This weeks review is of Back Butler book 1 by Yana Toboso!
Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.
Black Butler, the cover emblazoned with a raven-haired
effeminate butler pouring tea, was one of those manga series that had me
intrigued from the get go. We follow one Ciel Phantomhive (head of the
prestigious Phantomhive family after the tragic death of his parents) as he
traverses life in Victorian England as the owner of the country’s most famous
toy manufacturing company. Interestingly enough, the first book in the series
does not focus on this particular fact, but sees Ciel getting into a spot of trouble
with a rather unusual set of enemies and circumstances.
Considered ‘the Queen’s watchdog’, Ciel finds his duties to
be surprisingly easy, but wouldn’t anyone with the help of his mysterious
butler Sebastian? Sebastian seems rather like a miracle worker, comically displaying
his many talents by conjuring up a successful dinner party at the last minute
in place of the hilariously inept staff at the Phantomhive household, and later
coming to the rescue of his master Ciel in a more serious situation with a gang
of fairly stupid but vicious drug fiends.
Proving to be both highly skilled at
the culinary arts, and almost indestructible in combat situations; we ask what can’t
this guy do? When people ask how he is capable of such acts, he merely
replies that he is ‘no super-man…merely a butler”, but as the book continues (and
we inevitably squint into the sly look in his eyes attempting to decipher the
truth), one wonders what the prerequisites for such a position could be…
The detail and style of artwork in this manga is nothing
short of impressive; there are no backgrounds lazily filled in or unseemly
blank spaces, and the character expressions are at times laugh-out-loud funny –
You may find yourself chuckling when Ciel’s rather emotional fiancé comes for a
visit. A combination plentiful shading and delightfully antique doodles of
spider webs on the new chapter pages lend an air of gloom-shrouded atmosphere
to the book, in keeping with the paradox of mystery and darkness underlying the
light-hearted humour within.
Black Butler is a diverse series, mixing up a delightful
hybrid of humour and eeriness that contrasts into a well-balanced narrative.
The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful and will engage even the most picky
manga reader into its uniqueness of genre. A recommended read , particularly
for those who love to delve into whimsical darkness over a cup of Earl Gray…
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