Review of Black Butler: Book of Circus
The new Black Butler: Book of Circus is an anime adaptation to Kuroshitsuji: Noah's Ark Circus which left off after the Curry Contest Arc of Season 1 (Episode 15/Chapter 23). For those people who haven't seen Black Butler 2 yet, don't worry: that season isn't canon. For those who've already seen Black Butler 2, totally disregard that season when watching this one to fully enjoy yourself. The ending of Black Butler 2 left many unsatisfied; however, Noah's Ark Circus made it up for me. This arc had every characteristic of a typical Black Butler arc: a dark story, psychotic characters, and a mysterious setting. However becauseof its length, this particular arc had much more to offer in terms of character development and story. However, every other aspect such as the art and sound/music stays true to the original series.
Story:
The plot is everything I expected from Black Butler, but more. Initially, it may seem like any other Black Butler arc where people get killed, kidnapped, tortured, and the perpetrator is at large where it's up to the protagonists, Ciel Phantomhive the Queen's Guard Dog and his demonic butler Sebastian Michaelis, to get to to the bottom of the crime. However, the story is more developed than previous arcs as it is the equivalent of a single season of most anime, about a dozen episodes.
Each arc in Black Butler focuses on a particular character or group of characters. Due to this arc's length compared to some of the original series' arcs such as the Curry Contest arc, the characters' are more well-developed and invested in; therefore, the story is more developed.
Characters:
This arc introduces a little more than half a dozen new characters. Due to most of them being circus performers, each is unique in their own way. Everyone has their own gimmick and character traits. For example, as his name implies, Joker is the most cheerful, silly, and charismatic performer among the circus folk. Initially, I was given the impression that each of them were psychos who committed crime for entertainment under the mask of a typical performer. However as the series progresses, the characters are shown to be more human than most antagonists from previous arcs who were either crazy or monsters in nature. This gave me a sense of irony as circus performers are stereotypically portrayed as freaks of nature rather than humans. This ultimately made me more emotionally invested into these characters despite being the antagonists.
As for recurring characters, let me just say that my perspective of the Phantomhive household and Ciel have changed quite a bit.
Art:
The art of this installment is no better nor worse than the original series'. Aside from a few differences in color and finishing touches, it is difficult to distinguish this arc's artwork to that of the original seasons. However because of that, I really had a sense of nostalgia when watching. In addition, the overall animation seems up to date, not that it was outdated a few years back.
Sound:
Recurring characters retain their previous voice actors, which are perfect anyway. The new characters receive voice actors that fit very well so no complaints at all on the voice department.
The opening theme Enamel by SID, who also did the previous Black Butler openings, builds up excitement and energy for me, which is a great aspect for opening songs and definitely did not expect less from SID. Coincidentally, the ending theme Akira by Aoki Tsuki Michite calmly concludes each episode with almost a sense of sadness and even a sense of excitement for the next episode.
As for the music/OST that plays throughout each episode, I honestly don't remember any song that stood out to me. Usually a certain song sticks with me for each anime I've seen, but not this one. However, don't get me wrong. This just shows that the music must've blended in nicely with the atmosphere of the corresponding scene; as a result, I never noticed them. Furthermore, this made me focus more on the scenes rather than the songs. This was also the case in the original series for me. However, it would have been nice to look forward to the release of the OST to download for my favorite song, but alas: no song stood out to me.
Enjoyment:
It's safe to say my feelings were tampered with a lot in this anime, most notably by the characters and their backgrounds. However, I absolutely love it when an anime makes me bipolar. Emotions. Feelings. Frustration. It's such an experience to have your feelings jump left and right, especially during the last few episodes where the climax is. Although it is not uncommon for an anime to affect my feelings, it is rare for an anime to do it right. This anime definitely delivered.
Overall:
Overall, Black Butler: Book of Circus is undoubtedly one of the best of this season of anime. I would even venture as far as saying it is one of the best this year. Story is familiar yet different. Characters are well-developed and diverse. Art is nostalgia provoking. Sound/Music blended well with the atmosphere and suspense. Enjoyed this anime more than most anime in the past year and that's saying something because there were so many great anime in the past year. Highly recommended for those Black Butler fans out there. Also, the sequel Book of Murder is set to premier next month on October 25; therefore, you shouldn't waste time. Watch Book of Circus now!