Godchild, Vol. 8 [Paperback]

Stop. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200 until you've read The Cain Saga.

Kaori Yuki is at it again with Godchild, an eight-volume follow up to The Cain Saga. This 19th-century Gothic horror series picks up about a year later but still has the same fine qualities we've come to know and love: beautiful artwork, cleverly devised tales based on children's rhymes, and a plot that spirals into the depths of mankind's wickedness.

Having poisoned his own father, Alexis, in the previous series, Cain Hargreaves is attempting to live a peaceful life as English nobility with his half-sister Mary Weather. Cain assumes that Alexis is dead, but he couldn't be more wrong about his father's condition. Alexis is alive and well as the Card Master, head of his secret organization, Delilah. Delilah utilizes science and black magic to perform inhumane experiments and achieve their own diabolic goals.

The first three volumes mostly contain short stories of deception, mystery, and murder. These stories are entertaining, concise, and complete. Some of them seem unrelated to the main storyline, but others tie in to the overarching plot, giving Cain vital clues to exposing Delilah once and for all.

The series dives into the main plot line with volume four. Delilah resurrects Cain's dead cousin Suzette as a "deadly doll" and genetically manipulates her to grow quickly. She is sent to Cain to bear his child, a child that will be the vessel for an evil spirit to bring about the apocalypse. Infuriated with such sacrilege to his own beloved cousin, Cain launches a counterattack to bring Delilah and his father down for good.

Godchild has one incredibly shocking plot twist that will blindside the reader and wrench the series in a new direction. It's quite powerful and heartbreaking, but it's part of what makes this series so incredible. It yanks the safety net out from under all the characters. The final volume is loaded with twists and turns. However, despite the extra eight pages, the final scenes become rushed trying to explain who is who and what was really going on behind the scenes. Even some of the action is difficult to follow in the final confrontation. An extra 10 to 20 pages to draw things out just a little more could have helped quite a bit.

Despite the rushed final volume, the reader will have a sense of closure when they have completed reading the series. Both The Cain Saga and Godchild are absolutely worth the time invested in reading all 13 volumes. Godchild also offers so much more insight to the lovable yet twisted side characters Riff and Doctor Disraeli. It's a fun, intelligent, and exciting read for teens to adults.

-- Courtney Kraft

Godchild has been my favorite manga, besides a couple of other ones. Though its listed as shojo I really wouldn't say it is. Instead it focuses more on mystery and suspense then gushy love scenes.
Which is why I love it and why I waited a while to read the last one, because then...it would be over.
Hands down this has to be the best ending of a manga I've ever read. Probably the saddest too, but in the end Godchild wouldn't have been suited with a happy ending.
Thank You Kaori. I loved Godchild and Cain.

This final volume is fast and intense, which is a good quality in the conclusion of a series. The story was very well laid out so as to answer many questions that fans must have been pondering ever since the beginning. Even though I shed a considerable amount of tears over the last three chapters, I was satisfied at the ending, since Cain had not left anything unsaid or undone, and also because he was finally reunited with Riff- though only briefly. As such, it is evidence of the skilfulness of the author that she manages to generate so much sorrow and pity in her readers' hearts, merely by a few words and pictures, while still maintaining a dash of hopefulness and curiosity until the very end. The last few pages, for instance, were truly touching.
Although I prefer happier endings, I also accept the fact that it would not have matched the general feeling of the Godchild series if the ending had been too perfect and satisfying. Also, Miss Yuki has been careful not to explain everything word for word - she has allowed room for her readers' imaginations to take liberties with certain points in the story, and also regarding the futures of the characters. I believe these are features of a successful manga.
So, overall, I would say that `Godless' is an excellent conclusion to what, in my opinion, is the best shojo manga ever, and all those who have been following the story of Godchild should check this volume out as soon as possible.

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