Godchild

MorikoKimura Aug 18, 2021

7

Since it's not tagged, be aware that Godchild contains: child abuse, incest, implied and attempted rape, and censored animal cruelty. In short, Godchild is a wonderfully schlocky gothic horror series where nothing good happens to our protagonist Cain.  He goes around London getting wrapped up in trouble that always ties back to his father's black magic cult, and it all happens in beautifully drawn Victorian fashion with the melodrama to match.  There's lots of monologuing about tragic backstories; you'll start to get a feeling for them as the story progresses.  The plot twists are neverending, which sometimes makes it difficult to keep track of the plot, and occasionally minor characters are drawn so similarly that it's difficult to tell them apart.  My issues with the plot are probably because I haven't read The Cain Saga prequel series yet, but I think Godchild does an alright job with bringing the reader up to speed on what happened in the prior series.  The BL relationship is Cain and his servant Riff; at least one character makes a subtle comment on Cain's sexuality that isn't "wow you're pretty for a boy" (although there's a decent amount of that).  There's never a moment where Cain or Riff explicitly say "I am gay and I love you" to each other, much less kiss or other things, but it's pretty obvious what kinds of feelings they've got for each other.  Full disclaimer: Cain is 17 and Riff is 28, and there is a minor antagonist that plays into the predatory gay man stereotype. Regardless, the series is a lot of fun if you're into watching a morally grey character solve mysteries as he fights against his past trauma and what remains of his crazy family, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the Japanese gothic horror aesthetic.