Japanese Title: Kuroshitsuji
Author: Yana Toboso
Volume(s) Reviewed: 1-8
Publisher: Yen Press
Genre: Manga; Supernatural/Horror
Rated: Older Teen (strong violence, scary images, some gore)
Summary: Just a stone's throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom and its master, one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victoria's faithful servant...and a slip of a twelve-year-old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young master's wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of London's underbelly, there apparently is nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true...or at least, too good to be human...
Art: Creepy cute.
Story: The premise is most interesting - I've always liked the "adult-child controlling an adult" dynamic. The serial stories are well done by extremely dark and heavy. No matter what, practically everyone comes to a sticky, gruesome end, and poor Ceil is left even more scarred than he already is. I adore the stand-alone chapters about Sebastian running the household - and the disasters that ensue at the hands of the staff.
Characters: I imagine Ceil as the Portrait of Dorian Gray, on the inside. Poor baby. Sebastian is cruel and heartless and yet you can't help but fall madly in love with his beauty and bad-boy soul (if he even has one). The house staff are welcome comedic relief, but I adored discovering who they really were as well (Sebastian certainly doesn't keep them around for their household skills). The serial story characters are well crafted and, as with the circus storyline, can even leave you rooting for them against Ceil in some ways. Not that they have any hope of winning, though. In this series, there are no "good" characters, just "bad" and "worse" - and Ceil and Sebastian are not always the "bad" ones.
Comments: I originally started reading this series in the Yen Plus magazine, and loved it. I still do, but must warn that it is an extremely dark and twisted series that only gets worse with each volume. Yet, somehow, Yana never seems to cross "The Line," most likely because beautiful art makes even the most horrific things beautiful. I will definitely continue to read on, but will never expect any kind of happy ending out of it.
Favorite Bit: Sebastian has a cat fetish! A demon after my own heart.
Specials: Each volume has an "alternative" inside cover, and an "alternative" storyline on the inside back cover. They can be quite snicker-worthy...
...or something. :)
Recommend?: If you like dark, creepy, beautiful manga.
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