Kaori Yuki’s The Cain Saga follows a poison collecting earl who solves mysteries. The five volume prequel to Godchild, also by Kaori Yuki, tells a confusing mess of a plot line that is so hard to follow I am still not entirely clear on how the final book itself played out despite having read the series twice. The writing is needlessly dark even by gothic fiction standards. Unlike some of Kaori Yuki’s works which followed afterwards in her lengthy comic career which I still hold fond memories of years later, The Cain Saga is one of her earliest ongoing series so it’s a mess to put it lightly.
The story follows Earl Hargreaves as he fights an evil organization which is not even introduced until midway into the series and the finale’s attempts to tie the mysteries together further complicates the already needlessly complicated episodic plot lines. While Sailor Moon still holds up during my adulthood, I continue to be baffled by my fascination with this series as a teenager. Although it does make an excellent jumping on point for fans of suspense fiction.
The Cain Saga is only five volumes in length so it is hard to become too frustrated as there were likely cut backs needed to make the dense plot tie together cohesively while still leaving room for a much more memorable sequel. Fairy Cube proves that Kaori Yuki is capable of creating a functioning narrative with an even more limited page and volume count. For younger readers this series is not recommended as it contains disturbing themes and imagery. If you need a fun corny mess to fill a boring afternoon and are an adult I would say The Cain Saga is fun to pass the time. Although if you’re looking for a well tied together finale I suggest checking out the later works by the creator as she is honestly talented.
Comicedy 