Manga Commentary: Count Cain volume five
My commentary on Count Cain continues. As usual, there will be spoilers for the entire series, up to the end of Godchild. All quotes are from the Viz version unless otherwise noted. I apologize for any typos. I can never manage to catch them all.
Volume One
Volume Two (part one)
Volume Two (part two)
Volume Three
Volume Four
We start this volume with a shot of Cain's back, and a brief reminder of what happened at the end of the last volume. He swears to avenge Emeline and rescue Meridiana. He's surprised by Riff, who puts a coat over his shoulders.
Riff: I hope you aren't leaving without me, Lord Cain.
Cain's expression morphs from from shock to smile that tells you so much about his relationship with Riff. He can go on about Meridiana all he likes, but we know that it's Riff he's coming home with.
(Note: I don't want to be mistaken for the type of fan that bashes any girl who might interfere with their favorite couple. I like Emeline a lot. I have an odd affection for Suzette. It's Meridiana that I don't like. And even then, it's not so much her as it is her very forced and artificial seeming relationship with Cain.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch Lauderdale house, Lord and Lady Lauderdale are scheming about how to get Merry engaged to Gilford. A doctor shows up. Oh, who could it possibly be?
Cut to a scene of Will beating up on Gilford... except that he nearly gets killed due to a trap set by Gilford. Yep, the old Gilford is coming back.
To make a long story short, Jezebel shows up and Gilford makes a deal with the devil.
While this is going on, Merry and Oscar are having a meal. Oscar talks about women. Like you do. There are differences between the Sakura Crisis (SC) and Viz translations, but, then again, aren't there always? Oscar laments the fact that so many women starve themselves to fit some beauty ideal. He tells Merry that being healthy is the best way to be beautiful. Which is actually very true and wise. He ruins the effect, however, by adding that he prefers curvy, full bodied women anyway. Merry takes the comment personally and goes to find Gilford.
We're just jumping around all over the place! Now, we're seeing Cain and Riff at Meridiana's mother's home. They see a picture of Meridiana with another girl. Meridian's mother explains that Meridiana was friends with a servant girl. A girl who disappeared around the time of Meridiana's death. Highly suspicious! Then, Meridiana's mother drops the tea, and explains that she recently injured her right hand. That's why she's clumsy with that hand. What other reason could there possibly be? Cain goes to clean himself up, and takes the opportunity to interrogate the servants. It's revealed that Meridiana actually committed suicide. Her mother denies it, and we get the sense that Mama might be kind of crazy. Cain sees a picture that's been ripped in two and guesses that Meridiana may have killed herself over the unseen man in the picture.
Merryweather and Gilford are being cute together, singing a very disturbing nursery rhyme. It's shortened version of the rhyme that I transcribed back in volume two. I'll transcribe the Viz version of the shortened version (the SC one isn't different enough to matter).
A man died..
He was a very untidy man.
His head was placed under the bed.
His dismembered limbs were strewn about the room.
He was an untidy man.
He scattered himself all over.
Cain notices Lisa, the maid, observing Merry and Gilford. She explains that she's keeping an eye on Gilford, who ran away recently. Ever since then he's been going on about a "red ram." Hmm.
Cain visits with Gilford and Merryweather. He gives Gilford his Mr. Punch doll, mentioning that there was an needle hidden in the doll. Gilford wonders out loud how a needle got there. The question is, is he evil Gilford pretending not to know, or is he good Gilford who honestly has no idea. I think that we're seeing good Gilford during this particular scene, but that's just me.
Gilford asks Merry if she still has the picture he gave her. Merry admits that she hasn't been able to find it. Where did the picture go? We discover the answer when Cain sees Lisa ripping up the drawing, going on about how Gilford belongs only to her. It's rather creepy. Cain's internal response to this scene is drastically different in the SC and Viz versions.
Viz:
She's just like Emeline and Meridiana... How is it that women are so blinded by love? Don't they know that their hearts will be broken in the end? They're like moths drawn to a flame. They are too smitten by their love to see the dangers that lie just ahead.
SC:
Emmeline... Meridiana... Why do both of them haunt my dreams so? Despite so much suffering that I can see nothing else before my eyes... I'm just a lemming, knowing nothing, blindly charging ahead... Like the fool card, unable to sense how quickly the cliff's edge is coming...!
How do such wild discrepancies come about? Ha, not like I know. I have no way of telling which of these is more accurate. Viz makes more sense in context, though.
More Merry and Gilford, but now Gilford is getting creepy, cutting the heads and limbs off of his paper dolls, which he calls Emeline and Will (the servant who's been abusing him). Merry is freaked out, and declares that he isn't the Gilford she knows. Gilford disagrees, telling her that he's the only Gilford.
Will is found dead (death count: one), his body hacked into pieces, and the same creepy nursery rhyme is repeated. Seeing this, Cain remembers the past. He, Gilford, and Emeline are in a garden. Gilford is a little bastard, tricking Emeline and tripping her. Emeline's parents scold her for being muddy. Assholes. Cain is also cold to her, but I have to forgive him, because seeing her reminds him of his own horrible home life. He thinks that in his own twisted way, he was trying to tell her to be strong. Man, I really wish that fandom spent more time exploring the relationship between these two. Maybe I should get on that. (Is there any Emeline fic? I don't think that there is. The injustice of it all.)
Gilford reveals that he is not just a jerk, he is totally psychotic. He's trying to make a contract with the Devil, and to do so, he's going to slaughter a bird. Cain is horrified and puts his hands out to stop Gilford, getting himself stabbed in the process. This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole series. For all Cain's cruelty, selfishness, and insensitivity, he truly is a good person. In fandom, a lot is made over the fact that Cain only solves mysteries for his own personal satisfaction, but I don't think that's fair. He really does want to protect the weak and helpless, it's just that his horrific, traumatizing childhood has left him unable to relate to others like a normal human being. Poor Cain. Back in the present, he runs to confront Gilford and finds him looking seriously scary.
Gilford: If you get in my way like you did back then... I will cut you head off, Cain. Do you understand?
Gilford tells Cain to look at his writing in the mirror, and red ram looks like mardur. Cain recalls that Gilford can't write the letter U, so, of course, mardur is actually murder. I guess that Kaori Yuki didn't want to use red rum, since it's already been done. (Heeere's Johnny!)
Cain tells Gilford that the man he saw is the one who killed Emeline. Gilford doesn't give damn. Because he's a bloody sociopath. It's too bad that the Cain Saga get so little attention. Gilford's one of the best villains, I think.
Gilford says that Cain thinks too highly of himself, and reminds him that Gilford is both older and has higher status. He notes that stated reason that Cain never attended school was that he was ill. However, Cain looks pretty healthy to him. He asks if there was another reason that Cain didn't go out in public.
Cain isn't intimidated, and retorts that Gilford's high born parents are begging to marry into Cain's lowly family. But Gilford isn't backing down either and declares his intentions to marry Merryweather. Cain doesn't like that one bit.
They're interrupted by the arrival of Lord Lauderdale. He reveals that he knew about the way that Gilford was being abused and he didn't care. He announces that his going to lock Gilford away in a hospital, and Lauderdale's nephew George will inherit. Something tells me that Gilford isn't going to take this lying down. This whole family is so nasty.
We move to Meridiana telling fortunes at a party. A young woman with long black hair approaches her, and she freaks out, seeing the murdered Emeline. She tells Jezebel that she can't continue like this anymore. She begs him to stop killing people for her, saying that if he really loves her, he'll do as she asks. Jezebel reveals his true colors, and tells her that love and affection can be feigned. And he would know, wouldn't he? He really lays into her, but amidst the cruelty and calling her a monster, he tells her some things that she really needs to hear. Meridiana becomes overwhelmed and faints.
Okay, back to the Lauderdale estate, just in time for Lord Lauderdale to be murdered (Death count: two). I can't say that I feel too sorry for him. Gilford takes the opportunity to hit on Merryweather in a very creepy way. She freaks out and runs off. Smart girl. Lisa is not so smart. She rushes in to comfort Gilford. She's so happy that Gilford can be hers alone... until he puts a pair a scissors to her throat. It looks like Lisa was slipping drugs into Gilford's food in order to make him dependent on her.
But we'll have to wait to read more about them. Meridiana runs away from Jezebel. She cuts her hair, which is both practical (Jezebel was holding her by it) and symbolic (she is rejecting her vanity). Jezebel and Caspian have a little talk. I think that this is the first time we hear that Cassian is looking for an adult body. Jezebel and Cassian don't like or trust each other at this point.
Meridiana goes back home, where she runs into Cain. She tells him to stay away from her, claiming that she's responsible for Emeline's death. She explains that she was brought back from the dead, and Jezebel has been murdering women to keep her alive.
Cain is bit taken aback at this news. He leans on a rickety railing, which breaks, and he goes tumbling off of the tower. Oh no! Meridiana screams in his name. Riff just looks like he's in shock. Luckily, their grief doesn't last long. It turns out that there's a small opening just underneath the window. Cain manged to grab a brick and swing himself through. Yay! And he gained a clue! A small piece of fabric, which indicates that someone once took the same route that Cain did.
I love the expression on Riff's face here. He loves Cain so much.
Meridiana actually manages to make me feel for her here, as she cheerfully rejects Cain despite the fact that it's tearing her apart. I don't like her, but I won't deny that she does truly love Cain. Cain isn't fooled by her act and embraces her. All right, I'll admit it, it is rather touching. (Grumble, grumble.)
Back to Gilford and Lisa. So, Lisa's been slipping drugs into Gilford's food. They were supposed to make him love her, but instead they drove him insane. He only started to regain his sanity after he was forced to eat the servants' food. Needless to say, Gilford isn't happy with her, and I don't blame him. Just because he's creepy and evil doesn't mean that I think that Lisa was right to ruin his life with her selfishness. I manage to feel some sympathy for him here. The pressure his family put on him would make anyone a little unstable. That doesn't excuse his actions, but it does make them more understandable.
Lisa apologizes and reminds Gilford that she killed Will and Lord Lauderdale for him. Yeah, honey? The fact that he wanted you to murder people for him indicates that he wasn't exactly long term relationship material anyway. Gilford raises a pair of scissors and...
We don't know, because we're back to Cain and Meridiana. Except maybe not! See, a maid in the Everett household died around the time that Meridiana killed herself. Said maid, Ellis (SC has Elise, which makes more sense, but oh well), had a small burn scar on her arm... which we see on Meridiana. Could Meridiana not be a reanimated, soon to be rotting corpse after all? Will Cain have a relationship with a woman that doesn't end in death and misery? Well, no, of course not. But we're not supposed to know that yet.
More Lauderdale house. The family is arguing about who will be named Marquis. (Viz never specifies the Lauderdale title, but SC does.) The discussion is cut short when Gilford appears, looking and sounding quite normal. Everyone is shocked, including Cain who is there for Merry. Gilford presents a still alive but quite insane Lisa, explaining that she killed his father. It was nice knowing you, Lisa.
Away from the crowd, Cain, Merry, and Gilford talk. Merry still wants to believe that the Gilford she knew is still there, but Gilford denies it. Is this meant to be deliberate foreshadowing? Because the parallels to later Cain and Riff are overwhelming. Merry's dialogue is even similar to Cain's in Godchild six.
Cain slaps Gilford, saying "This man isn't worthy of your disdain" to Merry. Ha! Awesome. Merry runs off. Gilford tries to punch Cain but is stopped by Riff. Then, Cain notices something. The ring that Gilford is wearing is exactly like the ring on Meridiana's mystery lover had on in a photo. Gasp!
Merry is in the garden, when she trips and is found by Oscar. They have a hilarious scene with Oscar picking Merry up and her protesting. Oscar gives a big long lecture about how women should wait quietly for men to rescue them, and that Merry is lucky to be so pretty. It's similar to a speech that Setsuna gives Kurai in Angel Sanctuary, but it annoys me ever so slightly less because a) it's period appropriate for the era and b) Merry tells him that she doesn't quite agree with his views on men and women. Nevertheless, Merry tries her best to flirt. Oscar tells her that she needs at least ten years before she can try that. So, Oscar's not actually a pedophile, he's just... odd. They begin to talk about Oscar's fiancée and Oscars tells Merry that he killed her. Dun dun dun!
On to the next chapter. We have a splash page with Jezebel leaning over Cain possessively, covering Cain's eyes with his hands. I have a thing for one sided Jezebel/Cain, so these pictures make me happy.
This scene with Oscar and Merryweather is so sweet. There is a reason I like these two as a couple, after all. Awww.
The helpful thing about these commentaries is that I pay more attention and find stuff that I missed before. Evil Gilford hears good Gilford's voice! He's disturbed. The parallels to Riff/Riffael are overwhelming.
We're coming the climax! Cain calls the Gabriel household, only to be told that Baron Gabriel has no son named Oscar. Oscar is Jack the Ripper! Cain and Meridiana are going to race to the rescue. But.. Cain leaves Riff behind! No! And then we see Riff standing alone, worried and sad. Cain, you jerk. Yes, his reasoning was sound (someone should be there in case Merry comes back), but poor Riff!
Switch to Cassian and Jezebel. We see Jezebel with some birds and looking innocently happy. I am mostly unmoved. We also get the first kindling of Jezebel and Cassian's relationship going beyond mutual disdain.
Difference in Cassian's thoughts.
SC: I'm scared spitless that if I screw up, I'm dead meat... if I'm not careful.
Viz: And he doesn't seem to be afraid of failure or even his own death when he unleashes his cruelty.
I prefer Viz. It gives more depth to Jezebel's character.
I was about to go into my rant about the woobifying of Jezebel and the romanticization of Cassian/Jezebel, but I think I'll save it for later. Note this is just a reprieve. It's coming eventually, so be afraid.
Cain and Meridiana come across a grizzly scene. Heads in jars! A cleaver comes down, aimed at Cain, but Meridiana pushes him out of the way, becoming injured in the process! It turns out that Meridiana's mother is Jack the Ripper. In case you hadn't noticed, this manga is on crack.
The evil doctor shows up... followed by two shinigami! And flying chickens in funny hats! No, I made that last part up. That was just my wacky crossover fantasies. But let us consider the similarities between Jezebel and Muraki Kazutaka from Yami no Matsuei. Both are mad scientist-doctor-serial killers. Both keep heads in jars. Both blame their brothers for ruining their lives, and want to kill those brothers. (In Muraki's case, the brother is already dead. That's only a minor obstacle.) Both are obsessed with the main characters' eyes, eyes which reveal said characters' unusual heritage.
If you have no clue what I'm talking about, then read and watch Yami no Matsuei. If you like Count Cain, you will probably like YnM.
But back to our story. Meridiana is not Elise! She really is dead! Jezebel put a fake scar on her just to torture Cain! I am overusing exclamation marks!
We come back to Jezebel's eye fixation. He'll save Meridiana, if Cain gives up his eyes. Cain agrees, but Meridiana kills herself to prevent it (Death count: three). She's actually pretty impressive here. Like Jezebel, she had to kill herself before I really warmed up to her. I'm a jerk.
Cain breaks down and prepares to shoot Jezebel. Jezebel is prepared to let it happen. He looks utterly serene, almost as happy as he did when he was with the birds. When he says that he's been waiting for this, I believe him. However, Cassian knocks him out of the way and they escape. This leaves Cain and Riff. Cain wants to die with Meridiana. Riff is having none. Of. That. He even goes so far as to slap Cain. Normally, I'd be extremely disturbed by this show of violence, but in fiction, slapping someone is the guaranteed cure-all for shock, so I'll let it go.
Riff: There are other people who love you and are waiting for you to come home!Are you going to desert them? Are you... abandoning me too, Lord Cain?
Me: Oh, god.
Riff is a giver. He gives and gives to Cain, and he never asks for anything in return. Except now. This is the only moment of selfishness that Riff ever shows, which makes it all the more powerful.
Cain's need for Riff is more obvious, but I think that Riff's dependence on Cain is even greater. Cain is everything to him. Cain can survive without Riff, but I truly think that Riff would die without Cain. He would quite literally lose the will to live.
Cain: You're holding me so tight I can't breathe, Riff. Keep holding me, though. If you let me go... I might break into pieces. If you stop holding me... I'm afraid I'll die.
Me: Oh, god again.
That's their relationship in a nutshell: co-dependent, severely unhealthy... and exactly what they both need.
Oh, and I find the similarities here between Cassian and Jezebel and Cain and Riff interesting. You have two people ready to die and two people who aren't going to let that happen. It's made even more interesting by the fact that Cassian/Jezebel is really the anti-Cain/Riff, with Jezebel steadfastly refusing the unconditional love that Cain so readily embraces.
Everything is wrapped up tidily, with the forgotten Clarence Nash taking the fall for the murders, just as Delilah planned. Oscar isn't evil, just disowned. Cain reconciles with Uncle Neil. They hug. It's really touching, with Neil looking very emotional and moved while he scolds Cain for wrinkling his suit. I do like Neil very much, even if he was mean to Riff.
But not all is well. Oscar declares his love for Merry, and Cain does not take it well. Cue the joke that will be running for the rest of the manga.
Riff finds Oscar's locket with the picture of Ariana, and notes that while she does have long blonde hair, she doesn't much resemble Merry. No, she looks like... Cain.
Riff: I didn't see anything. I'm just a butler here. I didn't see this photo. (The small text reads: He's persuading himself.)
Ha!
And Jezebel gets whipped by Alexis. So, we have two dead girls, a man framed for murder, Alexis being evil, and Jezebel getting tortured. So, happy endings all around, I guess. (What did you expect? It's Count Cain.)
But it's not over yet. We still have Meridiana's (Her name is tedious to spell. I will be glad to be done with this arc and not have to use it every other sentence.) mother and Gilford. One problem takes care of another. But how it exactly happens is important. Gilford hears the same voice from earlier in his head and finds that he can't move move his legs. It's good Gilford, of course. He takes back control and he and Merry have a touching scene before he dies. (Death count: four or maybe five depending on if we count two personalities as two people. Let's do that.)
Okay, so, we have an evil original personality and a good created one. A Hargreaves becomes attached to the good personality and is heartbroken when the evil one comes out again. But the good personality reasserts themselves, and destroys the evil one at the cost of both their lives. They get to see their beloved one last time before dying. Can you tell me that these parallels were unintentional?
Hm, weird. Cain realizes that tears can be cathartic, and he blames Riff for the fact that he kept his sadness bottled up for so long. Why? There's never any indication that Riff ever told Cain not to cry. He let Cain cry at the end of "The Sound of a Boy Hatching." Are we supposed to believe that Riff said this some other time? I have a hard time believing that. Did Kaori Yuki make a mistake? Or is Cain misremembering? The latter is possible. Cain might have told himself not to cry and convinced himself that it was Riff, and Riff certainly wouldn't correct him. Or maybe it's me making a mistake. The world may never know.
Oh, and Meridiana's mom ends up dead (Death count: six). I'm eager to end this though, so let's not go into to it.
That really does bring us to the end of this arc. It's taken a while.
Side story time! It's called "Elizabeth in the Mirror," and the splash page has Cain licking blood from Riff's wrist. Cain is a vampire! Come to think of it, I've never seen a vampire AU in this fandom. Every other fandom has one, why don't we? Can we even call ourselves a fandom without one? These are deep questions. Also, that darn cross shows up again. Stop stealing Jezebel's cross, Cain! It's rude, even for vampires!
Kaori really likes to twist fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and this time it's Snow White.
Oh, Cain is young here. Thirteen or fourteen.
This story is so Kaori Yuki. We have fairy tales, several mistaken identities, child abuse (which is what really sets Cain off), an evil woman, and tragedy.
Sigh, Cain calls Joey a, "knight enslaved by his love for [a heartless queen]." That's right, men are never responsible for their actions. It's always wicked women leading them to hell. This is a major theme of Kaori Yuki's, and it bugs the everliving hell out of me.
From a flashback:
Cain to Lizzie: Your prince will come someday. I mean it. I was once alone. My childhood was painful, but now... I have someone who loves me and wants me to live. Isn't it wonderful?
Did I need to quote that? Probably not, but Riff/Cain OTP! Riff is Cain's prince. How much gayer could you get?
We end with Lizzie's stepmother dead, Beth getting away with murder, and Joey killing himself. Another typical ending. And a death count of nine, for Lizzie, the stepmother and Joey.
Well, that took a while. Sorry for the wait. But I set out to finish this with one specific goal in mind: to avoid writing a paper. I have succeeded, perhaps too well. It's nearly midnight, the paper's due tomorrow, and I haven't started. Oh, well! It could be worse; I could be Cain.
Volume one of Godchild coming... someday.
Volume One
Volume Two (part one)
Volume Two (part two)
Volume Three
Volume Four
We start this volume with a shot of Cain's back, and a brief reminder of what happened at the end of the last volume. He swears to avenge Emeline and rescue Meridiana. He's surprised by Riff, who puts a coat over his shoulders.
Riff: I hope you aren't leaving without me, Lord Cain.
Cain's expression morphs from from shock to smile that tells you so much about his relationship with Riff. He can go on about Meridiana all he likes, but we know that it's Riff he's coming home with.
(Note: I don't want to be mistaken for the type of fan that bashes any girl who might interfere with their favorite couple. I like Emeline a lot. I have an odd affection for Suzette. It's Meridiana that I don't like. And even then, it's not so much her as it is her very forced and artificial seeming relationship with Cain.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch Lauderdale house, Lord and Lady Lauderdale are scheming about how to get Merry engaged to Gilford. A doctor shows up. Oh, who could it possibly be?
Cut to a scene of Will beating up on Gilford... except that he nearly gets killed due to a trap set by Gilford. Yep, the old Gilford is coming back.
To make a long story short, Jezebel shows up and Gilford makes a deal with the devil.
While this is going on, Merry and Oscar are having a meal. Oscar talks about women. Like you do. There are differences between the Sakura Crisis (SC) and Viz translations, but, then again, aren't there always? Oscar laments the fact that so many women starve themselves to fit some beauty ideal. He tells Merry that being healthy is the best way to be beautiful. Which is actually very true and wise. He ruins the effect, however, by adding that he prefers curvy, full bodied women anyway. Merry takes the comment personally and goes to find Gilford.
We're just jumping around all over the place! Now, we're seeing Cain and Riff at Meridiana's mother's home. They see a picture of Meridiana with another girl. Meridian's mother explains that Meridiana was friends with a servant girl. A girl who disappeared around the time of Meridiana's death. Highly suspicious! Then, Meridiana's mother drops the tea, and explains that she recently injured her right hand. That's why she's clumsy with that hand. What other reason could there possibly be? Cain goes to clean himself up, and takes the opportunity to interrogate the servants. It's revealed that Meridiana actually committed suicide. Her mother denies it, and we get the sense that Mama might be kind of crazy. Cain sees a picture that's been ripped in two and guesses that Meridiana may have killed herself over the unseen man in the picture.
Merryweather and Gilford are being cute together, singing a very disturbing nursery rhyme. It's shortened version of the rhyme that I transcribed back in volume two. I'll transcribe the Viz version of the shortened version (the SC one isn't different enough to matter).
A man died..
He was a very untidy man.
His head was placed under the bed.
His dismembered limbs were strewn about the room.
He was an untidy man.
He scattered himself all over.
Cain notices Lisa, the maid, observing Merry and Gilford. She explains that she's keeping an eye on Gilford, who ran away recently. Ever since then he's been going on about a "red ram." Hmm.
Cain visits with Gilford and Merryweather. He gives Gilford his Mr. Punch doll, mentioning that there was an needle hidden in the doll. Gilford wonders out loud how a needle got there. The question is, is he evil Gilford pretending not to know, or is he good Gilford who honestly has no idea. I think that we're seeing good Gilford during this particular scene, but that's just me.
Gilford asks Merry if she still has the picture he gave her. Merry admits that she hasn't been able to find it. Where did the picture go? We discover the answer when Cain sees Lisa ripping up the drawing, going on about how Gilford belongs only to her. It's rather creepy. Cain's internal response to this scene is drastically different in the SC and Viz versions.
Viz:
She's just like Emeline and Meridiana... How is it that women are so blinded by love? Don't they know that their hearts will be broken in the end? They're like moths drawn to a flame. They are too smitten by their love to see the dangers that lie just ahead.
SC:
Emmeline... Meridiana... Why do both of them haunt my dreams so? Despite so much suffering that I can see nothing else before my eyes... I'm just a lemming, knowing nothing, blindly charging ahead... Like the fool card, unable to sense how quickly the cliff's edge is coming...!
How do such wild discrepancies come about? Ha, not like I know. I have no way of telling which of these is more accurate. Viz makes more sense in context, though.
More Merry and Gilford, but now Gilford is getting creepy, cutting the heads and limbs off of his paper dolls, which he calls Emeline and Will (the servant who's been abusing him). Merry is freaked out, and declares that he isn't the Gilford she knows. Gilford disagrees, telling her that he's the only Gilford.
Will is found dead (death count: one), his body hacked into pieces, and the same creepy nursery rhyme is repeated. Seeing this, Cain remembers the past. He, Gilford, and Emeline are in a garden. Gilford is a little bastard, tricking Emeline and tripping her. Emeline's parents scold her for being muddy. Assholes. Cain is also cold to her, but I have to forgive him, because seeing her reminds him of his own horrible home life. He thinks that in his own twisted way, he was trying to tell her to be strong. Man, I really wish that fandom spent more time exploring the relationship between these two. Maybe I should get on that. (Is there any Emeline fic? I don't think that there is. The injustice of it all.)
Gilford reveals that he is not just a jerk, he is totally psychotic. He's trying to make a contract with the Devil, and to do so, he's going to slaughter a bird. Cain is horrified and puts his hands out to stop Gilford, getting himself stabbed in the process. This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole series. For all Cain's cruelty, selfishness, and insensitivity, he truly is a good person. In fandom, a lot is made over the fact that Cain only solves mysteries for his own personal satisfaction, but I don't think that's fair. He really does want to protect the weak and helpless, it's just that his horrific, traumatizing childhood has left him unable to relate to others like a normal human being. Poor Cain. Back in the present, he runs to confront Gilford and finds him looking seriously scary.
Gilford: If you get in my way like you did back then... I will cut you head off, Cain. Do you understand?
Gilford tells Cain to look at his writing in the mirror, and red ram looks like mardur. Cain recalls that Gilford can't write the letter U, so, of course, mardur is actually murder. I guess that Kaori Yuki didn't want to use red rum, since it's already been done. (Heeere's Johnny!)
Cain tells Gilford that the man he saw is the one who killed Emeline. Gilford doesn't give damn. Because he's a bloody sociopath. It's too bad that the Cain Saga get so little attention. Gilford's one of the best villains, I think.
Gilford says that Cain thinks too highly of himself, and reminds him that Gilford is both older and has higher status. He notes that stated reason that Cain never attended school was that he was ill. However, Cain looks pretty healthy to him. He asks if there was another reason that Cain didn't go out in public.
Cain isn't intimidated, and retorts that Gilford's high born parents are begging to marry into Cain's lowly family. But Gilford isn't backing down either and declares his intentions to marry Merryweather. Cain doesn't like that one bit.
They're interrupted by the arrival of Lord Lauderdale. He reveals that he knew about the way that Gilford was being abused and he didn't care. He announces that his going to lock Gilford away in a hospital, and Lauderdale's nephew George will inherit. Something tells me that Gilford isn't going to take this lying down. This whole family is so nasty.
We move to Meridiana telling fortunes at a party. A young woman with long black hair approaches her, and she freaks out, seeing the murdered Emeline. She tells Jezebel that she can't continue like this anymore. She begs him to stop killing people for her, saying that if he really loves her, he'll do as she asks. Jezebel reveals his true colors, and tells her that love and affection can be feigned. And he would know, wouldn't he? He really lays into her, but amidst the cruelty and calling her a monster, he tells her some things that she really needs to hear. Meridiana becomes overwhelmed and faints.
Okay, back to the Lauderdale estate, just in time for Lord Lauderdale to be murdered (Death count: two). I can't say that I feel too sorry for him. Gilford takes the opportunity to hit on Merryweather in a very creepy way. She freaks out and runs off. Smart girl. Lisa is not so smart. She rushes in to comfort Gilford. She's so happy that Gilford can be hers alone... until he puts a pair a scissors to her throat. It looks like Lisa was slipping drugs into Gilford's food in order to make him dependent on her.
But we'll have to wait to read more about them. Meridiana runs away from Jezebel. She cuts her hair, which is both practical (Jezebel was holding her by it) and symbolic (she is rejecting her vanity). Jezebel and Caspian have a little talk. I think that this is the first time we hear that Cassian is looking for an adult body. Jezebel and Cassian don't like or trust each other at this point.
Meridiana goes back home, where she runs into Cain. She tells him to stay away from her, claiming that she's responsible for Emeline's death. She explains that she was brought back from the dead, and Jezebel has been murdering women to keep her alive.
Cain is bit taken aback at this news. He leans on a rickety railing, which breaks, and he goes tumbling off of the tower. Oh no! Meridiana screams in his name. Riff just looks like he's in shock. Luckily, their grief doesn't last long. It turns out that there's a small opening just underneath the window. Cain manged to grab a brick and swing himself through. Yay! And he gained a clue! A small piece of fabric, which indicates that someone once took the same route that Cain did.
I love the expression on Riff's face here. He loves Cain so much.
Meridiana actually manages to make me feel for her here, as she cheerfully rejects Cain despite the fact that it's tearing her apart. I don't like her, but I won't deny that she does truly love Cain. Cain isn't fooled by her act and embraces her. All right, I'll admit it, it is rather touching. (Grumble, grumble.)
Back to Gilford and Lisa. So, Lisa's been slipping drugs into Gilford's food. They were supposed to make him love her, but instead they drove him insane. He only started to regain his sanity after he was forced to eat the servants' food. Needless to say, Gilford isn't happy with her, and I don't blame him. Just because he's creepy and evil doesn't mean that I think that Lisa was right to ruin his life with her selfishness. I manage to feel some sympathy for him here. The pressure his family put on him would make anyone a little unstable. That doesn't excuse his actions, but it does make them more understandable.
Lisa apologizes and reminds Gilford that she killed Will and Lord Lauderdale for him. Yeah, honey? The fact that he wanted you to murder people for him indicates that he wasn't exactly long term relationship material anyway. Gilford raises a pair of scissors and...
We don't know, because we're back to Cain and Meridiana. Except maybe not! See, a maid in the Everett household died around the time that Meridiana killed herself. Said maid, Ellis (SC has Elise, which makes more sense, but oh well), had a small burn scar on her arm... which we see on Meridiana. Could Meridiana not be a reanimated, soon to be rotting corpse after all? Will Cain have a relationship with a woman that doesn't end in death and misery? Well, no, of course not. But we're not supposed to know that yet.
More Lauderdale house. The family is arguing about who will be named Marquis. (Viz never specifies the Lauderdale title, but SC does.) The discussion is cut short when Gilford appears, looking and sounding quite normal. Everyone is shocked, including Cain who is there for Merry. Gilford presents a still alive but quite insane Lisa, explaining that she killed his father. It was nice knowing you, Lisa.
Away from the crowd, Cain, Merry, and Gilford talk. Merry still wants to believe that the Gilford she knew is still there, but Gilford denies it. Is this meant to be deliberate foreshadowing? Because the parallels to later Cain and Riff are overwhelming. Merry's dialogue is even similar to Cain's in Godchild six.
Cain slaps Gilford, saying "This man isn't worthy of your disdain" to Merry. Ha! Awesome. Merry runs off. Gilford tries to punch Cain but is stopped by Riff. Then, Cain notices something. The ring that Gilford is wearing is exactly like the ring on Meridiana's mystery lover had on in a photo. Gasp!
Merry is in the garden, when she trips and is found by Oscar. They have a hilarious scene with Oscar picking Merry up and her protesting. Oscar gives a big long lecture about how women should wait quietly for men to rescue them, and that Merry is lucky to be so pretty. It's similar to a speech that Setsuna gives Kurai in Angel Sanctuary, but it annoys me ever so slightly less because a) it's period appropriate for the era and b) Merry tells him that she doesn't quite agree with his views on men and women. Nevertheless, Merry tries her best to flirt. Oscar tells her that she needs at least ten years before she can try that. So, Oscar's not actually a pedophile, he's just... odd. They begin to talk about Oscar's fiancée and Oscars tells Merry that he killed her. Dun dun dun!
On to the next chapter. We have a splash page with Jezebel leaning over Cain possessively, covering Cain's eyes with his hands. I have a thing for one sided Jezebel/Cain, so these pictures make me happy.
This scene with Oscar and Merryweather is so sweet. There is a reason I like these two as a couple, after all. Awww.
The helpful thing about these commentaries is that I pay more attention and find stuff that I missed before. Evil Gilford hears good Gilford's voice! He's disturbed. The parallels to Riff/Riffael are overwhelming.
We're coming the climax! Cain calls the Gabriel household, only to be told that Baron Gabriel has no son named Oscar. Oscar is Jack the Ripper! Cain and Meridiana are going to race to the rescue. But.. Cain leaves Riff behind! No! And then we see Riff standing alone, worried and sad. Cain, you jerk. Yes, his reasoning was sound (someone should be there in case Merry comes back), but poor Riff!
Switch to Cassian and Jezebel. We see Jezebel with some birds and looking innocently happy. I am mostly unmoved. We also get the first kindling of Jezebel and Cassian's relationship going beyond mutual disdain.
Difference in Cassian's thoughts.
SC: I'm scared spitless that if I screw up, I'm dead meat... if I'm not careful.
Viz: And he doesn't seem to be afraid of failure or even his own death when he unleashes his cruelty.
I prefer Viz. It gives more depth to Jezebel's character.
I was about to go into my rant about the woobifying of Jezebel and the romanticization of Cassian/Jezebel, but I think I'll save it for later. Note this is just a reprieve. It's coming eventually, so be afraid.
Cain and Meridiana come across a grizzly scene. Heads in jars! A cleaver comes down, aimed at Cain, but Meridiana pushes him out of the way, becoming injured in the process! It turns out that Meridiana's mother is Jack the Ripper. In case you hadn't noticed, this manga is on crack.
The evil doctor shows up... followed by two shinigami! And flying chickens in funny hats! No, I made that last part up. That was just my wacky crossover fantasies. But let us consider the similarities between Jezebel and Muraki Kazutaka from Yami no Matsuei. Both are mad scientist-doctor-serial killers. Both keep heads in jars. Both blame their brothers for ruining their lives, and want to kill those brothers. (In Muraki's case, the brother is already dead. That's only a minor obstacle.) Both are obsessed with the main characters' eyes, eyes which reveal said characters' unusual heritage.
If you have no clue what I'm talking about, then read and watch Yami no Matsuei. If you like Count Cain, you will probably like YnM.
But back to our story. Meridiana is not Elise! She really is dead! Jezebel put a fake scar on her just to torture Cain! I am overusing exclamation marks!
We come back to Jezebel's eye fixation. He'll save Meridiana, if Cain gives up his eyes. Cain agrees, but Meridiana kills herself to prevent it (Death count: three). She's actually pretty impressive here. Like Jezebel, she had to kill herself before I really warmed up to her. I'm a jerk.
Cain breaks down and prepares to shoot Jezebel. Jezebel is prepared to let it happen. He looks utterly serene, almost as happy as he did when he was with the birds. When he says that he's been waiting for this, I believe him. However, Cassian knocks him out of the way and they escape. This leaves Cain and Riff. Cain wants to die with Meridiana. Riff is having none. Of. That. He even goes so far as to slap Cain. Normally, I'd be extremely disturbed by this show of violence, but in fiction, slapping someone is the guaranteed cure-all for shock, so I'll let it go.
Riff: There are other people who love you and are waiting for you to come home!Are you going to desert them? Are you... abandoning me too, Lord Cain?
Me: Oh, god.
Riff is a giver. He gives and gives to Cain, and he never asks for anything in return. Except now. This is the only moment of selfishness that Riff ever shows, which makes it all the more powerful.
Cain's need for Riff is more obvious, but I think that Riff's dependence on Cain is even greater. Cain is everything to him. Cain can survive without Riff, but I truly think that Riff would die without Cain. He would quite literally lose the will to live.
Cain: You're holding me so tight I can't breathe, Riff. Keep holding me, though. If you let me go... I might break into pieces. If you stop holding me... I'm afraid I'll die.
Me: Oh, god again.
That's their relationship in a nutshell: co-dependent, severely unhealthy... and exactly what they both need.
Oh, and I find the similarities here between Cassian and Jezebel and Cain and Riff interesting. You have two people ready to die and two people who aren't going to let that happen. It's made even more interesting by the fact that Cassian/Jezebel is really the anti-Cain/Riff, with Jezebel steadfastly refusing the unconditional love that Cain so readily embraces.
Everything is wrapped up tidily, with the forgotten Clarence Nash taking the fall for the murders, just as Delilah planned. Oscar isn't evil, just disowned. Cain reconciles with Uncle Neil. They hug. It's really touching, with Neil looking very emotional and moved while he scolds Cain for wrinkling his suit. I do like Neil very much, even if he was mean to Riff.
But not all is well. Oscar declares his love for Merry, and Cain does not take it well. Cue the joke that will be running for the rest of the manga.
Riff finds Oscar's locket with the picture of Ariana, and notes that while she does have long blonde hair, she doesn't much resemble Merry. No, she looks like... Cain.
Riff: I didn't see anything. I'm just a butler here. I didn't see this photo. (The small text reads: He's persuading himself.)
Ha!
And Jezebel gets whipped by Alexis. So, we have two dead girls, a man framed for murder, Alexis being evil, and Jezebel getting tortured. So, happy endings all around, I guess. (What did you expect? It's Count Cain.)
But it's not over yet. We still have Meridiana's (Her name is tedious to spell. I will be glad to be done with this arc and not have to use it every other sentence.) mother and Gilford. One problem takes care of another. But how it exactly happens is important. Gilford hears the same voice from earlier in his head and finds that he can't move move his legs. It's good Gilford, of course. He takes back control and he and Merry have a touching scene before he dies. (Death count: four or maybe five depending on if we count two personalities as two people. Let's do that.)
Okay, so, we have an evil original personality and a good created one. A Hargreaves becomes attached to the good personality and is heartbroken when the evil one comes out again. But the good personality reasserts themselves, and destroys the evil one at the cost of both their lives. They get to see their beloved one last time before dying. Can you tell me that these parallels were unintentional?
Hm, weird. Cain realizes that tears can be cathartic, and he blames Riff for the fact that he kept his sadness bottled up for so long. Why? There's never any indication that Riff ever told Cain not to cry. He let Cain cry at the end of "The Sound of a Boy Hatching." Are we supposed to believe that Riff said this some other time? I have a hard time believing that. Did Kaori Yuki make a mistake? Or is Cain misremembering? The latter is possible. Cain might have told himself not to cry and convinced himself that it was Riff, and Riff certainly wouldn't correct him. Or maybe it's me making a mistake. The world may never know.
Oh, and Meridiana's mom ends up dead (Death count: six). I'm eager to end this though, so let's not go into to it.
That really does bring us to the end of this arc. It's taken a while.
Side story time! It's called "Elizabeth in the Mirror," and the splash page has Cain licking blood from Riff's wrist. Cain is a vampire! Come to think of it, I've never seen a vampire AU in this fandom. Every other fandom has one, why don't we? Can we even call ourselves a fandom without one? These are deep questions. Also, that darn cross shows up again. Stop stealing Jezebel's cross, Cain! It's rude, even for vampires!
Kaori really likes to twist fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and this time it's Snow White.
Oh, Cain is young here. Thirteen or fourteen.
This story is so Kaori Yuki. We have fairy tales, several mistaken identities, child abuse (which is what really sets Cain off), an evil woman, and tragedy.
Sigh, Cain calls Joey a, "knight enslaved by his love for [a heartless queen]." That's right, men are never responsible for their actions. It's always wicked women leading them to hell. This is a major theme of Kaori Yuki's, and it bugs the everliving hell out of me.
From a flashback:
Cain to Lizzie: Your prince will come someday. I mean it. I was once alone. My childhood was painful, but now... I have someone who loves me and wants me to live. Isn't it wonderful?
Did I need to quote that? Probably not, but Riff/Cain OTP! Riff is Cain's prince. How much gayer could you get?
We end with Lizzie's stepmother dead, Beth getting away with murder, and Joey killing himself. Another typical ending. And a death count of nine, for Lizzie, the stepmother and Joey.
Well, that took a while. Sorry for the wait. But I set out to finish this with one specific goal in mind: to avoid writing a paper. I have succeeded, perhaps too well. It's nearly midnight, the paper's due tomorrow, and I haven't started. Oh, well! It could be worse; I could be Cain.
Volume one of Godchild coming... someday.