Lemonblacktea's Favorite

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.