Review of Black Butler

A good set-up. Boy survived a tragic past and makes a deal with a devil to avenge his family, after which he'll lose his soul. So you already know where it starts, and how it will end, and you look forward to the journey and the mystique that surrounds it. Why killed his parents and why? How and why did he make a deal with a devil? Many nuances! After the good intro, it slows down quite a bit, becoming a rather episodic detective-style "whodunit" with a bad-guy-of-the-week. Many episodes are rather forgetful, but certain elements or characters are important to the plot, so it's abit of a contrast.

Near the end of the show, it speeds up and the show focuses on resolving Ciel's mystery. However, it also goes ball's crazy, and as I understand, diverges heavily from the manga, leading to a confusing mess (in my opinion). The final few episodes confused me to no end, and I have so many questions! But at least, the show ends in a satisfying manner.

The side-characters are alright, a bit of comic relief. Wish they had gotten more backstory than they did.

Music and art is fine. They went for a very particular style which may feel a bit dated, but I believe that's the point, and it works well. It sets the mood for the Victorian era!!

I appreciate they used many real historical events and stayed somewhat grounded, usually. I suspect there's a whole bunch of messages and philosophical hidden meanings I didn't quite get.

Black Butler is about the strange relationship between a bitter noble boy and his secretly-devilish butler who seemingly likes his master, but will eventually suck out his soul. A curious relationship.

There's some ups and downs, which brings me to recommendation. If it really intrigues you, by all means, it is rather unique. But if you're on a tight schedule, maybe skip.

PS: I'm not going to watch the second season, as I believe the first season is a fine send-off.