You are viewing our Forum Archives. To view or take place in current topics click here.
Black Butler Season 1 - Review
Posted:

Black Butler Season 1 - ReviewPosted:

TTG
  • Winter 2017
Status: Offline
Joined: Mar 10, 201410Year Member
Posts: 5,193
Reputation Power: 12730
Motto: 2009-2024, The Tech Game, Ltd.
Motto: 2009-2024, The Tech Game, Ltd.
Status: Offline
Joined: Mar 10, 201410Year Member
Posts: 5,193
Reputation Power: 12730
Motto: 2009-2024, The Tech Game, Ltd.
Black Butler Season 1 - Review
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Genre:
Dark fantasy, thriller.

Aired:
October 2008 to March 2009

About the Show:
Ciel Phantomhive is the most powerful boy in all of England, but he bears the scars of unspeakable suffering. Forced to watch as his beloved parents were brutally murdered, Ciel was subsequently abducted and violently tortured. Desperate to end his suffering, the boy traded his own soul for a chance at vengeance, casting his lot with the one person on whom he could depend: Sebastian, a demon Butler summoned from the very pits of hell. Together, they'll prowl the darkest alleys of London on a mission to snuff out those who would do evil.

Plot:
In Victorian-Era London lives a thirteen year-old Earl named Ciel Phantomhive who acquired this position after the events of December 14th, 1885 (Ciel's birthday), when the Phantomhive manor was attacked by unidentified perpetrators and was set on fire. Ciel, amidst of the chaos, discovers his parents, Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive, to be dead along with the family dog Sebastian. The same night he is kidnapped by the perpetrators and then sold to a cultist. Ciel then endures the next month full of torture and rape. Ciel was also branded with a mark referred to as the 'mark of the beast'. One night during a sacrificial ceremony to summon a demon, instead of forming a contract with the cult members, the demon states that he was summoned by Ciel, therefore he only agrees to form a contact with him, killing all the cultist members in the process. To show a contract was formed, the demon places a contact symbol referred to as the Faustian contract symbol on Ciel's right eye, giving it a purple hue. After the formation of the contract, the demon reveals he will consume Ciel's soul as payment for helping him achieve his goal; revenge on those who brought down The House of Phantomhive. Afterwards Ciel names the demon Sebastian Michaelis, after his childhood dog which is ironic since Sebastian on multiple occasions states he detests dogs and is more of a cat person.

Story:
The story of this show is something else. There's just so much depth, and it's so cerebral. I'll definitely have to do some re-watching to get all the little nuances and plot points down. I wouldn't recommend this show if you're just looking for some simple anime that would kill an afternoon. This is a thinking anime that touches on a ton of dark and deep issues. You'll also need to be paying close attention to all the plot twists! These little suckers come out of NOWHERE and twist the story into a completely different direction that one would expect. I was left gasping like fish more than once here. For me, that's one of the best aspects of this story is those little plot twists.

Art:
From the fight scenes to humorous antics to zany parties to heart-wrenching death scenes, absolutely everything here is flows so smoothly and sweetly. An aspect I noticed a lot in this anime was lighting. I don't see that a lot in anime and found it very appropriate for this title. If the characters were experiencing a dark and horrific scene, shadows and reds played big parts. If they were experiencing light-hearted birthday parties or servant antics, colors were bright, vibrant, and day-filled.

Music:
Every single piece of music adds to the atmosphere of this anime and leaves a person breathless. It's so haunting. It's full of fast consistent beats for the fighting, chants and drones for the dark, plot-filled moments, sad female-filled melodies for the gut-wrenchingly sad parts, and a soft operatic finish for the final anime finale.

Characters:
There were a lot where it came to character development. I only wish that there had been equal attention to all characters. For some of them, the viewers were left wishing fervently for more. I personally wished the back stories of the servants at Phantomhive were fleshed out more. We are given some back hints in a few episodes and one episode almost completely devoted to the four of them.

My Rating:
Solid 8.5

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
Jump to:
You are viewing our Forum Archives. To view or take place in current topics click here.