Black Butler Vol. 2 [Manga Review with Spoilers] My 68 year old mother is also crazy about this!
★★★★★
Reviewed on Amazon
As high society's social calendar opens up and the Season draws to a close, London is gripped by fear. Someone has taken to stalking women
of the night and painting the town red...in their blood. The name on everyone's lips seems to be "Jack the Ripper" - and as a result, the name on Queen Victoria's lips is Phantomhive. Summoned to London to clean up the mess created by this madman, Ciel Phantomhive arrives with Sebastian, his extraordinary butler, at his side to pour him tea, polish his silver, and...investigate a serial killer. And with the aid (and occasional interference) of a few of the Phantomhive house's numerous acquaintances, little stands in the way of the young earl getting to the bottom of this mystery. However, one question remains...can he handle the shattering truth behind it?
1.The story so far
Black Butler is a manga by Yana Toboso that has been serialized since 2006. Currently, 34 volumes of the manga have been published.
It has been adapted into anime many times, and the boarding school arc has recently ended, with a sequel to be broadcast in 2025.
Set in Victorian England at the end of the 19th century, it depicts the exploits of Ciel Phantomhive, a 12-year-old boy who is a count, and his perfect butler, Sebastian Michaelis.
The true identity of the all-purpose butler, Sebastian, is a devil.
In exchange for following Ciel, he has made a contract to take his soul if his wish is granted, and he follows him.
The previous volume 1 was a short, intensive series of four chapters, which presented these settings.
From this volume 2, the long-term series will begin.
2.Watchdogs of the Queen challenges Jack the Ripper.
① The Jack the Ripper arc begins
This volume 2 has a total of 5 stories.
The first story is a short story about the daily life of Ciel and Sebastian. This volume also serves as an introduction for those who read Black Butler for the first time, and shows Sebastian, the butler, struggling while spewing venom in his mind at his selfish master and useless servants.
The series starts from the second story.
Ciel receives a letter from a certain place.
It is a letter from Queen Victoria, Queen of England at the time.
At the age of 12, Ciel is the head of the Phantomhive family.
That alone is strange, but he is also the president of a candy and toy company called Phantom. (I thought aristocrats didn't work...?)
This alone is already too much of a genius.
Furthermore, he also plays the role of "Watchdogs of the Queen".
"Watchdogs of the Queen" is a role that the Phantomhive family has played for generations, and is responsible for overseeing the British underworld. They keep an eye on the underworld and take action to prevent it from affecting the public. Because of this, the Phantomhive family is hated by many people, and in the previous volume, Ciel was kidnapped.
Watchdogs of the Queen's order this time was to investigate a bizarre murder that was occurring in London.
It was Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper is a serial murder case that actually occurred in England around 1888.
It was a case in which a prostitute who lived in the slums and took customers was killed, and her organs were removed and taken away.
It's a bit too stimulating for a 12-year-old, it's gory. .
② Ciel's work colleagues
A new character appears here.
Angelina Dalles, also known as Madam Red.
Her butler, Grelle Sutcliff.
Lau, British branch manager, Chinese trading company "Kongrong".
Madam Red and Lau made an appearance in volume 1, but were not introduced, and will be involved in earnest from this volume.
Both help Ciel in his work as watchdogs of the Queen.
They visit Undertaker's place.
He "pays" him, who is disposing of the bodies, to get information.
It turns out that without exception, the victims' uteruses were taken away.
From this information, Sebastian uncovers a person who is well versed in medicine, has ties to rituals and black magic, and has no alibi for the night of the crime, and a person named Viscount Druitt emerges.
③ The pretty robin
So the group decides to sneak into Viscount Druitt's party.
For some reason, Ciel decides to dress up as a girl. . . Well, it would be bad if his true identity was revealed.
After all, a beautiful boy is still a beautiful girl even when dressed up as a woman.
An aristocratic party. It's luxurious.
However, Victorian England is an aristocratic society. Sebastian, a butler who is normally a servant, cannot dance with his master, but if he disguises himself as a tutor, he can dance with the upper class.
It's troublesome, confusing, and awful.
Ciel managed to get in the good graces of the viscount, but he is kidnapped again.
Heading to a black market auction site.
It seems that they were selling organs to humans...
That's rotten...
Sebastian cleared the place out, called the police, and the case was solved.
But...
Another incident occurred!
The suspect list made me reconsider.
④ Ciel's parents and aunt
Madam Red is Ciel's mother's younger sister and works at the hospital.
She has red hair and wears red clothes, is a cheerful woman who enjoys socializing, and enjoys Ciel's cross-dressing and undercover investigations.
On the other hand, she is worried about her nephew, Ciel.
”…Surely there must've been…another way for you to live, one that didn't involve you becoming the underworld's watchdog.
I'm certain my elder sister-your mother-would've wished for it too.
Despite that, here you are…have you returned, after all, to the underworld…
because you wish to avenge my murdered sister and her husband?"
Ciel's parents had been murdered.
In response, Ciel answers:
”I…have never once thought to avenge my parents or anything of the sort.
Were I to avenge them, the dead still would not come back to life…
much less be able to enjoy the sweet taste of revenge.
Calling it 'vengeance' or a 'battle of revenge' is just glossing over the truth.
Such utterances amount to nothing more than the selfishness of the survivors, after all…
a luxury of the living, wouldn't you say?
…I..did not return to Phantomhive for the sake of the previous head.
I returned for my self.
All I want is to give those who betrayed and defiled the name of Phantomhive..
a taste of the humiliation…and pain…
that I suffered."
Even though he is still a child, you can see Ciel's extraordinary resolve. He is also incredibly smart.
But it's a little sad.
3. My 68-year-old mother (a care worker) is also crazy about it.
The other day, my mother came to stay at our house from her parents' house.
She started reading the Black Butler that was lying around, and couldn't stop. She was so absorbed in reading that she didn't even notice while I was preparing dinner. "I knew it was on the shelves at the bookstore, but it looks interesting," she said.
She ended up reading the rest of the book when she came to stay again.
Black Butler is truly frightening.
However,
"Who is this butler? Is he a vampire or something?"
No!
"I am a devil..of a butler."
I told you, mom!!
4.Note!
I am a Japanese person and translated the review I wrote in Japanese using Google Translate. I apologize if the English is difficult to understand.
The original review is below.
Author: Yen Press World (Author), Tomo Kimura (Translator), Yana Toboso (Artist)
ASIN: B00J860QI8
Publisher: Yen Press World (April 8, 2014)
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Language: English
File Size: 150625 KB
Book Length: 192 pages
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