Helpful Score: 3
This series of stories introduces the young earl Cain C. Hargreaves, an eccentric loner millionaire who likes to solve mysteries and collect exotic poisons. This is the first volume of the Cain Saga stories, which has 5 volumes and then continues in the Godchild manga series.
It is rare to find manga mysteries, so I was intrigued with the premise. The book is composed of several short stories/mysteries that set up the plotline and introduce the main players. However, it's hard to get into the characters. The stories are too short to allow much character development or depth to the mysterious events, although there are tantalizing hints about our hero's backstory. I'm hoping that since this series spans two different manga titles, the author, Kaori Yuki, will eventually be able to delve more into her characters and storylines.
Another problem is that her drawing style and plot continuity is not smooth. Her artwork panels jump from one scene to another very abruptly and do not contribute to a smooth story, so it's hard to see exactly what is happening, especially in key scenes with a lot of interaction between characters. It's almost like someone deleted some key panels in the middle of the story. I like the way her art looks, drawings are gorgeous and have fine detail, but I do not like the way she jumps around in the storytelling. Her abrupt transitions are very distracting.
Still, the premise and artwork are compelling enough that I'll be checking out the next volume to see what happens next.
It is rare to find manga mysteries, so I was intrigued with the premise. The book is composed of several short stories/mysteries that set up the plotline and introduce the main players. However, it's hard to get into the characters. The stories are too short to allow much character development or depth to the mysterious events, although there are tantalizing hints about our hero's backstory. I'm hoping that since this series spans two different manga titles, the author, Kaori Yuki, will eventually be able to delve more into her characters and storylines.
Another problem is that her drawing style and plot continuity is not smooth. Her artwork panels jump from one scene to another very abruptly and do not contribute to a smooth story, so it's hard to see exactly what is happening, especially in key scenes with a lot of interaction between characters. It's almost like someone deleted some key panels in the middle of the story. I like the way her art looks, drawings are gorgeous and have fine detail, but I do not like the way she jumps around in the storytelling. Her abrupt transitions are very distracting.
Still, the premise and artwork are compelling enough that I'll be checking out the next volume to see what happens next.
