Kaine (manga): Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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"Kaine" follows Shinogu, the unassuming twin brother of the titular rockstar. Regaining consciousness at the start of the one-shot, Shinogu discovers that the car accident that left him comatose killed Kaine, and he is thus forced by Kaine’s manager, Oda, to assume Kaine’s identity as a way for them to recoup the considerable costs associated with keeping Kaine’s numerous scandals quiet. Shinogu becomes convinced by his fragmented dreams and visits from a vengeful specter of Kaine that his twin was in fact murdered; with the help of Kaine’s mysterious guitarist and lyricist Die, he discovers that the Endorphins’ success came not from their own hard work or talent, but a high induced in listeners by a secret message encoded in the CD, which eventually induces the listeners to kill themselves. |
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Upon learning this, Die takes Oda to task, and Shinogu agrees to one final concert for his brother’s memory. Oda, however, schemes to have the two murdered to protect the interests of the company. Narrowly avoiding his own murder attempt, Die rescues Shinogu on stage from a bomb concealed in a bouquet of roses gifted by Oda. There, Shinogu recovers his memories and realizes that he has been Kaine the entire time. Unable to cope with his destructive upbringing and the demands of fame, he conspired to switch places with his twin, whom he envied for his carefree and innocent nature. Although Kaine was unable to go through with his plans to murder his twin, Shinogu died in the ensuing car accident and Kaine’s body was mistaken for his. Kaine, finally remembering his past and his true feelings, then shoots himself on stage to Die’s horror. The manga ends with Kaine awakening in the hospital again to Die’s presence: Die affirms that his life as Kaine was only a nightmare, while privately despairing that Kaine has always had him in the palm of his hand. |
Upon learning this, Die takes Oda to task, and Shinogu agrees to one final concert for his brother’s memory. Oda, however, schemes to have the two murdered to protect the interests of the company. Narrowly avoiding his own murder attempt, Die rescues Shinogu on stage from a bomb concealed in a bouquet of roses gifted by Oda. There, Shinogu recovers his memories and realizes that he has been Kaine the entire time. Unable to cope with his destructive upbringing and the demands of fame, he conspired to switch places with his twin, whom he envied for his carefree and innocent nature. Although Kaine was unable to go through with his plans to murder his twin, Shinogu died in the ensuing car accident and Kaine’s body was mistaken for his. Kaine, finally remembering his past and his true feelings, then shoots himself on stage to Die’s horror. The manga ends with Kaine awakening in the hospital again to Die’s presence: Die affirms that his life as Kaine was only a nightmare, while privately despairing that Kaine has always had him in the palm of his hand. |
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Revision as of 13:46, 16 June 2019
| Kaine | |
 The cover of the Japanese re-release, as published by Hakusensha (2009) | |
| カイネ die黒とlive白の脳内麻薬物質 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Thriller[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kaori Yuki |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| Magazine | Bessatsu Hana to Yume Hana to Yume |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Published | 18 October 1996 |
| Volumes | 1 |
Kaine[a] is a short story collection written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki. It consists of four unrelated short stories: the titular story about a boy who assumes the role of his deceased, rockstar twin; "Magical Mystery Tour", which focuses on a girl who wins a trip to Los Angeles; "Orange Time Bomb"; and "Tokyo Top."
Plot
"Kaine" follows Shinogu, the unassuming twin brother of the titular rockstar. Regaining consciousness at the start of the one-shot, Shinogu discovers that the car accident that left him comatose killed Kaine, and he is thus forced by Kaine’s manager, Oda, to assume Kaine’s identity as a way for them to recoup the considerable costs associated with keeping Kaine’s numerous scandals quiet. Shinogu becomes convinced by his fragmented dreams and visits from a vengeful specter of Kaine that his twin was in fact murdered; with the help of Kaine’s mysterious guitarist and lyricist Die, he discovers that the Endorphins’ success came not from their own hard work or talent, but a high induced in listeners by a secret message encoded in the CD, which eventually induces the listeners to kill themselves.
Upon learning this, Die takes Oda to task, and Shinogu agrees to one final concert for his brother’s memory. Oda, however, schemes to have the two murdered to protect the interests of the company. Narrowly avoiding his own murder attempt, Die rescues Shinogu on stage from a bomb concealed in a bouquet of roses gifted by Oda. There, Shinogu recovers his memories and realizes that he has been Kaine the entire time. Unable to cope with his destructive upbringing and the demands of fame, he conspired to switch places with his twin, whom he envied for his carefree and innocent nature. Although Kaine was unable to go through with his plans to murder his twin, Shinogu died in the ensuing car accident and Kaine’s body was mistaken for his. Kaine, finally remembering his past and his true feelings, then shoots himself on stage to Die’s horror. The manga ends with Kaine awakening in the hospital again to Die’s presence: Die affirms that his life as Kaine was only a nightmare, while privately despairing that Kaine has always had him in the palm of his hand.
Release
The titular short story of the collection appeared in the sixth and seventh issues of the Japanese manga magazine Hana to Yume for 1996, while "Orange Time Bomb" and "Magical Mystery Tour" were published in its sister manga magazine Bessatsu Hana to Yume in 1988 and 1990, respectively.[2] "Tokyo Top" appeared in the first issue of Hana to Yume for 1989.[2] The short stories were compiled into a bound volume by Hakusensha and published on 18 October 1996.[3] It was later republished on 15 September 2009.[3] It has been translated into other languages, among them French[4] and German as a stand-alone volume.[5]
Reception
The reviewer for Manga News recommended the collection, writing that it had potential to appeal to an audience beyond fans of the author. The reviewer praised the concept of a story centered around rock music in "Kaine" as intriguing and enjoyed the plot, despite a few artistic inconsistencies near the end with Die. While noting that the art of the other three stories was dated and from an early point in Yuki's career, the reviewer remarked that they were an interesting departure from what she is most associated with.[6] A reviewer for Manga Sanctuary enjoyed "Kaine" as an atmospheric thriller whose plot worked well with the art, despite that some characters lacked depth. The reviewer thought that the other three stories were interesting as historical works that showed how Yuki had evolved as an author and artist.[7] Conversely, the other reviewer for Manga Sanctuary wrote that while better than in many other shōjo manga, the art in "Kaine" did not meet expectations, and understood the plot as a cliché-filled caricature. The quality of the three older stories, according to the reviewer, showed how far Yuki had improved since then.[8] Planete BD's Faustine Lillaz wrote that only "Kaine" was worth reading in the collection, and while she found the story's premise intriguing and character designs pleasant, the resulting plot was unnecessarily convoluted. Lillaz criticized the other three stories as uninteresting and amateur.[1]
Notes
- ^ Kaine (カイネ die黒とlive白の脳内麻薬物質, Kaine die kuro to live shiro no nōnaimayaku busshitsu)
References
- ^ a b Lillaz, Faustine (31 December 2008). "Kaïné, manga chez Tonkam". Planete BD (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ a b Yuki, Kaori (1997). ANGEL CAGE (in Japanese). Hakusensha. p. 76. ISBN 4-592-73144-1.
- ^ a b "Yuki Kaori Official Web – Products" (in Japanese). Kaori Yuki. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kaori Yuki Collection vol. 3 Kaïné" (in French). Editions Tonkam. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kaine" (in German). Carlsen Verlag. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kaïné - Kaori Yuki Collection N° 3". Manga News (in French). 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Critique Kaine T.1 par Miawka". Manga Sanctuary (in French). 5 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Critique Kaine T.1 par Sandoval". Manga Sanctuary (in French). 5 February 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2018.