As I'm writing this, I've read almost to the end of the manga. I think I'm just missing the final volume. It was too the point where the author was writing the final chapters and I was trying to catch English scans online. But that got confusing and now I really need to start over, because the plot is massively complicated. XD I've not seen the anime yet.
What drew me to this series first was the ART. Not only is it a gorgeous art style, but the costumes are to die for. It's a cross between Victorian, French, and gothic with a lot of Alice in Wonderland imagery.
And that pretty well describes the plot, too. Like I said, it's a very deeply twisted plot with a very unique and well-imagined world. It's like Black Butler meets Fullmetal Alchemist meets Alice in Wonderland. It's insane and heartbreaking, and it's definitely worth sorting through the complicated twists and turns.
Just to tell you how bad/good it is--I had a favorite character, who I thought was good and then turned out to be bad. His character was still so well-done and the plot so beautiful and twisty that I lived in denial of his evilness for another three volumes. Mel still teases me for it.
This is a more mature comic. I don't recall any nudity, but it's very intense with a dark fictitious "religion." But the writing is brilliant and the plot/politics are captivating, not to mention the characters are all endearing in their own rights.
), so that inspired me to start over. I just finished Volume 2, and I remember why I love this manga so much!