Yuki Kaori - Godchild, vol. 07 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

Woe! This is the penultimate volume, which means soon, I will have no more new Godchild to read! At least Fairy Cube has been licensed, else I wouldn't have any new Yuki Kaori to read, which would just be tragic.

All I will say outside of spoiler-cut is that there is one scene in here that nearly made me lose the breakfast I have not yet eaten, it is that disgusting.

That is, of course, referring to Yuki Kaori's attempts to garner reader sympathy for Jizabel Disraeli, which resulted largely in my swallowing very quickly in hopes of not throwing up.

Yes! Jizabel Disraeli, lover of animals! He is forced to eat his own pet lamb! He has had the organs of his sisters unwillingly transplanted into him!

And then, he finally consigns himself to being evil and filled with sin, and he expresses this by plunging his hands into the intestines of a just-eviscerated corpse, bringing them to his face, and murmuring on about how warm they are and how comforted he feels.

EW. EW EW EW.

I am still boggled by the fact that Riff's double personalities have been foreshadowed since Cain Saga 2!!!!!!

And the return of Mikaila! Who is the reanimated clone of the skeleton of Cain's lost love, his cousin Suzette! I started laughing uncontrollably when I got to that part.

"What?" Rachel said.

"'A doll created from a corpse that had become a mere skeleton in front of your very eyes...'" I quoted, cackling.

"Wait, is this the reanimated corpse who was a clone?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. Wait, no. Wait, which reanimated corpse that was a clone?"

We boggled at each other a little and dissolved into helpless laughter.

The best part though, was Yuki Kaori referring back to another reanimated corpse that was a clone (Meridiana)! It is not that she randomly has many reanimated corpses that are clones! They are a Theme! They are Symbolic! They are multitudes!

My other favorite parts were Riff coldly injecting Cain with poison, Jizabel Disraeli's insane rant about how much he loves Cain and how much he wants to kill him and take his beautiful gold-green eyes to show to their father, and the painting sculpture of Cain's mother/aunt.

(The translation says painting, but I somehow think that a 3D rendition is a sculpture instead. It also kept referring to this grand marble tomb as a grave.)

One of the more bizarre moments was when Cain realized that the sculpture was, in fact, not a sculpture at all. Corpse? Reanimated corpse? Reanimated corpse cloned from his dead mother? Truly, who know?

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I liked Mikaela spontaneously combusting, leaving nothing behind but the finger-bone she was created from.

I also like that Merriweather is so much the most emotionally mature person in the entire story. I am disturbed by her determination to put on a happy face, but she seems sufficiently self-aware that I think that when she's old enough to kick ass, she begin doing so and be less reliant on supporting her brother just by looking pretty and sweet.

But most of all, I was totally taken in by Riff clutching his temples, murmuring bewilderedly, "Lord Cain...?" And then he coldly stabs Cain with a hypodermic and goes, "Fooled you! Bwa-ha-ha!"

Oh no! How can this end? Even if the old Riff can be retrieved, he is still a fake constructed personality! I give it 50-50 odds whether Riff and Cain can be happily reunited (which I think would make Cain so happy he'd kneel and tie Riff's shoelaces) or whether the old Riff will return only when dying by Cain's hand.

I am convinced that the tomb is for Riff and Cain, the latter figuring either that he won't survive the final battle or not planning to live on with Riff dead.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

The other cracktastic repeated trope that becomes foreshadowing in retrospect is the number of evil twins/induced personalities/suppressed personalities that show up throughout the entire series. I should do a reread and count them.

[shati.livejournal.com]

BWAH! I'm sorry the lamb scene grosses you out (which, um, is a very reasonable reaction) -- it is such a beautiful example of Kaori Yuki being Kaori Yuki.

He has had the organs of his sisters unwillingly transplanted into him!

I had totally forgotten that part! (And Meridiana! Reanimated corpses for the whole family! Excellent.) Man, Jezebel would be the best parody ever, if . . . he was a parody.

[oyceter]

I love the comparison of Mikaela to the little mermaid. Because she is a goth, spider-loving, reanimated clone version of the little mermaid!

[oyceter]

OH! Yes, of course!

[oyceter]

OMG! The intestines! Was that your quintessential Kaori Yuki scene?

Now I laugh hysterically, even though I was incredibly grossed out while reading it. The best thing was, Rachel noted that Kaori Yuki totally tells you exactly what's going to happen -- and it still doesn't prepare you for that image!

[shati.livejournal.com]

It was indeed my quintessential Kaori Yuki scene! Or at least my quintessential Kaori Yuki scene from the Cain stuff, because I'm not sure it trumps everything in AS.

[oyceter]

I know! I am so excited about the final Godchild volume because I must know how it ends! Plus, the preview of it in Godchild 7 has the classic line: "Skulls of embryos!" I feel there must be cannibalism in there as well, just because.

[dayswithbunnies.livejournal.com]

The Jezebel part was actually my favourite ever. It is quite possibly the most fucked up thing Kaori Yuki has ever done in the history of Cain and his misadventures. Except maybe Cassandra and his castrato adventures...

But my god, was it gross. When I bought it, the first page I opened up to was a nice shot of little Jezebel smothering his face in intestinal organs. Oh, and that other beautiful image of a decaying corpse wearing pretty frills. Because obviously, one can dress up a corpse to make them feel better about being dead.

And oh my the "eating mah best friend!" Even though I saw it coming about...three pages before. Alexis and his total and completely perfect Hannibal Lecter face was priceless. Absolutely priceless.

Why is Godchild so awesome? Why, I ask?