Kuroshitsuji

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]

Michaelis, Sebastian Main

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Phantomhive, Ciel Main

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Sutcliff, Grell Supporting

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Undertaker Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Finnian Supporting

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

Mey-Rin Supporting

Katou, Emiri Japanese

Midford, Elizabeth Supporting

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Spears, William T. Supporting

Sugiyama, Noriaki Japanese

Cainz, Drocell Supporting

Katsu, Anri Japanese

Kadar, Soma Asman Supporting

Tachibana, Shinnosuke Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maruyama, Hiroo Producer

Shimizu, Hiroyuki Producer

Maeda, Toshihiro Assistant Producer

Reviews

Mar 17, 2024

MizuhoKamui

Recommended

This show is definitely my thing. Let's divide it up by seasons the way Funimation does. The first season begins in an uncertain atmosphere, darkening the audience's mood and revealing only parts of Ciel's life two years after the meeting with Sebastian. We get to know the characters and how they interact with each other, then some 5 minutes on the introductory video we see Ciel naked with a red cloth and he seems to be talking with a crow. The story, however, is leisurely paced with the focus being on the characters and their conversations.

Others exist only to provide the needed comic relief. Bardroy's ... cooking disasters, Finnian's failed gardening attempts, and Mey-Rin's clumsiness does add some humor, but they are too one-dimensional. Even Tanaka, who is different from them and has a weird look, is not noticed much for a long time. The main characters are Sebastian and Ciel, who are fortunate to be better than the blundering crowd.

Ciel seems to be an egocentric child in spite of his sophisticated environment. On occasion his decisions does not make sense to others but the decisions seem rational for him. His lust for vengeance, though understandable, seems like a rather worn out cliché that could have been written in a way that was not so predictable.

Sebastian is my top pick among the other characters because he is so self-aware and smart. In contrast to Ciel's habitual mumbling, he would be dealing with all of the issues with ease. Others might say he is too perfect – a typical Mary Sue. However, his indomitable expertise and his resemblance to Ciel's father appeal to the audience and thus add substance to the narrative.

It has an atmosphere similar to Spice and Wolf, where the conversations are of the political nature and set in the Victorian era. However, it has more action up front which keeps the show interesting. The animation stays pretty good, but does not try to create something special or unique, which is a common feature of the era. The CG parts are rare and look good as they blend well with the natural elements and do not go overboard. The hue does not stay drab, but, at the same time, is not oversaturated.

The Japanese voices are good. Some characters' voices feel forced, like May-Rin and Bardroy, but Sebastian's and Ciel's voices hit the mark. The music is a standout, with a dark J-pop opening contrasting the sweeter ending, providing a perfect balance to the show's darkness.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 5, 2023

PapaSomm

Mixed Feelings

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?

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 13, 2024

KKAJ

Not Recommended

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 uncomfortable ... with 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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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