Dhruv Sharma
So where do I even begin? There is so much to take from this anime: a dense plot that subtly unfolds itself, a memorable music score, complex characters and most of all, a whole lot of emotions. It wasn’t long ago when the western world was completely unaware of the world of anime. Only when ‘Sailor Moon‘ first came out in the West, stereotypes were broken and a new universe of cinema was unbarred. Pretty much the whole world was under the impression that anime is nothing but a bunch of entertaining cartoons mostly for “young adults“. But ‘Sailor Moon’ entirely changed this pre-conceived notion and showed the world that anime is something more than just fleeting shots of twirling skirts or girl on girl relationships.
Soon after this, the Japanese government started acting out on overly sexualized anime and that’s how so many of them evolved to becomes what we see today. “Hentai” anime started disappearing from TV broadcasts and became more of ONAs as they were replaced with ones that are more mellow and subtle, focusing more on relationships rather than the “ecchi” aspects. Heterosexual relationships of fantasy creatures have been a common theme not just in the anime world but in Hollywood as well. One example of this is the world’s obsessions with the Twilight series. Similarly, the Japanese have their own Shojo series like ‘We Were There’ and ‘Say I Love You’, where your typical complicated heterosexual relationships flourish.
‘Black Butler’ is not a clichéd “heterosexual relationships” anime. It is what you’d would call a shotacon anime and it actually does a great job with what it is at its core. The characters are rich and have been designed really well. The character mannerisms go incredibly well with the voice acting and the best part is how the story moves forward with a fine touch of flashbacks here and there. The anime is filled with strong visuals backed up by witty lines and an “edge-of-your-seat” plot, but I would still say that it’s not everyone’s piece of cake because it has a more classic Victorian feel to it. If you’re too familiar with modern anime that involve too many girls just for Ecchi, then you might want to give this one a pass.
‘Black Butler’ is quite a popular anime; maybe not as much as ‘One Piece’ and ‘Naruto‘, but it still is watched and loved by many. So a new season is definitely on the way. There is also a lot of manga material that still needs to be animated and also the endings of the recent OVAs suggest a new season. But till then if you have only seen the anime series, then you should surely take a look at the feature films and OVAs that ‘Black Butler’ has come up with. The show’s production value and animation are also quite brilliant. Even the manga is way ahead of the series; so that again is something worth checking out.
Black Butler Season 4 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘Black Butler’ season 1 premiered on October 3, 2008, which was followed by a season 2 in 2010, and then came ‘Black Butler: Book of Circus’ in 2014. It hasn’t been too long since the last season was premiered and a whole lot of manga still hasn’t been covered in the anime. There have been no confirmations yet regarding a new season but we can almost be sure that this great anime is not ending so soon. Our best guess is if the anime does get renewed, ‘Black Butler’ season 4 release date could be sometime in 2021. We will update this section as soon as we know more.
Black Butler English Dub:
The English Dub of ‘Black Butler’ can be found on Funimation, which happens to be its official licensor. The anime is also available on other platforms such as Amazon Prime, AnimeLab and Crunchyroll.
Black Butler Plot:
The first season of ‘Black Butler’ centers around Ciel Phantomhive, who is also known as the Queen’s guard dog. He and his loyal butler named Sebastian Michaelis together try to do everything in their power to solve unusual events that occur in Victorian England. But things aren’t as simple as they seem. In the past, Ceil had, in the darkest moments of his life, sold his soul to Sebastian, who is a devil. Now Sebastian is his servant and does everything for him in the anticipation that one day, he’ll get to feast on Ceil’s soul. The two of them go through a series of adventures while they protect the Queen and along the way, they form an impeccable bond that no one can ever break.
The second season introduces us to a new character named Alois Trancy, who is the heir of the Trancy Earldom. In the present, he seems to be living a very luxurious and privileged life but his past tells a very different story. At a very young tender age, he was kidnapped and sold to slavery where he had to face numerous atrocities. He was eventually rescued but soon after returning home, his father passed away. However, not everyone believes his story and people look at him with a hypercritical eye. But even more mysterious than him is his supernatural butler named Claude Faustus.
The anime soon starts revealing the connection between Alois and his butler and the world of lies they live in. Their entire mansion is nothing but full of lies and slander where eventually even the bond between Trancy and Claude will be tested to its limit. Season 3 of the show, which is also known as ‘Black Butler: Book of Circus’, revolves around the Noah’s Arc Circus Troupe that is famously known for its bedazzling and vibrant performances. But these great entertaining performances come with a price and soon, children all over London suddenly start disappearing. Strangely, these disappearances seem to be correlated to the circus and that’s when the Queen takes the decision of sending her own guard dog Ceil and his butler Sebastian to investigate this case.
Soon, the two get themselves involved with the Circus’s business. With growing suspicion among the Circus’s authorities, Ceil and Sebastian discover secrets that will change their lives forever. Following these events, the manga still has a lot more content to make up for a season 4 and 5, if not more. So for now, all we can do is be a little patient and wait for a Season 4 to come soon.
Black Butler Characters:
Ciel Phantomhive
Ciel’s family is known for making toys and sweets for small children. But they’re also known for being watchdogs for the Queen. Ciel is a 12-year-old heir of all of this and he responsibly takes on this business. He always keeps his right eye hidden with strands of hair that hide a patch that covers the pentacle sign of Faustian contract, which binds him to the devil (Sebastian) he sold his soul to. Ciel also has a symbol burnt down his back that signifies the atrocities he had to go through during his childhood days of slavery.
Ciel has a very small stature and is only close to 5 feet tall. Due to this, he always becomes a target of mockery, especially from Sebastian’s end. Even after growing a few inches in the second season, he still remains shorter than most other characters. Despite his age and his young looks, Ciel manages his family business really well and is also able to fit in the necessary legal investigations he needs to do in his extremely busy schedule. Because of his dedication towards his work, he ends up spending too much time alone in isolation. This has made him mature, a little selfish and also very independent.
Sebastian Michaelis
Sebastian is Ciel’s demon butler, who often describes himself with a phrase that goes like this — “Because I’m one hell of a butler.” Sebastian is extremely tall and has thick black hair that sways down on his face. He is a natural at what he does and is able to handle most things with ease. The sign that lies on Ciel’s hidden eye is the same as the one that is on Sebastian’s left hand. On numerous occasions, Sebastian has used the sign’s hidden powers to teach someone a lesson.
Claude Faustus
Claude is another demon butler who is very different from Sebastian. He abides by everything Alios, his master, asks him to do and not even once flinches when his master goes wrong somewhere. He is very loyal to his owner and can transform his body exactly like Sebastian. His actions and talking style often lack any feelings and even his master’s taunts never really bother him.
Alois Trancy
Earl Alois Trancy is a cheerful guy but deep inside, he holds sadistic desires. He’s bipolar and his emotions move from one end of the spectrum to another way too soon. The only person he is attached to is his butler and he constantly shows the need for his attention. He knows that he is the only person who won’t take his abuse too seriously, because everyone else he seems to lash out on leave him later.
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