Manga Recommendation: Grand Guignol Orchestra
I knew I'd enjoy the artwork in Grand Guignol Orchestra, if nothing else. But I wasn't prepared to be sucked into the story and the character relationships as much as I was. So I ended up reading the first three volumes in twenty-four hours. There are five volumes in the series and the last two aren't released in English yet (there might be scanlations…I haven't checked. I am not enamored of reading manga on my tiny laptop screen), so this review is based on what I've read so far.
Basically, the story is about a small troupe of musicians, traveling the countryside in a sort of French Victorian style Middle Age setting. They use their music to help them fight guignols (zombie dolls) in various ways. But oooh, there's a lot more going on than just that. I got lost in some of the political intrigue (more because I have trouble following that sort of thing on a first read), but the genderf*ckery, backstories and cool character designs make up for it. I thought it balanced well the two Manga Reading Phenomena of "What the heck is going and who is that and what does it all mean" vs. "Oh I totally understand what is happening, this makes perfect sense." All the same, it is clear that my understanding of the story and characters would benefit from a reread. Which I totally intend to do, possibly before the 4th book comes out in August.
Eles here reminds me of a certain Phantomhive, but mostly in appearance only:
You spend a good part of volume 1 wondering if Lucille here is male or female:
Don't mess with Gwindel's hedgehog:
Still waiting for the back story on gun-slinging, violin playing Kohaku:
Basically, the story is about a small troupe of musicians, traveling the countryside in a sort of French Victorian style Middle Age setting. They use their music to help them fight guignols (zombie dolls) in various ways. But oooh, there's a lot more going on than just that. I got lost in some of the political intrigue (more because I have trouble following that sort of thing on a first read), but the genderf*ckery, backstories and cool character designs make up for it. I thought it balanced well the two Manga Reading Phenomena of "What the heck is going and who is that and what does it all mean" vs. "Oh I totally understand what is happening, this makes perfect sense." All the same, it is clear that my understanding of the story and characters would benefit from a reread. Which I totally intend to do, possibly before the 4th book comes out in August.
Eles here reminds me of a certain Phantomhive, but mostly in appearance only:
You spend a good part of volume 1 wondering if Lucille here is male or female:
Don't mess with Gwindel's hedgehog:
Still waiting for the back story on gun-slinging, violin playing Kohaku: