Chilling. Mysterious. Horrifyingly ADDICTIVE. These are a few words to describe this masterpiece of an anime, that entails a heart-wrenching story, which not only captures the minds of those keen on murderous and mysterious themes, but those who crave an endearing story, creating a strong bond between the characters and those who watch it.
The story was IMPECCABLE. Although I admit I have a massive bias on, being that Black Butler was my first anime, thus I had nothing to compare it to.. I am able to recognize flawlessness when I see it. The tragedy of the background characters is PERFECTLY balanced, originality, uniqueness, not one hint of superfluousness. I honestly commend the creators on the order in which they staged the plot, Ciel, the young protagonist, with a writhing vendetta against his throttling abuse as a child, was a decadent transition to introduce a devilishly charming demon butler, Sebastian, who could grant his searing vengeance. What gives this story bonus points, is that although it is not centered merely on Ciel's revenge, but adds a tinge of murder and mystery, as well subtle foil from his pitiful sociopath of an Aunt, Madam Red, other characters met along the way, and the quirky, doting, common housemates who provide a comedic relief to prevent the story from becoming too dark. Additionally, IT IS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE (minus the obvious little bit of embellishing to add more intensity), making it also a joy to watch for those who are easily turned off by inaccurate information.
The art is merely beautiful. There is no other way to describe it. Every character is done with their own individual style, not like some anime, where all characters have exactly the same features, minus differently colored hair. Also, EVERY character is well drawn, not just magnificent main characters, and obviously neglected side characters. The colors are vibrant, superior animation, and fighting scenes, all around professionally done.
Addressing the sound... I am just awe-stricken. The music was picked so carefully, to fit each scene. A variety of French, German, American, and Classical tunes were picked, and not only add a delicate cultural spin, but wonderfully framed each scene. Live orchestras were used to record the background music, not only synthesized, which is quite rare in a technological centered world.
The character development is just so well done. It is obvious that the creators thought this out well. Each character has a RELEVANT contribution to the overall theme, even if you don't realize this in the beginning. This is something many anime fail to do, as they leave loose ends untied, but the creators left nothing, which wasn't intentional, pondering in the thoughts of the viewers. The relationship between Ciel and Sebastian is very realistic, which you do not often find. Many times, character relationships are over-exaggerated, however with Ciel and Sebastian, the creators do not fluctuate the relationship, even at the demand of fans. They kept the relationship at a level one would expect of a butler, and a master, making it much more easily related to, in the real world. As well as adding a much LARGER positive reaction when something minor occurred between the two.
I thoroughly enjoyed this anime, and I am confident that any specific type of anime lover could also enjoy this, as it incorporates aspects of several genres. Not one unneeded action, and never leaving one bored, or severely confused as a product of plot neglect. It is overall an outstanding anime that anyone can divulge into!
