Black Butler: Book of Circus
The Black Butler series is based on the manga of the same name, known in Japan as Kuroshitsuji. The manga came out in 2006 from Square Enix, and the anime was made by A-1 Pictures. It aired first from 2008 to 2009, followed by a second season in 2010. The first season had 24 episodes, while the second season had 10.
The most interesting thing about season two was that it wasn't based on the manga. Instead, it had a completely new plot and introduced new characters. It didn't get good reviews because it was so different from the manga, so there was no direct sequel.
The third season was released in 2014 with the title "Book of Circus." Much to the delight of fans, this season returned to the source material and adapted the episodes from the first season. This means that the second season, as a result, is ignored entirely in the new canon.
The entire series' general plot follows the story of a thirteen-year-old named Ciel, who belongs to an aristocratic family known as the Queen’s Watchdog. Ciel solves crimes in London’s underworld, mostly for the Queen, but his primary purpose is to find the murderers of his family.
He has a deal with Sebastian Michaelis, a demon who looks like a butler but is really a demon. He plans on helping Ciel get revenge, and after that, he will get Ciel’s soul. It is based in Victorian-era London and starts in the year 1885, on Ciel’s 10th birthday.
Season three begins in the Phantomhive Mansion once more. Ciel is expecting some guests in the evening. As usual, Sebastian is preparing while making sure the other servants work as they are supposed to. Lau and Ran-Mao arrive with Cedric Brandel to discuss business, but they want to assassinate Ciel.
Their assassination attempts fail as Sebastian kills them all before they can do anything. During this time, Ciel is also invited to a circus by the Queen. The circus seems to have some sort of connection with some missing children.
Sebastian joins the circus in an effort to learn more about it after Ciel, and he goes to see the circus performance. Ciel is reunited with Soma and Agni before returning to the circus with Sebastian to join the circus.
Ciel has to go through two trials to prove his worth. After getting accepted into the circus, they also discover a Grim Reaper investigating it. Willian, the Grim Reaper, is questioned by Sebastian, who reveals to them that many deaths will happen in a few days. Some circus members kidnap a young boy, and when the police come to intervene, they are killed by circus members.
This is the beginning of the tale of the (mis)adventures that the dynamic duo of Ciel and Sebastian must go through to expose the dark secrets about this circus and put an end to the bloodshed and misery. It's half the fun to watch the story unfold because you never know when things will take a turn for the worse or how they'll affect Ciel personally.
The plot was impressive from the first episode to the last one. The start was the same as the previous seasons, with Ciel and Sebastian doing the investigation, but it took many dark turns. It also pays homage to the first season, showing the cellar where Ciel was tortured.
Sebastian stays true to his character of waiting to eat Ciel's soul, and some of the older characters are also brought back.
When compared to the first two seasons, the third was a step down in terms of production values. The animation of the animals was some of the worst I've ever seen in an anime, and the production values overall left a lot to be desired. But the flashy opening theme is saved by the use of 3D and 2D animation styles with a vintage film filter.
The sound felt the same as the previous seasons, with a minor difference in the soundtrack. It followed the general themes and atmosphere of the anime. I was always fond of Sebastian’s theme, and I am glad that it was kept similar in the third season. In comparison, the theme songs introduced with the new characters complimented their personalities. The opening and closing theme songs are delightful, too. The only bad thing was that they didn't play the original music from the first season when Ciel was shown the room where he was tortured for the first time.
As usual, Ciel and Sebastian's characterizations were a highlight. In contrast to Sebastian, who is always on the lookout for trouble, Ciel remains cool under pressure. The chemistry between them has held up well through the first two seasons, and season three continued in this vein. Even though Sebastian is only there because of a contract, it is clear that he is interested in Ciel's work and may even like him.
In spite of this, the show's writer is quite astute, and the characters have such a range of gray personalities that even the care they show each other could be professional. Thanks to the characters' complicated and often contradictory personalities, Black Butler's great story keeps going strong in its third season.
I enjoyed the third season of Black Butler a lot. It kept the dark, gritty themes of the previous seasons and made them even better. The character development was top-notch as usual. Some of the ways in which it deals with its themes may even make you feel repulsed, but that's on purpose and shows that the author succeeded in achieving his or her goals. This is a must-see for fans of dark comedy or dark fantasy subgenres.
This review, which was first posted on April 27, 2021, has been rewritten to make it clearer and given new pictures.
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Black Butler: Book of Circus Official Trailer
