Black Butler

This may be the most well written anime series I've seen. Not that it was Oscar-worthy writing, but most of the writing I've seen in anime has always been the thing that prevented me from really loving it. This series doesn't have the lazy, shortcut type of writing that simply fills the plot gaps. It actually builds different stories to support different themes.

Anyways, the series themes of revenge and redemption are woven together well with well-crafted story lines. This isn't an anime with non-stop action, but it does have its share of dark supernatural battle scenes, as well as witty humorous battle scenes. There is quite a bit dark humor in different parts of the series, but it's balanced out by traditional anime slapstick comedy (which I'm actually not a fan of and part of the reason it didn't get 10 stars).

If you watch the dubbed version, the translation and acting are all excellent. Some hardcore anime fans complain about the fake cockney accents, but they're mostly limited to some supporting characters. The voices for the two main characters (Ciel and Sebastian) are portrayed terrifically and are true in tone to their Japanese voice counterparts (I saw season 2 in the subbed version). Simply put, this may be the best job of versioning I've ever seen in anime. In its early U.S. import days, anime had horrible translations in both subbed and dubbed versions, due to what I expect as literal translations of the script from Japanese to English. Funimation has really done well in this department, as they've taken the meanings of the original Japanese script and rewritten it in English with English idioms and phrases that work perfectly with the characters and themes, rather than just lazily taking the Japanese words and translating them directly into English words, creating phrases that are unusual or that simply don't make any sense.

Sebastian is the perfect Butler to Ciel. Not only does he protect him with his life, Sebastian is also a Demon which makes his ability even stronger. But Sebastian doesn't serves Ciel, because he pays him with money, but with his soul. Ciel wants to take revenge on the people who killed his parents which is why he sold his soul to Sebastian for his support.

Black Butler has a basic idea that without a doubt could have been implemented magnificently.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. The anime gets entangled in so many directions that at some point it just gets confusing and you wonder what the goal of it all is.

I think that's a shame, because the series had such great potential, which was then simply thrown away...

This show was and still is my all-time favorite anime, but it's not for everyone. It all depends on the person, so if you really want to know if it is good or bad, watch it for yourself and don't take someone's word for it (you might be missing out on something great!) This show will woo you if you give it the chance to! I must admit, I started the show and after the first 5 minutes, I turned it off because I was unimpressed. Later, I decided to give it another go. Best decision of my life. The characters, mainly Sebastian and Ciel, were really intriguing and had this captivating dynamic which made every situation, from funny to dramatic, entertaining. This is one of those shows that gets better as you watch and the ending is desirable. Watch at least the first 3 or 4 episodes before passing judgment!

It has a nice dark Gothic aesthetic and an interesting story . I say it as a jack the riper era London, meets demon bonding.

I believe the manga was still on going, but some of the fan ships that turned me off this show some of the interactions with a hungry demon are romanticized on someone who it should not be romanticized on.

"Black Butler" started a bit disappointing. It was clear from the beginning, that the anime would walk in the footsteps of "Deathnotes". After some time, the typical anime plots (Faustian Pact, Lost Parents, Revenge, Friendship) are revealed but then the Victorian Age feeling gets much better and bigger attention. There's a ton of really well researched stuff and the tension rises as the main story unfolds.

The show is not as good as "Death Note" and has imho a lot of homosexual content in it, which is more or less openly shown. I assume it is, among other things, to attract more female and viewers. The funny thing is, that females are either shown as dolls, clumsy servants, killing machines or just some extras. While Walt Disney is getting really feminist lately, the Japanese have yet to invent better female - believable - anime characters.

Including all flaws - this is one of the best anime shows at the moment. A mixture of Steampunk, Gothic Horror and Crime. Not too violent and gory but at times very thrilling!

8/10