Just a stone's throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom and its master, one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victoria's faithful servant...and a slip of a twelve-year-old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young master's wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of London's underbelly, there apparently is nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true...or at least, too good to be human...
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
That Butler, finally in English!,
This review is from: Black Butler, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
I first picked up this manga because I was drawn to the gorgeous art. If you're into Gothic Lolita and Gothic Aristocrat fashion, Black Butler is worth reading just for the characters' clothing. There's a reason this series is popular with cosplayers!
However, Black Butler isn't just pretty, it's also a good read. Yes, it gets off to a slow start. I admit I spent the first several chapters wondering if there was any plot at all, but I kept reading and I'm glad I did. Having read further volumes, I can assure you the plot does pick up. More characters are introduced later on, and some characters I wasn't impressed with at first really surprised me! If you like your stories dark and supernatural with a hint of mystery and a touch of humor, then I highly recommend Black Butler.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
That Butler, Making a Good First Impression,
This review is from: Black Butler, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
Meet Sebastian. He's the charming butler of a young nobleman, Ciel, head of the House of Phantomhive and its toy company. He excels at any task he is given, be it cooking, redecorating the Phantomhive mansion, or taking care of any of his charge's demands. In fact, he does these tasks so perfectly that he almost seems to be inhuman...
The first volume of Black Butler introduces us to this duo of servant and master and shows us the trials and tribulations that they have to face living in an alternate-world Victorian England (last I recall, people in the Victorian Era didn't own cell phones or video games). While its premise might sound similar to Kaori Yuuki's Count Cain Saga, it takes itself much less seriously. The first couple of chapters are essentially a comedy-filled slice of life centered around the young Earl and his servants, and even after the tone starts to darken, it still retains the same goofy sense of humor it had in earlier chapters, albeit with slightly less of it. The artwork in this manga is gorgeous if a bit shojo-like. All of the characters are beautifully drawn with a great amount of detail spent on the costumes of the period. Even the background details and food in the volume are well-drawn, and it certainly provides a good deal of eye candy for its readers to look at. The characters themselves, however, leave a little to be desired in this first volume. Ciel and Sebastian are intriguing enough, but the rest of the recurring cast comes off as a bit annoying. The Phantomhive staff, with the exception of Sebastian, are all a bit... bumbling to say the least, and while they aren't that bad, they do start to grate on your nerves after a few chapters. Likewise, Ciel's fiancee Elizabeth came off as somewhat irritating, if well-meaning, though hopefully her personality will grow a tad bit more tolerable in later volumes. Overall though, Volume 1 of Black Butler was an enjoyable start to what could be a great new series. The setting and art were both very well done, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to fans of Godchild/ Count Cain who wouldn't mind reading something lighter or even to people who enjoyed the first volume of Pandora Hearts.
27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Devil of a Butler,
This review is from: Black Butler, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
"Black Butler" seems like a manga that is designed more to provide ideas for cosplay outfits than to be a comic in its own right. The entire set-up comes from a wordplay pun that only makes sense in Japanese, juxtaposing the term "Aku made Shiitsuji Desu" ("I am a Butler through and through") with "Akuma de Shiitsuji Desu" (I am a Butler from the Devil"). There is almost no story here, but every page is packed to the gills with Little Lord Fauntleroy outfits (complete with eye patch!) and frilly Gothic Lolita dresses.
The story (such as it is) starts with Earl Ciel Phantomhive, a twelve-year old boy who also happens to be the head of a giant corporation that produces candy and toys. Not that the Earl has much to do with his company, as he spends his days lazing around his manor house and making unreasonable demands on his staff. The Earl is served by three members, Finnian the Gardner, Mey-Rin the Maid and Baldroy the Chef, who are all hopeless incompetents with no redeeming qualities other than to accidentally destroy everything they touch. Fortunately for the Earl, he is also served by Sebastian, a butler of inhuman skills and perfection personified in every possible way. No matter what muddle-headed hijinks Finnian, Mey-Rin and Badlroy cook up, Sebastian is always there to set things right and save the day with elegance and style. Most of the book follows this standard plot. An important guest comes to visit, but Baldroy burns the food, Mey-Rin breaks the China and Finnian wipes out the garden. Sebastian steps in at the last minute to cook up a meal, set out the decorations, etc. The Earl's betrothed Ms. Elizabeth stops by, decorating the entire house with frilly lace and pretty bonnets. Sabastian is there to teach the Earl the Venetian Waltz at the last minute, so he can charm his future wife. About half-way through, the tone abruptly from light-heated whimsy to a darker tone as the young Earl is kidnapped by the Italian mafia who want to use his toy and candy company as a front to push drugs into England. While the Earl is beaten and threatened, Sebastian works his way through the Italians, coming to the rescue of his master and revealing his demonic nature in the process, and why Earl Phantomhive has such a hold on him. The second half of "Black Butler" definitely caught my interest more than the frivolous first half, and whether or not I continue with the series depends a lot on what style author Yana Toboso chooses. The art is good enough, although I am not personally such a fan of the lace and frills of the Gothic Lolita style which dominates the character designs. There might be more to the story, and an explanation why Earl Phantomhive doesn't just fire the incompetent trio of Finnian, Mey-Rin and Baldroy. There is some potential here, so it is just a case of wait and see.
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