Kuroshitsuji: Kishuku Gakkou-hen

After 7 whole years, Black Butler has finally gotten an anime sequel that a lot of fans, including myself, have been waiting for. Ever since Book of Atlantic came out, we've asked ourselves about what's next in store for us, anticipating what's coming next. And now that the continuation is here, one question remains: Was the wait worth it? In my opinion, it is, in fact, worth the wait. Not only being an amazing adaptation of the manga, but also being a very solid arc overall.

As we know, this season's Black Butler was adapted by a different studio, and while some people were excited, some ... were worried too. But now that it has finished, I can definitely say that there wasn't anything to be concerned about. It is without a doubt as great as previous seasons, specifically Book of Circus, Murder, and Atlantic. There were, however, some dislikes among people about the anime's new artstyle in particular. Saying that the Public School arc's art is not only more colorful and about how Sebastian's design is worse, but also that the overall tone and vibe are not darker than previous seasons. For the latter, it is clearly not the case. While there were more comedic scenes and less tension at the beginning, slowly but surely, it builds up as it usually goes with Black Butler, reminding us that it is overall a dark fantasy and mystery. As for the former, there's not much to say other than the fact that, at the end, it all comes down to preference. Personally, both are good in their own perspective ways. However, regarding Sebastian, some people have judged too quickly, I won't go into too many details, but all that needs to be said is that it didn't need to be a concern after all. All in all, CloverWorks has done an overall good job with this adaptation.

Now, as for the plot itself, after the whole event at Book of the Atlantic, Ciel and Sebastian entering a public school to investigate the disappearances of students may seem underwhelming at first, but the start's similar for the majority of the arcs adapted already. This arc itself could simply be considered a build-up for the series' overarching story, or, in other words, the calm before the storm. Even taking into account the subtle foreshadowings and mysteries revealed. This has always been one of Black Butler's biggest charms.

To sum it up, even with A-1 Pictures being out of the picture, this season has managed to retain the qualities of the previous seasons, even with a studio and art style change. and overall, worth waiting for a long time. As of writing this, there hasn't been any announcement of a sequel, aside from a post-credit scene indicating of Emerald Witch, Black Butler's next arc. But again, even if it takes weeks, months, or even years, it wouldn't be a problem as long as it remains to receive good treatments.

really nice for now, initially I was skeptical about the change of style, in the first 2 episodes especially the animation is mechanical in certain parts, but now it has improved a lot.
After 7 years of waiting I'm really happy that they animated this arc, which despite being a little less "dark" than the others is very interesting.
I hope we could have a fifth season with the Emerald Witch arc, which will bring back a dark tone to the work, I'm sorry that many didn't even want to give this season a chance due to the change of studio animation, without reflecting on the fact ... that this arc is different in the manga too, it doesn't have a too "dark" tone, it's the calm before the storm that comes later.

So, it's finished. After some years and after getting a new studio to adapt school arc, those results are really promising.

First of all I have to point to graphics probably. Those arts and animations are just amazing. From the overall graphic of characters to really well-made details as Ciel's eyes or reflection and movement of the water in cup of the tea. It's really something what will catch your eye in the first seconds.

Of course some art and animations are not the most important here. Despite many people being worried about story adaptation and design of characters, I would say it ended up pretty well. ... School arc was interesting one, with a lot of twists and details as much as funny situations.

My personal issue lies simply in ending, it feels kinda "meh". Some longer conversation with main antagonist here or a bit better final episode would make just an honor to this piece.

Also it's amazing even after years we have same voice actors for the main characters. It definitely brings some nostalgia after years.

I don't agree with some opinions that the entire feeling or aura around Ciel and/or Sebastian has been changed. I am pretty sure some people have been watching previous seasons much younger and simply created some fake reasons for themselves to like it or to hate it. While I would agree that Sebastian's aura couldn't be seen that much in this arc as there have been some plot-wise limitations, I still seriously think he maintained his picture, behavior and feeling. And this applies to Ciel as well. I especially love how they maintained through years and different studios his small facial expressions and his overall mood and thus they basically kept his aura as well.

In the end it has been a great season and I hope we will get another one, as we could see in post-credit scene some hint for the next arc. Good quality stuff for Kuroshitsuji fans as this season brought good things from previous ones and discarded the bad ones.

An unexpected renewal of a beloved anime classic. An enjoyable, while slightly disappointing experience.

This 'Public School Arc' was created for the fandom to embrace nostalgia. Listening to the original English dubbed cast bring our favourite characters back to life, while ushering in a new era for Black Butler franchise. With exquisite animation, a solid rock-based OST (That reminds audiences of the original series), and positive character-development behind the two male protagonists. It was refreshing seeing Ceil and Sebastien work alongside one another so effortlessly, while simultaneously not being dependent on one another. Both are able to act alone to move the plot forward. This made ... the two appear as equals for the first time, not only as master and servant, nor as demon and prey.

It should be stated that this season is a pale comparison to the original plot line. Not having the same menacing undertones as the previous three seasons, it didn't shake the audience with unforeseen twists or create a void of despair (as the demon butler Sebastien craved) after the affects of Lord Phantomhive's orders.

No, this was a far more lighthearted and predictable story. We see Ceil masquerading as a young student in high society and excelling among his peers, never neglecting the heartlessness of his true nature, but presenting a relatable side to his usual arrogance. Likeable side-characters, with unfortunately underwhelming motivations. The concept of old English traditions, social edict and shameless brainwashing was present, but also exhaustingly drilled. The humour and wacky actions to move the plot were delightfully placed throughout the season, making each episode enjoyable (though, lacked real impact).

One large benefit to this adaptation was that it able to create ties between 'The Book of Murder' OVA and 'The Book of The Atlantic' Film. Relinquishing their tags as meagre cash-grabs.

Regardless, this is still a recommended watch. With an open ending after the 11th episode, audiences are excitedly awaiting a follow up season. Hopes are high that we may see the ruthlessness and sheer devastation of the original, since it's obviously laying down the foundation for something much bigger to come.

I think any fan would enjoy this season as much as the last.

This season so far, with a few epsiodes out at the moment. It's great!

Animation is a million times better.

The dub cast seems to have fully returned and they kept the accents!

Characters act just how I remember

... The Goofyness has also kept the same.

It really does feel like I'm just re watching the show again but with a new coat of polish.

Personally I love the animation the most. It's soo good and the shading really adds to it! It's so pretty overall and does almost eveyone justice!

But there are some downsides i will admit. But personally I don't have any major complaints. Just small ones like the colors being a little dull. But it fits with this show and it look beautiful as is with duller colors


But overall. If you loved black butler and embrace the cringe middle school you that once loved the show. I think you'd love this season and will wish for more.

And if not, that's your cup of tea to choose :)

They need to make these seasons longer again. Some of the best Black Butler content is them milling about, getting involved in random shenanigans and stumbling upon mysteries. The finale was a great reminder of this. Public School has some great arcs and plot development but it rushes to a messy and hasty conclusion. Brings in a lot of expository elements and callbacks to quickly wrap up a story that should’ve gone way deeper and at least another 5 or so episodes. That said I love this show, they have something inexplicable with Ciel, Sebastian, the Victorian setting, the balance between humor and drama. I ... love watching it through its ups and downs.

I honestly really enjoyed this arc more than the others T_T I'm just a sucker for these infiltration plots. The beginning really hooked me and I don't really watch anime anymore. The art style is nice but I honestly prefer the old one as it seemed more gothic and more true to the nature and aesthetic of Black Butler. Ciel is too brilliant, and although there is a lack of fight scenes it focuses more on strategy games which is pretty thrilling to me. I think the tension and the pace was rather good, and the build-up was fantastic. I'm glad they created this season ... albeit 7 years since the last one... The end credit scene on episode 11 (which really seemed to be a filler...) suggests a prequel so I'm hyped for that. If there are any downsides, for one Viscount Druitt came back (EW) and they had a very questionable cricket scene showing Harcourt after poisoning. Japan strikes yet again smh. Did not like that.