Review of Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc

I can’t believe that, out of all the Spring 2025 seasonal anime, I’d end up placing Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc on the podium, mostly because Witch Watch is a second cour series. Honestly, this just shows how weak this season was overall, because Emerald Witch itself is quite inconsistent. The premise was strong. As someone who is an anime watcher only, it felt like we jumped right into the action, supposedly picking up from the second half of the Public School Arc. The setting was intriguing, the mystery had potential, and Sullivan and Wolf were excellent additions to the cast, especially since by this point,the main Phantomhive group feels a bit stale, with their personalities already fully established.

Both the opening and ending themes stood out too. They didn’t sound like typical anime songs, but they fit the show’s atmosphere perfectly and left a strong impression.

However, despite the strong start, the middle portion of the series struggled badly. The heavy use of recaps dragged the pacing down, making it feel like nothing more than filler. It honestly seemed like they only padded the runtime to tie this arc with Public School Arc for a combined 24-episode run, possibly to fulfill voice actor contracts or to squeeze more money from Japanese viewers via Blu-ray releases. Realistically, the story could’ve been wrapped up in just 10 or 11 episodes.

I vividly remember one episode that had about nine minutes of recap, plus three to four minutes of opening and ending credits, leaving less than 10 minutes of actual new content. Expecting fans to wait a full week for that feels insulting. Even worse, it wasn’t just a one-time recap episode as they kept repeating the same recap scenes for six or seven episodes in a row. If they were going to be this lazy, they could’ve at least gotten creative by having different characters narrate the recap to offer new perspectives.

The mystery itself was well-crafted, and I liked how they put Ciel and Sebastian into a "handicapped" position, which was a refreshing change of pace, but the resolution felt too rushed. The explanation made sense, but what followed afterward felt underwhelming, leaving me thinking, “That’s it?” The whole arc landed in a very mediocre spot for me.

What ultimately saved the show was its final stretch. The animation, dialogue, voice acting, and atmosphere were all outstanding, reminding me just how good Black Butler can be when it focuses on its strengths instead of wasting time with unnecessary recaps.

In the end, Emerald Witch Arc was a mixed bag: a strong beginning, a painfully weak middle, and a fantastic ending.