Are you looking for something good and interesting to watch? Does your favorite genre of movies include comedy, mystery, supernatural, and… hot guys? Do you like anime, or at least not mind watching one? If the answers are yes, then maybe you should give Black Butler a chance! Many anime lovers might already know about this anime and manga, as it’s quite a popular title. But if you haven’t heard about this one before, and are interested to know more about it, then please read on.
What is Black Butler?
From the pen of the great manga artist, Yana Toboso is born the famous manga Black Butler (黒執事, Kuroshitsuji) the popular Japanese manga series. The latter was first published in September 2006, by Square Enix’s shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy. Since then, it has been adapted into three seasons of anime, a two-part theatrical original video animation (OVA), and a live-action film adaptation.
If you are wondering what distinguishes this anime/manga from the others, here are a few of the many attractive factors:
- The Victorian England setting.
- The characters are full of handsome and cute but also badass guys (and girls, but mostly guys).
- The supernatural elements in the story.
- The intricate plots that are mixing comedy, drama, and action.
The Black Butler series has been quite popular with many anime and manga fans, both inside and outside of Japan, since its release.
What is the summary of the Black Butler story?
From the manga series, the (spoiler-free) Black Butler synopsis is as follows:
In the Victorian era of London, England, there is a mysterious butler named Sebastian Michaelis, who seems to be flawless in everything. His looks, his mannerism, his ability to take care of household chores, his prowess as a fighter… Basically, everything you can imagine, he seems to be able to perfect it.
Still, this amazing high-class butler would only serve Ciel Phantomhive, the 12-year-old boy who is the head of the Phantomhive household. Furthermore, Ciel is known as “the Queen’s Watchdog” as he takes care of the crimes in London’s underworld per the Queen’s command. But why would a young boy like him have to carry such a big burden? And how could he acquire such an amazing butler who does everything he ever commands, even things that no mere human should be able to do? Everything is not as it seems, and the secrets of this cunning young master and his butler will lead them to the complicated fate which slowly unfolds as the duo goes up against many terrible and unexpected foes.
How many chapters or episodes does Black Butler have?
Manga
Currently, there are 30 volumes of Black Butler released. Each volume has 176 – 194 pages, divided into 4 – 6 chapters per volume. The first volume was released on February 27th, 2007 in Japanese, and on January 26th, 2010 in English. The latest volume, which is volume 30, was released on October 27th, 2020 in Japanese, and on August 24th, 2021 in English. It covers chapters 157 – 165.
Anime
As of now, there are 3 seasons of Black Butler anime. The first season has 24 episodes, first aired from October 2008 to March 2009. The second season, which was aired in 2010, has 12 episodes, but it had an original storyline and did not feature the manga content. A third season of the series, titled Black Butler: Book of Circus, has 10 episodes and was broadcast between July and September 2014. Therefore, the current total of Black Butler eps is 46 episodes.
Original video animation
This series has a two-part theatrical original video animation (OVA) titled Black Butler: Book of Murder, which was first screened in Japanese theaters in October and November 2014.
Film
Black Butler had a live-action film adaptation, which was released in Japan in January 2014. There’s also an animated film for the series, titled Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic, which premiered in Japan in January 2017.
Black Butler Characters guide
There are many fascinating characters in Black Butler. Here, we will list some of the interesting characters that you will see in the series:
Ciel Phantomhive – One of the main protagonists. Ciel is a 12-year-old boy who is the current head of the Phantomhive household. His family is known as the Queen’s Watchdog, and he has the duty to the Queen to solve crimes in London’s underworld. Because Ciel is cunning, clever, and often acts like an adult, he can take care of these tasks quite efficiently. However, he can also be childish and acts selfishly at times. Ciel is also very competitive; he hates losing so much and will not accept the outcomes that are a draw. This sometimes leads to him being careless and too overconfident in his own abilities, which resulted in his butler having to come to rescue him.
Sebastian Michaelis – Also one of the main protagonists. As the head butler of the Phantomhive household, he is a tall and handsome man with short black hair, sharp red eyes, pale skin, and is always dressed neatly. Sebastian is the epitome of a perfect butler, he is very talented and can do everything, whether it be household chores or assassination. For the secret reason of his own, he is subservient to Ciel and will obey every order that his young master commands while taking care of the Phantomhive household at the same time.
Queen Victoria – The queen of the United Kingdom, and the one whom Ciel Phantomhive does work for. Victoria is an excellent leader. She is a kind, virtuous person and is extremely popular and well-loved among her people.
Undertaker – A funeral director who has been associated with the Phantomhive household since its predecessor. He is a slim and tall man with long silver-gray hair that stretches to his hips with a bang that usually covers his eyes, and a large, prominent scar running across the middle of his face and neck. The Undertaker is a strange person who is fascinated with corpses and the experiment on corpses. He always has a smile on his face and loves to laugh so much that he would prefer to ask for people to make him laugh as compensation for his work rather than pay him with money. But behind his constant smile, there might be something evil hidden within.
Jack the Ripper – A serial killer who targeted and murdered many prostitutes in London. Instead of just killing the victims normally, Jack the Ripper further desecrated their bodies by gruesomely cutting their torsos open and taking their uterus. In order to catch the killer and bring him to justice, Ciel has to act as Queen Victoria’s Watchdog and go investigate the true identity of the killer.
Grelle Sutcliff – The butler of Angelina Dalles, she adores the color red and believes it will help in becoming more beautiful. When Ciel and Grelle first met, Grelle acts like a clumsy and shy butler who is not very good at her job. But is that really her true self?
Black butler watch order
If you want to follow the canon story from the Black Butler manga, the order to watch Black Butler should be as follows:
- Season 1: Black Butler – Episode 2-6 and 13-15
- Season 3: Black Butler: Book of Circus
- Black Butler: Book of Murder
- Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic
The reason why we skip season 2 is that it is the filler episodes, which means the events that happen in there are not connected to the main story of the Black Butler universe. But if you do not care about the comparison with its manga counterpart, then you might want to watch them all in the release order, which goes as follows;
- Season 1: Black Butler – Episode 1-24
- Season 2 – Episode 1-12
- Season 3: Black Butler: Book of Circus
- Black Butler: Book of Murder
- Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic
But be warned that, for the Black Butler Netflix, you cannot watch season 3 yet, unfortunately.
We try our best to not put any spoilers here but still provide enough information for you. We hope that you will enjoy reading the manga or watching the anime, it’s totally worth it!