User reviews

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.

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!

This is by far one of the best series! It has mystery, drama, romance, comic relief and involves the supernatural world. I would give it more than 10 stars if possible! Every character is complex. Every so often viewers will want to cry, laugh and get angry at Ciel and Sebastian. Some of the characters (Finny, Bard, Mey-Rin and Lizzy) not only add comic relief, but also have stories on their own that they tell. I will defiantly be watching the next season. Oh yes, and if you are interested in finding out more about what happens to our faithful butler, Sebastian, the Queen's watchdog, Ciel and the rest of his gangly crew, the manga version is really, really good as well. If you ever have a chance, watch this because you will not regret it. At first it might seem a little weird, but after the second or third episode viewers will be hooked on the show and will want to see more of the adventures of the amazing duo, the butler and his master, Ciel and Sebastian!

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"

From A1 Pictures and Squenix comes a 24 episode anime based on the popular manga. A young Victorian aristocrat makes a demonic pact to avenge his murdered parents, while also running Britain's underworld. Together, the earl Ciel Phantomhive and his 'One Hell of A Butler', Sebastian, battle everything from drug runners to serial killers to demon hounds to even other angels, ghosts and demons.

A glorious mess if there ever was one, this has to be one of the most fun yet unbalanced shows I've ever sat down for. On the definite up, the animation is rock solid and dynamic, the voice cast in either language is spot on, and the Victorian setting allows for a lot of weaving in of actual history and culture from the era (not limited to but including Jack The Ripper, Hound of the Baskervilles, The Opium Wars, the construction of Tower Bridge and the Eiffel Tower and even a really touching take on the story of the Princes in the Tower thankfully free of any revisionist history BS). What's more, despite the dark subject, the characters are by large really likable and a lot of fun to be around, with special note going to the wonderfully charismatic yet dry Sebastian (who practically built this franchise), as well as the simply FABULOUS grim reaper and humorous fangirl insert Grell.

However, I did say the show was a mess: it's tonally all over the map, one minute dark psychological horror and revenge thriller, the next, your prototypical slapstick wacky anime comedy complete with goofy servants (whose back story and ultimate rational is kind of neat, but it comes really late) and stuff that feels like its prodding at anime tropes and the fanbase (such as the infamous corset and nun scenes). To an extent, it does work and gets a chuckle, especially the latter, much more savvy gags. The issue is not being sure how of this is intentional versus just plain tropes that are part and parcel of anime, but would feel jarring to Westerners more used to tonally cohesive entertainment. Furthermore, at 24 episodes, it's too damn long for this kind of story and Ciel by and large isn't terribly proactive in finding his parents' killers despite the pact, with the whole 'Queen's Guard Dog'aspect being more the bread and butter of the show, and the two sides never fully reconcile save for a few choice moments and hints drops sprinkled very, and I mean even Abrams would blush VERY, liberally across the many episodes. From an entertainment angle it's fine, since I get to spend more time in this world, but to less generous viewers or those new to the weird world of anime, this could be a big deal breaker.

Despite that though, it still kept me really engaged, even the really filler-y episodes concerning life in the mansion (because that's what I want in a show about a badass demon butler who can kill with silverware and still be on time for tea!). Its odd mixture of themes and ideas, covered in a thick coating of professional polish, made for a show I was always keen to see the next installment of. Want to know how, say, Penny Dreadful would've been had it been a little more comical and trope-aware? Here's your answer!

The Atmosphere of this Anime is getting interrupted by the Comedy Scenes, for example Tanaka.

The first Season has too much Comedy.

The Second Season is Kinda unnecessary.

The Third Season is the best Season, in my Opinion. Every Episode brings the Plot forward. And there are nearly no comedy scenes, so the Atmosphere isn't interrupted.

When you take all of this together this Anime is a 7/10. (without comedy this would be much better).

Note:

I recommend you to get as less information as possible about a Movie or an Series. It makes it much more interesting.

Okay so I've watched all 3 seasons and here's my thought on each of them. SEASON 1: I really liked this season since I have read the early chapters of the manga, and it looked like a beautifully animated version of every page of that. perfect recreation! Stories and plots can be confusing and seem incomplete, but that's because a lot will be explained later on! I didn't like every single episode of this season but overall it was really enjoyable!

SEASON 2: the style of the animation and characters are a lot like , but some of the stories really REALLY don't make sense and I didn't like that.This season has basically nothing to do with the manga except some episodes. There are new characters there that are not even mentioned in the manga and the whole series is about them! And they weren't really charismatic like Sebastian and Ciel. So I didn't like to watch them. But I didn't hate the season overall because it did give some insight of the existing characters that I found really really interesting!

SEASON 3: well this shouldn't really be called "season 3" since it has a totally different mood and animation style and you'll notice it the moment you start watching the first episode. It's called "The Book of Circus" following this 10 episode season, there are 2 episode called "the Book of Murder" and after that is the movie, "The Book of Atlantic". These three "the book of.." are all tied together and totally different from the Black Butler season 1 and 2. So don't expect to get the same feels you got in the previous seasons for these as well. But I LOVE them! They're too much like the manga and they make a lot more sense! I do believe the Book of Circus should've been a lot and I mean A LOT shorter thought. 10 episodes is too much for it and it gets boring by the end of it. I hated it the first time I watched it but then as I was searching in the internet I found out there are some hidden notes in all the flash backs that are showed there that are really really important to what the manga is getting right now. I think they WANTED to make sure everything in the manga is in the anime for this sake. but overall, it's possible to hate "season 3". but if you're a fan girl like me, and you know you WILL go through the internet just to understand every bit of the anime, you're gonna love it.

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 anime makes me laugh, this anime should make another season

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.

I have watched this anime more than once and fell in love with season 1 and all the Ova's. Season 2 I have come to a pretty soild conclusion has nothing to do with Season 1 time frame at all; if season two does happen it happens about two years after season 1 ends. Coming to this conclusion also makes make believe that Season two just does not happen within the Black Butler timeline at all, it would cross paths with at least two other crimes that were being solved by Ciel at the time Season 2 would have also been taking place.

Beside the very confusing Season 2, this show was very good, I loved the characters and the animation was great even comparing it to some of todays animation shows and scenc done in them. The dynamic between the butler and master is good never really changes yet still improves ever season, this is one of my favorite parts about the show.

Season 1 does a great job of setting the stage for what's to come, and gives just enough attention to each character to get a good idea of them. This fantasy version of London works well with the action, as well. That being said, I felt like season 1 could be half the length it is. There's a lot of fluff and filler, which isn't a crime, but makes the jump to the final arc of S1 somewhat jarring. I found myself putting the show down quite often because of the side plots and filler.

Season 2 (controversy about canon aside) is worlds better in terms of pacing, but is also ridiculously dramatic. I enjoyed the new characters, and how they contrast with the cast we got to know in S1. There is a bit of retconning, though, so some of the plot holes aren't filled in a very satisfying way. S2 took me a week to watch, compared to two months for S1.

If you're not worried about continuity between the anime and manga, I would recommend this show. It kept me guessing what would happen next, dull filler episodes aside. Grell is also an amazing character (I think the cast is charming as a whole, though), and seeing her throughout the series kept me going. If you're interested, definitely take the time to watch!

"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

Season 1 was funny- the half was wholesome ish and the other half was more serious. Season 2 was great but i got bored on the first episode of season 3. It was like the plot line and character development of season 1 and 2 was non existent. But if you are going to watch black butler, i would suggest only watching season 1 and 2.

I am a fan of the Black Butler manga, and have been since I first watched the anime in middle school. I have since recently rewatched it, and the amount of pedophilia makes this practically unwatchable. There is a lot of very fun concepts and ideas but there is just so much weird sexual jokes and actions towards children that I really just can't give it a good review. It bums me out because I remember really loving the series when I was younger despite its flaws, but as an adult it's awful. I'm also pretty sure that the manga was not nearly this bad in regards to the weird sexual content (it's been a while since I've read the whole thing so I apologize if this is inaccurate). Also like besides that the plot is changes he'd in a way that makes it much more incoherent and confusing as well as just less satisfying. If you really want to watch black butler I recommend watching the few episodes in the first season that follow the manga, and the the movies and special series that also follow the manga instead of this adaptation.

Wouldn't say I would watch it again. Going to try the manga though so we shall see!