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.

OK, this is not cowboy bebop of FLCL (which I am not that big of a fan) but it is a very good show. The story flows, it slowly lets pieces of the mysteries go, and best of all it actually has a decent ending.

I am pretty picky about my anime. For the life of me I cannot understand the love for Trigun, except Nicholas Wolfwood. Most animes ruin it with the ending. This one is really good. I agree it starts out pretty bad but then so does Hellsing OVA and it turns really good really fast. It has a darker feel toward the end reminiscent of Fullmetal alchemists. If you want the standard hero shows up has a minor problem then overcomes the bad guy with some special power. This is not your show. If you want a solid story with some of the cutsie stuff that ends well, has really decent lessons, and great side character stories then I say give it a try. The second half is not quite as good but then ending makes it well worth the time.Plus there is no way to not like Sebastian since he is "One hell of a butler"

"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

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.

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!