Some Spoilers Ensue...
This season is hands down THEE best of the show so far. I just loved season one and two, but this one was absolutely gorgeous. It is probably my favorite anime airing this summer. It was engaging, disturbing, emotional, funny, scary, and ultimately heartbreaking. I always know when a show's good because as I reflect back on it, all I can think is how sad I am that it's over and how much I wish I could watch it again not knowing what the outcome would be like.
Story: This season follows the manga almost exactly. It introduces a slew of new characters, all of which are vibrant and exotic. Under the Queen's orders, Ciel is asked to investigate a number of child dissappearances that come about when the Noah's Ark Circus is in town. The first half of the show was entertaining and cool as we were being introduced to everyone. It featured Will the Reaper which was a nice touch (though who wouldn't want more Grell?), and had some great demon/reaper banter. Ciel was out of his element also which was interesting to watch. As we progressed with the story though, things started to take a dark turn, and we were treated to some of the most awesome reveals and twists solidifying this show as one of my favorites.
Animation: As always, it's devine. The characters are gorgeous and the scenery and colors are beautiful. The horror was well done, and graphic enough for my taste which is cool because a lot of anime I've seen usually cut away or make the blood black...this did not. The circus itself was also gorgeous and the characters' tricks and traits were visually stunning...especially Sebastian. =)
Sound: The voice acting in this show has always been above par. Sebastian and Ciel's voice actors are mesmerizing and portray the emotions of their characters perfectly. All of the new voice actors this season were also brilliant. The OST music as well was just stunning. It was also a nice touch to add the "Tom the piper's son" song in giving us this goosebump feeling when Joker sings it. The opening and ending themes were both some of my favorites as well. You can't go wrong with SiD, but the ending theme (and animation) were the spotlight of the themes.
Characters: As I stated before, we are introduced to a wide variety of new characters in this season. At first, I was kind of upset Grell wasn't in it, but he comes in with a bang at the end...as does The Undertaker (in a breathtaking scene), and the Phantomhive servants. There's a part where Finny goes from cute and loveable, to downright scary in a matter of seconds. The beauty of this season is how much they make you care for these characters before ripping them away from you...somewhere, Yana Toboso is just laughing at us.
Overall, I adored this season. Everything was well thought out and portrayed beautifully on screen and I just don't know what else to say...my favorite show of the summer.
10/10
Watched Subbed.
