first part of "The Little Crooked House" story from the Shojo Beat magazine at my local library, you could say that I was enchanted by Kaori Yuki's beautifully dark artworks and the morbidly creative stories she put in "Godchild." So, I read the whole book, and "Godchild" is now one of my favorite mangas. I admire how she turns children stories (such as Alice in Wonderland) and rhymes (such as the Black Sheep song) and uses them as references and sticks them in her stories. Yes, there is gore in this manga, but it's not too terrible as others that I've taken a look at before. It's pleasing to know that Kaori Yuki's artwork has people confused about if some certain characters are guys or girls, the way people say about the guys I draw when I ask them if they can tell what gender the person is. I'd say her artwork is one of the most beautiful style that I've seen in the world of manga. They should turn Godchild into an anime or movie! I can't wait until the rest of the volumes are published.

Ah, Kaori Yuki. How do I love thee. Let me count the ways: You've taken nursery rhymes and twisted them into murder mysteries; You create artwork that is simultaneously beautiful and violent; You mold the most absurd scenarios into moving stories; You've captured a protagonist who is every bit as twisted and psychotic as his enemies; You've encapsulated comic relief in a GWAHAHAing buffoon named Oscar; You filled each episode with trivia on everything from opera to medieval torture masks; You've saved the subtlety of an unlikely love story for the very last scenes of a Victorian tragedy. I do hope that Viz eventually releases the first five volumes of the Cain series to add depth to Kaori's voice. But even without them, Godchild bewitches. The venue of 'Shojo Beat' slightly perturbs me, since Godchild must share space with relationship-centered fluff. It's like shelving Irvine Welsh in the romance section. Does not compute. But Viz is doing quite well with the translation and staying true to the heart of the story.

this manga series is even better than Kaori Yuki's Angel Sanctuary.... the character development, as always, is great and the characters define the story. the art is breathtaking, similar to the later books in the Angel Sanctuary series. most of the time, this part of the series is quite dark. it will appeal to _most_ fans of Visual Kei bands, and those who are interested in Elegant Gothic Lolita.