The manga "Innocent" was created by mangaka Sakamoto Shinichi and aired from January 31, 2013, to April 16, 2015. It tells the story of Charles-Henri Sanson, the fourth-generation family head of the Sanson Family, and executioner of Paris during the time of the French Revolution (1789 to 1799). Although parts of the story are exaggerated and fictitious for entertainment, Charles-Henri Sanson and his family of executioners were real. He lived from February 15, 1739, to July 4, 1806, and reportedly executed up to 3,000 during his time as the Royal Executioner of France. As an avid supporter of a clean, quick death, Sanson was the first executioner to use the guillotine. He performed the execution of many important figures such as King Louis XVI, revolutionist Robespierre, and Charlotte Corday, and his son Henri would go on to execute Marie-Antoinette.
The manga itself is a stunning representation of these times with gothic depictions of the city, labrynthine mansions and mazes, and the people. The buildings and clothing of the people are ornate and highly detailed, but dark and macabre. The atmosphere is drenched in death and suffering, alluding to the societal fears of impending doom and death. The characters are tortured by family, guilt, religion, mortality, and their duties. There are classic gothic themes of betrayal, entrapment, fate, and duty. As is common in gothic literature, the aristocracy is depicted as extravagant yet rotting from within, indulging in excess while their downfall looms. Charles-Henris’ psychological turmoil is depicted through ghostly apparitions of past loves and victims of his executions. His sister, Marie-Joseph Sanson, serves as a gothic heroine and avenger, embodying rebellion, passion, and an almost ghostly presence who comes up again and again to challenge Charles-Henri’s reality. The executions themselves are depicted as beautiful gothic artworks that challenge the readers’ own view of reality.