This is my new favorite comment.
I got into Black Butler through the anime. I heard the name thrown around from time to time and got curious. I fell in love most with it. The main characters aren't your typical "good" people; you've got a boy traumatized by the loss of his family and driven by revenge against the people that did it, and a demon that is quite literally going to eat him when it's all over. This isn't a happy story; it's dark, and it's unforgiving, just like real life. And although the anime captured a lot of those points, it did still feel like it didn't want to stray TOO far from the lighthearted moments. So while I finished season 1 on a good note and season 2 on a "meh" note, I was more than pleasantly surprised with season 3 and the OVA. Which is when I officially picked up the manga.
The story, despite being dragged out a little bit, was fantastic. Every minor arc had pieces that fit into the overall theme of OCiel getting his revenge, even if the arcs themselves weren't focused on that. The hints and clues we got about the twin were always there, and it makes for an impressive payoff now. The allies and enemies we've seen OCiel make throughout the course of the story are all coming in to either side with him or go against him. Yes, the past few arcs seemed like "filler" and didn't make much sense at the time, but those minor bits and loose ends were always going towards a larger cause (examples include when Sebastian fixed the ring, the Easter chapter, and OCiel's family tree). The story did its job brilliantly: it built up characters and motivations over a long period of time, it explored the relationships between each character and how they interacted daily, it took full advantage of its environment and time period, and it built up to a big reveal that's going to build to even bigger events in future chapters.
The characters improved tenfold. I was impressed with the servants when they revealed their talents in the anime, but reading it left a much bigger impact, considering the buildup and the less-than-impressive character development they had before, and it just kept improving (Finny especially). Elizabeth became much more understandable, and I really sympathized with her plight to fit the ideal Victorian woman/wife with her talents and expectations against her. Soma, despite being annoying from time to time, got less selfish and became genuinely happy to help OCiel in his investigations however he could. Agni remained genuinely humble and devoted despite his superior abilities, making him a great mirror to Sebastian, who showed off superior talent just because he could. And the new characters they introduced, however minor, had defined personalities and motivations that fit them. That's not to say the characters are perfect; every one of the side characters I mentioned has a "less good" trait, but it makes them more human and less like martyrs. It's hard to like every single aspect of a person IRL, so why should a character in a story like this be any different?
The tone became less of flip-flopping from happy to sinister and more like two sides of a coin; just like the surface of Victorian England and its Underworld. Since OCiel is the "bridge" between the two worlds, it makes sense that he would experience both happy, sunshine-y moments and dark, twisted scenarios. It's one of the only stories I've read where it makes sense to balance comical and dark moments almost back to back.
The art, especially when compared to the first few chapters and even the first season, is GORGEOUS. I love seeing how an artist grows and improves just by looking at the work they put out. It makes way more sense that it takes a month to put out a new chapter; higher quality work requires a longer timeline to complete.
My favorite arc is by far the Campania arc. It deepened characters that had very little to work with: Lizzie, aside from her badassery, revealed all her emotional baggage, Undertaker went from a crazy weirdo to an actual threat that brought SEBASTIAN to a bloody heap, and Sebastian himself got some character motivation on why he puts so much effort into their contract when he really doesn't need to. Heck, even SNAKE got a little growth: being self-conscious about how he looks in a whole new environment and how that negatively affects OCiel. The movie brought to life the scale and fast pace of the fight scenes, which were already great to begin with, and the seeds for future events are plotted (Undy's antagonism, his mourning lockets, and the evolution of the Bizarre dolls).
Wow that was long and rambly. If you read this far, I admire your devotion. The fact is, I love this manga. It's got its negative points (coffcoffthefanservicecoffcoff) and it's definitely not for everyone, but it's a story I genuinely enjoy reading, because the stuff that's good is damn good. It's nice to see someone in here who appreciates what the story is trying to tell.
Have a nice day (=・ω・=)
What originally drew me in to Kuroshitsuji was its premise: a young boy made a contract with a demon to enact his revenge on the people who killed his family and wronged him.
I watched the anime years ago, around the time when the second season just finished airing. I went into it with the intention of thinking that this was a horror anime or an anime with a darker religious theme. So I was surprised by how lighthearted it was at the beginning. And don't get me wrong, I loved it even when it wasn't what I expected. And I jumped onto the manga when I found out that the anime stopped following the original. I loved the manga even more than anime (both season 1 and 2, plus book of circus, murder, and atlantic), because of how the theme is more nuanced and darker. Granted, it's not like it all the time, but I loved it when it does get like that.
Because Kuroshitsuji, despite it's comical and lighthearted moments, is a very, very dark manga. I mean, our main protagonist had his family and house burned down, saw the corpses of his parents in a pool of blood, went through a traumatic experience at the hands of a cult, and (((SPOILER))) witnessed the brutal murder of his twin brother (((SPOILER))). And then he makes a contract with a demon, with a disclosure that said demon will one day consume his soul. Like damn, O!Ciel's life ain't pretty. So I always knew that whatever happy moment that occurs won't last forever (learned the hard way with the circus arc).
What I didn't expect was the "surprise," because I thought Yana was gonna lead us around some more, but she went in for the kill. And in a way, I'm glad that she did. Because the the previous arcs (school, green witch, and musical hall), while interesting, felt more like important fillers - almost like a cushion - that was kinda dragging on with no real direction. Until now. It all accumulated into this: the death of Agni, the reveal of the real Ciel with the aid of the Undertaker, Lizzie's "betrayal," O!Ciel's + company going into hiding, and Soma's lost of innocence and naivety. It's like three different stories and they're all coming to collide with each other now. The way the manga is right now is full of tension and suspense - we don't know for sure what's going to happen. It keeps people engaged.
And also, I love the development of some of the characters? Especially Lizzie and Soma.
To be honest, I never really cared much for Lizzie in the beginning. I never really liked her nor did I dislike her, but it was just more of a "meh" feeling whenever she shows up. And the reason for that was that Yana never really put much character into her, so we as the reader only saw her as either a stock character or the cute Victorian fiance for Ciel. It wasn't until the Campania arc, I really have a lot of respect for her. And not only in terms of "now that she can fight, she's so badass!" kind of way, but more along the lines of we really get to witness what kind of "burden" that she had to underwent to become the "idealized" wife for "Ciel," but also for society. Growing up as a woman in Victorian era, especially in the upper class, it was expected for young women to fit the ideals of what a typical Victorian lady is like: feminine, delicate, "the household general," etc. She felt like she had to fit a mold of that perfect Victorian girl, but she was much more than that. In our time period, Lizzie's fencing abilities would be applauded and highly respected by almost everyone, but in this time period such skills would likely be shunned by the upper class. In my opinion, other than the amazing fencing skills, Lizzie represents the much more humanitarian sides of Black Butler. She is a genuinely good person - or at least she tries to be. Sebastian is a literal demon and Ciel, though he does have his kinder moments, is usually very conniving, cold, and distant. But Lizzie isn't; she's very warm and inviting, optimistic, and seems to enjoy things to the fullest. And it's sad to see most of the fandom condemn her for being a happy person when surrounded by all the darkness in her life.
The same could be applied to Soma and Agni. While spoiled and selfish, Soma tries his best to be a good person, often with the help of Agni. He genuinely wants to be Ciel's friend, cares for Ciel and his wellbeing, and was willing to help him on his plans as the Queen's watchdog (mostly without knowing the real intentions). He even distributes curry buns to orphans. And like Elizabeth, but for different circumstances, he is a happy person. If his heart's in it, Soma commits 100% to whatever he's doing.
Keep in mind both characters aren't perfect: Lizzie had an idealization of Ciel and her love for him that made her ignore the truly ugly aspects. Despite his good deeds, Soma is still childish and selfish in his own ways, with most of his actions done out of self satisfaction.
However, the true "good person" in this manga is arguably Agni. He is a Righteous Man. A literal good person. In the beginning of his life? No. But after meeting Soma? Rose from the ashes like a phoenix. Perfect? No. But he is a good man - and he died for it. Which is important. Because Agni's death helped trigger these tragic events in the story to now and symbolizes a theme of the manga so far: happiness and goodness can't survive in this world.
Look at Lizzie and Soma: Lizzie is wrecked by confusion and guilt, and Soma is full of anger and revenge. Their joy and hope in this world is destroyed. And it probably won't ever return to the way it was. This is actually good growth for them - they are facing the horrible reality of their lives at this moment. And what will they do with the truth of it? But I guess that's the true Kuroshitsuji fashion lol.