Black Butler by Yana Toboso
Black Butler is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. Since its debut on September 16, 2006, it has been serialized in shōnen manga magazines. And in 2008, the manga was made into an anime-which I loved. The manga series follows Sebastian Michaelis, a demonic butler who is obligated to serve Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of the Phantomhive noble family, due to a contract he made with Ciel.
I loved the dark subject packaged with moments of levity that keeps the book from being too dark. It manages to be cute, suspenseful, funny, and chilling all the way through. Ciel is a smart and intriguingly deep child shrewd beyond his 12 years. Sebastian is complex and extraordinarily capable but simple – and, of course, one hell of a butler! Finny, Meirin, and Bard are great as comic relief and serve to offset the violent scenes in which Sebastian is slaughtering criminals, making the bloodshed less disturbing next to the relatively innocent hijinks of the trio. I thoroughly enjoyed Black butler and can’t wait to read the next volume. With that said, I gave it 4.5 with room to grow.
Rating: 4.5/5
- Title: Black Butler by Yana Toboso
- Published: January 26, 2010
- Publisher: Yen Press
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 192
- Buy: Amazon | Barnes
When a terrible fire claims his parents, Ciel Phantomhive must step up as the head of his father’s company and as Earl Phantomhive. It would be a lot for the young boy to handle were it not for his faithful butler, Sebastian. Ever at Ciel’s side, it seems there’s little Sebastian can’t do, whether it’s saving a dinner party gone awry or probing the dark secrets of London’s underbelly. He’s almost too good to be true…or at least, too good to be human…