Et Cetera


 * This article concerns the manga series. For the Latin phrase meaning "and so forth", see Et cetera. For further uses, see Etcetera (disambiguation) or ETC.

Et Cetera (えとせとら) is an action, adventure, comedy manga written and illustrated by Tow Nakazaki (なかざき 冬). It is licensed in English by Tokyopop. The first volume was released on August 2004; the final volume was published in April 2007.

Story
Mingchao, Chinese youth and orphan, travels through the "Old West" with the hope of gaining glory and fame. She rapidly joins with a suspicious priest, Baskerville, and together they head for Hollywood.

Throughout their journey they are harassed by tricksters and bandits. Mingchao's only memory of her late grandfather, one Eto gun, appears to be on the minds of the troublemakers and supposedly gives significant power to the one that controls it.

Characters

 * Mingchao (ミンチャオ)
 * Mingchao is a young, orphaned Chinese girl of about 10-12 years in age who lives by herself in the Old West, and she dreams of becoming a famous superstar. Her grandfather is the one who created the mysterious Eto Gun, which she can fire due to the number XII that had been branded on her palm on accident when she was very young. Mingchao has a kind, carefree personality, yet can show outstanding courage when her friends are in danger. She is also incredibly fortunate, to the point that Benkate has dubbed her as having the "Devil's Luck" due to her uncanny ability to narrowly avoid death or injury. She refuses to kill any person, and often stops others from killing their enemies, no matter how bad they are. This stems from her belief that it is sad whenever someone dies and that killing someone would make her as bad as the murdering scoundrels she frowns upon. She is very forgiving, even allowing Alternate, a former enemy, to join the group. Her demeanor makes her likable to others, and she builds friendships easily, even with people who initially dislike her. She shares a special bond with Baskerville (or, as she calls him, "Mr. Priest"), and cares about him deeply. She was the most heartbroken out of anyone when it was believed that he'd died, even with the revelation that he might've been using her. When it was discovered that he was still alive, but had amnesia and was working for Blush, she'd been the only one who had any confidence that he would regain his memory, and she has never wavered in her faith that he's a good person, even when the others, even Baskerville himself, didn't believe so. She was so ecstatic when he showed the first signs of remembering her that she didn't care that she was falling several dozen feet into a stormy, raging ocean, and she cried happy tears when they were reunited. It is implied several times that she may have romantic feeling towards him despite their obvious age gap, as pointed at by other characters such as Benkate and Luriele, though the only real indication of that is that she seems happiest when he's by her side.


 * When it became even clearer how many lives were being ruined by the shady Syndicate, Mingchao and her friends started trying to find more ways to stop it. But much to Mingchao's dismay, it seemed that the closer they got to discovering what exactly the Syndicate was, the more it seemed that her family was connected with it somehow. When the gang reached Manhattan, they soon found themselves battered, injured, and at the heart of the Syndicate, face to face with its leader "Gothic", who to Mingchao's utter horror revealed himself as her father. Her father then proceeded to gloat about his dark, underground exploits and how great it was he'd gained so much power. Mingchao, shocked and appalled that she shared this man's blood, quickly grew enraged by his callous referrals to all the misery he caused, a rage and deep sadness that only amplified when he, discovering that his daughter didn't agree with him, proceeded to mercilessly attack her comrades. Desperate to stop him, Mingchao, with Baskerville's help shot him with the Eto gun's powerful Dragon bullet and he fell to his death, making him the first, and probably only, life she willingly took, and only because she'd lose so many people she cared about if she didn't. At the series' end, Mingchao goes off to continue following her dream of achieving stardom, and to her great joy, Baskerville decides to join her.


 * Baskerville (バスカービル)
 * After Mingchao saves him from vultures, Baskerville introduces himself as a traveling priest, though after he displays a deadly prowess with handling throwing knives and when its shown that his "bible" actually carries information on the Eto gun, it quickly becomes obvious that his goals are much darker than those of a simple missionary. At first he seems to simply be using Mingchao to get his hands on the gun, but this soon changes as he begins to care about her. It is later revealed that his real name is Razy (レイジー)} and he is a former member of The Syndicate, a shady organization that deals in drugs and seeks to gather various rare or unique guns; the most sought after being the Eto and Zodiac guns. It is later revealed that he'd lost his parents at a relatively young age, leaving him to care for his younger sister, Chisel, whom he doted on. When Chisel fell deathly ill, he out of desperation joined the Syndicate so he could get medicine for her, and he quickly gained a reputation as a ruthless killer who showed no mercy, even to children, all for the sake of his sister's health. However, the medicine he was receiving turned out to be a dangerous narcotic that if abused could over time rot the body from the inside out, and by the time he learned this it was already too late for Chisel. After Chisel's death, he took on an identity as a wandering priest and started plotting to find and use the Eto Gun to kill the Syndicate boss and avenge Chisel. The cross he wears identifies him as a former Syndicate member due to the Wedding Dress he'd had engraved on its back, however he now wears the cross solely in memory of Chisel, as it had been a gift from her. He grows to be very devoted to Mingchao; he hates ever seeing her hurt or cry, and he has wept at the thought of her dying. Because of the affection he seems to hold for her, a running gag in the series and its Omake's is him being asked if he has romantic feelings for Mingchao and/or being accused of having a "Lolita-complex", usually by Benkate. Despite his criminal past he's proven to be a very caring individual. He never goes back on his word once he promises something, and doesn't hesitate to put his life on the line to save his friends and other innocents, even people he doesn't really know well.


 * After risking his life to save Mingchao and the others from Gordy, he suffers memory loss in the resulting accident, and is later found by Cavanaugh and taken in by Blush. Due to his head injury he began to suffer from intense, migraines that seemed to worsen over time, and Blush starts to offer Baskerville "medicine" for his headaches to make him do his bidding. Unfortunately for Baskerville he doesn't remember that the medicine is actually the very same drug that led his sister to his death. Eventually, Baskerville becomes so dependent on the addictive narcotic that he starts becoming a mental wreck, and begins following even the most dangerous of Blushs' demands, such as picking up a heated Eto Gun from a boiling furnace to brand his hand, enabling him to fire the gun. He also is goaded several times into nearly shooting at Mingchao. When he regains his memories, he stops experiencing headaches and therefore, quits relying on the drug, though he continues to pretend he has amnesia until he's able to rejoin Mingchao and the others. At the end of the series its revealed that due to his extended usage of the drug, his lifespan has likely been shortened. He decides to live out the rest of his life traveling alongside Mingchao and dedicating himself to helping others who's lives have been ruined by the influence of narcotics.


 * Benkate (ベンケイト)
 * Benkate is a collector of exotic guns from around the world. She enters the series having 99 guns in her possession, with a fierce desire to make the Eto, and later the Zodiac, the 100th and 101st guns in her collection. Many of her guns are concealed, some of which are even a part of her own clothing, so she is almost never unarmed. Her favorites include two gun earrings, gun boots, a gun designed to look like a cat, a three-barreled multi-directional pistol, and a powerful-long barreled folding rifle. She met Baskerville when they crossed paths looking for the same gun prior to him posing as a priest, though she was never made aware of his real name or of his ties to the Syndicate, considering that she was completely shocked when she later learned of his past. Apparently the conflict that went on between them wasn't very pretty as it resulted in the two having somewhat hostile feelings towards each other until Mingchao forced them to work together. At first glance she's a tall, skinny, somewhat masculine woman with a ruthless disposition who shows no mercy towards anyone who gets between her and a gun that she wants, but overtime she shows off a more caring side. Like Baskerville, she begins to care about Mingchao as she learns the young girl's more endearing and admirable qualities. Her relationship with Baskerville also quickly softens, with the two of them eventually talking like old friends that like to annoy each other but at the same time respect each other. She gets quite agitated when it is believed that Baskerville was dead and again later when she learns that he's lost his memory. Despite themselves, they work well together, and Benkate seems to develop a fondness for playfully flirting with and/or teasing Baskerville. She is often paired with Yaghi when the group splits up and has willingly protected him on many occasions. She acts as a sort of surrogate big sister to him if Fino isn't around to play her role. In general Benkate shows a soft spot for Yaghi and looks out for his well being. It is unknown whether she is aware that he has a bit of a crush on her. She made a promise with Mingchao to never kill again after Mingchao saved her life, and she has surprisingly kept with that promise. She started off in the series having long, bushy hair that she kept tied back with a ponytail, but when she gets captured and held hostage, a good amount of her hair gets hacked off by Cavanaugh. Benkate later expresses annoyance with her new, shorter haircut, though is grateful that she and everyone else is alive. After the series ends she loses her desire for the Eto and Zodiac guns, allowing them to stay with their respective owners and instead going off to search for another gun that might be worthy of holding the 100th place in her collection.


 * Fino (フィノ)
 * Fino is a teenage Native American girl who holds the Zodiac gun, which uses the essences of the Constellations. At first she doesn't trust Mingchao or the others, but later accepts them as friends. It is later revealed that her distrust of non-native peoples comes from the fact that when she was a young girl, she'd found Blush in bad shape and nursed him back to health, and he'd been very kind to her and her people. But then Blush revealed that it'd been all a ruse and he then proceeded to murder her and Yahgi's parents in cold blood with his guns, leaving the two children orphans. After that she grew bitter and developed a hatred for guns and white man, thinking that no one could be trusted except for her own people. Ever since then she's wanted revenge against Blush for deceiving her and ruining her family. She is the most cautious of the group and has a hard time trusting others. She is also a vegetarian.


 * She had been opposed to Alternate joining the team as he'd been the son of a man that had close ties to Blush. It wasn't until he saved her, Yaghi, and Big the fisherman from a monopolizing gang, that she accepted him. He later saves her yet again, this time from Cavanaugh, taking a direct hit from the Eto gun in the process. At one point, she makes him an Indian-styled outfit after his shirt had been ruined. By the end of the series it seems that Fino has begun to care a lot for him, and it is possible that she's developed romantic feelings for him. She and Alternate can relate to one another as his father was also killed by Blush and thus both share a common goal of wanting to bring Blush to justice. After the Syndicate is dissolved, she decides to travel with Alternate in order to track down Blush.


 * Yaghi (ヤギ)
 * Yaghi is Fino's younger brother. He is more trusting and outgoing than his sister. He's very adventurous and cares about his sister a lot. After Benkate saved his life, he started hanging around her a lot and looks up to her, and she in return looks out for him. He has developed something of a crush on Benkate despite their age gap, and, according to an Omake, he dreams of one day making her his wife, though he fears that his sister wouldn't approve. Yaghi is very talkative and friendly to other people, which makes him likable to others. However, he is sometimes too trusting, as once he allowed the Zodiac being taken away while his sister was taking a shower. Yaghi is also incredibly brave for his age and is willing to do anything for people he cares about, though this causes worry for Fino since it puts him at risk of being hurt. A testament to his bravery is how he willingly stayed behind with Benkate to help her hold off a band of hooligans in order to let Mingchao and the others get away, despite the danger it put him in. At the end of the series he went with Fino and Alternate to return to his Village.


 * Alternate (オルタネート)
 * Alternate is the first recurring antagonist, who then later becomes a hero. He is highly intelligent and a decent gunman, and is easily identified by the monocle he wears over his left eye. He wants to get his hands on the Eto gun, and makes several failed attempts to do so. His father Gordy, a member of the Syndicate, is treacherously killed by fellow member Blush, who had told him that Mingchao had done it. He becomes obsessed with revenge and is easily tricked into doing what Blush wants. Upon learning that Blush was the true killer, he assists the others in saving Mingchao from Blush, and from then on vows to find and punish Blush for what he did. When he wants to join the others, all seem to oppose the idea except for Mingchao. After rescuing Fino, Yaghi, and Big, the others accept him as well.


 * Alternate had a very lonely life, as he was almost the polar opposite of Mingchao. He would lie, cheat, and hurt people to get what he wanted. Because of this, he had never had a single friend. However, he, like many of the other characters, begins to change in the presence of Mingchao, and his true personality eventually comes out. He is somewhat insecure, partly due to guilt a disbelief that he'll be forgiven for all the troubles he caused, but he has proven to be brave in the face of danger, willing put his life on the line to defend his friends. He seems to have grown to care a lot for Fino, and possibly has romantic feelings for her. He ends up saving her life twice, once involving him taking a bullet straight in the chest for her. She seems to reciprocate these feelings at least in part, evidenced by the fact that she makes him a new shirt after his old one is ruined, and that she expresses deep worry after he is injured saving her. He also goes off with Fino and Yaghi when the gang splits up at the end, possibly meaning that he ends up living with her and her tribe.


 * Blush (ブラッシュ)
 * Blush is a member of the Syndicate. He is sneaky, manipulative, and cruel. He killed Fino's parents as well as Gordy, Alternate's father, and tricked Alternate into thinking that Mingchao had done it. He used both Alternate and Baskerville to try to get his way, but ultimately did not succeed as he too was eventually duped himself later by Cavanaugh. He despises Cavanaugh despite her being his superior in the same organization, as she apparently once took credit for one of his jobs. After she tricks him he doesn't hesitate to try to bring her down, even if it meant essentially helping out Mingchao briefly. He is noted for his unusual ability of being able to fire up to six bullets at once in a circular pattern with only two guns. An interesting piece of trivia: There is concept art of a "female" version of Blush, as Tow Nagasaki had been unsure of whether he wanted Blush to be male or female.


 * Cavanaugh (キャバナー)
 * Cavanaugh is a high ranking member of the Syndicate and considered to be one of the most feared and cruel of them all. Dubbed "the crazy wench" by even her peers, She at first appears to be a somewhat matriarchal figure with the ability to hold a stern hand over her peers when they misbehave, but eventually it becomes obvious that she is very sadistic, calculating, and controlling. She becomes increasingly sociopathic and violent as the story progresses and her obsession with painfully ending the lives of Mingchao and her companions escalates. She had found Baskerville after he'd lost his memory, but it wasn't until after Blush took him and she discovered that Baskerville was able to fire the Eto gun that she took measures to bring him to her side. She used a highly concentrated form of a potent drug to convince Baskerville to do her bidding, though he defected after his memory returned. Her right eye later gets damaged in a train accident resulting from a gunfight between herself, Baskerville, and Mingchao's friends, and following the injury she swears revenge against them for scarring her face. She brands XII into her palm so she is able to use the Eto gun, though the brand later gets destroyed when her hand gets scarred by a shot from the Zodiac gun. She is eventually killed when she falls off a flight of stairs from a high altitude while in battle with Mingchao and her friends.


 * Gothic
 * Gothic, the Syndicate's boss, is actually Ming Chao's father. He wants to rule the entire world as a drug kingpin, starting with America, in revenge for the suffering his family endured due to racial discrimination (most especially for the death of his wife, Mingchao's mother, who died because she failed to get proper medical treatment as a poor Chinese migrant in America). He bleached his hair, damaged his vocal cords in order to change his voice, and wore a mask to disguise the fact that he was actually Chinese. He is the only human Mingchao ever expressed a desire to kill (though it was more of a declaration that neither he, nor even herself, should exist), and ultimately he is the first and probably only life that she ends willingly, if only in order to put a stop to the misery he's caused others.

Release
Et Cetera was licensed for an English-language release in North America by Tokyopop, which released the nine volumes from August 10, 2004 to April 10, 2007. The series has gone out of print. The series is also licensed in French by Glénat.