Customer Reviews

Black Butler, Vol. 1

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.

I'm not normally a fan of magna; in fact I almost never read it, but my interest in this series was instantly piqued by the stunning artwork, sustained by the witty dialogue, and admittedly, the Yaoi, which seems to have been added intentionally. No complaints from here on that account, though. It was also a surprisingly good read, albeit the plot buildup seemed unduly slow at points, yet does pick up gears with Ciel's kidnapping mid way through. Despite the milder start-up pace, this never became dull or tiresome to read.

Mainly, I think that's due to the strong sense of characterization - Black Butler is one of those stories whose characters are memorable, likable and outshine the original magna. Makes wonderful fodder for fan fiction, but even more so than that, I found myself enjoying the 19th Century (somewhat steampunk-ish) atmosphere and the entire background story line. I have little patience for supernatural elements in fiction, graphic novels included, because they are often cliched to a slow and torturous death. Here, I am intrigued by the demon butler and how this very promising series will play out.

If Hellsing had a younger, cuter brother, it would be Sebastian.
I would highly recommend this to Hellsing fans,
or just fans of good manga in particular.
Eagerly awaiting the next volume.

I watched the anime first, and I can say there are some significant differences between the manga and the anime. But I like both, even though the Anime seems to be a little faster paced, and there seem to be a few more fillers in this series. I am up to volume five though, and so far, I approve!

I remember this was one of the series I eyed time after time in the store, wondering if I should give it a shot. I ended up going through with buying it, and I'm glad I did; the book was amazing. My favorite volume remains at number 3, however. I'm writing for number 1 because it's very good quality and more people are likely to see it.
Quality artwork, very unique storyline, and very unique characters!

Anime, as well, is great. Regardless of what others (*nit-pickers*... ahem...) say, the English voices in the dub are great as well.
I suggest that as well.

All in all, I recommend this to anyone who wishes there were a more dignified version of Twilight, or books of that sort. It's a bit darker and more graphic, but tolerable even then.
Read it!

I got this graphic novel from watching Black Butler on anime. My sister said they were not the exact same, and after reading it, I would agree. This graphic novel has that spooky humor that everyone loves so much.
I would recommend this graphic novel, but I don't want to ruin it for you if you're thinking about reading or getting it.

Sebastian is the loyal butler at the Phantomhive residence. He serves the current master of the house, 12-year-old Earl Ciel Phantomhive. As is fitting for an earldom, there are multiple servants, but none are as devoted or as good at their job as Sebastian. But is the butler too good to be true, or just too good to be human? In Toboso's manga, the traditional master/servant roles take on a creepy new meaning, leaving readers intrigued by the relationship between the calm butler and the powerful young earl. And it's no doubt that they are the main focus of the story. The petulant young earl is obviously a damaged boy, but we don't find out why here. Readers just learn the beginning of his life and see his dark, brooding personality. Sebastian, by contrast, is the quintessential British butler, perfection beyond belief. The other servants are all witless and inept, used purely for comic relief.

Toboso easily juggles comedy, action, and mysticism with the merest hint of boys' love. Indeed, with the first half of the book, the story seems like it is going to be simply humorous with a slight paranormal twist. In the second half, however, readers discover that the earl and the butler have a relationship that will prove to be eternal. Not much more than that is said, however, so readers will be eager for volume two to learn more. The setting is faux Victorian, where top hats, pocket watches, and ball gowns exist alongside cars, cellphones, and machine guns. This allows Toboso to draw frills, beautiful costumes, and romantic locales without worrying about anachronism. The action scenes at the end of the book are easy to follow and dramatic and creepy at the same time. To spice things up even further, Toboso makes both Ciel and Sebastian bishonen, or beautiful boys, of the type often found in boys' love comics or girls' romance manga. This element allows female readers to read into the relationship between master and servant, attracting readers who might not otherwise pick up an action title such as this. But the effect is so subtle that it will not take away from readers who just want to read this for the humor and action.

Violence in the form of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat, as well as the occasional pratfall, makes this for older teens and the mystical elements seem likely to grow darker over the life of the series. Though not much is said about who Sebastian really is, readers are given plenty of clues by the end, and they will want volume two to confirm their beliefs. Give this to fans of gothic tales like Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino or Godchild by Kaori Yuki (both from VIZ) and they will thank you!

-- Snow Wildsmith

I've read the scans on [...] up to chapter 44 and I have to say, it's going to get better and better. This first volume, in my opinion, is great. I saw a few errors in the translation but otherwise it was very nice.
The artwork is beautiful (but as the series goes on, it will get better. The mangaka's - the artist of the manga's - art improves with each volume). If this volume doesn't set a good first impression, hang in there and wait for the next volumes because things will pick up.
If I had to rate the plot for this volume it would be a 8/10. When I first read it I thought to myself that the mangaka seemed a little pedophile-ish. A 12-year old boy with a young man/devil as his butler seems a little strange to me. (That and the fact that the mangaka has written a shonen-ai - light boy on boy romance - manga as well.)
The characters have the typical varied personalities. (A maid who is a klutz and has a thing for Sebastian, a gardener who is very adorable, and a cook who cooks meat with flame throwers.)
Overall, Black Butler is definitely something to give time. The start might be wobbly for some but it has potential.