Reviews with content warning for Violence - Black Butler, Vol. 1

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Black Butler, Vol. 1 by Yana Toboso

10 reviews

srm's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The twist at the end is sort of fun, but I'm not sure this is the manga for me. (Assuming the manga for me exists.)

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dannothedino's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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reading_srsly's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

* Slice of life

* All-powerful main character

* Misfit supporting cast

* Dark undertones

A lot goes into taking care of a manor house - keeping guests happy, maintaining reputation, and ensuring those who wish to harm the Earl of Phantomhive are punished appropriately. And it all falls to the butler, Sebastian Michaelis.

I originally picked this book up for the premise - who doesn’t want to read about an all-powerful butler at the beck and call of a a 12-year-old on a quest for revenge? So I was super disappointed that aspect of the plot wasn’t apparent until the very end, and even then it’s incredibly vague and unsatisfying. The plot itself is super hard to follow, and the characters are all very one-dimensional, with the only interesting and competent one being Sebastian himself. I think in future installments the cast has the potential to become lovable and the plot to become stronger, but for this first introduction the lack of redeeming qualities of the incompetent servants and the meandering, disjointed storytelling makes it a tough one.

This reads more as a fluff slice of life than the dark tale of intrigue the back cover copy implies. I’m optimistic about the future volumes because friends speak highly of the story, but the first installment leaves something to be desired.

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