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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I'm going to be honest. This one started out really slow for a manga. The first chapter was very vague, and it seems like the author started the whole thing off not knowing what the heck to do with the butler. It's like he made this very, very pretty man who's always smiling and servile and super good at his job to the point of doing everybody else's job too, but then got stuck as to the whys and the wherefores. It wasn't until the middle of this volume that the pace picked up and the premise became more clear and interesting. At the same time, however, it's very much a story I've already heard before, if not from manga/anime then from other source. Maybe things will get even better int he follow-up volumes. We'll see. I want to like this one, but for a start it's kind of disappointing.
re-read:
still 3.5 stars for me
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* 3.5 stars *
WHAT?! I feel like this was just so quick! Probably because it was super short so...
But one, at some points I was very confused. BUT am excited to see were this story goes.
I like Sebastian though so!(:
still 3.5 stars for me
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* 3.5 stars *
WHAT?! I feel like this was just so quick! Probably because it was super short so...
But one, at some points I was very confused. BUT am excited to see were this story goes.
I like Sebastian though so!(:
I think I'm too old for this. Either that or this has got A LOT of potential, which really hasn't gotten going yet. If I came across the next book I'd read it to find out, although I wouldn't go out looking for it. It's the usual crazy Japanese mix of uber-cute kawaii screaming teenage girl style; gothicesque with the lolita style of intricate dress that goes with the fashion; and the Japanese idea of English tea (they have a lot of afternoon teas in this book - I did say it didn't feel like the plot had really gotten going!).
Ciel Phantomville is the 12 year old head of a landed gentry type billionaire family in the countryside just outside of London. He has a household staff of utter clumsey fools (comedy relief?! - or irritating. I'd have fired them); and the incredibly competant, no issue is a problem butlet, Sebastian. Too good to be true. Well, this being a gothic manga tale called Black Butler, I suspect he's not an ordinary man. There's a chapter at the end that gives us a glimpse of this, but then the book ends just as things might have promised to get going.
Ciel Phantomville is the 12 year old head of a landed gentry type billionaire family in the countryside just outside of London. He has a household staff of utter clumsey fools (comedy relief?! - or irritating. I'd have fired them); and the incredibly competant, no issue is a problem butlet, Sebastian. Too good to be true. Well, this being a gothic manga tale called Black Butler, I suspect he's not an ordinary man. There's a chapter at the end that gives us a glimpse of this, but then the book ends just as things might have promised to get going.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a solid first volume. A variety of characters were established, including the surprisingly goofy other members of staff at the manor, Sebastian, and Ciel Phantomhive. For the majority of the volume, we don't get a very clear indication that Sebastian is more than human other than a few subtle hints until the very last couple of chapters (in which Ciel is kidnapped and the "devil of a butler" is revealed ). I think it was done in a way that was interesting enough to set up and get me excited for what is to come. Sebastian is a very charismatic character, and clearly capable at all things. We even get a few glimpses into a sweet side of him (though how much of that is him also manipulating us is up in the air) with some moments with Ciel, particularly in the chapter with Elizabeth. The reveal of what is underneath Ciel's eyepatch was quite epic, and the implication that he killed his family (if I'm understanding properly) in order to get his revenge is an interesting backstory, as is his secret identity as Queen Victoria's watchdog against, in this edition at least, drug trafficking into the country. I do wish we got more foreshadowing moments indicating Sebastian's true nature. The little missions within each chapter were all entertaining, though the darkest ones at the end were the most engaging (I liked all of them for their own ways). It somewhat felt a bit like Spy x Family with all the action, but less wholesome and more bloody (Spy x Family is dark in its own way, but it does tend to lean more wholesome compared to Black Butler). There is also much more found family in the former than the latter. The illustrations of the desserts, which will undoubtedly be a recurring detail, we okay, but I was not particularly drawn to them. Overall, a solid first volume and I am looking forward to how it is going to continue forward (I hope that by the time I catch up, the manga will no longer be in a hiatus!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Blood
Minor: Death of parent
Fun start to a series. I’m looking forward to reading more after volume 1, but also hearing so much about it.
dark
funny
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Second read. I'm currently obsessed with the anime and had to give the manga another chance. Basically it was me fangirling over Ciel, Sebastian and the servants this time around xD
13. März: ***
13. März: ***
This is interesting, but I don't feel a compulsion to read more. I still will because I liked the author's notes at the end so likely this one was also him trying to figure out next moves. Onward!
