Manga: Count Cain/Godchild
Oct. 9th, 2009 02:33 pmRemembered reading a volume of this at one point, so, being me, I went through the entire thing at a ridiculous speed. And man, I was not disappointed. For fans of gothic horror, this is the real deal--but with pictures! So you can look at the pretty clothes! Ooooh pretty dresses....ooooh gruesome murders. It has a very Poe feel, and the mangaka did enough research that it's not jarring for Western readers despite being set in London.
Excellent creep factor, which the gorgeous art doesn't detract from at all--in fact, the pretty, detailed art just adds to the very Victorian motif of nameless (okay, mostly named) horrors covered up by obsessive focus on appearance. I didn't have trouble sleeping, but I had to wait until the end of a multi-part story to even try, as the suspense was very strong. Each shorter story contributes in some way or another to the larger plot, which is nice, and that plot is very strong, with fascinating characters and a resolution that I found, if not completely happy, completely satisfying, which is more important.
Basically, it's The Fall of the House of Ussher, only longer, more characters, and in manga form. Very worth the read, especially for those who like that sort of thing.
Excellent creep factor, which the gorgeous art doesn't detract from at all--in fact, the pretty, detailed art just adds to the very Victorian motif of nameless (okay, mostly named) horrors covered up by obsessive focus on appearance. I didn't have trouble sleeping, but I had to wait until the end of a multi-part story to even try, as the suspense was very strong. Each shorter story contributes in some way or another to the larger plot, which is nice, and that plot is very strong, with fascinating characters and a resolution that I found, if not completely happy, completely satisfying, which is more important.
Basically, it's The Fall of the House of Ussher, only longer, more characters, and in manga form. Very worth the read, especially for those who like that sort of thing.