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A review by arnrockwell
Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This second volume of Black Butler, while it starts containing a couple of one-off chapters, begins the Red Butler Arc and introduces the first plot arc involving the famous serial killer, Jack the Ripper. As Ciel Phantomhive is Queen Victoria's "watchdog," it is his job to become involved. He doesn't trust Scotland Yard to be able to find the culprit, so he and Sebastian quickly set out to solve the case.
Two characters that were seen briefly in the first volume are formally introduced here.
The first is Lau, a Chinese aristocrat and the manager of the British branch of the Shanghai trading company "Kong-Rong." He also operates opium dens and is one of Ciel Phantomhive's "Aristocrats of Evil." He is permitted to conduct business in England's underworld, so long as he follows Ciel's orders to the letter. He joins Ciel and Sebastian in their quest to stop Jack the Ripper.
The second is the Baroness Angelina Dalles, Ciel's maternal aunt, who is also known as Madam Red for her red eyes, red hair, and habit of wearing lots of red in general. She is a doctor and thinks of Ciel like a son, as she can never have children of her own. She also joins Ciel in his quest to stop Jack the Ripper. Accompanying them is Angelina's incompetent butler, Grelle Sutcliff.
What follows is an interesting turn of events, in which Sebastian narrows down the culprit, forcing Ciel, Lau, and Madam Red to go undercover to learn more. In the end, Ciel learns that not only were they wrong, but the truth culprit was right by him the whole time. The volume ends on a with Sebastian about to go to battle against the true culprit.
Just like the first volume, I can't praise the art style enough. Toboso's style works well with the Victorian setting and her character designs are accurate and realistic for the time.
While this volume has some humour scattered about, it is more serious than volume one, due mostly to the nature of the plot. I like how Toboso took Jack the Ripper and remained historically accurate to what we do know, while still taking liberties to make it work with the story she crafted.
I look forward to seeing the conclusion of the arc in volume three.
Two characters that were seen briefly in the first volume are formally introduced here.
The first is Lau, a Chinese aristocrat and the manager of the British branch of the Shanghai trading company "Kong-Rong." He also operates opium dens and is one of Ciel Phantomhive's "Aristocrats of Evil." He is permitted to conduct business in England's underworld, so long as he follows Ciel's orders to the letter. He joins Ciel and Sebastian in their quest to stop Jack the Ripper.
The second is the Baroness Angelina Dalles, Ciel's maternal aunt, who is also known as Madam Red for her red eyes, red hair, and habit of wearing lots of red in general. She is a doctor and thinks of Ciel like a son, as she can never have children of her own. She also joins Ciel in his quest to stop Jack the Ripper. Accompanying them is Angelina's incompetent butler, Grelle Sutcliff.
What follows is an interesting turn of events, in which Sebastian narrows down the culprit, forcing Ciel, Lau, and Madam Red to go undercover to learn more. In the end, Ciel learns that not only were they wrong, but the truth culprit was right by him the whole time. The volume ends on a with Sebastian about to go to battle against the true culprit.
Just like the first volume, I can't praise the art style enough. Toboso's style works well with the Victorian setting and her character designs are accurate and realistic for the time.
While this volume has some humour scattered about, it is more serious than volume one, due mostly to the nature of the plot. I like how Toboso took Jack the Ripper and remained historically accurate to what we do know, while still taking liberties to make it work with the story she crafted.
I look forward to seeing the conclusion of the arc in volume three.