Young Ciel Phantomhive is known as "the Queen's Guard Dog," taking care of the many unsettling events that occur in Victorian England for Her Majesty. Aided by Sebastian Michaelis, his loyal butler with seemingly inhuman abilities, Ciel uses whatever means necessary to get the job done. But is there more to this black-clad butler than meets the eye?
In Ciel's past lies a secret tragedy that enveloped him in perennial darkness—during one of his bleakest moments, he formed a contract with Sebastian, a demon, bargaining his soul in exchange for vengeance upon those who wronged him. Today, not only is Sebastian one hell of a butler, but he is also the perfect servant to carry out his master's orders—all the while anticipating the delicious meal he will eventually make of Ciel's soul. As the two work to unravel the mystery behind Ciel's chain of misfortunes, a bond forms between them that neither heaven nor hell can tear apart.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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-Naami-
---The review contains spoilers--- So, Kuroshitsuji is an anime that is labelled “shounen” but I don’t really know why - it’s filled with bishounens, pretty clothes and the fancy Victorian age backdrop with massive shounen ai and shota undertones. Oh, and the obvious gay shinigami who keeps trying to kiss the butler. The story starts off with an eerie atmosphere, showing a 10 year old child who exchanges his soul for a demon butler to help exact his revenge against the people who killed his parents and humiliated him. Two-three years later they are still together; Ciel Phantomhive the 12 (later 13) year old Earl alsothe head of his house and company and Sebastian Michaelis, the demon butler who could do anything and together working for the Queen to solve mysteries and at the same time learning about Ciel’s past.
It would have been a great story. If not for the amount of filler episodes that had been injected in due to the lack of material that had come out from the manga and the confusion in later episodes that still left me with many, many questions.
The first and second episodes were indeed spectacular. Instantly there is a dark and mysterious aura and it is well maintained throughout the entire series (except for the idiotic moments with the less than lovable extra staff at the Phantomhive household). Even up to episode 6 it was still good. However, after that it just started to get a little tiring with all the missions they have to carry out. Boring in fact. The second half of the series was entirely all filler; filler that wasn’t even interesting and to put it plainly – all over the place.
As mentioned before, the anime does not follow the manga series exactly but the first half of the series does to an extent. The second half was written exclusively for the anime. Now this is where it goes horribly wrong. Most of the second half’s story made absolutely NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Take Sebastian’s sudden disappearance for example. For someone who has made an unbreakable contract and who has already done about two years work for Ciel it was a unrealistic that he would leave Ciel. Moreover it was uncharacteristic of him. His personality wouldn’t allow him to do such an act, even if it were to benefit Ciel in the end. Plot twists came from nowhere, justifications and character motivations did not add up and I would end up sitting there by the end of the episode wondering what on earth has just happened. Poor writing plagued the last three-quarters of the series, which is a real shame, considering how much I enjoyed the first six episodes.
When I first heard Sebastian’s and Ciel’s names I laughed. ‘Sebastian’ as the butler’s name, that was so cliché and Ciel ‘Phantomhive’ - now that didn’t sound conspicuous at all did it? Well it certainly did humour me with these obvious names, but the characters themselves aren’t ones that you can laugh at. Sebastian is seriously one badass butler, the anti hero of our story; he can do anything and I mean ANYTHING. After he SEDUCES A NUN to get information he certainly got my respect - the thought of him using such tactics was almost unthinkable (considering all the "sexual tension" between him and his master). And Ciel… well he is bratty. And he certainly does talk a lot of bull when it comes to why he is doing all this and such. What I liked about him though was how the producers practically used him as a doll to model fashion wear of the 19th century.
But these factors do not save them from being two dimensional characters. Sebastian can be thought as the anime parallel of Edward Cullen. Essentially a ‘perfect’ being with zero flaws, devilishly good looks (no pun intended) and abilities to do the impossible he contains no realism in him, more like a fantasy or ideal of ‘the perfect man’. But unlike the Twilight character mentioned there is an almost witty aspect to the butler, as each episode displays his tendency to be mischievous. In all honesty, though he is not much of a character for BEING the main character, he was still quite the fun person to watch as a viewer. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Ciel. As far as I’m concern, he was there for the fanservice – from cross-dressing to wearing scantily clad clothes for a teenage English boy – mass producing shota fans as we speak. His reason for working for the Queen is neither explained nor in line with his prideful personality and his burning desire for revenge towards the people who ‘humiliated’ him is not emphasized or profound enough to take him seriously that he is truly a bitter, angry boy.
The OP and ED were very well done, both musically and animated-wise. Most anime usually does this thing where in the middle of the series they change the opening song and have a whole new animation to it. With Kuroshitsuji they keep the same song but switch around the verses used but have a whole new animation to it. The first ED uses an American song "I'm Alive" by Becca which would catch some off guard. The rock/pop song contrasts greatly with all the other themes uses but is a song that can be easily sung along to. It also is one of the most amusing endings ever with the animation that employs a chibi-styled art showing the day to day activities of Sebastian as a butler. The second ED song is a lot more melancholic to fit the serious second half of the story. The background music is smoothly done and go fittingly well with the scene at hand. As an anime set in the high class 1800s, the production company rightfully uses dark gospel choruses to jazzy themes.
Art and animation was very beautiful and fluid. Grand manors and clothing were all intricately designed and even in the few action scenes A-1 Pictures still had animation kept up – never letting choppy animation to ruin the flow. Everything is very gothic usually with night-settings, religion being brought in and of course, the clothes. Although Ciel did look very adorable in his attire, I felt like the clothes he was wearing were almost asking for him to be molested, which just made the paedophilia and gay overtones a lot more strong.
The most enjoyable part of this anime was the London/Victorian age setting. I was actually quite impressed with how well they displayed and used London and its history, like how they made Bethnal Green the base where all the drug dealers were from or the fact that there used to be fairs on the Thames during the winter when the water turned to ice. The producers did use the London card to the max - playing with different versions of “London Bridge”, using the Jack the Ripper character and displaying the fashion of the time. And of course since it’s set in England there is some engrish, but the best one is Sebastian’s “Yes, My Lord” - makes me smile every time. The setting practically made this anime; I mean if you replaced the setting to a modern time, different place this anime would have immediately failed.
Although I wouldn’t necessarily say it put the ‘shit’ in ‘Kuroshitsuji’ neither would I say this is a spectacular watch. This series was just ‘okay’ to me, it wasn’t particularly special and it’s quite tedious. I have had many unanswered questions formed in my mind and quite a few qualms about it. For those of you who actually read manga I suggest doing so first or instead of watching this since it just contains the main story and does not sell itself short with fan-pandering nonsense.
Will I be watching the second series? Well, yes for numerous reasons. I liked the manga enough to want to see it animated. I want to see if my questions will finally be answered. And most of all I want to find out WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED after the end of the last episode.
duonoaikouka
Holy flippin' A!!! Where to even begin with this anime?! There is so much here that I look for in an anime; I even added it to my favorites list before I was even done watching. It's got beautiful and THICK plot, hidden meanings, a GORGEOUS musical score, wonderful and zany characters, and enough emotional hitting power to make me keep a tissue box handy for those sad and happy tears. This would be my first review to be an absolute 10 in score if there weren't just a few unanswered questions and assumed understanding after everything was said and done. Even withthose there, though, this anime is one of the best things I've seen in a while, even better than Hikaru no Go which had be so wrapped up spring break. I'm sad to see it end 'cause I want more of this world, but, on the other hand, I'm glad it's got a definitive ending and isn't really leaving us cliff-hanging.
STORY - 9
The story of this show is something else. There's just so much depth, and it's so cerebral. I'll definitely have to do some re-watching to get all the little nuances and plot points down. I wouldn't recommend this show if you're just looking for some simple anime that would kill an afternoon. This is a thinking anime that touches on a ton of dark and deep issues. You'll also need to be paying close attention to all the plot twists! These little suckers come out of NOWHERE and twist the story into a completely different direction that one would expect. I was left gasping like fish more than once here. For me, that's one of the best aspects of this story is those little plot twists. I never know what I'm going to see when watching something like this. Now that I've mentioned the good, let's talk about why I couldn't give this aspect a perfect 10. After watching the ending, I was left with some unanswered questions regarding some of the details here. While these details didn't sour the complete story for me (hence the 9), they might sour it for someone else. One detail that they didn't address did leave me a bit peeved, but my mind made a connection with another story aspect that I could guess was the answer. If everything had been addressed here, this would have been a DEFINITE perfect 10.
ART - 10
A simple word here. BEAUTIFUL!!!! The animation flows so gorgeously in this anime. From the fight scenes to humorous antics to zany parties to heart-wrenching death scenes, absolutely everything here is flows so smoothly and sweetly. An aspect I noticed a lot in this anime was lighting. I don't see that a lot in anime and found it very appropriate for this title. If the characters were experiencing a dark and horrific scene, shadows and reds played big parts. If they were experiencing light-hearted birthday parties or servant antics, colors were bright, vibrant, and day-filled. Besides just the lighting, the art conveyed the atmosphere so much. It almost seemed to reflect character emotions and fates/destinies as well as set the mood for the anime. You will not be disappointed here! Just a slight warning, though, this anime doesn't shirk from blood. Not that it's gratuitous, every scene with it almost requires it and the blood adds to the atmosphere. But do be warned; I wouldn't let kids watch this.
SOUND - 10
This is the crowning glory in my opinion. Every single piece of music adds to the atmosphere of this anime and leaves a person breathless. It's so haunting...... It's full of fast consistent beats for the fighting, chants and drones for the dark, plot-filled moments, sad female-filled melodies for the gut-wrenchingly sad parts, and a soft operatic finish for the final anime finale. There was use throughout the anime of a really fast beat chanting/droning thing used towards some combat and many plot-revealing scenes that I found particularly innovative and unusual. It added something really unique to an already beautiful track of music. The opening and ending themes fit the anime to a tee; the 2nd ending, Lacrimosa by Kalafina, especially fits the ominous ending the anime is barreling towards when this ending comes in. It's haunting, lyrical, and so emotion-filled. Just beautiful!! Besides the glorious musical score, this anime exhibits very good character voices. I especially loved Sebastian's dark and low voice. I could imagine my demon butler having that voice. *shiver* I can't think of any misplaced vocals at all. Everyone was distinct and complete unto themselves.
CHARACTERS - 9
There were so many hidden depths to most of these characters that absolutely no one seems two-dimensional. Everyone is fleshed out to some degree with emotional back stories and plot twists. Oh the plot twists!! There were a lot where it came to character development. I only wish that there had been equal attention to all characters. For some of them, the viewers were left wishing fervently for more. I personally wished the back stories of the servants at Phantomhive were fleshed out more. We are given some back hints in a few episodes and one episode almost completely devoted to the four of them, but not really a lot and I was curious! Oh well. The gradual building of Ciel's character and his relationship with Sebastian is more than enough to make up for it. There were some characters who I thought I had pegged when something radical happens and their intents and motivations turn in a completely different direction. Again, oh those plot twists!! Gotta love 'em!!
ENJOYMENT - 10
I thoroughly enjoyed this title, unanswered questions and all. My mind can find connections between points where there may be no connection and so I can answer those questions in my own little mind. It was a beautiful and haunting ride that took me on an emotional rollercoaster and through a thorough mind-wringing. There was so much content here, from plot to wacky humor. I loved every bit of it. And the music!! Ack!! I'm going to be haunting ebay and the net in general looking for this OST ASAP!!
OVERALL - 10
I think I pretty much summed it up in the enjoyment section. Everything just came together beautifully and created an anime that has made it to my favorites and re-watchable list. I absolutely adore it and wish there was more!!
Lindle
As of late, Kuroshitsuji is essentially the poster-boy for thinly-veiled fangirl bait. Kuroshitsuji (or Black Butler, whatever floats your boat) has tons of yaoi tropes, and has the word bishie plastered all over it, so you may think that being somebody who does not like these things, that I hate it because of that. So let's make this clear now: No. That has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of legitimate reasons not to like Kuroshitsuji besides that, so before you reach for the Not Helpful button, please think for a second: are you doing that because my review is badly written, orjust because you don't agree with my score? So, at the very least, just read the rest of the review first, OK?
With that sadly necessary disclaimer out of the way, let's discuss Kuroshitsuji. Kuroshitsuji is the story of a boy named Ciel Phantomhive, and his butler, Sebastian Michaelis. Ciel is the head of a toy company, and is also in the employment of the Queen, who enlists him to deal with various mysteries. Why this is the case isn't really explained, but nonetheless, most of the episodes play out as a Sherlock Holmes style detective series with him solving various supernatural mysteries.
Of course, Ciel is no ordinary boy... he has a contract with his butler for his soul. As you probably already knew, Sebastian is a demon of sorts. He is nigh invulnerable to everything, has amazing skill in pretty much every field, and is basically perfect in every way.
This, however, is the first problem with the series... Sebastian is a massive Gary Stu. He's simply too perfect. Not once do you feel for him as a character. He is completely overpowered, and is essentially an end all, fix all solution to more or less every single problem the series can throw at any of its characters.
Sadly, the rest of the cast isn't much better. Ciel Phantomhive is probably the most likeable character in the show, being something of a snarky, deadpan character with a chip on his shoulder the size of Africa. But he has his idiosyncrasies as well... most of which simply come down to him being a complete jerk to everyone. Ciel is generally single-minded, only caring about whatever mission the Queen has given him, or getting revenge on those who ruined his life. The reaper, Grell Sutcliffe, had potential to be a loveable psychopath in the vein of Ladd Russo or any given Hellsing villain, but they eschew the chainsaw wielding, slasher smile route laid out in front of them in favour of making him incredibly, incredibly gay, as though they were trying to make a psychotic badass Leeron. But unlike the aforementioned Gurren Lagann character, they don't manage to make him nearly entertaining or tongue-in-cheek enough... to be perfectly honest, Grell is just plain offensive.
Another problem with Kuroshitsuji is that it can't seem to decide what it wants to be. For half the series, it goes down the aforementioned Sherlock Holmes route, painting a great depiction of 1888 London, rolling through themes like Jack The Ripper and Scotland Yard, but for the other half it tries to blend a Tim Burton-esque supernatural demon theme to the mix, and the tone of the series becomes very inconsistent as a result. Both styles are well-executed, but they conflict with each other. If they had been more consistent, Kuroshitsuji would have been better as a result. The character designs also mirror this quite heavily; While we often get a good, 1800s design like Sebastian, we also get overblown, colourful and vibrant designs like those of Grell or the Undertaker that creates a very poor contrast.
Also, there's something that can occasionally be very jarring, and that would be the anachronisms. Despite the show being set in 1888, you will frequently see things that are very out of place in this time period, like advanced modern handguns, sophisticated chainsaws, and film. While all of these things did exist in some form at this point, none of them do in the form they are shown in. And even more jarring is that most of these are applied to the Reapers, ancient beings that would not realistically incorporate these sorts of things into their supernatural array of weapons.
And on that note, one of the things that annoys me most about Kuroshitsuji is that the demon lore is left completely unexplained, as though they were some sort of afterthought. The reapers hate demons, but why? It's never given any real mention. There are also Angels, only one of which we ever see, whose purpose and role in the demon lore is never even touched upon, let alone their motives. I think Kuroshitsuji would have actually been better if they had completely left out the angel/demon/reaper aspects of the show and solely focused on the detective angle instead.
The only aspect wherein Kuroshitsuji really shines is the production job. The animation is fluid, and the art style is thoroughly polished, using a blend of dark, rich tones. The 1800s environment is one of the strong points of the series, which makes it all the more of a shame that they so often opt for the Burton-shtick instead. The soundtrack is also very strong, featuring a variety of music fitted to the period, most notably the smooth jazz.
Now, before this reads like an invitation for all the yaoi fangirls to break down my door, let me just clarify this by saying that Kuroshitsuji is not bad. What it is is average. Ordinary. Run of the mill. The only exceptional thing about it being the insane level of fan-pandering it stoops to.
However, there is still one serious problem with Kuroshitsuji not accounted for... the ending. The last few episodes are an evermounting pile of contrived nonsense. Things happen, but no explanation as for why or how is ever really given. No character's motivations ever make sense. Plot twists come from absolutely nowhere with no foreshadowing or real explanation. It rivals Soul Eater in terms of ridiculous bullshit endings, but at least Soul Eater didn't leave us on an incredibly dodgy cliffhanger that leads to a second season of pure filler.
Final Words: It had potential, but it ignored it so it could pander to fans.
Animation/Graphics: 9/10
Story/Plot: 3/10
Music/Background: 9/10
Overall: 4/10
For Fans Of: Hellsing, Pandora Hearts.
defunctmaluser
Obscured by a veil of feathers, a boy floating above a sacrificial altar is warned by a crow that if he rejects the faith even once, the gates of Heaven will forever stay closed to him. The boy responds by saying that if he was truly among the faithful in the first place, he never would’ve summoned the crow. The two parties then make a contract and the screen fades to black so that the intro can start playing. Immediately after the intro however, we’re treated to the same child waking up for the morning and a tall, handsome man in a jet black suitas his enigmatic butler performing his duties. After the title card pops up, we’re then treated to the comedic antics of his other servants styled like it was ripped straight out of Fullmetal Alchemist.
The above paragraph sums up the first 5 minutes of the first episode of this show. If that doesn’t sound particularly appealing to you, well… I don’t blame you. The 2008 Black Butler anime is many things and being a master of mood whiplash is one of them. When the whole Black Butler hype train came around here stateside back in 2010 when Funimation licensed the anime, I honestly wasn’t even that interested to begin with. I was all about Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece at that point in time and so a show about some kid with an eyepatch and his hypercompetent demon butler didn’t really catch my eye.
When I did give this show a chance in mid-2014 just a few months before Book of Circus came out, I came out of this particular anime feeling rather… hollow. There were bits and pieces of a truly amazing story to be found, but I had to dig through mountains of bullshit just to even find it in the first place. The very beginning of the pilot episode implied that this entire anime would be a Faustian tragedy and well… it is on some measure, but the finished product that we ended up getting seemed to try so many different things and just failed miserably at all of them.
Obviously in the current year, I’ve long since watched every single Black Butler anime ever released, caught up to the manga, and indeed, have written reviews of some of the Black Butler instalments that I’ve read or watched. Still, the 2008 series sticks out in my mind the most because A-1 Pictures still intends for this anime to be the starting point for newcomers to the franchise. That’s actually pretty fucking baffling when you consider how little of this anime actually follows the manga.
Officially, we’re expected to watch up to episode 15 and then start watching everything from Book of Circus onward. HOWEVER, only episodes 2-6 and 13-15 are actually necessary to comprehend everything from Book of Circus going forward. Everything else is well… filler! Okay, it’s not actually filler since the rest of those episodes tie in with the second half of this anime but uh… why would you want to watch it? Rhetorical question of course because there actually are many reasons to watch the second half of this show. But those reasons have a pretty fucking huge warning label over them: don’t expect anything that makes sense.
Originally when I first watched this anime without any prior context on the manga, on the upcoming adaptations, or any of that other stuff, I kinda liked it. Upon retrospect, that was because the anime decided to stop the stupid gag comedy and actually try taking itself seriously. The problem here of course was that the show started taking itself seriously far too late into its run and because of that, a lot of the plot felt like it was strung along until the 24 episode mark where it just ends. I still felt that way at the time, but I felt like I had to give the show credit for actually going out and doing its own thing. I mean, a lot of shows nowadays are terrible because they try to play it so safe and then end up becoming faceless, mediocre garbage. I certainly respect an artist that actually tries to take risks, especially in an industry where profit margins were already low to begin with.
While I still maintain that position on some level, I’ve also come to realise that it’s dangerous to romanticise risk-taking because of the fact that disastrous results from failed gambles often ruin the overall integrity of the project in question. Even if a project is successful with most of the risks that they take, the few that do fail become especially noticeable. I absolutely adore the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime and the risks that show took did pay off to me, but there were some parts that ultimately fell extremely flat because the gamble they took didn’t pay off.
Unfortunately, A-1 Pictures didn’t have the tact of Bones in this regard. One of the most irksome parts of Black Butler is how heavy-handed the show is with its fanservice. It’s no secret that Black Butler has a huge fujoshi fanbase and it’s also no secret that Yana Toboso originally intended to make Black Butler a yaoi series before deciding against it. If this anime is any indication of what Black Butler would’ve been like as a yaoi series, I’m fucking grateful that Toboso decided against it.
The most uncomfortable aspect of this show for me is the amount of yaoi subtext that A-1 Pictures added to Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship. It was like that when I first started watching it and it’s still that way a good 6 years after the fact. Surprising though it may seem, the manga actually didn’t have much in the way of subtext between Ciel and Sebastian. In fact, it actually went through great pains to show the exact opposite. Their relationship in the manga is actually one of grudgingly mutual respect.
Ciel’s horrifying past led to him losing any faith he had left in God and his apostasy led to Sebastian being beckoned. It’s explicitly stated that the kinds of people who summon demons aren’t always like Ciel, so of course Sebastian is interested. The terms of the contract are stacked against Sebastian in that he must never lie, he must have unquestioning loyalty to Ciel, and that he must always protect him no matter what. What’s more is that Ciel’s contract seal is on his eye and it’s stated that in Episode 4 that the more visible the seal is, the stronger the contract is. Ciel knows that Sebastian will act like a monkey’s paw if his orders aren’t explicit enough, and yet he has security in the fact that Sebastian’s extremely good at his job, won’t ever betray him, and won’t ever lie to him.
These would ordinarily be terrible terms for a demon to live under, but Sebastian did so anyway. From his perspective, a once-innocent child was willing to sell his soul to a demon to live. You don’t don’t often find masters like that, so that’s one point for him to stay. Next, Ciel’s fundamental distrust of others allowed him to see through any potential demonic trickery on Sebastian’s part. Given how the typical Faustian protagonist is some dumbass who trades away his soul for something stupid like money, power, sex, or what have you, it’s no surprise to think that Sebastian would be interested in dealing with a master who has some degree of foresight. Finally, we have the fact that Ciel’s duties as the Earl of Phantomhive regularly exposes him to the absolute worst that humanity has to offer. Mind you, Ciel is a child and he hasn’t come out of every encounter completely unscathed. From a demon’s point-of-view, such trauma at a young age only for more to follow as he gets older is effectively the same as his own dinner cooking itself.
In short: Ciel and Sebastian have to put a great amount of trust in one another due to the nature of their contract. Their relationship isn’t devoid of conflict since Sebastian acts like a monkey’s paw and Ciel doesn’t always have the best temper despite usually maintaining a level head. Even if the contract didn’t exist in the picture, there’s a mutual respect between the two because well… Sebastian’s good at his job as both Ciel’s butler and primary caretaker and Ciel’s pretty self aware about his own morality and feels obligated to continue his march into the abyss because he’s already come this far.
Given *all* of that context into Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship, it comes off as especially revolting as A-1 Pictures tries to really hammer home the idea of SebaCiel. To be absolutely fair here, there are moments in the manga that do come close to crossing the line (i.e. Sebastian cradling Ciel when he has a traumatic flashback to the cult during the Circus arc). However, the line was never fully crossed because such moments in the manga always had the context shown to be Sebastian only comforting his master at the bare minimum necessary so that he doesn’t go insane.
Any remotely intimate moment between Ciel and Sebastian in the anime doesn’t have this context. Instead, it just comes off as if Sebastian’s grooming Ciel. To be absolutely fair here, it’s not like there isn’t a concept for demons who prey upon children sexually or otherwise. Indeed, countless cultures across the world have some idea of a supernatural force preying upon children. The thing is though that the anime doesn’t really run with the idea of Sebastian having a vested interest in Ciel beyond the contract. There’s still some effort put in to show that Sebastian ultimately cares more about the contract than he does about Ciel, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. In the end, all we really get is one episode where Sebastian ends the episode as a hypercompetent butler followed up by another where A-1 Pictures wanted to give the fujoshis a reason to buy the BD sets.
I know I’ve been bitching about this for a while, but it really must be said just how much this detracts from the overall experience. The initial impression from the very first episode, and indeed, some of the most iconic moments across both halves of the anime (i.e. everything involving Jack the Ripper, Ciel’s own awareness of how fucked up his life is, the backstories of the Phantomhive servants and their reasons for their undying loyalty to Ciel, etc) show bits and pieces of a truly fantastic show that just ends up getting buried under all of the additional shit that A-1 Pictures put on top of it.
Now we get into the second half of the anime’s story and boy, where the fuck do I begin? I would imagine that Yana wasn’t particularly involved in the writing process for the second half of the season beyond a few vague hints at things that would later happen in the manga. A-1 Pictures had 9 episodes to wrap everything up and considering how the manga’s well past the 160 chapter mark with no sign of stopping any time soon, it’s no secret that it doesn’t bode well for the overall quality of these episodes.
Upon rewatching for the first time in well over 6 years, I can’t really say I finished the season enjoying it as much as I once did. The biggest problem with the second half of the show is that it throws so much information at you at once without any inkling of foreshadowing or consideration for character interactions. There’s a point where Ciel ends up finding the cult who tortured and defiled him before Sebastian was beckoned, and not once are we treated to any sign of visible trauma on Ciel’s part during the whole proceeding! Why?! The manga didn’t really touch upon the cult specifically beyond the backstory needed to show Ciel and Sebastian’s first encounter. I’d actually be pretty down to see Ciel actually investigating the cult and his own reactions to the faces that traumatised him. But no, it’s yet another missed opportunity.
As far as the ending is concerned, it was lukewarm for me. By the time I finished the show, so much had happened so fast to the point where I kinda just wanted to be done with it. I would say that it’s a pretty definite conclusion, but we all know at this point in time that Black Butler II completely and totally shits upon that notion. Still, I’d like to think that Black Butler II didn’t happen and that the finale of the 2008 show is the more fitting conclusion to the anime’s continuity. I’ll write up another rant on Black Butler II, so I’ll cut myself off here.
Character-wise, we don’t really have much to go off of here. While the anime is *supposed* to be adapting the first 23 chapters of the manga which actually provides a great deal of character context and development, we already established that the anime doesn’t actually do this well at all. In the end, the Phantomhive servants sans Sebastian are treated as comic relief, Elizabeth is more of a burden on Ciel rather than his actual fiance, Grell is comedy relief and also Sebastian’s biggest fan, the other reapers just… exist and don’t come into the anime’s story unless the plot demands it, you get the idea.
The only two characters that actually had any effort put into their writing was Ciel and Sebastian, and honestly… Ciel’s portrayal isn’t even that good. Instead of being a relatively composed though still short-tempered child, Ciel is basically the spoiled brat that everyone who hates Black Butler thinks he is. Mind you, he’s certainly not in the same league as Alois Trancy is in Black Butler II but we shouldn’t use the core of the earth to judge what’s below the bottom of the barrel.
Ciel’s biggest problem throughout the 2008 anime is that he’s completely incapable of functioning without Sebastian at his side. While it is true that one of the terms of the contract is to protect Ciel no matter what, the practical reality of the situation is that Ciel’s duties as the Queen’s Watchdog make it difficult if not outright impossible for Sebastian to always be by Ciel’s side.
Indeed, the manga actually does account for this and so any time that Ciel would likely be separated from Sebastian for any duration, they’d have the necessary preparation to take care of important tasks separately if needed. The manga actually shows that Ciel is a capable hunter, that he has some history of training with his future mother-in-law, and that he sleeps with a gun under his pillow and that he isn’t afraid of using it. Mind you, all of these details are revealed in Chapter 14 of the manga between the conclusion of Jack the Ripper and the beginning of the Curry arc, which technically this show is supposed to be adapting and yet Francis, Ciel’s future mother-in-law didn’t make her anime debut until Book of the Atlantic came out!
Coming back to this show knowing full well that Ciel should be capable of defending himself on some measure only to see that he really can’t and relies on Sebastian for everything is pretty fucking infuriating, not gonna lie. His overall demeanour isn’t noticeably different from that of his manga counterpart, but it differs just enough to piss me off. If Ciel had no desire for survival, he wouldn’t be the Earl of Phantomhive in the first place. That’s like Peter Parker being forced to learn responsibility from Nick Fury in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon: Peter Parker wouldn’t be Spider-Man if he didn’t already learn the lesson of responsibility from Uncle Ben’s death. Same concept.
Given all of the above, it does my heart some good to know that A-1 Pictures didn’t mess up Sebastian too much. Both in the manga and the anime, Sebastian is portrayed as a more elegant though admittedly less powerful counterpart to Alucard from Hellsing. He too is a supernatural accomplice to a greater mastermind, with all of the wit and sarcasm of a Victorian-era gentleman to boot. I would bring up the level of Sebastian’s power detracting from the overall experience of the show since he’s rarely in any real danger barring the later stages of the anime’s second half.
Still, I just find our butler to the core so fucking enthralling whenever he’s on screen. Sebastian’s own charisma easily manages to make any otherwise boring bit about food, tea, or high society that much more entertaining whenever he’s in the frame. Sebastian’s own ruthless efficiency is nigh impossible for a human to accomplish and yet he’s purposely holding back from using any more supernatural power needed in order to maintain his cover as the Earl of Phantomhive’s faithful butler.
Granted, it’s not like the manga really makes an attempt to explain why Sebastian does things the way a human would rather than simply using demon magic for everything. Indeed, we don’t get any such insight as to why that is until the middle of the Luxury Liner arc. Still, I’ve often theorised that Sebastian needed to maintain some cover so seeing that theory confirmed when I read the manga leads me to believe that the same can be said about Sebastian in the anime. Mind you, this is all speculation on my part but I have no reason to believe otherwise.
The anime-exclusive characters like Pluto, Ash, and the anime’s own version of Queen Victoria are better left to be experienced. I say this not because they’re pinnacles of character growth or development that deeply impacts the lore of the show as a whole. Rather, I say this because the show is so fucking incompetent to the point where these characters make absolutely no sense. A description isn’t really necessary since your reaction to them will give you all the information you really need for motives, investments, and so forth.
Now that we have all of the story and characters out of the way, let’s talk at length about the superficial stuff! You know, animation, art direction, soundtrack, dubbing, that kind of thing. As far as the artwork and animation are concerned, Black Butler has aged phenomenally well. Then again, it’s no surprise considering how A-1 Pictures has always been really good at creating a visually stunning show. In fact, they’ve only gotten better as time went on if the anime from Book of Circus-onward is anything to go off of.
The overall colour palette of the show is fairly muted with lighter scenes having a light grey cast and darker scenes gravitating more toward the blacks and dark blues while also using shadow and limited lighting to great effect. Fairly fitting considering how this is a work taking place in Victorian England and I personally like it because it just adds to the overall Gothic atmosphere that the series both anime and manga strive to achieve.
The thing is though that Yana Toboso’s style involves blending together real life and the supernatural in such a way where it still stays true to the status of the time. The anime does do this as well, but some of their own additions like a shapeshifting naked bishonen with the brain of a wolf kinda detract from how grounded the artwork and animation is in relation to its setting. There’s also another thing that detracts from the overall quality of the animation: CGI.
Now, A-1 Pictures is NOT Gonzo when it comes down to its usage of CGI. However, there are a number of scenes where the viewer is treated to an otherwise well-designed landscape marred only by a bunch of CG horses pulling CG carriages. Mind you, that is fairly minor on the list of transgressions (especially considering how the CG got even worse in Black Butler II) but it’s that nasty habit of A-1 Pictures where they give us such a visual delectation and yet there’s points where the budget got stretched and then there has to be an addition of a CG element to compensate. This is something that also happens in other A-1 shows like Sword Art Online, Your Lie in April, and of course, the other Black Butler animes.
On the subject of stretched budgets, I would imagine that the show tended to rely heavily on chibi gag humour because they’re simpler to draw and easier to animate than the more dramatic stuff which requires proper attention to detail. Make no mistake though, A-1 Pictures didn’t neglect these segments of the show at all. Indeed, the level of polish put into the anime’s gag humour shows a similar dedication that Bones had when they animated stuff like Fullmetal Alchemist, Brotherhood, Ouran HSHC, and so on. I often find myself watching compilations of the anime’s gags because the jokes themselves are actually pretty fucking funny in a vacuum since it’s not detracting from the show trying to take itself seriously.
As far as the audio side of things is concerned, I’m happy to say that the soundtrack has aged gracefully as well. Every background track fits the scene tremendously well and indeed there are many tracks that do stand out in my memory. The one background track that stuck with me the most however is a track called “Si Deus me Relinquit” which is Latin for “If God Has Forsaken Me.”
There genuinely aren’t enough words to describe just how much I love that particular song. If there was any song that could adequately describe what Black Butler actually is, then it’s this particular song. It starts off as a slow, sombre piece where a woman is vocalising the lyrics and it then slowly builds up until a Gregorian chant briefly comes into play. Then the orchestra takes over and turns it into a bombastic, yet also incredibly melancholic tune. This song alone manages to perfectly capture the sheer drama and also inevitable tragedy that Black Butler is all about. This song playing in the background of the show’s most serious moments alone almost makes me look past all of the uncomfortable subtext between Ciel and Sebastian that the anime tries to shoehorn.
The openings and the first ending are also some of my all-time favourite songs in any anime ever released. I’ve been a huge fan of SID ever since I first heard them doing the first ED to Brotherhood back in 2009, so I was completely on board to hear them again. It actually shocked me to realise that SID did Black Butler before ever touching Fullmetal Alchemist, so that kinda made me wish I actually picked it up back in high school. There’s just something so nostalgic and comforting about mid-to-late 2000s J-Rock that makes me get hype to watch whatever it is that’s next, even if I know full well that the next episode is gonna be abject rubbish.
Also, get this: you know how virtually every anime ever released ends up changing its opening halfway through the show’s run? A-1 Pictures actually made a different opening animation but they actually used the second half of Monochrome Kiss by SID for the OP which is so fucking amazing to me. There’s a lot of really amazing songs I’ve been pointed to ever since I first started watching anime, but you never really hear more than a minute and 30 seconds of the song in question. Using the second half of the same (already amazing) song still blows me away because I don’t think any other anime studio has ever done that before or even since A-1 PIctures did it.
The first ED track is actually an upbeat pop punk song from an AMERICAN band of all places called “I’m Alive” by BECCA. I’ve always loved animes that use foreign music for their OPs and EDs. That’s actually part of the reason why I adore shows like Wolf’s Rain and Serial Experiments Lain. What’s more is that again, there’s something really comforting and nostalgic about mid-2000s pop punk to the point where I can’t help but enjoy it. I often don’t like upbeat endings because they tend to contrast horribly with more dramatic scenes that an episode could end on, but this ED is used primarily during a time when the anime isn’t really taking itself seriously to begin with, so I really didn’t mind much in the scheme of things. Hell, the ED animation is actually just chibi segments of Sebastian doing his mundane duties as a butler. I can’t really complain, now can I?
Now we get to the dubbing… and this is the part I’ve been dreading the most. On the Japanese side of things, we’re treated to wonderful performances by the likes of Daisuke Ono, Mayaa Sakamoto, among others. They’re a duo I’ve appreciated listening to going as far back as Wolf’s Rain, so glad to see the partnership continuing here. If you’re looking to stay sub-only, you really won’t have any complaints outside of whether or not you’ll be watching the shitty fansubs from 10 years ago. Of course, you’re probably not reading this part of the review to find out whether or not the Japanese audio is good.
Back when Funimation still held the licenses to the entire Black Butler franchise sans the manga, they produced the dub for this show sometime in 2010. Around this time, Funimation was also working on dubbing Brotherhood since it was supposed to air on [adult swim] in the USA. I haven’t seen this sentiment echoed elsewhere, but I feel like being produced so close to Brotherhood had some degree of impact on the overall quality of the dub.
Make no mistake: this isn’t a bad dub by any means. Well… once you get more than 3 episodes in but that’s beside the point! My biggest issue with this dub is that while Funimation opted to make sure that all of the characters who speak English use British accents, the only ones who are even remotely convincing are Brina Palencia as Ciel, J Michael Tatum as Sebastian, and Lydia Mackay as Madame Red. The Phantomhive servants, endearing though they might be, unfortunately end up spoiling the entire bunch due to their over-exaggerated Cockney accents.
Speaking as someone who actually watched Hellsing Ultimate before coming over to Black Butler kind of disappoints me. I know that Ultimate was originally a Geneon show and that Funimation spent a long time gathering the original cast back together to finish the dub of that show which didn’t happen until 2014 despite licensing a good chunk of the Geneon library back in 2008. Still, was it too much to ask for Funimation to at least hire some actual British people to do some voice acting? Come on man, Victoria Harwood and Steven Brand were easily the best parts of the Hellsing Ultimate dub! My heart would leap out of my chest the moment I heard Steven Brand saying “Yes, my lord” in that wonderfully thick Scottish accent of his. Sadly, it’s a missed opportunity.
There’s also another point of contention I want to make: I love Chris Ayres and Patrick Seitz. They’re both wonderful voice actors and I’ve enjoyed many shows that they starred in. If there’s one thing I must say against them though, it’s that they can’t pull off a fucking Indian accent to save their lives. Speaking as a Desi man, I can’t help but cringe any time I have to listen to Prince Soma and Agni for more than a minute at a time (okay, they’re not that bad but they do get pretty fucking unbearable at times). In Funimation’s defense, I will admit that they’ve been getting better about this since they’ve been hiring more amateur talent now with all of the simuldubs they’ve been pushing out ever since 2015. Still, if Brian George was able to pull off a convincing Indian guru when voicing Guru Pathik back in 2006 for the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I really don’t understand why Funimation didn’t try something similar.
Again, I want to reiterate that this is NOT a bad dub whatsoever and indeed, J Michael Tatum is easily the best part of the dub as Sebastian. In fact, the same cast gets back together to do the voice acting for the anime from Book of Circus-onward and the accents aren’t anywhere near as exaggerated. I can only imagine that Funimation did actually give it their best shot with what they had and they did fairly well but with plenty of noticeable rough edges. Still, any time J Michael Tatum says “Yes, my lord” while Sebastian looks at the screen smiling and kneeling before Ciel is enough to make me swoon. Take the bad with the good and you’ll find that the dub is perfectly watchable. If you get put off like I was at first, just wait until Book of Circus to listen to the dub.
Now we come to the most subjective part of this whole review! My own personal enjoyment of this particular anime. While I do certainly still enjoy this anime on some measure, I can only really find myself enjoying particular bits taken out at random points during the show’s run. From start to finish, this show was kinda painful and even boring to get through at some points and honestly, I feel like the time you spent watching this could’ve been better spent reading the manga.
This isn’t something I normally say, since I used to be such a big defender of anime deviating from their source material because the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime is quite literally my all-time favourite anime and that differed so wildly from the manga. The thing is though that Fullmetal Alchemist was never intended to be a 1:1 recreation of the manga. It wouldn’t have been possible at the time for Hiromu Arakwa to actually keep up with the pace of episodes being released.
Instead, we found the 2003 anime maintaining broadly similar continuity from the manga at the very beginning while slightly changing up certain concepts (i.e. how alchemy works, the core component of a philosopher’s stone, tensions in Ishbal and Lior with the Amestrian government, etc) and then slowly expanding that as the show came closer and closer to running out of manga to work with. By the time that this does happen though, the anime’s own lore and internal logic have developed sufficiently to make sense without needing to rely so heavily on the manga anymore.
To be absolutely sure, the 2003 anime did actually contradict itself at some points and there are still many unanswered questions that the audience is left with considering how fast the final 5 episodes of the show are in comparison to the slow pace of the anime from Episode 28-onward. However, Bones still made an earnest attempt at trying to resolve their loose ends and they actually tried to tell a story that makes sense within the context of the universe that they created.
A-1 Pictures really didn’t put the same level of dedication into their own gecko ending for the 2008 anime, which really is a shame. I genuinely do believe that anime studios should be able to exercise creative liberties with whatever show they’re making. However, I feel like studios need to exercise much more caution whenever they exercise those same creative liberties. From all of the failed projects that I’ve left on the backburner for years at a time, I can easily attest that it is genuinely hard to create.
However, the difficulty of creation is something that shouldn’t be used to justify mediocrity. If you have the nerve to actually go out there and make something, that’s all fine and dandy but please, I beg of you, make sure that you do more than just the bare minimum necessary to wrap up your story. As the wise Hank Hill once said, “whatever you do, you should do it right, even if it’s something wrong.”
One of the things I’ve been struggling with for the last 5 years at this point is just how little joy I really get out of anime nowadays. I used to find myself getting engrossed in the story and characters as I was watching, formulating my own theories on whatever the subject may be, anxious to click on the “next episode” button because I didn’t know whether or not I could handle whatever would come next only to have the autoplay force the next episode in. Those were genuinely exciting times.
Unfortunately, the only things that really seem to come out nowadays are overly ambitious shows that try so many things at once only to fail miserably. Sometimes I was indifferent like if the current talk of the community was something like Re:Zero and other times, I went in hopeful only to come out bitterly disappointed (i.e. Your Lie in April). Coming back to Black Butler for the first time in years actually did briefly bring back some of that joy I used to feel way back when, but unfortunately that joy just doesn’t stick around because of how badly it fucks up the stuff that actually matters.
The fact that A-1 Pictures intends for the 2008 anime to actually be the starting point for new Black Butler viewers is ultimately the worst part about all of this. As much as I adored Book of Circus/Murder/Atlantic, I would’ve preferred it if A-1 Pictures just decided to make a full-blown reboot that was actually faithful to the manga from the very beginning. Then we wouldn’t have people on Kissanime wondering where Pluto, the naked dog man went. But I digress, as I’ve gone blathering about for far too long.
Should you watch Black Butler? Yes, but I’d like to add a LOT of asterisks to that remark. As a fan of the entire franchise, I wholeheartedly believe that you should watch Black Butler… at some point. Honestly, it would make more sense to start off at Book of Circus now because Book of Circus actually has quick flashbacks to important characters pre-Circus arc and the first episode more or less gives you the overall feel for what type of series Black Butler is. I cannot in good conscience recommend the 2008 anime if you’re looking for a good anime introduction to the Black Butler franchise as a whole. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t watch it, as I do firmly believe that you should definitely give it a shot since it’s not without merit whatsoever.
Still, first impressions are important and unfortunately the 2008 anime has soured MANY people on their overall opinion of Black Butler. If you go into this anime knowing full well about its flaws and choose to ignore them for the sake of entertainment, I don’t doubt that you’ll be entertained. It’s really the matter of the show being consistently entertaining. At best, the 2008 Black Butler anime is only passable which is truly unbecoming of any tale told about the Phantomhive family. While I did enjoy it, I’m not gonna be quick to recommend it.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Feedback is always welcome and with that, I’m out. Peace :)
***
This is an updated review of Black Butler I that wrote on 26/6/2020. To put it short, my old review was painfully out of date considering how much has changed since my first review in 2014. I have it saved and I plan to publish it on my MAL blog at some point in time.
Also, another update that I forgot to mention in the main review itself: Funimation has long since lost the rights to a LOT of Aniplex shows that they've dubbed around 2016/2017. You can still stream some of them on Funimation's website and indeed the whole Black Butler anime series is available for you to watch there. However, they no longer produce DVDs/BDs of stuff like Fullmetal Alchemist and Black Butler. Granted, Funimation still has the rights to Book of Circus/Murder/Atlantic along with Black Butler II at the time of writing. So if you wanna pick up a decently priced DVD/BD release, get it while you still can.
Unfortunately, this comes with the grim reminder that Aniplex of America will inevitably try to overcharge us on DVD and BD releases once Funimation loses their rights. The current offering they have for the 2008 anime is a DVD (not BD) release that comes in a posh metal box with some other nice extras, but it costs $120-something USD! If you really want a DVD/BD copy of the 2008 anime, buy a secondhand Funimation release instead. Lord only knows that they've sold enough to keep them relatively cheap.
name93
Usually I wouldn't waste any energy on reviewing such a bad product of entertainment industry, but I, like all people, sometimes just need to let myself go and get the burden of my back. Let me apologise beforehand for such an obnoxiously long review. So let's go. If there is one sentence that could perfectly describe this series it would be: "What an utter waste of potential!" The premise is a boy selling his soul to a demon and then solving mysteries related to the underground society in Victorian-era London. What an epic anime it could have been; a mix of Death Note, Hellsing and Sherlock Holmes- a guarantee of success. But it became the school example of wasting potential instead. Some series just don't have the premise that could make them good. But this - man I was disappointed!
The manga had several aspects that disappointed me, but there were other, redeeming points, and while it wasn't a masterpiece I hoped it would be, it was a decent story to pass time with. The anime on the other hand...
PLOT: 3
The fact that manga was ongoing and provided little material to work with is no excuse. There were enough chapters to make some 10-12 episodes. Instead, they stuck to the manga for the first 6 episodes and then dropped it. The first 3 episodes served as an introduction of the main cast of characters and featured little plot. Episodes 4,5 and 6 were "Jack the Ripper Arc". Speaking strictly about the plot, it was relatively good so far. Even episode 7 was promising - everything looked and smelled like The Hound of the Baskervilles. But beginning with ep 8, it was all over. The series featured a large number of "arcs", very loosely connected, and a number of filler episodes between them.
The basic ideas of the arcs were not bad, but they were horribly executed, too fast-paced ( most of them just 2 ep long ) and ended up making little if no sense whatsoever. The plot holes were not a major issue because the plot itself was just too incoherent. There were way too many facepalm and "WTF?" moments to enjoy anything and I ended up wondering if they were scr*wing the plot and basic ideas on purpose. 3 for the Jack the Ripper Arc.
ANIMATION: 7
One of the main problems of this series is inconsistency. It can't decide whether it wants to be Holmes-like, or angsty, or action series, or supernatural, or just yaoi/ bishounen fanservice for the peanut-brained 13-14 year-old girls. It unsuccessfully tries to be all at once, with the latest category ( fanservice ) prevailing. The animation follows the pattern. At times it's brilliantly depicted 19th century London, very dark and realistic. Then it's less realistic with modern hand guns and cars, thus spoiling the spirit and atmosphere of Victorian era. And then... we have domiantrix outfits, Italian mafia in modern suits, Gothic lolita and Steampunk fashion and very non-Victorian behaviour. It won't bother some, but if you're going with historical setting, then make it convincing, please. Some scenes are well animated and coloured and the visual effects flow well. But then they go with the cheap chibi animation and very bright colours. Pick one! The only bits of series that I find flawlessly animated are the first opening theme and the second ending theme. Nothing particularly special or stunning, but they are well-balanced and go well with the music.
SOUND: 7.5
The soundtrack itself is pretty good, one of the highlights of the show, but it's too quiet for the most of the series. The opening and ending theme songs are well-chosen, especially "Lacrimosa", my personal favourite. I like how they use Latin songs and combination of classical and electric instruments. The jazz tunes caught me off guard a bit, but they are actually quite good and give the soundtrack a distinctive level. If only the other aspects of the series were developed as good as the soundtrack.
CHARACTERS: 3.3
Ciel Phantomhive - In the manga, a well developed character, mixture of Artemis Fowl and Near from Death Note with a strong touch of evilness. Albeit suffering a terrible fate, he stays strong and becomes more ruthless and evil as the story progresses. A spoiled brat, but I like him both as a character and as a person ( there are many similarities between him and I ). In the anime, he's an angsty, two-dimensional character, whose motivations are unclear. Apart from being "out-of-character", his actions are very inconsistent and you can clearly see that the manga Ciel and anime Ciel are two different people. Shota and bishouned tones exponentially multiplied in the anime.
Sebastian Michaelis - First of all, I should point out that Sebastian isn't and cannot possibly be a Gary Stue, simply because he's not human. Yes, he's almighty and perfect, but he's a demon. What good would a demon be if he can't beat up your enemies and make you some fine tea? The bad thing about this aspect of Sebastian is that it backfires when it comes to the plot. In combination with helpless Ciel and incompetent plot-makers, Sebastian becomes "deus ex machina", the solution to every problem and every situation. His wittiness and teasing of his master vanish with ep7 and he shows some serious OOC-ness in the final episodes, when he ABANDONS CIEL ( against the unbreakable contract he's made with him ). In the end, he's nothing but a sex object for the fangirls to fangirl over ( and my only comment to his "special" relationship with Ciel is: paedophilia is not sexy/cute!
Grell Sutcliff - The potential for the badest psycho badass of all time. Had they made him female and more psychotic, Grell could have rivaled Alucard. Instead, we got the overly gay Reaper who likes to wear short shorts. God...
Most of the canon characters are, apart from Madam Red, given no or little ( good ) exposition and don't do much to make the plot going. The only exception is Fred Abberline, who's role in the series is far greater than in the manga.
All non-canon characters are piss-poor and cheap, not to mention badly designed.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: 5
Ruining the premise with the awful plot was bad enough, but the amount of fanservice destroyed it beyond repair. Although I detest yaoi and similar perversions, maybe I could have survived it. But the inconsistency of the quality of animation, mixing of so many genres, the horrible plot, the bad characters... it was too much. I watched it through to the end simply because I dislike not finishing thing that I've started. And I wanted to have all the knowledge of the crap I'm reviewing. So here's my final mark. After viewing the anime I started to appreciate the manga more. To conclude this I'll say again: what a waste.
Rampant
The real crux of why this anime fails to have any impact is the characters. Not a single one is capable of pulling off the swagger they purport to have, summed up by the incredibly terrible "catch phrase" of the butler being "one hell of a Butler," which is always said so apathetically that it makes it even more boring. The main shota-boy is the worst of all, as Ceil manages to pull off nothing at all. Ceil is constantly bratty without being really grating or especially irate because all he likes to do is complain. The series plays up his parents' death making himungodly fixated on revenge, but even that passion is never actually displayed in the series. Another good example of a purely character related flaw is how much time people spend blushing over Sebastian, each time being groan worthy.
Now, of course, the anime had to have some reason I kept watching (even though I was playing Ocarina of Time the whole time), and that was because the plot did have a decent trajectory. It was interesting to see them play out the demons' existence and purpose and Ceil's quest, although it was of course bogged down repeatedly by things like the aforementioned lack of passion and the fact that when it did choose to finally fixate on characters, they were often horrible.
The way the characters are drawn is horrible, but the way the rest of this is drawn is great. I could mostly ignore the characters and look at the otherwise pretty art though (except when it was terribly chibified or the like).
The voice acting is thoroughly mediocre while the music is pretty great.
All in all, it was not enjoyable, really, but was not godawful at the same time, as contradictory as that might seem. I still would never recommend anyone to watch this with so many series that actually achieve being "epic," not merely pretending like this one does.
MrDoe
If this was a one-line review, it would be "A great premise but sadly a bad execution." This anime struggles to find a balance between it's serious overarching story and the less serious comedy of it, a comedy that's often immature and just plain unfunny. Around every turn the anime is clearly struggling between being serious and being immature, resulting in a weird mix of the two that's just not appealing at all. The overarching story has amazing potential, when I read the premise I thought that this might be the not-so-famous cousin of Code Geass, but I was sorely disappointed. While the overall premiseof Kuroshitsuji looks great on paper, the execution is clearly lacking.
The overarching story of Kuroshitsuji is quite serious and you'll notice that early on, in the first few episodes even. But, as the anime moves on you begin to notice that the other things added together to make the complete story aren't so serious at all.
The comic 'relief' that this anime likes so much quickly becomes so abundant that the serious bits instead become the relief. Unlike in Baccano, where the comic relief was memorable and well executed, the comic 'relief' in Kuroshitsuji is too much, too often, and most of the time it's not comedy but instead just plain immature and silly.
While these characters are out of place in this anime, the two main characters of the anime are very enjoyable. Ciel Phantomhive doesn't really have a particularly interesting or great backstory to him but that doesn't matter because he's well executed. His butler, who also is a main character, is great as well. It was enjoyable seeing their stories unravel between the immaturity of the anime.
Other than that, there's not much to be said of the story and characters aside of the yaoi undertones. This is another silly and immature part of the anime. I don't mind so much the yaoi undertones between the the butler and his master, because they are just that, undertones, but when we get a naked dog-man jumping around and licking people then it gets a bit too much. And, of course the female cast is there every step to bleed their brains out of their noses as soon as something even remotely homoerotic takes place.
The animations aren't deserving of any praise either. While they aren't bad they certainly aren't good either. I'm not an animation buff but I clearly noticed how the animators had problems with consistency when it came to the size of people and objects. Another thing was the fact that perspective seemed to be skewed every now and then. The animations aren't so bad as to make you jump up and yell, but if you're remotely interested in good animation this anime will leave you with a somewhat bad taste lingering in your mouth. Again, it's not that bad and if the other aspects of the anime seems to appeal to you the animations certainly shouldn't drive you away, they're not that bad.
The sound is again not something that I can say I noticed too much of either way. There wasn't anything either good or bad enough to make me notice it. Maybe this is just a failure on my part as a viewer and listener, but I didn't notice anything too good or too bad about the sound.
In conclusion, the sole redeeming quality of this anime is the interaction between Ciel Phantomhive and his butler. The serious overarching story is directly countered by the amount of silly and immature comedy you're served each and every episode. It takes a massively long time for the anime to actually get to the main story, and I had more than one moment where I sat and wondered when on earth they were going to get on with it. The anime is also clearly struggling with finding its place between being a serious drama and being a silly comedy. There are very serious things going on in here, there's even an implied sex-scene that's handled with some degree of maturity until one of the comic relief cast decide to bleed all over the walls with her nose. I guess that's what plaguing this anime, the somewhat serious story that's constantly being countered by a massive amount of silly comedy.
All in all, I don't think this will be a very enjoyable anime for anyone. If you're looking for a somewhat serious anime you're not looking for it in the right place. On the other hand, if you're just looking for something to laugh at this clearly isn't it either. I laughed while watching this anime, but it wasn't because it was fun, it was because it was immature and cringeworthy.
eneri
This anime is one of the most breathtaking, gloriously beautiful masterpieces that I have ever seen. It manages to mix in character development, humour and action at the same time. They are all well balanced, so there isn't too much of comedy and such. Though it may not look like it, Kuroshitsuji is a dark series and thus there are lots of thought provoking themes and symbolism. The series is such that you could be crying with either happiness or sadness with the character. To be frank the show had me crying at times I thought I wouldn't. Though there are some questions left unansweredat the end, it is still worth watching.
Story [9]
Indeed, the storyline was unique in its own way. The beginning arc is by far one of the best I've seen. But after it strayed away from the manga, it got a bit floppy around the middle, leaving some unanswered questions and vague hints. The series could definitely maximise its potential if not for the somewhat weaker storyline in the middle. But of course, this is merely my opinion. Don't worry, though it went in a different direction than the manga, the ending is not like soul eater's *cough* The ending was AMAZING, there hasn't been any other ending that made me emotional and depressed for a few days other than FMA, CG and GoTF. If not for the loose ends, it would have been a 10 for sure.
Art [10]
The art is one of the drawing points that led me to watch this series. Sebastian and Ciel's designs are beautiful, and there are hardly any scenes in the anime that makes the characters look weird. 19th Century London was also amazingly done, and it feels like I could have been there. The outfits and also the ambience was equally well done.
Sound [10]
Wow. The soundtrack of Kuroshitsuji is I can confidently say, the BEST I have ever heard. The OST doesn't comprise of pointless yelling and electric guitars. It takes a more .. classical and latin like hymns approach, can't exactly describe it. There are many beautiful melodies that will make you take notice of it immediately. For me, I was so transfixed by the music at the end of episode 3 that I missed out what was being said and had to replay. The songs play a vital role in the emotional impact on the audience. The end of the final episode, especially, wouldn't have so much of an impact if played without sound. The ED 2 , Lacrimosa is so hauntingly beautiful. Matches the dark gothic theme perfectly. The seiyuus were all also extremely good, portraying the characters the way they are supposed to be! The best to me was of course Sebastian. His low voice just makes you melt.
Character [10]
Character development is amazing. You can see the difference from the beginning and toward the end of the show. Their emotional dilemmas are not portayed as an obstruction, but as a way to help the characters grow. Madame Red in particular is the character that I was riveted upon. The way her character came to be, and how it ended.. Just speechless. Ciel is also the same. But no spoilers here!
Enjoyment + Overall [10]
Everything falls into place perfectly, making this anime an amazing artwork, especially with its design and soundtrack. God the ED 2 is still stuck in my head even now, it's just so hauntingly beautiful. Though I was skeptical about this anime initially, I'm glad I picked it up. What are you waiting for? Watch it NOW
guillaumec
Kuroshitsuji or black butler was one hell of an anime. the mix of mythical creatures such as shinigamis, demons, angels with the Britain history is well done. The story is based on some historical facts but of course 99% of the serie is fictive. One great example of a historical fact that they used is Jack The Ripper. The way that they explain those cases with those mythical creatures, is just as it could’ve happened in history without that anyone would’ve noticed it. So basicly they use those creatures to let those cases make a lot more sense. Ciel Phantomhive is however he is still achild the head of the Phantomhive house/company that does all kind of underground work for the queen. The fact why he is the head of the corporation is because his mansion was fired and both his parents died because of that. After that full of despair and seeking for revenge he made a deal with a demon. The demon may eat his soul when he got his revenge. After they made the deal the demon becomes his butler, able to do the most impossible things and doing/accomplishing everything he has been ordered to. When people has something as “what the fuck?!?!” when they saw what he did/can do. He always simply respond “that it is only normal for a servant of the Phantomhive family to be able to do such things”.
In this serie you see the not official power of the queen and a lot of british culture from the end of the 19th century. However his mansion is in Scotland he usually travels a lot to solve the problems of the queen where he becomes confrontated with some people he wants revenge on.
In my opinion it is one of the classic animes that you should’ve watched if you are a anime fan. However there are some reasons why it doesn’t deserve a high point in my opinion. First of all there are a lot of fillers, things as episode 1 and other episodes are not bad but it doesn’t gives something extra at the story. I think they should’ve been ova. Second I don’t think they have completely used the potential it had. you’re probably asking yourself now “why do I need to watch it then?”. Well the biggest reason for me are the characters. Ciel and Sebastian (the butler) are super good and original characters that you won’t find in just any anime. Another great thing about it is how good some episodes are. Episodes such as episode 6,.. and the end also made the serie. It is very weird but after a bunch of fillers there is randomly a super episode that has the feeling of a wonderful end. Everybody probably knows the feeling of a unbelievable end well here they are randomly placed in the serie as well.
For the rest the music fits the story perfectly, it basically is dark church music for the butler and other dark moments and kinda jazz for the normal moments, with this used in the right way it gives the extra right touch it needed. The drawings are nothing special but surely not bad. The most amusing moments for me where when the butler follows his orders, that just keeps surprising me. The characters aren’t bad but nothing special however as I said, Ciel and Sebastian are just superb in every way.
Rey00
This is my first review and I choose to write it about the anime "Kuroshitsuji" Or "Black Butler". So let's get on with it, yes? ~STORY & CHARACTERS~ Both rating 8/10 The story itself was overall enjoyable, though it's not something "completely" unheard of before. The anime "Chrono Crusade" has a slightly similar plot. I think what makes Kuroshitsuji different was the characters. To me the characters were mostly all lovable, even Ciel was, though at times he was an annoying little brat. But that was part of his charm ^^;; I absolutely LOVED Sebastian. I mean, there's literally nothing he can't do xD. And he's alwaysso cool and calm about it :P
~ART~ Rating 9/10
I loved the art. I think I loved the outfits the most due the old Victorian era feel to them. Especially Ciel, Elizabeth and Sebastian were always very well dressed. The character design was nice and simple, but elegant enough to fit the context of late 19th century London. THOUGH, sometimes the men, namely for example Ciel, Finny and Ash, were drawn a little too feminine for my taste and I think that's why I gave the art only a 9 and not a 10. The scenery was beautiful and well done, which I appreciate very much in any anime ^^
~SOUND~ Rating 10/10
All of the chosen theme songs fit the series quite well. I liked the ending songs the most, especially "Lacrimosa" by Kalafina. I thought it was very befitting of Kuroshitsuji: the darkish and mysterious feel without being downright emo. Also the voice acting was great. Every character had the "right" voice, as in the one that suited them the most in my opinion. I was extremely glad that Ciel didn't have the typical "little boy" girly voice, because it would probably made me enjoy his character a lot less ^^;;. The sound effects and others were all great as well.
~ENJOYMENT~ Rating 10/10
Hell yeah I enjoyed it :D. It's very hard for me to come by an anime I truly enjoy (Yes I'm picky =__=") And I had my doubts about Kuroshitsuji at first. But I definitely don't regret watching it. It made me laugh (a lot), it frustrated me (^^;), it even made me cry (can't say why :X) and that, to me, proves it's a good anime. Plus all of the things I mentioned above. It's most definitely worth watching.
~OVERALL~ Rating 9/10
Absolutely a "must-watch". Period. :P Everything coordinates so well, no matter how odd some things and/or characters are.
NameWithheld
To be completely honest, this show sort of pisses me off. The main problem I have with this show is the two main characters. Let's start out with Ciel. He sold his soul to a demon, which is bad enough, but it wasn't even to save a life, it was to get revenge. I can never look past it. I hated him from the first scene I saw him. Thankfully, this show is not stupid enough to frame the decision as a good one, or Ciel as a good person. But it's hard to ignore the center of the plot. Then there is Sebastian. Igrew to dislike him more and more as the show went on. I know the ladies love him, but that smile is something that makes me want to gag. The catchphrase "one hell of a butler", which is actually pretty cool, gets ruined with incessant repetition. I don't find him charming.
The story is pretty clever, the rest of the characters are good, the art is great, and the show in general is pretty funny, but the two main characters are big things to get wrong.
But the thing that pisses me off the most about this show is that I couldn't stop watching. I have serious problems with this show, but there was no part of me that wanted to drop the series. I'm not sure why; maybe the positives I mentioned kept me invested. That's why I have to give it at least a 6. I will also see the second season. I hope it is better, because this show obviously did something right.
ThatCrazyElitist
Black Butler is an odd mix of comedy, drama, fantasy and yaoi undertones. There are few anime out there that can combine comedy and drama without ruining one of these elements, sadly enough Black Butler is not one of these shows. The comedy totally ruins the drama and is often unfunny and immature, the bishies and yaoi tropes were unnecessary and the fantasy didn't make sense. But for some reason, this anime is in the top 50 most popular anime on MAL, why? Probably because it had bishies, a hot butler, nice music, pretty animation and a gay death god that tries to make senpainotice him, oh so hilarious.
~Story~ 3/10
We meet our main character, a 10 year old boy (who looks like a girl) and gives his soul in exchange for revenge against the people who killed his parents and tortured him. Two years have passed and our main character, Ciel Phantomhive, has a demon butler who helps him with his revenge (and cleans his house). Though they don't really seem to care about taking revenge, because they're way to busy with drinking tea and solving crimes. The queen decided to make Ciel her personal detective for some kind of reason, we never really discover why, but now Ciel wastes his time with solving crimes. And for some kind of reason are there always supernatural creatures involved in those crimes, so Sebastian can show of his fabulous demon fighting skills, while fighting them. The first episode was amazing, there was a dark atmosphere, the main characters looked interesting and the plot twist near the end was great. And then everything went downhill, our main character and his demon butler get a mission, they discover that something supernatural is involved, they solve the mystery and Sebastian says "I'm one hell of a butler", then there is another mission or a filler, in the last case the viewer is tortured with the Phantomhive servants (also known as comedic relief no one asked for) screwing up things and sucking at everything except for killing people. This kind of "comedic relief" totally ruined the drama in the anime, even a cliché sad backstory didn't make these servants more interesting, because their only use in this anime is screwing up everything.
The setting also fails, no one behaves like they're supposed to do in the Victorian age. Still, the first part of the story is decent, some episodes were actually good, but the second half was just a convoluted mess. Nothing that happened made sense, characters behaved out of character (Sebastian leaves Ciel for a stupid reason), plot twists came out of nowhere and unexplained supernatural occurrences happened. Only the ending was great, the last minutes of the show were better than the whole second half together. But then, the creators decided to ruin that by creating a sequel that just erased the great ending of the first anime, like it never happened. Amazing job writers!
{CONCLUSION}
The story was decent in the first half and a total mess in the second half. There were way too many fillers and none of these fillers were funny or interesting, they were just a waste of time. Also the gay undertones (everything about Ciel, Grell's behavior towards Sebastion, crossdressing for no good reason and so on) were unnecessary. It didn't add anything to the plot, but it just attracted those annoying teenage girls who love yaoi pairings and name themselves 'missPhantomhive489' on YouTube.
~Art~ 8/10
The animation was very good, especially the backgrounds and clothes. The anime is set the Victorian age setting and the buildings were very realistic and fitted the time period (the behavior of the characters didn't). The character designs were quite feminine, Ciel really looks like a girl even without wearing a dress, but not bad. Every character had their own distinct features, which made them stand out. The animation was also pretty good during the fights and during the comedic relief moments (I still hate these moments, but the animation looked good)
{CONCLUSION}
The animation was great. Yes, bishies everywhere but the backgrounds were spectacular. Not a single character looked boring and the clothes were very detailed. The animation was probably one of the best things about this show. And I have to admit, Sebastian throwing knives and forks at random baddies looks extremely epic.
~Music~ 9/10
The opening song "Kiss of Monochrome" is great and really fits the more dramatic parts of the show. The first ending song "I'm ALIVE!" is an upbeat J-pop song that fits the stupid comedic relief moments. The chibi art style of the animation of the ending song was actually quite amusing. But the second ending song is on a whole new level, "Lacrimosa" is sad, melancholic and extremely beautiful. The background music was nothing special but certainly not bad and the voice acting was very good. Especially Sebastian's voice actor did an amazing job. The music was simply put great.
{CONCLUSION}
The first ending song was okay and the opening and second ending song were amazing. The background music was good and the (Japanese) voice actors did a great job. The best thing about Black Butler was the music, and that is not meant as an insult, the music was just damn great.
~Characters~ 2/10
Our main character is a snobby, spoiled, edgy, teenage bishie, sorry Ciel but you're not only an annoying person, you're also a bad character. His motivations are unclear, his behavior is inconsistent and drinking tea does not make anyone seem 'cool'. Also, he's just a walking mannequin, the creators were too busy with making him wear fancy dresses to give him a likeable (or at least tolerable) personality. Sebastian is just a hot and perfect butler, he seems more like a perfect boyfriend than a scary demon. Which was probably on purpose, because now the fangirls have someone to ship Ciel with, or themselves. Though he has as much depth as a paddling pool, he's enjoyable to watch (something that can't be said about Ciel). His fighting scenes were pretty cool and he has style. And of course, let's not forget 'I'm one hell of a butler'. He's a badly written character who's a joy to watch. And then we have the Phantomhive servants, they were useless, whiny, annoying and not funny. Their 'sad' background stories were extremely cliché and they ruined every attempt to make this show dramatic (or a bit more mature). Grell is a gay shinigami, who wants to bang Sebastian and just like the servants, his role is to ruin every attempt to make this show serious, oh and his constant nosebleeds are not funny at all. And there is Elizabeth, the most whiny and useless love interest for a protagonist since Misa from Death Note (and even Misa has more brains than this walking candy cane) and her attempts to make everything 'cute' annoyed the heck out of me. I was literally cheering when Ciel tried to slap her. Every other side character is either boring or horrible (aside from Undertaker, he was pretty cool).
{CONCLUSION}
It it so difficult to create cast with at least one character who's tolerable, let alone well written? Ciel is a edgy, whiny and spoiled teenage boy living in Victorian England, but behaving like he lives in the present. Sebastian (that name is so damn cliché for an English butler) is way too perfect and lacks any form of depth, but it's a joy to watch him kill people with knives and forks. Grell is a joke, he's gay for Sebastian and that's everything about him. The servants are annoying 'comedic relief' and Elizabeth has a place in my top ten most annoying anime love interests. She did not a single useful thing in 24 episodes, not a single thing! The rest of the cast is not even worth talking about and Undertaker is okay.
~Enjoyment~ 5/10
This was my third anime and when I watched it for the first time, I actually enjoyed it, but when I rewatched it, I realized how flawed this show actually is. It is possible to enjoy this anime when you're either new to anime in general, when you just want to have some fun with a supernatural show without thinking to much about the story or the characters or when you love yaoi undertones and bishies in dresses. It's not a horrible show, but the plot is a mess, the characters are weak and the yaoi undertones are annoying. Still, if you have a lot of time to waste or you just want to turn of your brain, then you might want to watch this show, in every other case, there are way better anime out there!
{CONCLUSION}
It's an under average show. Certainly not the worst anime, but also not worth the praise it gets and the enormous fan base. If you value you free time and prefer good anime, I would suggest that you skip this show. Oh and fans, can you please stop making creepy Ciel x Sebastian fanart? That's pedofilic demon yaoi, just don't. Peace!
Blazestar
Kuroshitsuji, or Black butler. What an interesting concept. Supernatural beings living in the 1800s London. Having a demon as your butler, living in a mansion, doing detective work for the queen her majesty. I have not watched any of its sequel yet, so I'm reviewing this based purely on the first season. STORY (Concept 4/5, Development 2/5) Story is a fairly weird part of the show. The structure of the arcs reminds me of Darker than Black and Cowboy Bebop. Every episode or sometimes every two episodes concerns of a certain event that involves certain characters. The problem is, instead of leaving the arcs tothemselves, the writer keeps elements presented from these arcs weaving around until the very end where the grand finale that draws all the things happened before together.
I dislike shows that doesn't have a continuous plot, so I don't like how the story is told in Black butler.
The main problem I have with this type of story is that, the author tries too hard to make all the connections, but fails to make the individual arcs interesting.
---The following paragraph may be considered a semi-spoiler for some audience---
The Indian Prince arc for example, serves a purpose of introducing the Queen's butler. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it is just that the butler barely got any screen time in the arc. This leads to the problem that when Queen's butler actually becomes a major character, nobody knows anything about him and the "connection" the writer tries to make starts to feel forced.
---Potential Spoiler Ends---
What frustrates me the most is that the ending of the series is actually really cool and awesome. Despite the fact that I forced myself to go over the series so hard before I reached somewhere around episode 16, the ending did make me say "Wow."
Another thing I'd like the mention is that most of the time I always thought this is a slice of life anime. It just doesn't feel serious enough with all those fooling around by Ciel's servants and other trolling characters. Which means this anime cannot, and should not be marathoned if you want to enjoy it to the fullest.
All in all, I think on a grand scheme the story is actually pretty good. But when you actually go in and enjoy it, it fails to grab my attention and it was BORING.
But why would so many people love this series so much? Let's go in to the characters.
CHARACTERS (Design 5/5, Development 3/5)
The main Characters are Ciel and Sebastian.
The mighty Sebastian is really a virus. I do admit I fangirled him quite a bit as a healthy heteralsexual male. He is simply so cool and calm and awesome. He is artistic, gentle and occasionally, inhuman on both emotional and physical levels. Sebastian Serves as a ultimate weapon that only unleash his full power at critical moments.
That alone is already great enough for people to stay in front of the screen and watch the show. The problem is however, Sebastian never needs to consider any potential danger serious matter until the very last arc. This bothers me a little bit since Sebastian did not change at all throughout the plot: His relationship with Ciel doesn't change and his ideology stay intact.
Ciel is a 12 year old noble who is the last seed of the grand Phantomhive family. By making a contract with Sebastian, he escaped the fire that killed both his parents. As a young noble who suddenly becomes responsible for his family pride and duty, he grow as a determined child over the course of time spent with his Butler. Ciel, unlike Sebastian, did change his ideology and experienced some personal growth from the events, which is quite pleasant.
Ciels' other servents, (A chef, a gardener, a maid, and a recorder) all serve as plot relieves. Even though they are eventually introduced with background stories at the end of show, they are... irrelevant for the must part of the show.
Other characters such as grim reapers' association, which acts as a third party that always help (except the first arc) Ciel and Sebastian unintentionally, is an interesting addition as well. Nothing such as development can be considered, so they are purely for the supporting role.
To wrap things up, the characters are interesting, and I see how the female audience enjoys it so much. But objectively speaking, they are not that well presented.
GRAPHIC (Art 5/5, Animation 2/5)
The art is very beautiful. It shows the wonderful landscape of the old England. The character are also very pretty and appealing, Ladies are pretty and the men are cool, especially Sebastian. However, many scenes are way too simplified and becomes like kids' comic style drawing. I suppose this is just my personal dislike since some people like lots of funny and plot relieves.
The animation however, fairly weak. The action scenes are not well rendered, which makes them... fairly boring. That said, Sebastian's power are still amusing to watch. Still images are literally found anywhere to the point where I felt closing my eyes and listen to the anime is more enjoyable.
Art is very good, but the way they animated isn't that great.
SOUND (OP/ED 2/3, OST 2/3, Dub 4/4)
The opening and ending, to be honest are very great songs. I actually like them so much that I don't skip them and enjoy the beautiful combination of animation and sound. However, if you remove the graphic and listen to the songs by themselves... They become quite forgettable.
OST are also on a okay level. Definitely not memorable. But they are not trash either. They are simply too plain and doesn't stand out with the dialogues. But after all, they are only OSTs, they are just supposed to be served as background in the show.
Ha. I have no freaking idea why you should resist the dub at all. Unless you are a native British person who hates American people try to speak in British accent, there is absolutely no reason to not like the dub. This is not saying the Original Japanese is not good however. Both are very emotional and well acted. But why would you NOT want BRITISH English in a show that has the old BRITAIN as the stage???
ENJOYMENT (6/10)
I did not like it for the majority of the show, but the ending sort of made everything up. As a person who loves serious, continuous plot, I don't find myself enjoying the series too much. This is not to say that it is not good. If you watch them maybe 2 episodes a day, it should be fairly enjoyable. If you are a fan for Sebastian... Well, good for you, you will love it.
Again, for the last 8 episodes, I did enjoy them. The story became serious and interesting. So, I felt it was a good series after I completed it, but during the time I watched it, I didn't.
OVERALL (7/10)
I can see why people loved it. The concept was simply unique and brilliant. But if you look at it in a critical point of view, it kinda... failed to be a respectable piece of entertainment.
Don't get me wrong, I think everyone should watch it. After all the ending is great and for people don't mind episodic stories and easily get intrigued in the settings, this show is golden. For others, it is still worth a shot since it has a very unique concept and style comparing to the rest of the animes.
Peace.
PapaSomm
Mood. Moody. Moodiness. This is a “different-from-other-girls,” quirky goth girl’s wet dream. Set in Victorian England, a dark depressed rich boy orphan and his relentlessly sexy demon butler take to detective work while not forgoing lessons in etiquette. This is Tim Burton's vision of a Sherlock Holmes Story; I was surprised Johnny Depp and Helen Bonham Carter didn't make a cameo. The characters have all the charm of the Addams Family, and the atmosphere is as rich as Bela Lugosi's Dracula films. Sophisticated sexy. Your guilty pleasure. One to watch on a rainy day. Did I mention it’s gothic and moody?
cheropteran
The thing that sets Kuroshitsuji apart from a lot of other shows, especially the over-hyped shounen anime that most people (myself included) have gotten used to, is just how damn dark it is. It’s a show where evil triumphs… and that’s a good thing. It’s a show that isn’t afraid to kill off characters. And just when you start thinking that maybe Sebastian, for all his demonic powers, isn’t such a bad guy, his utter apathy for the death that unfolds around him shocks the viewer back into the realization that the hero of the show is just plain evil. In fact, it seems thatmost of the characters are shady bastards with hidden agendas, leaving the audience rooting for the forces of evil. Ah, the refreshing feeling of evil winning. [insert maniacal laughter here]
In most anime worlds, revenge is a fruitless endeavor that never fulfills the way the avenger hopes it will. Most anime, especially shounen anime, exist under the assumption that good will always triumphant over evil (eventually) and that fighting in the name of friendship, honor, or for the sake of others will guarantee victory. So that must make Kuroshitsuji the opposite of shounen anime. The hatred and revenge that dominate Ciel’s heart is what drives Sebastian’s loyalty, and as long as their contract remains, Sebastian’s demonic strength will overcome any of Ciel’s enemies. So, the moral of the story is, live for hatred and a demon will make all your wishes come true. Selling your soul for the win! But I guess when the hero of the show is a demon, evil is going to win over good… and everything else.
CopyNinja89
Ok, my first review. please be kind! English is not my native language so please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. Okay, first of all I will be comparing this series to the original manga, mostly because well I'm following it and it is pretty awesome, but also because I began to read the manga when this series first aired and I wanted to know what it what about before I saw the anime. I'm going to start with animation and music, and then end with story and characters. The animation is good but not great. The animations style is very similar to X an anime seriesreleased in 2001, which had fantastic animation. However there are two problems with the animation in Kuroshitsuji compared to X. The first and biggest problem is that the quality of the animation is not consistent. Some of the scenes are really beautiful, while others are really amateurish. And this is something that really bothers me. If you can't keep the quality on the highest level consistently through the whole series, then don't. It is distracting, and don't look very professional.
The second problem is that it is to brightly colored in relevance to the mood it's trying to set.
If you listen to the soundtrack separately from the series, then it sound great and it really fits. But in the anime you can barely hear it because the volume is to low, especially the music that isn't cheerful or bright. It is a big mistake they did.
The opening theme is fantastic, especially with the first animation opening. The animation is perfectly matched with the music. But the second one not so much. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea that you keep the opening theme but change the animation, however it does not work in the second one. The animation don't keep up as well as the first one did and the images don't grip you the same way the first one did.
And the endings? Liked them, nothing more to comment on really.
Ok, time for the characters and the story. This is were some of my real problems with the series lies. Both Sebastian and Ciel is... I would not say completely wrong but there is some misinterpretation here.
Yes, agree with some of the of the other reviewers, Ciel is a little brat in the anime. And sure he is a little brat in the manga to, but he is far more likable and interesting. Mostly because in the manga they really go into what has happened to him in his past better, and because he there really seams like a child how had to grow up to fast. But, yes he is very poorly executed in the anime.
Now on to Sebastian. He is not a Gary Stu. I will say that again. He is NOT a Gary Stu. He isn't that type of perfect. Yes, he can do amazing things but that is because he isn't human. He is a demon and therefor extremely strong, and well... awesome. He was written specifically like this because of who he is.
However I can see why he doesn't work that well in the anime. And that is because he is well... to nice. In the manga he isn't kind or nice. He gives an appearance of being that but that is only because that is the role he has been ordered to take. He doesn't give a rats-ass about the other servants or Ciel. What he does he does for himself and not for anyone else. The only reason that he does what Ciel tolds him to is because they have made a deal. The ordeals that Ciel is put trough amuses him. He is intrigued by humans and find them interesting even though he does not care about them.
And this is one of the biggest problems. There is a big misinterpretation when it comes to Ciels and Sebastians relationship between each other. They're not supposed to have attachment towards each other that they way have they have here. It doesn't work as well as the type they have in the manga.
On to the story. After the Jack the Ripper part things go downwards. At first it is problems with what kind of mood the series want to have. How dark it is supposed be. But then it just stopped making sense. I don't want to spoil to much, but at the end you just sits and wonder why, how and what is happening. It feels a little that they just threw things in that they though could work.
Unfortunately Kuroshitsuji is an series that couldn't deliver when it ran out of source-material. It gets confusing and somewhat annoying at the end.
The beginning is great, they keep very close to the original story but things just goes downhill. One of the main problem is that it isn't consistent with ether animation nor the darker elements of the story.
You can still watch it, and if it makes you interested in the manga then fine. But this is one of my disappointments of great manga-series not getting a proper animated adaptation
TheFukoMaster
Kuroshitsuji is an awesome anime. It is filled with darkness, and even a bit of humor. It is very good for people wanting a thick plot that leaves you with answers and wanting to figure everything out. Thankfully, there will be a second season coming out to (hopefully) explain everything. STORY: 9 All right. Kuroshitsuji had a strong plot. It was full of twists and surprises. It started pretty light at first, but it kept getting darker and darker. If you're looking for something like Hayate no Gotoku, then DEFINITELY stay away from this. Ciel Phantomhive is a spoiled kid who has a demon butler. Simple, right?Not at all. We learn that although Ciel is only a child, he can get into some pretty deep stuff. Unfortunately, because of his age (12), it was a little hard to believe. But you will eventually become used to this. It has a lot of action and death, which kept it very interesting. It not only covers those categories, but it also covers psychological things. It really is amazing.
ART: 9
The art is awesome! They really portrayed London well. Everything to the background and clothes was really detailed... sometimes. The colors were dark, which really fit the mood of the anime. Not much to say about it. You can tell that Ciel wears the most fashionable things. Obviously. Everyone has a distinct look about them. The art sometimes loses it's details and lacks, but only occasionally.
SOUND: 8
Ehh... not much to say about sound. The openings and endings were okay. Nothing really memorable, although I did like the first ending, but that's just me. The seiyuus were great, though. They spoke a bit of engrish, which was entertaining to hear.
CHARACTER: 9
The characters were great! Ciel is really spoiled and mature, but that only made me pity him that he could never be immature. It was weird watching a child be so stoic. He RARELY ever smiles, and is very bossy. Sebastian remained mysterious throughout the whole series, but I suppose that that was intended. He is completely "loyal" to Ciel. But he does not really seem to care about his well being. The side characters all have their own background, which was actually pretty shocking. I won't give anything away, though.
ENJOYMENT: 9
The enjoyment was high because of all the suspense and surprises. Don't underestimate this anime. It really sucks you in and keeps you watching. The contract between Ciel and Sebastian (a.k.a. Sebas-chan or Sebby) was interesting.
OVERALL: 9
Read the whole review. (I'm getting really lazy.)
I recommend this anime to people who want a great plot with good characters with questionable motives, and a lot of mystery...
KKAJ
When I initially watched Black Butler my view on it was a lot more positive, though far from something I would have even then called great. After having read the manga though, it has become very apparent to me just how much the studio fumbled with this adaption. They basically only adapted the first few episodes out of the manga and the entire rest is all anime only plot. Characters like Ash, Angela and Pluto have never appeared even once in the source material and the storyline portrayed there does not hold a candle to what the manga was doing. I got at times uncomfortablewith the suggestive vibes Sebastian gave to Ciel and whilst I know that he is a demon, you do not want to get in contact with the Ciel x Sebastian shippers who are genuinely a few of the weirdest people I have ever met. The entire ending of the anime only gave birth to the abdomination that is the second season of Black Butler which is even worse and which I'm probably going to review later on. If you want the real Black Butler experience, watch the first few episodes and then immediately go to Book of Circus since for whatever reason the studio picked years later up where the manga story line was meant to go.
PushMePullYou
Taking a break from my usual BL/GL binge habits to review some borderline BL content. Which this show definitely qualifies as, to my unending disgust. Now, some background information on Black Butler. The manga is not, and never was, intended to be a yaoi. I don't know where this rumor started, but it needs to die. The BL elements in this series can be laid squarely at the feet of this adaptation, with no input from the original mangaka. Now, it's no secret that Kuro season 1 was adapted from maybe four chapters of manga initially. This has... interesting knock on effects on characterization, but moreon that in a minute. It's a fair looking show for 2008, cgi horses notwithstanding, with fairly crisp animation, and an art style reminiscent of shoujo series for the time. This does, unfortunately, mean that the art is essentially frozen in that awkward sample of what the characters looked like in the first volume of the series, but that's not uncommon for anime. Just compare the art of Stardust Crusaders with its manga counterpart. The art changes a LOT over the course of a manga. The music is fitting for the setting, but I can't say I found it particularly memorable, either.
Anyway, characters. And the butchering thereof. Ciel Phantomhive feels... off, in this adaptation, mainly in that his layered personality was almost entirely stripped away, and his bratty elements flanderized to the point where I initially joked that he was Sasuke in a blue wig. He's edgy, where I felt he should have more weight and poignance to his words, probably because he's based entirely on four chapters of manga before A1 Pictures went off to increasingly do their own random filler material.
Sebastian is a complete mess, his sinister elements downplayed to the point of actually seeming to deeply care for his charge, which misses the point of his character in the source material entirely, while also casting him in the unfortunate role of 'seme' to Ciel's 'uke' in the subtext of the show. More on that little pile of gross in a minute. Essentially, he's a loosely bound eldritch abomination in human skin, a monster hiding behind a mask of servility, who would eat Ciel in a heartbeat should he falter in his agreed-upon task, but this anime turns him into a near-perfect ubermensch character who endlessly quips about how he's 'simply one hell of a butler'. You see my problem. He's an exceptionally flat, boring character in the anime (if you're not blinded by the hawt bishonen mans), and that impression it left of him on me actually really impacted my enjoyment of him in other material. He should never have been cast as a hero, and any producer worth their salt would have understood this.
Grell Sutcliff was flanderized to a ridiculous degree, becoming an annoying fangirl for Sebastian rather than a rather saddening look at the struggles of 1800s transpeople by way of Bayonetta. A1 ironed her character flat.
Elizabeth's writing is a true disservice to fans in this adaptation, treated as an annoyance at best, with a godawful screeching voice in both dub and sub, with none of the subtle touches she had, even early on. Some of her lines are simply rewritten or cut, making her sound uncharacteristically selfish for a character who is(spoilers) actually giving up a lot in a misguided attempt to make Ciel happy. Given the open shipping of Sebastian and Ciel in the anime, this almost feels intentional, to discredit an actually interesting straight ship for Ciel that is also not pedophile bait. I could go on, but the characters all have the same problem for the most part. They are shallow, annoying, and poorly developed, with A1 Pictures clearly having only a surface level understanding of the source material at best.
So, pedo bait, you say? Oh, yes. Sebastian's predatory (literally, he's a demon), mentally scarring behavior is completely downplayed in this anime, and Ciel's PTSD is cut, despite appearing prominently very early in the manga, all in the interest of having shots of Sebastian crouched suggestively over a thirteen year old boy, while statue wings behind him make him look like an angel. As embers from fireworks fall down around the unfortunate pair, I have to wonder, who at A1 pictures was masturbating frantically to shota porn before penning this storyboard. Sebastian and Ciel's relationship is complex, yes, but this series strips all nuance of their mutually antagonistic, predator-prey dynamic and replaces it with gay fanservice. I'm all for gay, just look at my list, but thirteen year old/immortal demon who looks at least thirty is a yikes from me. Apparently PTSD is too dark for this soft, PG production, but man/boy love is A-Ok. To make matters worse, somehow, it's very apparent from Ciel's original characterization that he's a CSA survivor, something that later became cold fact in the manga. Tween CSA survivor x Grown Man. Bad pedo, no biscuit. And speaking of biscuits...
Pluto. Pluto harpoons the atmosphere of the series. It's so bad, he gets his own section. The whole point of Black Butler is that it's 1800s realism with a smattering of supernatural elements based on Victorian beliefs about medicine. Nobody knows Sebastian is a demon, aside from other supernatural entities. The supernatural is hidden from the mundane humans of the setting, barring extreme, often deeply traumatic circumstances. The intrigue of the series relies on this. Pluto is a naked man who acts like a dog, and can transform into a giant, reality-defying, fire-breathing, obviously supernatural dog at will. All this, while also being fodder for the worst filler episodes in Black Butler. Uh... Pluto bad. Next.
Essentially, this adaptation of Black Butler is ground zero for everything wrong with the anime series as a whole. The ongoing confusion amidst fans over how the Book Of series connects to this anime is a great starting point. The mess they made of adapting the Curry Arc, cutting large segments of Agni and Soma's characterization in favor of wacky, non-canon stuff about curry buns curing possession, makes its connection to Book of Circus nebulous at best and jarring at worst. Everything following the curry arc is non-canon, and written like a cookie cutter supernatural shoujo from 2008. It's pretty bad. The villain's motivations don't make sense, Sebastian is treated as the second coming of Christ, and everyone is horribly out of character, even for this show. To make matters worse/even more confusing those who don't read the manga and go straight into Book of Circus, even the first three short arcs are not adapted even slightly faithfully, despite being published at the time, for... reasons? Why, A1? Why did you do this?
In short, A1 Pictures made the Black Butler fandom explode into prominence on the internet, and for that it should be praised, but it also is solely to blame for the most enduringly awful elements of that fandom. If you like shoujo from the 00s with underage gay baiting, you might find it tolerable, if a bit bland. If you want the dark tale of intrigue and sacrifice, heaped upon the shoulders of a small, traumatized boy, and have a pedo-apology free, cohesive, well-written experience, go read the manga, because you won't find it here.
Edit: After watching a video essay on the work that went into adapting the Nabokov book, Lolita, to film, something struck me as applicable to Kuroshitsuji's adaptation to anime. Lolita features a predatory older man abusing a young girl while occupying a parental role, sexualizing her actions, and is told entirely from his warped perspective as an unreliable narrator. A camera is a far more objective lens, and in Lolita's adaptations, Humbert (the narrator in the book) is often portrayed as suave and cultured, almost perfect, as if his description of himself in the book were objective reality. In Kuroshitsuji, there is a predatory eldritch abomination, abusing and traumatizing a young boy while occupying a parental role, portraying himself as the perfect butler on the outside. He shields Ciel from the light, anyone who would think to help him, and intends to devour him. He blinds others with his seeming perfection, so that they don't question his intention, or notice his lies. He jokes that he is 'simply one hell of a butler' as a way of poking fun from behind his facade, of signposting that he has pulled the wool over the onlookers' eyes to the point of being able to joke about it with none the wiser. The anime, likewise, takes this mask of quasi-angelic perfection that Sebastian uses to disguise his intent as a predator, entirely at face value, just like what happened with Humbert Humbert, the pedophile in Lolita. Both cases feature an adaptation of works staunchly condemning child sexual assault that end up sexualizing children instead. Regardless of A1 pictures intent in making this adaptation, they've warped and distorted the intended message of the series beyond recognition by buying into Sebastian's act, in the same way Kubrick did when he made the Lolita film adaptation.
