Review of Black Butler

Before taking an anime hiatus, the name "Black Butler" seemed to keep popping up everywhere I went. From fan art to posters and symbols, the name had been etched into my mind before I even got anywhere close to watching this show. Seeing how boring my summer actually was, I decided to go back to watching anime and the name Black Butler was the first thing that came to my mind. After doing a quick Google search, I saw a bored kid with a weird eyepatch (was this show about classy sassy pirates?), and also skimmed through the description of the first episode(which involved a servant trying to cook a guest he had just put in the oven). Already, this show was starting to look not only pretty wacky, but also strangely morbid and disturbing , so I almost didn't go through with watching it, but hey, anything's better than going out and melting under the scorching summer sun.

Having already developed a bit of a negative bias towards this anime, I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it, let alone fall in love with it, but then again, falling in love is always something unexpected. After overcoming my initial surprise about how funny and pleasant this show actually was, I noticed some other positive aspects such as the art, the music, the voice acting, and, of course - the interesting characters and the intricate story.

Since I was already attracted by the compelling premise involving the whole deal-with-the-devil theme, I was pretty much ecstatic when I found out that the show was set in Victorian England. Having already fallen in love with Ashita no Nadja many years ago precisely because of its European setting and enchanting depictions of period costumes and architecture, I knew that Kuroshitsuji would not disappoint in this aspect.

Surprisingly, the art not only met my expectations, but also exceeded them by far. Besides the lavish architecture and costumes, the colors used were also very aesthetically pleasing and sophisticated. Furthermore, the use of so much color was in itself unexpected for an anime constantly dealing with death, demons, and general creepiness.

Another thing which I didn't expect for such a PG-13 show was the amount of blood involved. Although it was nowhere near the pointless and ridiculous gore of Elfen Lied, it did "come out" quite often and there were even some random flying limbs involved every now and then, but hey, I guess it was all for the sake of art.

Nevertheless, the attention to details like the intricate patterns on the tea sets and cutlery as well as the wrinkles on shoe laces and bows made every moment of this show gorgeous and memorable.

However, what would a pretty setting and detailed backgrounds be without dynamic characters and an interesting story? (Well, probably Sword Art Online, but that's not the topic right now).

Besides being beautifully designed and animated, almost all the characters also happen to have interesting backstories, odd quirks, and very unique personalities . Although the protagonist could easily be summarized as a bit of an immature brat who only wants revenge (and doesn't even know how to tie his own shoelaces), the reality is that Ciel is far more complex than that. From a traumatic past to a depressing near future featuring his imminent death as well as a chaotic present, you can definitely see why he behaves the way he does and why he would make a deal with a demon.

Although even less is known about this demon than his current master, he still manages to convey a strong and cunning personality which not only seduces and charms everyone around him within the anime, but also many of those who watch it from "the outside" (after all, he was named the top male anime character and best "husbando" at least two years in a row. Or something like that).

However, it's not just the individual personalities and backstories (or lack thereof) of the two main characters which make this show so appealing, but also their relationship. Although it is meant to be that of a master and butler (or servant, if one were to simplify), having the latter be after the former's soul makes it difficult to decide who controls and overpowers who. Additionally, this dark butler also acts as a chef, teacher, companion, and anything else his master might require, which sometimes makes him look more like a caretaker or parent figure rather than a purely evil demon. (This is further reinforced by the fact that the MC is an orphan who has been living without much love and affection for quite some time).

While this relationship is both very difficult to define and extremely entertaining to observe, there are of course other characters, relationships, and interactions which also come into play and make the story all the more interesting. From cross-dressing shinigami (or Death Gods) to the Queen of England, this anime has everything to take you on a wild ride while making you laugh and cry along the way.

Furthermore, the characters are not only brought to life through the power of beautiful art and animation, but also through that of amazing voice acting. Although Daisuke Ono is in a class of his own and uses one of the sultriest and most beautiful voices I have ever heard in anime for his role as Sebastian, other seiyuu like Fukuyama Jun and Hiroki Yasumoto also never fail to surprise and delight with their equally impressive vocal ranges and amazing performances. The success of the Kuroshitsuji seiyuu events as well as the awards won by Ono-D for his work in this show should therefore come as no surprise. (What does come as a surprise, however, is the fact that a vacuuming robot featuring phrases by Sebastian Michaelis was actually being sold in Japan. Guess there are people who are even more obsessed with Ono-D's voice than I am, huh).

For the record, I also tried to check out the English dub but this was very brief since I simply couldn't stand Ciel sounding like a whiny, constipated little girl. Although he is voiced by a girl in Japanese too, he doesn't sound as one as much as he does in English. Sebastian, on the other hand, sounds pretty great with an (unfortunately fake) English accent as do the other characters. Having a special (though also fake) accent for the Indian characters was also appreciated since they didn't get one in Japanese.

Besides the fabulous voice acting of the main and supporting cast, another great aspect of this anime (which also happens to be really underrated) is definitely the music. Although Yuki Kajiura didn't compose the soundtrack for this show, her band Kalafina is featured repeatedly and makes a beautiful addition to all the other music used in Kuroshitsuji. Besides Kalafina's Lacrimosa and Becca's "I'm alive" as the ending songs, the opening theme called "Monochrome no Kiss" is also pretty awesome and fits with the overall mood of the show really well.

However, it is not just these songs which deserve praise and admiration, but also those original ones used as background music throughout the series, such as "La gardenia" and "Die Hasen". Although I personally think it would have made more sense to use more songs in English since this anime is actually, well, set in England, I think that the music director did a wonderful job in incorporating not only different European languages into the soundtrack but also some more classical and darker vibes. Besides German, English, and Italian, the show also features songs in Latin and Hindi as well as themes reminiscent of Gregorian chants. Consequently, this makes the anime feel, if not entirely English, then at least very sombre, European and Victorian. Despite the bad pronunciation by some of the artists who sung the songs in German and Latin, the Japanese tenor who was hired to sing the songs in Italian has an impeccable accent and makes them sound, if not entirely like opera, then at least like classical crossover or operatic pop. This makes Black Butler the perfect combination of modern and Victorian, hence overall timeless and cosmopolitan.

Although it may not be everyone's cup of tea, Black Butler is a beautiful and unique anime that is definitely worth watching. Whether it be for the original story and wonderful characters, the gorgeous art, animation, and music, or the random quirky humor, it has something for everyone and is therefore difficult to define or categorize simply as "another shounen show". For me, the only problem was how creepy and disturbing the anime got towards the end, but since it is likely that this was what the creators had originally intended, then this should probably count as a strength rather than a weakness.
Consequently, while Kuroshitsuji may not be THE best show I have ever seen in my life, it is certainly ONE of them and therefore holds a very special place in my heart and soul (as well as my MAL favorites, of course). If you're asking yourself whether you should watch Black Butler, then, in the words of Sebastian Michaelis, all I can say is "Yes, My Lord."