30.12.12

Mayo Chiki! - The Butler and the Review


I noticed that I review a lot of anime that have butlers in it, and for that, I apologize. But Mayo Chiki! is totally worth it; I promise! 


I bet they're twins! ... Yeah, no. They're the same person. 

Mayo Chiki is a light Japanese novel created in late 2009 by Hajime Asano with illustrations by Seiji Kikuchi. It was later on adapted into a manga and eventually into an anime, spawning 13 episodes of hilarious (and a bit fanservice-y) adventures. Now, I watched them all, but I personally think that at the 12th episode, it’s worth ending for the viewer; the 13th episode has nothing to do with the quote on quote, “end”.  

I will admit, they could have done some better plot with the story, but the story of a girl as a butler who runs into a guy who has gynophobia is a pretty damn good plot – especially when he finds out that Subaru Konoe (the butler) who is supposedly a guy is actually a girl. So then spawns the hilarious and interesting adventures that eventually bring the secluded butler out of her/his shell into having plenty of friends. 

The ranking for this one will be a bit different; this time there’s no funny way of ranking the characters, sorry. It’s just the normal 1 (Horrible) – 10 (Awesome) ranking of the characters. Also, all the characters are alphabetized, per usual. c: 




The Cast

Secretly Plotting Your Demise since 2009
Kanade Suzutsuki – the only daughter of the school’s principal that Jirō, Subaru, herself, and the majority of the cast attends. Personally, to me, she is a Grade-A bitch, sadistic as hell, and sees everything as a passing amusement to her. Also, since she’s the single daughter of the school’s principal, if anyone crosses her or she doesn’t get what she wants, she can easily send someone away. Pathetic, but meh. I don’t like her, and granted she somewhat changes; I still haven’t swayed my opinion of her. She supposedly fell in love with Konoe Subaru (her butler, who is also a she, might I add) when she was younger, and since then considered her only as a sister; so it’s implied that she’s bisexual; but that’s not what’s bothering me. What bothers me is that she uses people to get what she wants; and granted that’s how today’s society is, but still. Ugh; she just – I want slap her! She eventually falls in love with the male protagonist, Kinjirō Sakamachi, because he was the first to tell her to move out of his way; and -hopefully- turns her down in favour of Subaru. Bratty and just plain jealous – two qualities that I hate in a character, and sadly it placed her rather low on my scale.

Score: 4 out of 10

What? What do you want me to do, punch someone?
Kinjirō Sakamachi otherwise known as “Chick-kun” (nickname from Masamune Usami) suffers from what people call gynophobia (fear of females) due to his sister (Kureha) and his mother (Akemi Sakamachi, who is not mentioned in this review!) using him as a punching bag when he was younger that he would have nosebleeds to stop them (so that there wouldn’t be any blood on the carpets and thus a clean home). He finds out Subaru Konoe’s secret (Shocking News: Chicken Boy Finds out Butler’s Amazing Secret! //shot by fangirls and then brought back to life through necromancy and this isn’t Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka? back to reviewing Mayo Chiki!!) Jirō is then forced to keep her secret, unless he wants everyone to find out that Subaru is actually a girl and then destroy the entire foundations of everyone’s life. But then again, it would actually be pretty funny to see a plot twist where he doesn’t have gynophobia, finds out her secret, and then somehow cruelly expose it to the world…

Wait, this is a romance light novel. Never mind.

Kinjirō, you may have a crappy name, but you’re an awesome dude. My only wish is that you actually stood up for yourself more and refused to take Suzutsuki’s shit. But eh, a guy can only do so much.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

Adorable yet Dangerous... 
Kureha Sakamachi is the younger sister to Kinjirō Sakamachi (Obviously, they share the same last name. Who wouldn’t know that? I mean… really) and avid kickboxing nut. Since their mother is a world champion in kickboxing, it doesn’t surprise the viewer that she would want to be the same way. She, along with her mother, is the main cause behind Kinjirō’s gynophobia, but in the same way, it’s how she shows her love. She falls for Subaru Konoe episode 02, “I Fell In Love!” and eventually comes to accepting Suzutsuki as a sister (Face. Palm. I mean… WHY. WHY OF ALL THINGS). She has a giant teddy bear that she uses as a punching bag when Jirō isn’t there (which I think is shown in episode 02, but I am not sure so don’t quote me on that). As a character, Kureha is actually what I see in a little sister, as weird as it sounds. She has her flaws, but all she wants is that her brother to be happy and to have friends. What fifteen/sixteen year old wouldn’t want that? 

The bear, destroyed in a fit of teenage love. 










Score: 8 out of 10

Usami, also plotting your demise since 2009.
Masamune Usami is a former member of the S4 (Shooting Star Subaru-Sama!), which consists of all the fangirls who harbour deep feelings for the aloof butler of Suzutsuki’s. She blackmailed Jirō  with photographs of him with Subaru (which she thinks Subaru was cross-dressing) in episode 02, “I Fell in Love!” into going to the school fair with her in episode 05, “Please Go Out With Me” and episode 06, “Let’s Start a War”. Eventually she became a friend and started to help Jirō out with his gynophobia (what is with people and trying to cure him of that? I mean… he doesn’t like you; quit trying to help). Her name is often confused with usage, which means “rabbit” in Japanese (for those who are weeboos out there…) and hence her nickname “Usagi-chan” from Suzutsuki. She’s an okay character, a bit too brash and rather rude – maybe a tsundere? Not sure on that, don’t quote me. As long as she doesn’t try to hook up with Jirō, I’m good.

Score: 8 out of 10

I bet if I look like this, I can beat that pretty boy over at Kuroshitsuji....
Nagare Konoe is the head butler of the Suzutsuki family and father to Subaru Konoe. He has some pretty nifty tricks up his sleeve, and is overprotective of his daughter; which is understandable as Subaru lost her mother at a very young age. The Suzutsuki family wanted him to remarry, but Subaru refused to hear about it and stayed on as the butler to Kanade (the bitch). He’s pissed at Jirō for finding out his daughter’s secret (aka, fondling her in episode 01, “End of Earth” and taught Subaru all he knew. For a dad, he’s pretty cool – and as a butler. However, I kinda don’t like him; I find his personality annoying and a bit whiny. Overall, he’s a good guy, but… meh. Wish he wasn’t as uptight about things.

Score: 7 out of 10

Everyone needs glasses!! :D
Nakuru Narumi is a classmate of Subaru Konoe and Kinjirō Sakamachi. She’s obsessed with glasses, doushinji, BL, and well… anything involving Jirō and Subaru really. She’s ditzy, and when she’s drunk off of caffeine, she apparently gains the powers to remove people’s clothing (shown in episode 08, “The First Time”) during the paintball fight to get Subaru’s/ Punyuru’s affection (a kiss on the cheek). She is also known as the president of the “Let’s Warmly Protect Subaru-Sama Committee” which is really just a committee that fangirls over Kinjirō’s and Subaru’s supposed “relationship”. With glasses (which is her thing). Nakuru, in my opinion, was there for only the fanservice as she… well, has big assets. And cat ears, with glasses. Tell me she’s not there for the fanservice. I dare you. 

This is what she dreams of, daily.
(This show is not a shonen-ai, or BL!)


Score: 8.5 out of 10

The female protagonist. 
Subaru Konoe – is the butler to Kanade Suzutsuki and female protagonist of Mayo Chiki!. Has the looks, the attitude of not to be messed with, and supposedly 100% male with a fangirl club, right? Well, if you watch the opening, it’s kinda obvious that the character is 100% female. Yeah, Subaru here cross-dress as a butler to serve her mistress, Suzutsuki (or as I like to call her, the Bitch). It goes back to the Konoe family males serving the Suzutsuki family, and since Subaru is the only child of the recent head butler, she took upon herself to be the butler to Kanade. Kinjirō, or rather just Jirō, finds her secret out by accident, and at first she didn’t trust him –but eventually s/he warms up to him and the students begin to assume that they’re in a relationship (well… they are, but not the kind that they’re thinking). In episode 11, “Hic!” Subaru is forced to quit as a butler since Suzutsuki fell from the top of the stairs, and eventually the two fanclubs (Shooting Star Subaru-Sama/S4 and their opponent, Let’s Warmly Protect Subaru-Sama Committee which both appeared in episode 02, “I Fell In Love!” and both fanclubs are pictured below) call a temporary truce to bring her/him back into being a butler. During episode 07, “Let’s Elope” she is introduced as Subaru’s “cousin,” Punyuru Takanashi in order to deflect suspicion of her being Subaru, aka the butler who is completely, 100% male. She’s also obsessed with the “Lost Sheep” plush series. But I mean, seriously. WHO CAN RESIST THEM; THEY’RE SO CUTE~~~ >w< 

SCREW THE GIRL, I WANT THE SHEEP! 


However, I do have a problem with Subaru. I kinda wish she was more direct towards Jirō when they were alone about her feelings and not skirting around the bush. Especially with Suzutsuki messing with their emotions like the manipulative bitch she is. I mean, if I were a student there, I’d still kick her ass even if it did get me suspended. No one messes with my emotions like that; or my friends. 

But I digress. 

I really hate that she (Subaru) lets Suzutsuki walk over her like that. But at the same time, I can understand why she would do that. Being a butler plus a female, it’s probably rather harsh. That, and Mayo Chiki! is actually a romantic comedy (I think…?) light novel so it’s understandable as to why she is that way. That, and she’s never really had any friends to begin with… eh, I can look over that. 

Score: 9.5 out of 10 


Overall Score:  7.8 out of 10

Not bad, cast of Mayo Chiki! You all did nicely, considering you had that bitch that had a 4. But meh, what can I say? And before you fanboys get your knickers twisted over Kanade getting a 4, put yourselves in Jirō’s shoes (gynophobia and all) and you try to get Subaru to admit her feelings for you. 

Try it. 

I doubt you’d get anywhere though. 


The Plot:

As stated before, Mayo Chiki! Is a light novel created back in ’09. Wikipedia sums up the plot in a pretty good sense for me, 

“The story revolves around Kinjirō Sakamachi, a 17 year old high school boy who suffers from gynophobia. The gynophobia sickness makes his nose bleed every time he has physical contact with a female. While using the bathroom he accidentally discovers that the popular and handsome butler Subaru Konoe is in fact a girl. Now that Kinjirō knows about Subaru's secret, he must work together with Subaru and her sadistic mistress, Kanade, to protect Subaru’s secret from being discovered.” (Wikipedia.org)

It’s a cutesy story, full of hilarious and pretty amusing outcomes. The series overall could have been taken out more, expanded a bit more – but alas I have to settle with the 13 (12, not counting the last episode) episodes that have already been out. Subaru’s a good character; just lost and confused. Jirō’s a good character who is just trying to find his way in life and following his dad’s way of life. 



Obligatory kissing picture for you guys! 


However, again, I feel like the story could have expanded a bit more to the end of their year in school; but I could also see where Subaru and Jirō would actually separate, and I don’t think the fanbase would like that. I give it the ranking I gave it solely based on the fact that I felt that there were a lot of unexplored parts of the Mayo Chiki! series, and it kinda gives it away during the opening that Subaru Konoe is a girl. I’d like to figure that out on my own, thanks – and not during the first episode.

Overall Score:  8.5 out of 10

The Animation:

The animation is actually quite simple and clean. Very few errors from what I could gather. It was not too bad, and was actually quite clear to see. The videos I was viewing the anime from were screwing up, but it’s not the animations’ fault. It’s similar to Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, and Kämpher; but I don’t think it’s the same studio that animated them.

An example.

Overall Score:  9.5 out of 10

Next Time...

The next anime I watch for a review will hopefully be as short as this one, but since I’m putting the ENTIRE LIST that I’ve compiled over the day of watching Mayo Chiki! (28/12/12) into a randomizer and then watching said anime in that order and after watching it, reviewing it. So maybe I’ll actually have something, you know, to bring this blog from the dead! Haha… dead.

Say, wasn’t the world supposed to end on the 21st? Why the hell didn’t that happen?

(°° ┻━┻


──(° -°)

Now… the anime that I’m going to torture myself next with watch next is…

Hellsing Ultimate.

Oh. Lovely. Vampires; blood. Whoo, what fun!

.

.

.

.

.

(°° ┻━┻

Sources:
Images Found on Google
Mayo Chiki! © Hajime Asano
Wikipedia.org
YouTube (for the video)


25.4.12

Black Butler, Season II: That’s what makes me a Reviewer


Scale: (1 Creepy – 10 Most Worthy)

Indeed, the world is ending.

Warning: Those who have a fear of spiders, do not read this review, or watch this series. There are spiders in it.


(°□° ┻━┻
FUCK THIS SHIT. I DON’T WANT TO REVIEW THIS ONE!
-sigh-
──(° -°)

-cough- Ahem. Sorry about that rant, but I just went through the episodes again, and well… why me? (ι´Д)
This looks promising.
So here we are again (damn it) and I’m finally getting around to reviewing Kuroshitsuji II, for you English speaking people, Black Butler, Season II. The first one was a trip, but this one is a bigger one. Why?
Because of this creep:




Stay away from me. I have bug spray.
Meet Claude Faustus, whom we’ll discuss later on down the review. Now, why do I consider him a creep better than Alois? Because well…

He’s a fucking spider demon. Don’t believe me? Just take a look :

'Sup?

Yeah; he’s a creep; a big time creep, even. He surpasses even Alois, guys. He’s that fucking creepy. So, what exactly does the second season of Black Butler have in store for us? Well, take a look:
Kuroshitsuji II takes place in the second half of the 19th Century in England, where the Trancy household resides. It is set one year and three months after the ending of the first season. After the second episode, the series will mostly follow Ciel and his servants, and the characters of the Phantomhive household, including Elizabeth Midford. Ciel was presumed dead at the end of the first series, but Sebastian had in fact never succeeded in taking Ciel's soul to begin with. Nonetheless, Ciel has lost his memories, including those about Angelina Durless's death, Grell, Soma and Agni, and Angela.” (Kuroshitsuji Wiki)
Oh my god, they didn’t. Sebastian must be pissed about the fact that he lost his dinner. I mean, that soul was ripe, just brimming with delicious spices and poor Sebastian must have been dying to sink his teeth on Ciel’s soul… only to have it be stolen, retrieved, and reset to 0%.
            Now, a thing about the cast list: if there are certain characters missing (i.e. the comedic people: Bardroy, Finni, Mey-Rin etc. etc.) is because I’ve already went over them in the last review, and don’t see a point in having them in this one; you hardly see any of them, really. If there’s a character listed, it’s for reviewing. Several characters do come back. Hint: The colour red.  
Well, as long as I’ve tried to put it off… it looks like the inevitable has come… hold on to your hats ladies and gents; we’re off on another horrendous adventure!

The Cast:

Phantomhive Household:

I'm still here, bitch.
Ciel Phantomhive in this season is still a brat with a demon butler, too much wealth, and too much power. Although, in Kuroshitsuji II, he’s more determined to get his hands on the murderer of his parents (Whom he believes to be Alois Trancy) and will do nothing to stop it. In Episode 7, “Deathly Butler,” Ciel actually manages to gravely harm Alois. Holy shit kid, you’re 13! You shouldn’t be messing with swords at that age, I don’t care if you’re the Earl of Phantomhive or not! Well, pretty much, Ciel lost his memory, having it reset back to 0%, and thinks that Alois is the one who murdered his parents and ruined his childhood (boo hoo). However, that’s not the kicker. The kicker is that Ciel actually turns into a demon at the end of the series. Yeah, didn’t see that coming did you?

Surprised?


So, Ciel Phantomhive does not turn into a dinner for Sebastian. DAMN IT. I was hoping that would happen! But eh, I will admit, I do feel bad for Sebastian, having to deal with this brat for the rest of eternity (since y’know, Sebastian didn’t get his dinner Ciel’s soul). Surprisingly, however, Ceil redeemed himself in this season, and he’s a more likeable character now. I just wish he would stop being so… I don’t know, pushy about his pride being wounded?

Score: 5.5 out of 10

Dinner. Obey me.
Sebastian Michaelis or known to the fangirl base as “Sebby-chan” (ugh… I want to delete those words so badly…) is the demon butler for the Phantomhive estate. Don’t let his looks fool you, girls, he’s a devil. He wants to nom on Ciel’s soul, which is how we all thought the first season ended, but alas! We were wrong. He and Claude eventually settle onto an agreement to… I guess the term I’m looking for is to “share” Ciel’s soul.  Again, at the end of the series, since Ciel’s turned into a devil spawn demon, I guess poor Sebastian here’s stuck with the brat for eternity. However, he does seem more protective (since his food was being threatened) of Ciel, and even mentions in Episode 10, “Zero Butler” that Claude “had his grubby hands all over my dinner.” Goes to show that Sebastian does have a nice side, but that’s only when his food is being threatened. Huh. I only gave him as a high rating as I did (below) because I found it amusing that he went to such great lengths to get his food, and in the end that dream was squashed.

Noms, denied.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Overall Score: 5 out of 10

Hey, it looks like the pair actually got a legit 5/10! That’s a rarity, but the Shinigamis still have you beat. Sorry Phantomhive household, you weren’t good enough.

The Shinigamis:

A Reaper of Death © Grell Sutcliff
Grell Sutcliff hey, the red reaper is back~ Hurrah! Grell this time serves as an actual character and does have a -somewhat- bigger role in this season. This time, he teams up with Sebastian to help get his dinner back get Ciel back from Claude, and serves as a “plot mover.” In Episode 3, “Wench Butler,” Grell shows up and Ciel has a flashback to Madam Red (when he saw the coat) and calls him a freak. However, in Episodes 10 and 11, “Zero Butler” and “Crossroads Butler,” Grell actually pulls his weight around and helps out after Sebastian pretty much… seduced the Shinigami into helping him (oh my god, I shuddered when I typed that). So his previous 9.5 rating actually went down another .5 because he got seduced (ugh…) into helping the demon butler, when he could’ve sat back and watched the outcome.

Score: 9 out of 10

Dude, I totally forgot my line.
Ronald Knox has a grand total of 20 lines in the entire season, and shows up in one episode, that being Episode 9, “Hollow Butler.” The only reason why I’m reviewing this character because, hey, new guy! Ronald Knox is apparently one of Grell’s apprentices (I share you pain, dude, I share your pain…), and thinks that he needs to change his line. He’s caught in a battle between William T. Spears and Sebastian, and eventually gives up the chase due to the fact that William got his glasses knocked off his face. Oh, and his death scythe? It’s a freaking lawn mower. Also, did you notice that every Shinigami’s death scythe had to do with gardening tools?

I kid you not; lookit:

Are they specialized in gardening or landscaping?


Anyways, back to the review. Ronald is an okay character; I haven’t seen much of him to give him an accurate score, even if he’s one of Grell’s apprentices.
No, not even a grin will help out your score. Nice try though.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Overall Score: 8.8 out of 10

Tsk, tsk, Shinigami’s. You’re down a couple of points from before… granted that I only reviewed two of you, but there’s honestly no point in reviewing the others because A) I don’t think the Undertaker shows up (don’t quote me on that, and for you people who nit-pick, I will ignore you) and B) we’ve already established that William’s obsessed with not getting overtime.

Trancy Household:

Creepy and you know it.
Alois Trancy, the earl of the Trancy household. This kid may look like he’s 14, but not only does he looks like he’s younger, he’s a fucking creeper. I mean, seriously. In episodes 5 and 6, “Beacon Butler,” and “Bedwed Butler” he has Hannah strip and takes on her clothes instead. Not only that, but in the first episode of the entire season he gouged her eye out. Tell me this kid isn’t crazy. I dare you audience, I dare you. Gaaah this kid gives me the creeps; which is pretty sad because honestly, he isn’t bad looking. If he wasn’t so psychohappy, overall creepy, and demanding all the time, I might consider giving him a higher rating; but… god this kid…

Also, a fun fact about Alois: his real name is Jim Macken; meaning, he isn’t of pureblood of the line. He inherited the title when the previous head of the family (a pedo) named him the heir before he passed away. Good lord… no wonder this kid is fucked up!   

Score:  3.5 out of 10

Can't see without my glasses
Claude Faustus, the demon butler of the Trancy Household. Remember the guy at the beginning? Yeah; that’s him: the creeper; the spider demon. Instead of silver knives, he fights with gold knives. Instead of cats (like Bassie), Claude here likes canaries. What is he, a D*sney princess? I mean, I honestly think he’s a legit stalker. -sigh-

Anyways, Claude here strikes up a bargain with Sebastian to get Alois’s soul, while Bassie gets Ciel’s, only the plan backfires and he ends up lusting for Ciel’s soul instead. He only used Alois as a tool to get Ciel (meanwhile, the psychohappy child is wondering why Claude doesn’t love him and freaking out over that). Eventually, the pair (Sebastian and Claude) duke it out, and lo behold, Claude is mortally (er… demonally…? Is that even a word) wounded, and eventually dies. Thank god. Overall, Claude could be a really good demon antagonist if he just weren’t so… weird. Although, the tap dancing moves in the first episode, “Clawed Butler” was pretty sweet.


You gotta love that dancing.


Score: -100 1 out of 10

Ran Mao is better than you.
Hannah Annafeloz is the maid for the Trancy household. Timid, shy, and afraid of Alois, you find out that in the first episode, her eye’s gouged out. After that, she follows whatever Alois tells her (in fear) and pretty much is used for fanservicing. She can use weapons pretty well, and you’d think she was human… until Episode 7, “Deathly Butler,” in which she’s a human sheathe for a demon sword.

What.
Yup, so technically, Hannah isn’t human. She’s a demon. Great; another one of you creeps.

So yeah, Hannah is a demon, who made a contract with Alois’s brother (Luka) and ate his soul; because Luka’s one wish was to “make his brother [Alois] happy.”
-sigh-
I wonder when I can flip the table again… (ι´Д)
Score: 2.5 out of 10

Who was who again...?
The Triplets are demon butlers. What, does Alois have an entire staff just of demons? Good lord kid. :T Well, anyways, the triplets names are Cantebury, Thompson, and Timber. Don’t ask me which is which, because well, they’re triplets. They’re followers of Hannah Annafeloz, for whatever reason. Not much is known about them, but all I know is that they’re triplets, demons, and the fact that you never hear them talk.
Never.
That said I’m kinda glad that I can’t figure out what they’re saying. I probably don’t want to know.
Score: 5 out of 10
Overall Score: 3 out of 10

Huh, Alois Trancy, you have more creepy people than I’d like to admit. Perhaps you need to take a page out of the Phantomhive household and have only one demon around?

Animation:
            Kuroshitsuji II depended heavily on the CGI, but other than that, there was nothing wrong with it. The animation seemed flawless, there was little to no mix ups, save for Episode 10, “Zero Butler” where Ciel’s gloves went mysteriously disappearing during the zoomed out parts of the garden. Other than that, I can’t think of anything else to say about the animation. A lot of the voice actors came back (with some new ones, obviously) to voice the characters. J. Michael Tatum, why did you have that random sigh during the preview of Episode “Terrorist Butler”? Do you realise that you sent one of my friends into a fangirl fanatic that we had to give her two ice packs to cool her down?!

Overall Score: 6.5 out of 10
Plot:

Anyways, Kuroshitsuji II has twelve (12) episodes along with six (6) OVAs (Original Video Animations) to boot. Not bad, considering Kuroshitsuji I had 26 episodes, but no OVAs. This season is darker, creepier, and all around fast paced. There’s no slow build up to a great conflict, the viewer instantaneously dives into the story, starting off with Alois Trancy (listed above under Trancy Household) making a pact with Claude Faustus (the creeper). Thus, we now have two brats toting around demon butlers.
Wonderful
The plot, again, is set during the Victorian time period, but has its moderations. There are times where the plot does get a little lighter so the viewer has time to breathe and not drown in all the serious business that’s going down. In the end, Kuroshitsuji II ended on a good note, if not bittersweet. It wasn’t as slow paced as Kuroshitsuji I, which is a good thing if you don’t like slow paced anime, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. All in all, this series is worth watching.
However:
Before watching Kuroshitsuji II, you might want to go and watch Kuroshitsuji I so you could get a general idea of what is going on. I had a friend who did that (not naming names) and she was thoroughly confused until she went back and watched the first season. Then everything in Kuroshitsuji II made sense.

The only problem I have is the fact that it’s rather… not creepy, per se, but there was a lot of fanservice. That I could’ve done without (we have Ran Mao, why add in Hannah A-1 Pictures?); and it knocked the rating down a peg.
Overall Score: 9.5 out of 10
Setting:
            Victorian Era, with moderations, and a huge dosage of creepiness. Not all that spectacular.
Overall Score: 5 out of 10

Sources:


Some Images found on Google
Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
Video found on YouTube (please support the official release!)
Anyone reminded of Umineko?

23.4.12

Black Butler, Season I: Simply One Hell of a Review

Grell told me to tell you that he loved you.

 

 

Scale: (1 Impure – 10 Pure)

The anime.


There comes a time in my life that I have to facepalm and facepalm ever so epically. This is one of those times, as I take upon myself the arduous task of reviewing a manga-turned anime. It’s rather popular with the yaoi fandoms (you people stay the hell away from me; I have a fire poker and not afraid to use it) and the rabid fangirls of certain demon butlers or shinigamis (ladies, you may have them, for I don’t want them). Dear lord, I’m afraid to even touch this anime with a stick without getting pounced on for slandering “the best anime of all time” (which, in my book, is reserved for an anime that is completely awesome; I haven’t found that one yet). However, I have decided to resign myself to such a task, and I will do it; let’s just hope that the fandom doesn’t slaughter me for it. Well, here goes. Cheers.

Kuroshitsuji, or rather, Black Butler in English, and I have to say this:

What. The. Fuck.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love anything Victorian Era (I’m a sucker for British things, can’t you tell?), mysterious, or supernatural. Mix in all three and you get a lovely blend of mindfuckery, murder cases, demon butlers… What.

Yup, in Black Butler, there are demons. Well, precisely, demon butlers.

Even more precisely, demon butlers who fight with freaking silverware

Tell me you’re joking.

Nope, the anime does not lie, sadly. Let’s see what lovemyanime.net has to say about the series:

“In Victorian-era Europe, a young boy loses everything he once held near and dear to a vicious plot. In his moment of death, he strikes a deal with a demon: his soul, in exchange for revenge. Ciel Phantomhive is now the head of the Phantomhive Corporation, handling all business affairs as well as the underground work for the Queen of England. His new partner is a demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis, whose powers as a butler is only surpassed by his strength as a demon. The story follows the two along with their other servants, as they work to unravel the plot behind Ciel’s parents’ murder, and the horrendous tragedies that befell Ciel in the month directly after.”

Granted, that’s not an accurate description (lovemyanime.net, why must you fail me in my time of need?!), but pretty much, this review is going to be hell…

… And that wasn’t supposed to be a pun.

Let’s put the cast under the spyglass, and see if any of them are worthy to be “simply one hell of a character.”

The Cast:


Phantomhive Household:


The "Cook" must be a code word for "Explosion"
Bardroy: the “cook” of the Phantomhive household. Granted, all he’s worth is blowing the food up with dynamite, or decided to use a military flame on it. Of course, I think he is just here to give us comedy relief from the serious business from the show. However, isn’t he supposed to be American…? My sources (Kuroshitsuji.wikia.com) tell me that I am correct; he is supposed to be American. So why the bloody hell does he has an accent that clearly isn’t American? Did the dubbing company (Funimation) get it wrong? Meh, whatever; but he does seem to light the mood on filler episodes. Not exactly a favourite, but when there’s Bardroy, there’s Finni.
Score: 4.5 out of 10



Bitch, get out of here. I'm a Phantomhive.
Ciel Phantomhive the head of the household. Oh, guess, what, he’s freaking 12 and is the Queen’s Watchdog to boot. “Why aren’t his parents doing that? Isn’t that like, the father’s job?” Yeah, he has no parents. They died in a fire when he was about eight…? (I’m too lazy to look it up, and the wiki site isn’t being helpful. :T) so he’s the head of the family. The reason why he’s still alive and not some sacrifice for a cult is because he made a contract with a demon (look at Sebastian Michaelis for more information) and thus wears the eye patch. No, he hasn’t lost an eye in a war or anything, that’s where the contract of their agreement is placed. The closer the contract, the deeper the bond. Or so I heard. For personal tastes, he’s a flat out jerk. He’s cruel to everyone around him, and constantly attempts to pick fights; a little brat with too much wealth and power. He’s way too serious for his age (don’t blame him, with that bloody demon and such…), and could be knocked back down a peg or two. Ciel is a brat with a top hat to boot. Nothing special about him from what I gather, and apparently he isn’t really the smartest when it comes to following orders from his demon butler to stay put and not get himself in deeper shit than he already is in.
Score: 3.5 out of 10



"Sir yes sir!"
Finnian or just plain Finni is the “gardener” of the Phantomhive household. Finni is freakin adorable with that messy blonde hair, and always willing to give a smile and a big, bone-crushing hug. Finni is freaking awesome. I mean, he has super-strength. Who wouldn’t want to be his friend? Granted, I think my opinion is just a -little- biased, but Finni, to me, is simply “one hell of a character.” I mean, comon… it’s Finni! He just wants friends! So cute… >w<
Score: 10 out of 10



Forgot my glasses, brb.
Mey-Rin is the “clumsy maid” of the Phantomhive manor. She’s a red head who fantasizes a lot with the idea that Sebastian is in love with her (the other way around) and goes all floaty when Sebastian talks to her. However, don’t let that cute clumsiness fool you. She’s a sniper who has very, very good eyesight. Did you forget where Hyde Park is? Just ask Mey-Rin to take off her glasses (if you can convince her) and she’d most likely be able to point it out to you, without ever leaving the manor. Granted, she’s ‘clumsy’ and that knocked her down a few points, but for a human, Mey-Rin’s pretty bad-ass. I think it has to do with the fact that she’s freaking sniper.
Score: 5.5 out of 10




"Snack time!"
Sebastian Michaelis is the demon butler for the Phantomhive family. Oh god, this guy. This guy alone scares the hell out of me from the entire Phantomhive household. You fangirls can go gaga over him for all I care, just leave me the hell out of it. Sebastian is the demon who shares the contract with Ciel, with the mark placed on his left hand. This guy may have the dark hair and red eyes, but he ain’t fooling me. I mean… who likes this guy? What is so “cool looking” about him? Yeah, he can do everything and anything, but… but for Cripes’ sake he’s a bloody demon you stupid fangirls! He wants to eat Ciel’s soul, so in a sense, his master is his “snack,” “food,” or in looser terms, “dinner.” Just pretend he’s a dog (he hates them, by the way, Bassie here prefers cats) and shake a Ciel shaped bone at him and play “fetch”… only he wouldn’t give the bone back. Bloody demon; I would trust him as far as I can throw him… which isn’t far. So yeah, I don’t trust him at all. Oh, and his motto? “I am simply one hell of a butler.” You can tell why I get annoyed easily by this character; he says it in nearly every flipping episode. … And those who know the series, you’re gonna read the rest of this review in Sebastian’s voice, because I am. Damn it. 

Score: 2.5 out of 10



 
Ho, ho, ho.

Tanaka, is just… well, he’s Taknaka! Actually, to be more precise, he is the steward of the house, and apparently even Sebastian of all people likes him. He’s normally in chibi form, sipping tea and going “Ho, ho, ho,” but whenever he is in ‘Life mode’ let’s just safely assume that shit is about to go down. He keeps record of the Phantomhive Estates and is normally the ‘head’ of the Funtom company (which in actuality, it’s Ciel who is the one in charge of the company). Tanaka is the only one who survived the attack on the original Phantomhive estate, and often lends advice to the ones (i.e. Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finni) who are asking for it. He doesn’t serve any other purpose than that, sadly. What a waste of a good character.
Score: 9.5 out of 10

Overall Score: 6.6 out of 10

Not bad for the Phantomhives, but then again, they are the Queen’s Guard dogs. :T

The Shinigamis:


I simply love you to Death!
Grell Sutcliff, or rather known as: “The Blood Red Reaper” (to me, anyways). Grell is a psychopathic, redhead who has a thing for Sebastian. He’s constantly seen through the series (after Episode 2, where he’s first shown in human form) as an annoying (almost comedic person) pest to Sebastian and Co. With red hair, fake eyelashes, a chainsaw, and Madame Red’s coat, Grell is a complete Reaper of Death I have to admit, Grell is actually a favourite. If only because of his personality – and the fact that he’s a… well, I think he’s hot, but I have a friend who would murder me if I even mentioned such a thing, so yeah. -sigh- All the hot ones are already taken in this series… Unfair. :< However, since he also killed Madame Red, who kinda was asking for it, it knocked him down a peg or too. That and he could’ve picked a better person to torment than Sebastian of all people.
Score: 9.5 out of 10

Under that hair is a load of badassery.
Undertaker is the kookiest of all Shinigamis out there. Literally, his name is Undertaker, and he works in a little shop making coffins. It’s shown in a bonus episode that he’s prone to laughter easily (ticklish) and that the price for information is laughter (seen in Episode 4, His Butler, Capricious). The wiki even states that the Undertaker seems to take joy in frightening others, as he seems to act creepy intentionally to provoke a reaction. I’m not spoiling the manga (as this review is for the anime, thank you), but let’s just say this: If you were a fan of the Undertaker before the bangs went up (sadly, they never do in the anime), then you just gained +5 awesome points from me. He’s an insane guy, but he’s funny. I think that’s why he’s a favourite. However, they should’ve shown the eyes in the anime, and that knocked him down a peg.
Score: 9.5 out of 10



Don't stare at me like that you...
William T. Spears, aka Mr Overtime. Meet William T. Spears, the strictest Shinigami you’d ever meet in your life. He may not seem like much, but William sticks to the rules because he knows that Grell wouldn’t. He’s mostly seen as a way to make Grell disappear, and nothing else. He berates Grell for making him “work overtime” (numerous episodes), and shows up in Episode 6, His Butler, At the Funeral introducing himself. He has a hatred for demons (FINALLY, A SHINIGAMI WITH A SENSE OF REALITY) and states that “Having to bow my head to vermin like you... really does smear mud across the reaper name” (episode 6). It’s also speculated that his name is referring to William Shakespeare (That’s what I thought as well), but the author has not confirmed such rumour. For a Shinigami who has enough sense, he’s actually quite interesting. Not bad.
Score: 9 out of 10

Overall Score: 9.3 out of 10

Not bad Shinigamis, perhaps you could teach the Phantomhive household a thing or two.

Minor Cast:



Angi, why are you so awesome?
Agni, the butler to the 26th child of the King of Bengal, Prince Soma. Agni was part of the caste system where he was a Brahman. However, he indulged in sin, and was about to be executed until Soma appears and saves him. Since then, Agni has had a new outlook on life, and reveres Prince Soma as a god himself. Agni’s hand that is always seen bandaged was blessed by Kali, which means he’s more than an equal match for Sebastian. Hey, guys, we found the opposite of Sebastian; does that mean he’s the “White” butler? (ok, ok, I’m sorry.) He also makes some awesome curry and eventually gains the trust of Sebastian (which is… shocking).
Score: 8.5 out of 10




Creeper No. 1
Angela/Ash, is like this for a reason. Why; you readers are probably wondering. Well, let’s just say that Ash and Angela is the same person… a hermaphrodite fallen angel, if you will. However, there are distinct differences between “Angela” and “Ash”. For instance, “Angela” seems to be more… out there. The wiki states that “Angela” “seems to enjoy the role of dominatrix, as seen from her change in outfit and overzealous attitude when she tortures Sebastian” (Kuroshitsuji wiki) where as “Ash” “finds fighting to be exciting, becoming almost maniacal about it, and easily becomes angry when any attention is diverted away from him during a fight” (Kuroshitsuji wiki). This… he-she-it-thing is pretty much a wacko job well done, and I think it was a good idea to throw them out of heaven. They’re a scary bunch. 
Creeper No. 2.
Score: 1.5 out of 10











"It's... so... CUUUUUUTTTTEEEEE!!!!!"
Elizabeth Midford is Ciel Phantomhive’s cousin and fiancée, because back then, marrying into families was a common thing with nobles, since they didn’t want their precious money to be wasted on an outsider. She’s the typical noble girl, wanting cute things and colour and frills and ribbons. She’s the sun to Ciel’s ever moody night, but it looks like he seems more annoyed with her than anything. Gee, I wonder why. However, she’s known to be caring, even though she ended up as a damsel in distress in one story arc. Yet, she still holds a good spot in my standing.  
Score: 7.5 out of 10

I am plotting something devious... and I just forgot it.
Lau is an Chinese nobleman who deals with opium (a famous drug back then and today, and still illegal for those who want to get their hands on it), and head of the Kon Ron Chinese importing business in Britain. He is often seen as a laidback, carefree character, always pretending to know what’s going on, up until the point where he goes, “What’s going on?” which ends up annoying everyone around him. He may seem laid back, but Lau can be quite a vicious character when threatened, and isn’t above sending Ran Mao after someone if he’s decided that it’s time to move. Lau is also part of the Shanghai Mafia. Normally, his eyes are kept closed, but during some tense moments (when Queen Victoria shows up at the curry contest, or if he feels threatened) he opens his eyes; and when he opens his eyes, usually that means that shit is going to go down.
Score: 8.5 out of 10

I bet you can guess her favourite colour.
Madam Red, or known by her title as Baroness Angelina Durless-Barnett, aunt to Ciel Phantomhive. She’s known as Madame Red for well… she loves the colour red, something that she and a certain Shinigami –coughGrellcough- have in common. She’s a loud, gossip doctor, but there’s a reason why she does that. You see, Madame Red lost her first love, Ciel’s Father, to her sister Rachel. She then lost her husband and unborn child in a carriage accident. Then, to put the icing on the cake, on the day she was released from the hospital, the Phantomhive family house went up in smoke, and she lost both her sister and loved one. She also thought she lost Ciel too, until he showed up with Sebastian in tow. Since then, she’s been trying to be the motherly aunt and checks up on Ciel. However, the rage that she felt that it was her sister who died, and the pain of losing everyone close to her, it took its toll on her. Basically, when prostitutes went to her to get their womb removed, she grew envious and started attacking them, thus attracting Grell, and they became “Jack the Ripper.” Madame Red may be a killer, but she had a compassionate heart in the end, which led to her downfall.
Score: 8.5 out of 10



If this is the 26th ruler, we're in trouble.
Prince Soma is the 26th son of the current king of Bengal. He’s a whiny brat who doesn’t know when to give up, and has disillusions that everyone around him loved him. Unfortunately for him, Prince Soma learned the hard way that not everyone loved him, and they only used him to get higher in the caste system of India. He has a nice heart, and eventually ends up permanently staying in Britain with Agni (not that way, you idiots) to help feed the poor with hot curry buns (I want one now…). He’s usually around for a couple of episodes and never seen again, but one can safely assume that he sticks around.

Score: 7.5 out of 10



Is she even human...?
Queen Victoria is downright scary. And this isn’t your normal Queen Victoria… oh no, that fallen angel thing completely… eaaaah creepy; downright creepy. In the anime, Queen Victoria is the reason for Ciel Phantomhive’s family being wiped out. She felt that it was time to cleanse the world from impurity. In fact, this Queen Victoria is a mere puppet for Ash/Angela’s goal: To have only the pure; but… seriously. Why would you want to have your husband’s dead body attached to yours? That’s just… ew. 
Score: 1 out of 10

Every fanboy's dream... Ran Mao.
Ran Mao is the personal assassin (read: fanservice) for Lau. Considered to be his sister, Ran Mao never, if at all, talks. I think the only time she ever talks is towards the arc where she and Lau go poof due to the Lady Blanc incident. Ran Mao is pretty much a badass, but she’s also mainly used for fanservice. I like her as a character… but when the fanservice gets into the way, she kinda plummets to the bottom of the barrel. There’s really nothing else about her that I can particularly note. 
Score: 6.5 out of 10

The ancestor of Tamaki Souh.
Viscount of Druitt, or known to the High end of London as Lord Aleister Chamber. I’ll call him Viscount, it’s easier. So, Viscount is a nobleman, but is also comedic; if that’s possible. With his blonde hair, purple eyes, and dramatic flair, I wondered if he’s related to Tamaki (stay in tune for the Ouran High School Host Club review to learn about this character, but if you already know him, that’s ok too. ;D). Viscount here tends to go over-the-top and be over-exaggerated at times. Also, he used to be a criminal. What. Yup, in Episode 4, His Butler, Capricious, he auctions young women off to the highest bidder, for the occult, I think. Not sure on that. Anyways, he’s an interesting character, but it’s a shame that not many people like this character. I think he’s quite funny, actually. The only problem is that he reminds me too much of Tamaki Souh…
Score: 9.5 out of 10

Overall Score: 6.6 out of 10

Huh, not bad minor cast of Black Butler. You did quite well, even though there was a 1.5 and a 1 amongst your rankings.


Animation:


            For Black Butler, the animation is flawless. With a mixture of watercolour, 2D animation, and 3D animation (mainly background and CGI images) blends together to create an interesting series. Black Butler had been created as a manga, and then turned into an anime. The studio, A-1 Pictures made a brilliant show of it; and gave the Black Butler universe a life of its own. It’s set in Victorian times, of course, and it reflects that in the anime. There are some moderations, but they stick pretty close the original setting of that time period. Unfortunately, it seemed to me that the entire anime depended on CGI (Computer Generated Image) and that took it down a notch. It’s good, but not simply one hell of an anime, in my opinion.
Overall Score: 9.5 out of 10

Plot:


The plot is… well… it’s something. To reiterate lovemyanime.net, it’s set in
“Victorian-era Europe, a young boy loses everything he once held near and dear to a vicious plot. In his moment of death, he strikes a deal with a demon: his soul, in exchange for revenge. Ciel Phantomhive is now the head of the Phantomhive Corporation, handling all business affairs as well as the underground work for the Queen of England. His new partner is a demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis, whose powers as a butler is only surpassed by his strength as a demon. The story follows the two along with their other servants, as they work to unravel the plot behind Ciel’s parents’ murder, and the horrendous tragedies that befell Ciel in the month directly after.”

Ooook, I think that pretty much sums up the plot. There’s of course, an unexpected twist somewhere in the show, but it’s not bad for a plot base. In fact, I think it’s the only kind I’ve ever stumbled upon (haha, internet). AT first, I will be honest: I was completely 100% unsure of this anime. From the fanart and the fanfiction that was roaming the internet, I was pretty sure that the entire thing was porn. But it’s not, and for once, I was glad. Here was an anime that was a mystery/supernatural/historical fiction that I could sink my teeth into (not… like a vampire into a throat but… Jesus this is sounding worse by the minute) and it didn’t have any of the sexual hints that many people claimed to be in there. So, to clarify this for the people reading this:
1)      Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler is not yaoi. Don’t know what yaoi is? Good. You don’t want too.

2)      The only ‘official’ pairing that I actually see in the anime is Ciel and Lizzie, and even then, they’re kinda stuck together. So there.

3)      It’s worth spending the time to watch it. If you don’t want to watch it in Japanese with nifty subtitles, wander over to Funimation.com and I’m pretty sure they’ll have the episodes up for people to watch. Be warned: Implied fan-service.

Overall Score: 10 out of 10

Setting:


            It’s Victorian Era, with supernatural beings in it; could’ve been better. That’s all I have to say.

Overall Score: 5 out of 10

Sources:

lovemyanime.net
Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
Kuroshitsuji Wiki
Wikipedia.org


Shadow's Notes:

FINALLY; I’M DONE WITH THIS SERIES NOW, ONTO… wait a minute…

There’s… there’s a second season?

And OVAs?!

(°□° ┻━┻

-sigh- Damn it…

──(° -°)