Black Butler: Book of Circus

duchessliz Sep 12, 2014

8.7

Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus is the arc from the manga that follows the curry contest arc. For the curious, and not in the know, the original anime followed the manga for the first fifteen episodes. Episode 16 on were all anime original and deviated from the manga entirely. In fact, the entire second season is anime original. I advise people to read the manga. It's actually really good! Anyway ... Sebastian sums this arc up pretty well: "Unlike demons, you're base, you harbor complicated malice, you lie...you struggle desperately, knocking down others on your way...you steal and are stolen from, you make endless excuses...and still you strive to get over that hill and far away. I suppose that's why humans are so interesting." This quote from the last episode pretty much sums up this arc. It's about a group of people that fight to protect what they love, what they find important to them, even if the way they go about doing that is evil. The sad thing for me was seeing such naivety ... seeing a group of people so convinced that they were doing things for the greater good when in fact, that simply wasn't true. How can sacrificing one life for another be okay? The very idea that this didn't bother them enough to stop what they were doing really disturbed me. Especially since they seemed to be such a close knit group. I really enjoyed the plot and they did a fantastic job following the manga as it was written with very few deviations (the ones they did make I thought really added to the storyline so that was a plus in my book). The animation was gorgeous! The studio really out did themselves! The soundtrack was amazing! I've always liked the soundtrack for Kuroshitsuji. They always have a great OST. The OP, ED, backround / situational music, and the VA's are masterfully done and I didn't have a single complaint. The characters ... ah, my favorite part of every anime! Sebastian...(do I really need to say more? ;D) All joking aside though, the characters were really well done and had ample character development for each and every character that was a focal point to the plot. Overall a definite must watch for fans of the manga, fans of the anime, or if you're a fan of gorgeous demon butlers ;D I really enjoyed myself and am very much looking forward to the Murder Book installment!

Izumii Sep 20, 2014

9

Note: I did not read the manga yet (20 Sept. 2014), so for now I don't care what happens in there. All I know is what I saw and what I decided to ignore. Like for example the last episode. It had a fulfilling ending though, don't mind me..   WARNING: DO NOT READ BETWEEN THE ARROWS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE ANIME YET + do not read the comment section either (spoilers) (in case you want this entire anime to be ruined for you, go right ahead my friend)   Splendid animation as usual; great soundtrack - even better than usual; all of my beloved oldies came back (my bae Soma ily), and a surprising bunch of fantastic new characters show up as well. The story has one main plot that stretches out across all 10 episodes, and it also clears up a bit more about Ciel's past.  This rather short season is yet again filled with serious and hilarious situations that are perfectly balanced to keep you as entertained as possible (I finished this in 1 day). If you loved the past 2 seasons, this is definitely a must watch. If you did not quite adore everything about the past 2 seasons, you should definitely try this anyway: It barely takes place in the Phantomhives household, and even within these little episodes, they made room for more character development. The most cold-hearted seem to show emotion, the most mature act like a child and the actual child with a lack of compassion turns out to have even less empathy than you'd give him credit for. That's right, I'm talking about you, eyepatch.   >   >   >   >   >    SEVERE SPOILER ALERT AHEAD   <   <   <   <   < What the actual FUCK guys. What was the fucking point of creating lots of amazing characters with great potential if you fucking KILL THEM ALL at the end?? And Ciel gets an even bigger fuck you than the writers here. Seriously son, I trusted you, you did not have to do that. You fucking spoiled child, I used to adore you. How about you just go die already, you arrogant, selfish brat. It wasn't their fucking fault. Okay maybe they killed a lot of people but that’s not the point here. They only wanted to live, and what’s wrong with that huh?? As I recall last time you wanted to live you sold your fucking soul. I don’t care that they eventually seem to be all happy in heaven now, they’re FUCKING DEAD. My babies all died and I blame the fuck out of you. >   >   >   >   >    SEVERE SPOILER ALERT ENDED   <   <   <   <   <   Conclusion: If you absolutely love beautiful character design and tears: watch it. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    Note: I caught up with the manga now. Ciel is still a brat.  

llamalicious525 May 14, 2017

10

(Coming from someone who has not read the manga...yet) I have seen season 1 and a few episodes of season 2. Season 3 does a great job of showing us more of Ciel's backstory. The plot is interesting to keep you going for a mere 10 episodes. The length of the series was able to hold your interest while at the same time get in the information out that you needed to know without straying. The characters are all unique in their own way. The plot never loses itself and stays steady with its pacing. There are a handful of giggle-worthy moments, but Book of Circus still keeps its darker tones. The sick and twisted climax will certainly stick in my head. Season 3 of Black Butler is definitely my favorite of the series.