Black Butler: Book of Circus Series Review: Let’s Go To The Circus and Hang Out With Demons and Reapers

Posted on by Karandi
black butler book of circus tv animation art book 18

Book of Circus Review:

I’ve previously reviewed Black Butler (loved it) and Black Butler 2 (be gone from my sight). However, I wrote my review of Book of Circus after watching Book of Circus on Crunchyroll and fell in love with Black Butler all over again, which may seem inconsistent as it does a few of the things that I berated Black Butler 2 for doing. Revisiting this post just reminded me that my opinion of this one really hasn’t changed.

Yes, there are unnecessary appearances by characters simply because they are part of the original series. And there’s some timeline inconsistencies in this story (mainly due to Book of Circus apparently following something from the source rather than carrying on from the anime adaptation). Kind of on the same level as between Firefly (TV series) and Serenity (movie) where some of the key events are changed to better further the current narrative. That said, the minor discrepancies aren’t enough to break the deal with this show and the unnecessary character cameos are less intrusive than they felt in Black Butler 2.

So why should you watch Book of Circus?

1. The opening theme is incredible. I loved the original Black Butler opening but Book of Circus perfectly matches the circus theme with the dark undertones of the story and creates something really special. And clearly I’m not the only one who thinks so given how many YouTube channels have a version of this opening up to watch.

2. We revisit Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship and the complexities in their master/butler, contractor/demon roles and Ciel’s character arc in this narrative is possibly the best of the lot. While I loved Ciel in the original series because he didn’t undergo overt transformation but reaffirmed his existing status, Ciel in this arc actually manages to develop and grow (and break apart at times) without derailing who Ciel is at his core. It’s fascinating to watch and it doesn’t feel like they’ve cheapened his character. Plus, Ciel is adorable in his circus clothes (this is a point I have to reiterate – Ciel is at his absolute cutest in this story).

Ciel - Book of Circus

3. The support cast are great. My biggest issue with Black Butler 2 was the introduction of Alois and Claude, both of whom I despised. Book of Circus bring us a colourful cast of interesting and flawed characters to follow and get to know, even if the end is inevitable from the get-go.

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These characters probably deserve a bit more time and attention than I gave them originally in my review. The majority of the employees at the circus were orphans and they are incredibly close. It makes it hard to Sebastian and Ciel to infiltrate because even after they become employed by the circus they aren’t part of that inner group. The relationship between the supporting characters is an absolute asset to this story and makes everything feel more real and dramatic than it might otherwise be.

We also revisit some of the other characters from Black Butler and each one is used to fairly solid affect, though it should definitely be noted that this is a story about the circus and Sebastian and Ciel. The other characters are there to help connect this story to other stories in the Black Butler universe but they are not the focus.

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4. It’s a well told story. By focusing on one investigation and the steps Ciel will take to solve it, there’s no feeling that this is simply being rushed along as another bump in Ciel’s journey. It feels like the events were given the time they needed without lingering overly long. While it would have been nice for a villain with just a little more motivation (or sanity) the lack of this doesn’t detract from enjoying the journey and having a satisfying resolution.

5. Seriously, it’s just fun. Visually it’s appealing, the music works, the characters come together well, and for any criticism I could give this series, I could dismiss it just as quick because I really enjoyed watching it. And that is why I watch anime.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this instalment of Black Butler, however it was fantastic to watch through and it remains one of my favourite parts of this franchise.

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Black Butler: Book of Circus Series Review – Definitely my Favourite Flavour of Black Butler

Posted on by Karandi
black butler book of circus tv animation art book 18

Black Butler: Book of Circus Overview:

In Black Butler: Book of Circus, Ciel is asked by the Queen to investigate a circus after a number of children have gone missing and the police have no clues. In order to get close to the performers, Ciel and his butler, Sebastian, audition and take on jobs within the Circus in this 10 episode story arc.

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Black Butler: Book of Circus Review:

I’ve previously reviewed Black Butler (loved it) and Black Butler 2 (be gone from my sight). However, after watching Book of Circus I fell in love with Black Butler all over again, which may seem inconsistent as it does a few of the things that I berated Black Butler 2 for doing. Despite that, this may very well become my very favourite narrative within the entire franchise.

Yes, there are unnecessary appearances by characters simply because they are part of the original series. And there’s some timeline inconsistencies in this story. Kind of on the same level as between Firefly (TV series) and Serenity (movie) where some of the key events are changed to better further the current narrative.

That said, the minor discrepancies aren’t enough to break the deal with this show and the unnecessary character cameos are not too intrusive given the short run time of this particular story arc. And that’s perhaps the strength of this instalment. It really does focus on a single narrative arc and it does it quite well.

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Also, the opening theme here is incredible.

I loved the original Black Butler opening but Book of Circus perfectly matches the circus theme with the dark undertones of the story and creates something really special. And clearly I’m not the only one who thinks so given how many YouTube channels have a version of this opening up to watch.

If you have the time, you should definitely just watch the OP and pay attention to the visuals within it as there’s a lot going on and as an opening theme should it gives you a good sense of the characters, the world, and the overall themes to be explored within.

This arc also revisits Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship and the complexities in their master/butler, contractor/demon roles and Ciel’s character arc in this narrative is possibly the best of the lost.

While I loved Ciel in the original series because he didn’t undergo overt transformation but reaffirmed his existing status, Ciel in this arc actually manages to develop and grow (and break apart at times) without derailing who Ciel is at his core.

It’s fascinating to watch and it doesn’t feel like they’ve cheapened his character. Plus, Ciel is adorable in his circus clothes. Of course Ciel does suffer from one of those odd anime ailments that sees him bed-ridden during one of the episodes but that does give us some adorable moments between him and Sebastian.

Black Butler: Book of Circus - Ciel looks super-cute in costume.

Outside of the central duo, the support cast that we are introduced to here are great. My biggest issue with Black Butler 2 was the introduction of Alois and Claude, both of whom I despised. Book of Circus bring us a colourful cast of interesting and flawed characters to follow and get to know, even if the end is inevitable from the get-go.

It’s a shame some of these characters don’t get to hang around for further narrative arcs because this is perhaps the best cast Black Butler has ever introduced us to.

Black Butler: Book of Circus - promotional image

But all the colourful characters in the world won’t make up for a poor story. Fortunately, Book of Circus is a well told story.

By focussing on one investigation and the steps Ciel will take to solve it, there’s no feeling that this is simply being rushed along as another bump in Ciel’s journey. It feels like the events were given the time they needed without lingering overly long.

While it would have been nice for a villain with just a little more motivation (or sanity) the lack of this doesn’t detract from enjoying the journey and having a satisfying resolution.

In fact, this narrative arc is so self-contained you could almost watch it without prior knowledge of the franchise, though fans of Ciel and Sebastian will clearly get a lot more enjoyment from it. Still, if someone was new to Black Butler, this could be an okay place to start.

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Overall though, this is just fun to watch.

Visually it’s appealing, the music works, the characters come together well, and for any criticism I could give this series, I could dismiss it just as quick because I really enjoyed watching it. And that is why I watch anime.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this instalment of Black Butler.

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Black Butler Season 1 Series Review

Posted on by Karandi
Black Butler - Series Review

I’ve been a big fan of Black Butler since I first saw the anime many years ago and I come back to this series again and again. The Book of… anime that came later (Book of Circus, Book of Murder, Book of Atlantic) have all been solid entertainment. My only real issue with the franchise as a whole comes from season 2, but I’ll address that in my season 2 review (or you can read my debate with Irina around season 2 here).

We’ll get this out of the way first. Yes, there are some uncomfortable moments for some people in Black Butler. The relationship between Ciel and Sebastian is at times just a few steps over the line of what some people find acceptable and while nothing is overt on screen the dialogue and insinuation is not exactly subtle. There’s plenty more explicit out there but this will still rub a few people the wrong way.

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Still with me? Great. Moving on.

Alright, any history buffs in the room that care whether or not 19th Century London is portrayed accurately in terms of dress, mannerisms, status, etc, you should probably also step out. I made the absolute mistake of doing a rewatch of this series with someone who teaches history and wow their list of complaints was fairly long. This happens when anime takes on almost any historical setting, particularly one outside of Japan. So if historical accuracy is needed for your enjoyment, again, Black Butler isn’t really going to fit with your preferences and it is better to know that before starting it.

For those still with me, this is why you should watch Black Butler.

Ciel is a really interesting character to watch throughout the course of the series. No, he doesn’t really develop as a character. He comes into this series pretty much fully formed. Everything truly terrible has already happened to him and he is utterly resolved. Not on revenge, as he states several times in the series, but on ensuring those who humiliated him are in turn humiliated because that is what he wants.

He’s under no illusion. This isn’t a noble quest and he knows he has made a deal with a demon. For 95% of the series he is unwavering. It’s kind of refreshing to have a protagonist not trying to find themselves and also one who very specifically wants to find out the truth about what happened and ensure those responsible are made to take responsibility, but won’t burn the world down just to achieve that end.

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Instead, Ciel is fighting to remain who he has decided to be. In the face of everything that comes his way throughout the series he is determined not to leave his path. This allows for there to be conflict and self-reflection but means he isn’t really developing and there is no over-arching character arc here. But it is a joy to watch.

Some might disagree with that last statement. In honesty, Ciel’s a snobbish, childish, jerk who is like the kid who didn’t get picked to play so now he’s going to steal all the equipment so no one else can either. That doesn’t mean he isn’t appealing as a character though. You just wouldn’t invite him around for dinner any time soon. Plus, on occasion he is tempted to waver, either directly by Angela or through his thoughts about what might have been.

However, regardless of what it costs now, he knows the decision he made and he will hold on his path. Honestly, I just find him really interesting to follow in his journey and would have been happy to see him through to the end whether he succeeded or not.

And then there is Sebastian.

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He is polished and cool and refined and he steals every scene he is in. Perhaps some viewers will find him a boring character because he is so perfect but I always enjoyed watching how he would meet Ciel’s demands and I loved the play between the two as they found new ways to torment each other within the bounds of their contract. Particularly some of Sebastian’s double meanings in his advice to Ciel. Sebastian also has some of the coolest moments of the series, which makes sense given he most definitely steals every scene he is in.

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Mostly the series is a kind-of-mystery of the week. The mysteries aren’t particularly compelling and the solutions are usually pretty basic or rely heavily on the supernatural to explain, so don’t get too invested in that aspect of the show, it won’t hold up. However, the overall story of Ciel seeking those who killed his family and working under the Queen to draw his enemies to him, is quite compelling even as it makes you question the logic of those actions.

Other characters also pull their weight in the series. Angela is a rich and interesting character, even though she is sadistic and a little bit crazed. Though she isn’t in all that much of the series she is definitely a highlight and her appearances signal some big movements in the plot.

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Similarly, supporting cast members such as Grell and the Undertaker definitely punch above their weight for entertainment and remain consistently good characters in all the follow on stories that have come out. Even Lau manages to be pretty solidly entertaining even if a lot of the time it is hard to know why he’s actually in the scene – until suddenly he becomes important.

Though it isn’t all sadistic butlers, angels, and missions for the queen. Probably the most annoying aspect of the show are the other servants in the Phantomhive mansion. While they are useful(?) to the plot in the final episodes, their presence mostly serves as an irritant and delivers some of the poorer comedy found in the show. On rewatch they kind of grow on you, but really a lot of their scenes feel more slapstick and usually the plots that heavily feature the three of them are the less critical and less interesting in the series.

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I would definitely recommend this series as it remains one hell of a good time. It won’t work for everyone but that’s true of most stories. Still, I’d love to know what you thought of the series and if you are also a fan I’d love to know what your favourite part of the show was.

Images from: Black Butler. Dir. T Shinohara. A-1 Pictures. 2008.

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Black Butler Book of Atlantic Review

Posted on by Karandi
Black Butler Book of Atlantic

Demons, Grim Reapers, and Zombies?
Why didn’t I watch this sooner?

I’m wondering how much they paid in royalties for Titanic for this one? Pride and Prejudice got a zombie version and this one is definitely Titanic with Zombies. Not that I’m complaining. There’s an absolute delight at seeing our favourite characters cutting loose and not taking it all so seriously. And believe me, you can’t take this one seriously. Where Book of Murder took a more measured tone as it built its atmosphere, Book of Atlantic goes for sheer spectacle and entertainment.

Black Butler Book of the Atlantic

I will admit, a good choice was to leave the other Phantomhive servants on the short so once they boarded the ship we only had Sebastian and Snake at hand (definitely the A Team when it comes to those who work for Ciel). Lizzy and her family were also onboard for an unrelated matter and we also came across familiar faces such as Grell, Knox, Undertaker and Grey as well as the always creepy in a different sense Druitt.

Book of Atlantic - Ciel and Sebastian

With the players in place the story unfolds as Ciel is investigating a Doctor who claims to be able to bring the dead back to life and for whatever reason is demonstrating this on the ship. Naturally he succeeds but the end result is a ravenous zombie that promptly bites the grieving mother. Still, this isn’t about a mass infection but rather there was a whole cargo hold of bodies being transported, again for reasons unclear and not really necessary to know because this story isn’t taking itself seriously enough for that to matter.

The Grim Reapers are involved because dead people who have had their soul collected are kind of supposed to stay dead and apparently it is a great affront when the dead start walking. So you would think the Repears and Ciel’s group would be getting along except of course the Reapers want Sebastian to stay out of it and Ciel, being Ciel is pretty determined to have the final say.

Book of Atlantic - Undertaker

And so the story unfolds with a lot of ridiculous cutlery vs lawn-mower and chain-saw action as Sebastian clashes with the Reapers.

All of it is highly entertaining, even if the story does take a pause long enough for Grell and Knox to ripoff the Jack and Rose moment at the prow of the ship.

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However, the all-star award goes to Lizzy who despite her determination to be a cute girl is forced into a situation where she finally has to reveal that the scared little blonde girl act really is just an act. All this means is Ciel may be the most helpless in the room but even he gets a bit more direct action than normal taking a gun to multiple zombies. This is certainly a bit more action focused than we’ve seen these members of the cast before but given the circumstances it works well.

Book of Atlantic - Lizzy

I’d also like to say that Undertaker entirely steals the final act and it is brilliant. A character who has been on the edge of things throughout the other series and arcs now takes centre stage and the results are nothing short of brilliant. That said, I’m going to leave that conversation here because otherwise it just plunges us straight into climax spoilers and I really think you should just watch the movie.

The sound is, as usual for Black Butler, spot on. I watched the Japanese version with English subs because I still can’t get used to Sebastian’s English voice (it isn’t bad but I just don’t match that voice with Sebastian and the Japanese voice is brilliant). All of the characters do a solid job though Grell might be a little too subdued at times.

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Visually I wasn’t that impressed at times with this. Exterior shots of the boat and the mass of zombie hordes at times seemed very basic and while the characters are beautifully detailed, backgrounds and the like don’t really give off the sense of luxury that you would expect from the setting here. That is probably the biggest complaint I have about this movie is that while if this was an individual episode it would be fine, for a movie I expected a little bit more effort on the visuals.

All and all though, if you are a Black Butler fan, this movie gives you more Black Butler, some of the best characters, some great fight sequences, and some solid character moments. It is a zombie story to be sure, but a zombie story told only the way Black Butler could do it.

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Black Butler Book of Murder Series Review

Posted on by Karandi
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Black Butler Book of Murder Overview:

The Queen is at it again in Black Butler Book of Murder, giving Ciel an unhelpful request to host a dinner party but then one of the guests is murdered and of course due to a storm the suspect must be amongst the guests (or the hosts).

Black Butler Book of Murder Review:

Five minutes in and Mei Rin has her glasses off and is shooting. This is a bit more action driven then we’ve seen Black Butler before. That said, after an initial skirmish that serves no purpose other than to point out that the Queen’s Butlers (messengers, whatevers) are a little dodgy (or a lot dodgy given they didn’t die facing off against Ciel’s staff), the series settles down into its usual routine of cat and mouse, dripping with atmosphere and the usual over exaggerated mystery feeling without actually delivering much in the way of mystery.

Black Butler Book of Murder

I actually loved this. It has all the components that made the original Black Butler series entertaining but with only 123 minutes run time the story is concluded in a single sitting and everything is nicely wrapped up. At least as much as anything ever is in Black Butler keeping in mind that both Book of Circus and Book of Murder are set somewhere in the timeline before the end of season 1.

What that means is the overall story of Ciel and Sebastian isn’t going anywhere in these side stories though we are getting some more understanding of the depth of their relationship which is a nice takeaway for when you go back and watch the original series.

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The problem with Book of Murder is that unless you’ve already watched the other entries in Black Butler, a lot of it isn’t going to make sense. Other than a few side characters making reference to Ciel’s eye patch, the significance of it is not explained and while it’s unlikely that you don’t know that Sebastian’s a demon it isn’t revealed early on in the piece so likely you won’t have a clue how the situation is going to get resolved.

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Not to mention, his standard line about being one hell of a butler seems to have finally taken a vacation. Also, the flashback the servants have of being recruited while crying in the rain provides enough to be a solid link for those of us watching through the lens of a fan but for new arrivals to the series it will just be another baffling fact that doesn’t give enough context to really make any sense.

Lastly, the final twist and conclusion rely very heavily on you knowing what happened in Book of Circus, and they manage to leave a dangling inconsistency in the story that doesn’t match up with the original time line of the anime (unless events in other stories we’ve yet to see eliminate that inconsistency). And that’s probably an issue with the original anime going off script from the source material.

We now have an uncomfortable blending of these stories following the manga and then the anime original material so basically just go with it or else you are going to end up pretty frustrated.

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Ciel at his creepiest when smiling.

What Book of Murder does succeed at is providing some light entertainment for those who like classic locked room mysteries with a bit of supernatural nonsense mixed in. Also, if you ever wanted to watch Ciel actually look distressed (not ticked off or shocked but actually distressed) then your chance will come during the first part (even if it isn’t actually genuine). Ciel also smiles several times throughout the two episodes, though most of these are kind of cruelly amused smiles rather than ones of genuine mirth.

The music is standard Black Butler fair. We’ve got our usual cast of characters lined up and the new additions mostly just fill the roles of other characters that for the sake of narrative continuity can’t be around in this particular arc. Character and background design is all much the same as well. Basically, if you like Black Butler, pick up Book of Murder. If you haven’t liked the other entries then continue to steer clear. While Book of Murder is perhaps the weakest of the stories, outside of season 2 of the anime, it still provides a fairly entertaining watch.

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