Black Butler 1 and 2/Kuroshitsuji 1 and 2 Anime Review

I would like to emphasize that this is a review on the ANIME not the MANGA. The mangaka of this wonderfully twisted story is Toboso Yana. The anime is already completed, while the manga is still ongoing (I believe).

Girl with silver hair: Angela. Guy with white hair: Ash. Bleeding boy: Ciel. Black haired guy: Sebastian. Guy with log: Finnian. Red haired girl: Mey-Rin. Blonde haired dude: Baldroy. Image from www.madman.com.au

Basic facts

Title: Kuroshitsuji, also known as Black Butler

Author(s): Toboso Yana

Genre(s): Historical, Supernatural, Drama, Tragedy, Shounen, Horror, Comedy, Mystery, Action, Psychological (according to www.mangahere.com)

Season 1: 24 episodes

Season 2: 12 episodes

**Some episodes are TV-MA

Anime grading: A-
Would I watch it again? Yes

Left to right: Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis
Image from www.japanphillyorg

Black Butler is very unique. It is about a boy named Ciel Phantomhive, dubbed as the Queen's Watchdog and the earl of the wealthy Phantomhive estate known for its toy production, who lost his parents and is doing anything and everything to get revenge on those who humiliated him and his parents. Revenge is so deeply wounded in him that he went as far as to make a deal with the good-looking demon, Sebastian Michaelis. The deal was that Sebastian must help Ciel get his revenge and when that is accomplished, Sebastian may devour his soul. And so the tale of the demon butler and the wrathful earl begins.

Honestly, as I am writing this review, I am utterly speechless. This anime was a treat, but not the kind that is sweet. Rather this one tasted so dark, bitter, and delectable. Just one bite and you're confused as to if you want to watch more or not, but you go ahead and watch it anyway and you don't know why. At least that's how it was for me.

If you are new to anime and you haven't watched any anime shows AT ALL, then I would not recommend watching Black Butler first due to its somewhat graphic nature. However, if you are interested in feeling those chills run down your spine, then go ahead! This show is packed with intensity, suspense, and horror and it has a lot of action in it as well.

One of my favorite, heartwarming episodes..."ning!" (from left to right: Baldroy,  Mey-Rin, Finnian). Sorry! I forgot to add the source! I believe it was from www.japanator.com

Season 1 of Kuroshitsuji was great. The plot is the strongest asset of the story; there is a wide range of colors when it comes to characters (Grell Sutcliff is amazing!); the whole Good vs. Bad/ Angels vs. Demons is striking and brings you to the edge of your seat…everything just mixed in well.

However, Season 2 was kind of a let down. To put it in a way so that I won't spoil anything or reveal too much—for me, the ending was just…bland. I felt that the ending was not the huge BANG that everyone was expecting. It seemed as if this was created to please the audience, just something for the fans to feed on.

From left to right: Ciel, Sebastian, Claude, Alois. Image found on www.fronttowardsgamer.com

Other than that, the thought behind this project is marvelous. It totally contradicts everything since the protagonist is living in the shadows and accepts the darkness, while the antagonist are the angels who want to change Ciel and everyone else for the better. Normally, everyone would be rooting for the angels, but in this case, you can't help but cheer on for Ciel and Sebastian (I don't know whether they would be considered good or bad). It's so common for the good to always win and the bad to always lose, but this anime is just refreshing, wicked, and intelligent. I praise the mangaka for giving us an eye-opening story.

Kuroshitsuji widens your perpectives and shows that there is always something deeper to everything. Whether it's to find love, make someone happy, or get revenge—we all have a purpose in life and we attain it by dancing in the light, by struggling in the dark, or by staying in the middle of both worlds. And what is life? Well, it's simply a game of chess.