Black Butler: Public School Arc
“Dark Secrets and Intrigue Await”
Now and then, we look back and reflect on our college or school days. Perhaps you are still attending, or it has been so long since you've set foot there that some memories have begun fading. Regardless, it is a place that has birthed both positive and negative memories that shaped us into the individuals we are today. This is probably why so many anime are set in high schools, telling stories that span many colorful genres and themes. However, today, we will examine a story that differs significantly from the ones we typically encounter.
“Black Butler: Public School Arc," also known as “Kuroshitsuji: Kishuku Gakkou-hen," is a TV anime series that ran for 11 episodes from April 13th to June 22nd in Spring 2024. It was produced by Aniplex, Square Enix, Magic Capsule, and Crunchyroll and brought to life by Studio CloverWorks. Its primary staff includes producers Fukushima Yuuichi, Kurosaki Shizuka, Takahashi Kanako, and Itou Yoshito.
It features action, fantasy, and mystery genres alongside historical, mythological, and school themes. Catering to the Shounen demographic, this string of 24-minute episodes earned a rating of R-17+ for its violence and profanity. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in four volumes from June 26th to September 25th, 2024.
The anime is based on the manga Kuroshitsuji, also known as Black Butler, which began publication on September 18, 2006. It features action, fantasy, mystery, and supernatural themes alongside history and mythology. It is the masterpiece of author and artist Toboso Yana, which was serialized in GFantasy.
Since 2010, the manga has been adapted into three anime series, multiple OVAs, drama CDs, games, a musical, and a live-action film. It was published in English via Yen Press on January 26, 2010, and digitally since April 8, 2014, appearing multiple times in the New York best-selling ranking. It was also simultaneously published by Yen Press, and by 2014, Twitter announced that Kuroshitsuji had sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
The "Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic" movie, also known as "Kuroshitsuji Movie: Book of the Atlantic," aired on January 21, 2017, as the prequel to the Public School Arc anime. Licensed by Funimation and brought to life by Studio A-1 Pictures, the movie ran for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The sequel series is “Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc," also known as “Kuroshitsuji: Midori no Majo-hen," which is set to air sometime in 2025 courtesy of Studio CloverWorks.
The series returns to the eventful and demonic life of Earl Ciel Phantomhive, who, at the request of Queen Victoria, starts attending Weston College. This is a mysterious yet prestigious public academy for boys, well-known throughout the land for its traditions and outstanding curriculum. Still, Ciel’s objective is to search for a relative of the Queen’s who hasn’t returned home in months.
Because of his noble status, our 13-year-old protagonist can swiftly enroll as a student there. At the same time, his devilishly handsome and “capable” butler, Sebastian Michaelis, takes on a teaching position at said school. Considering his usual success streak, Ciel did not anticipate failing to locate the Queen's relative on campus in record time. To add salt to the wound, he also fails to request a meeting with the college headmaster, who might as well be the only person holding any shred of information regarding the disappearance. Instead of the Headmaster, he keeps coming into frequent contact with the infamous Heads of the College Dormitories, also known as the Prefect 4 (P4).
The P4 consists of Edgar Redmond, Lawrence Bluewer, Herman Greenhill, and Gregory Violet, who seem to be hiding their secrets and possibly clues pointing to Ciel’s objective. Thus, he must concoct a solid plan to get on the P4's good side and utilize their connections to make his mission successful. But as distinguished and pristine as this college seems on the surface, its students hide many unseen things, making Ciel’s task even more improbable than he ever imagined.
If you are a longtime Black Butler fan like me, we can agree that the 7-year wait for this Arc was no walk in the park. The Book of Atlantic was loyal to the manga and delivered well enough for me, but this meant the stakes were higher for this Arc. Luckily, I found this season worth the wait, which stayed faithful to the manga and executed a great show overall. While many were concerned about this arc being done by a different studio, I couldn’t notice a drop in overall quality, and I firmly believe CloverWorks did a solid job.
Though the artwork has changed and some parts are more colorful, it still fits the setting. As the show progresses, the familiar darkness and tension slowly build up towards the finale, reminding everyone again of the kind of dark mystery fantasy at its core. Until then, we can enjoy the comedy and school setting, making the later episodes hit even harder. Don’t get me wrong, I love the dark, violent, and gritty style of Black Butler, but this subtle change beyond descending into the abyss once again was excellent in my eyes.
The Mysterious Public School Arc
Starting with the plot, I’m pleased they stayed faithful to the manga and did a wonderful job executing an already fantastic story. Stakes were pretty high in Book of the Atlantic, so starting this season with Ciel and Sebastian entering a public school to investigate disappearing students seems tame, really.
This is normal for Black Butler; they start sweet and slow before descending into complete madness while building up the overarching story. This arc is also a significant building block for what’s to come, one that can even be considered the “calm before the storm." If you've followed this work religiously in the past, you’ll notice all the subtle foreshadowings and mysteries being unwound, which is the most incredible charm of this show.
There is a relative lack of unforeseen twists and an inescapable void of despair this time, but don’t worry; we’ll get more than enough of that next season! There is a good chance you’ll have some gripe with the conclusion because I felt it lacked something, too. Perhaps a more extended conversation with the main antagonist, or even one more episode, would've completely remedied this, because the dialogue in Black Butler is always profound and foreboding. They kept the story comparatively lighthearted and predictable this time, but this is not necessarily bad.
“Sebastian’s aura typically overpowers almost everyone in the show; he faced plot-wise limitations this time and had to play teacher."
Moving onto the characters, Ciel and Sebastian take center stage as always, and the demonic Butler retains a firm grasp on our souls. It was enjoyable to see Ceil masquerading around the school like a "normal" young student in high society, excelling among his peers. He stays true to his inner heartlessness and arrogance while being mildly relatable in his troubles. I particularly enjoyed how they managed to maintain our MC’s beloved facial expressions and overall mood intact despite the many different studios and years.
His aura is still going strong, and we’re all suckers for it! There is a lot of debate about Sebastian this season, stating that the demon’s evil and menacing vibe has been watered down. Here’s the thing: it’s been seven years since the previous installment, and many of us may have resorted to the manga to satisfy our cravings. Doing so would have driven home the dark vibe even more, so this sudden leap to a prior arc with a relatively more tame atmosphere seems weird.
But the thing is, the Butler has not changed at all and is merely adapting to his circumstances in this Arc, which inherently requires him to chill a bit. While Sebastian’s aura typically overpowers almost everyone in the show, he faced plot-wise limitations this time and had to play "teacher," which I think he did marvelously well. Even so, he managed to retain his badass image, alluring behavior, and overall demonic vibe through the subtlest of ways.
The supporting cast is also likable, but most of their motivations are highly underwhelming. The key points they tried to drive home with these characters were old English traditions, social edicts, and shameless brainwashing, which gets normalized, but I feel they laid it on a tad too thick this time. Thankfully, the occasional humor, amusing interactions, and the cast's wacky actions to move the plot along were delights placed perfectly, especially in the early episodes. This is not Black Butler’s usual style, but it made the watch more enjoyable, albeit relatively lower in impact.
“You're worried about the art, aren’t you?”
Interesting fact: A-1 Pictures produced the first Black Butler anime in 2008 and all of its subsequent installments from 2010 to 2014. CloverWorks underwent a rebranding in April 2018 from its original name, Kōenji Studio, which was a sub-studio of A-1 Pictures. In October 2018, CloverWorks officially separated from A-1 Pictures to become its own studio, though still a subsidiary of Aniplex. And guess what? It's all owned by Sony, which is why it's exclusively airing on Crunchyroll. I'm not sure how I feel about all this, but hey, dollars to Donuts, it is what it is.
That said, the art and animation department did a superb job. The character designs are spot-on, well-detailed, and boast overall quality throughout. Meanwhile, the attention to detail is unbelievable; Ciel's eyes are mesmerizing as always, and you clearly see things like the reflections in something as minor as a cup of tea, where even all the movements are on-point and fluid.
You will notice such excellent aspects almost immediately, so kudos to CloverWorks for another fantastic work of art. There are no hitches in the animation, either, as expected. This time, I have to give special credit to the shading; it felt like I was watching an old favorite with a splash of new paint. Black Butler is a highly intricate work, so there are so many ways to mess up here, but I think the final product came out pretty darn good and consistent.
Moving on to the Sounds and Music department, there is nothing to complain about. Even after all those years, it’s wonderful to see the main voice actors reprising the roles of the main cast, which just adds so much to the inherent nostalgia. The best part is that they've all retained their beloved accents! The opening theme is "The Parade of Battlers" by otoha, which followed the dark and gritty vibe of Black Butler pretty well, but I wouldn't call it very memorable. The ending theme is "Shokuzai" by SID, which is pretty chill, and the visuals are mostly Ciel x Sebastian bait. The OSTs did their job but are nothing to write home about.
Overall, “Black Butler: Public School Arc” is a good continuation of a fantastic series. Even though the studio has changed, they managed to retain the same level of quality, even amidst changes to the artwork and vibe. If you are a longtime fan of Black Butler, I would advise you not to be too critical of it and just enjoy the show; they haven’t done the franchise injustice here, and the nostalgia hits just as hard. I am very hyped for the Emerald Witch Arc, which was hinted at in the Post-Credits scene, so fingers crossed that it gets adapted just as well or even better! Overall, I recommend this to anyone who loves Black Butler!
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