Japanese Title: Hakushaku Cain Series

Related: God Child (sequel)

Genre: Gothic Historical Mystery

Length: 5 volumes

Positives:

• Unique in style and story to other manga.
• Glimmers of engagement.

Negatives:

• Messy storytelling and structure.
• Messy art.

So messy is the storytelling and structure in The Cain Saga that the conflict comes from finding scene transitions rather than the characters. Imagine you are watching a conversation scene in a film, camera cutting back and forth between close up of two characters, and suddenly it cuts mid-conversation to a funeral. Is this funeral a part of the conversation? Have we started a new scene? Yes…no! Not sure…

It’s a shame The Cain Saga suffers from such a glaring issue, for it could have been great. The Cain Saga is the story of Earl Cain Hargreaves, a wealthy heir exploring his family history of lies, secrets, and treachery told through a series of short stories.

Are these stories any good? Mmmyeah…ish. The ideas are fine, but as said earlier, the structuring makes it a chore to read. The dialogue is similarly disjointed. At times, it feels as though each character is talking for a different scene.

As I am trying to decipher yet another scene transition, I find myself wondering what made me add this manga to my collection many months ago. It must have been the genre. I love Gothic fiction, a rarity in anime and manga, so it was nice to find some. Sadly, it wasn’t what I had hoped. The search continues.

Art – Medium

Detailed art – possibly even too detailed. Without colour to highlight details, the art regularly looks like a mess, which is a pity.

Story – Medium

An aristocrat delves into his family’s history filled with secrets and lies. It’s a shame poor structure and muddled scenes make The Cain Saga a chore to read.

Recommendation: Try it. If you can stomach the messy art and storytelling, The Cain Saga has interesting Gothic short stories to tell, different from your typical manga.

(Find out more about the manga recommendation system here.)