Read With Caution! This Review Contains Spoilers!
This review is going to be way different than the others I have done. I will first review Black Butler Season 1 and then post Season 2 in another review. First off in Season 1 of Black Butler or Kuroshitsuji is taking place in the Victorian Era,London in the country side there is Ciel Phantomhive and his butler,Sebastian Michaelis going off to solve cases under Queen Victoria.
Characters:
Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive is an orphaned 12 year old boy that is the head of the noble family. He is also head of a toy and candy company that has been growing as an empire. Ciel serves under the Queen as her "watch dog" which he solves cases under her orders. Ciel's parents were murdered when he was little afterwards he made a pact with a demon (Later to be known as a pact with his butler.) asking for vengeance against those who disgraced him the Phantomhive name in exchange for his soul. Just to make things clear, prior to him meeting Sebastian and after his parents death Ciel use to be a slave and a sacrifice in a cult ritual. At one point Ciel was being tortured, his hatred for his torturers summoned Sebastian. Ciel commanded for the demon to kill all the people in the room. Durring Ciel's time as a slave he had a mark burned on him in the left side near his chest. In the manga it is found on his back on the left. Another mark he has is his right eye which is the contract between him and Sebastian. The mark is hidden with a black eye patch,bears a pentacle, the sign of Faustian. His parent's names are Lord Vincent Phantomhive and Lady Rachel Phantomhive. He also has a fiancee,Elizabeth, is his close cousin, and their marriage was arranged.
Sebastian Michaelis is Ciel's demon butler but is also a bodyguard to him. He usually says in the anime "I am simply one hell of a butler" and is very devoted to being a butler. Sebastian does sometimes insults and irritates Ciel but he does show a side that he cares for him. Sebastian also likes cats and most of the time he forgets about his surroundings when it comes to Ciel and a cat. Of course he is multi talented in everything. In the manga Ciel had a dog named Sebastian and had named his butler with that name even though Sebastian is a cat person.His true demon self is not shown in the anime or the manga but it only shows little parts.
The other servants that work under Ciel is Bardroy, the house hold cook that can't make anything edible and use to be an American soldier. Finnian or Finny is a gardener that loves nature and use to be an experiment for supper human strength which he still has. Mey-Rin is the clumsy maid that use to be a sniper or assassin. Each of them were founded by Sebastian and that is how they got to be working under Ciel. Tanaka use to serve under the former Phantomhive head and is very strong enough to kill even though he is not young.
Friends or relating to Ciel include Madame Red, who is Ciel's aunt and died shortly in season 1. She was very loving to Ciel and saw him as her own son even though she couldn't have kids herself due to an accident that happened long ago. She was also known for being responsible to The Jack The Ripper cases. A friend of Ciel is Lau, who is a Chinese noble and President of a British Branch of a Chinese Trading Company. He is a friend to Ciel and is a type of person that jumps into a conversation and give information even though he has no idea. Ran-Mao is Lau's personal assassin and very loyal to him. She rarely speaks and is referred to his sister.Prince Soma is a spoiled Indian prince that is seventeen and can be very childish. He and Agni are shown in the middle of the anime. Agni is Prince Soma's very loyal servant and is at almost the same level as Sebastian when it comes to fencing and cooking. At last Elizabeth Middleford is the fiancee of Ciel and is usually called "Lizzie" for short. She loves cute things,dancing, and obviously Ciel because she has known him her entire life.
*The term 'Reapers' means almost the same thing as to Death Note's 'God Of Death' thing. They actually are in charge of deciding whether a soul is to live on or die.
The reapers in the series is Grell Sutcliff who is a transwoman who was Madame Red's butler. Grell does have a crush on Sebastian even though he thinks it is annoying. Originally Grell is appeared as the antagonist but is also crazy and smart. The Undertaker was a former Grim Reaper and is a funeral director. He also works as an informant for the Phantomhive Family,loves the joy of frightening,loves jokes, and does strange questionable things. William T. Spears is another reaper that has Sebastian as his rival because he has hatred towards demons. He does worry about how Grell takes most of his time but also kind of likes Gell. The last reaper shown in the series is Ronald Knox is a subordinate under Grell. He is a laid back,easy going guy, and has problems with timing but gets the job done quickly.
The other characters in the series include The Viscount Druitt who is a noble and is another important character in the series especially season II. Paula is another character who is Elizabeth's maid and has a close relationship with Elizabeth. Fred Aberline is the officer of The Scotland Yard and believes in the justice system. Another character that is important in the end of the first season is Angela and Ashe. Lastly,Sir Randall is the leader of The Scotland Yard and hates Ciel when he intervenes with his cases but his social rank is below Ciel's.
Overall Ranking:
I thought it was a great season to watch and the art of the series was amazing,vivid and best Opening and Ending songs. The voice actors for both the English and Japanese were good choices and the plot of this season was good to follow. I would rank this anime 5 stars because it is a very detailed anime from it's art to it's story. I would suggest this series for anyone who loves action, betrayal, mysteries, and a Victorian Style Story.
'Here's What We Are Serving For Dinner My Young Lord/Lady':
Black Butler Season I Opening:
Black Butler Season I Ending Song:
