Kuroshitsuji (AKA Black Butler) Anime Review

A spoiler-free review of the anime Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). I don't tell the story - I only give a review and commentary. A CHRISTIAN EVALUATION is given at the end, for some viewers.

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

 

A spoiler-free evaluation of the dark anime drama

 

Title: Kuroshitsuji

Alternate Title: Black Butler

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Horror/Action

Episodes: 24

 

Synopsis: When Ciel Phantomhive, heir of the wealthy Phantomhive family, witnesses the tragic death of his parents, he vows to get revenge on the killers. In order to carry out this wish, Ciel forges a pact with a demon named Sebastian Michaelis " Sebastian will serve as Ciel’s personal butler until the time that Ciel is able to exact his revenge. When Ciel’s parents have been avenged, Sebastian is permitted to kill Ciel and devour his soul. But can Ciel escape from the horrid fate the awaits him? Perhaps he doesn’t want to….

 

Plot: I held high hopes for the plot of this story. Unfortunately, my hopes were completely dashed. When I expected to find an intense and fast-paced thriller careening toward an epic conclusion, what I found instead was a semi-interesting plotline held together by numerous filler episodes. Ciel’s attempt to get revenge for his parents’ deaths takes him on a journey toward doom, in which he encounters reapers and angels alike. Don’t get me wrong, the concept of Kuroshitsuji’s angels (and the eventual direction the plotline takes with them) intrigued me most of all. Well, that and the promise that Sebastian would get to eat Ciel’s soul. Despite these hopeful bits of action, I was still disappointed with the series.

            As the series draws toward its conclusion and the various plotlines draw together, I will admit there are some startling revelations. However, none of them really intrigued me enough to excite me. The plot wandered to the point that, honestly, I remember very little of it already. I do remember that plot lines and characters were tied nicely together and had significance (no matter how small) in the ending of the series. That doesn’t make up for the slow and repetitive pace of the series, though. While there were some points that I laughed, there were far more points when I was staring at the clock, wondering how much longer the episode would last.

            I’d like to point out that the storyline itself is not a bad one " the writers of the anime just could have done a lot better in my opinion.

 

Characters: Sebastian Michaelis " the reason that most girls watch this show in the first place, right? I’ll admit, it’s not hard to watch 24 episodes with him. However, his good looks and unshakeable charm got a little stale after about 10 episodes. While it was entertaining to watch his incredible fighting abilities, it just wasn’t enough to replace the lack of flowing storyline.

            As for Ciel, the main character, don’t even get me started. Suffice it to say he is one of my least favorite characters in any show, ever. His entire personality and way of doing things just irked me for 24 episodes.

            The minor characters " Pluto and the servants (particularly Tanaka) were entertaining, but for the most part (at least until the end of the series) they seemed rather useless. I understand why they have to be there, but we don’t need 3 or 4 episodes of doing nothing so that we can get to know them better. 1 or 2 episodes would have sufficed. All in all, the characters in this series far from live up to their reputations. And as for Grell " well, his absolute eccentricity, creepiness, and occasionally comedic lines cannot be put into words. Although I do like the concept of a reaper with tiny little scissors.... J

 

Animation: The animation of Kuroshitsuji is fluent and pretty. I enjoyed the show in that respect. There are no sudden jolts in movement, and the colors are appropriate for a dark series like this one. In this respect, Kuroshitsuji definitely succeeds.

 

Music: I cannot say that I truly remember the music in this show, which is unfortunate for the composer. I was never impressed, but the music wasn’t bad. As for the lyrics in the opening theme, well, we’ll discuss those in a later section.

 

Ending: Despite my lack of interest in the rest of the show, I did enjoy the ending. Throughout the course of the series, you wrestle with yourself about whether or not Sebastian will fulfill his contract and devour Ciel’s soul. The ending resolves this issue, although I won’t tell you what happens. I was happy with the way it turned out, and I think that the writers couldn’t have pulled off the dramatic scene any better.

 

Recommendation: I would not recommend this show, as I don’t feel that it is worth watching. The storyline itself has so much potential, but the disconnected way that it comes across really destroys the impact and enjoyment of the series.

 

Audience: I don’t recommend Kuroshitsuji for viewers under 18. Some implicit themes are very mature, and young viewers can find many images to be frightening (when I say young, I’m meaning like 12 or under). The storyline can be a bit unsettling at times.

 

Final Grade: 2 out of 10, for a poorly executed storyline, characters which grow old quickly, and an unsettling homosexual overtone throughout the entire series.

 

For the Christian Audience: As stated in the paragraph above, I found numerous references or hints at homosexuality. Sebastian, Ciel, and (obviously) Grell were the culprits. In addition to this, the opening theme is filled with suggestive lines. There are a lot of people who disagree with me, who say I’m reading too much into it. It seemed blatantly obvious to me, at least. As a matter of fact, I have a difficult time finding a picture to attach to this review because most pictures portray Sebastian and Ciel in a suggestive way. In addition, one explicit sex scene is shown (somewhat unexpectedly, as in the events leading up to it happened very quickly and I wasn’t aware it would happen until it did). While language is not generally a problem, the inappropriate theme of the show is disturbing. Also, the concept of angels and demons (particularly in the way they are portrayed) can be very unsettling to sensitive viewers. Conclusion: Christian audiences should avoid this anime!

 

 

Want to buy Kuroshitsuji? Click the links below. I’ve set up the links so that you’ll go to a new page to view the item, then you can click and go to the store to buy the item! Enjoy!

 

Click this link for Season 1, Part 1: <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wyvernwriter-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004AJDEBE" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Click this link for Season 1, Part 2: <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wyvernwriter-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004GZZH94" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Author's Note

Have you watched Kuroshitsuji? Tell me about it!

Reviews

[Sapientiam]

I'm a Christian, but the reason why I didn't like this anime had nothing to do with religion or the homosexual themes, at least for me. I kind of got bored with the show when I began. The first season, I could hardly get into it, so I gave up. Then, I watched a bit of the second season and I got bored (plus, I hated Alois XD). Book of Circus is a different story because I could actually get into the plot and I loved it. From then on, I haven't watched much of the future stuff. I agree with you for the most part on your review. I will say that the soundtrack and animations were brilliant, but the execution of the story could have been better. It was worth the shot, though. ^ ^

[Carrie Ott]

Hello all! Thanks for reviewing! I'm sorry I didn't respond quickly to your comments -- life got in the way :) I can certainly understand (and agree) that one can remember one's own values while watching something, as you said, Jazique. As for season two...that's a toughie. Actually, I'm not sure that it's out in dub just yet. It will be soon, I suspect.

Sebastian was very intriguing, and he too was my favorite character. I suppose the series just isn't really in the vein of things I typically enjoy, and it received such criticism from me because, certainly, there is a story (and an intriguing one at that), but it didn't really seem to manifest itself well until very late in the series. It seemed, I don't know, haphazard? Then again, perhaps that is the way it was meant to be, in fitting with the overall character and atmosphere of the show.

I'm glad that many of you at least understand why some people may not like it. Still, I'm also glad that all of you loved it! It's great fun to find finally find a series that appeals to you, you know?

Like I said, thanks for the reviews!

[Just Me]

I'm fourteen and this anime is in my top five favorites! I loved it-- especially Sebestain! Though I get why some people may not like it, I wouldn't rate it a 2 out of 10.

[Lemontine]

Well I'm 14 and I watched it. Believe me, it's fine! I loved it!

[Jazique]

I have watched this anime and it is in my top 10 favorite animes even though I am a Christian I'm just one that remembers her values while still enjoying a good show. Speaking of a good show does anyone know where I can watch season 2 English dub.

[Silver Michaelis]

I agree with the last part. I myself am not Christian; I'm fourteen and this is my absolute favorite anime. I can understand why some may not like it, and I don't disagree with you totally. Nice review!