OP: “Kyoshinsha no Parade -The Parade of Warriors-” by -otoha-
One episode in, and I can say that Kuroshitsuji suits into this setting as comfortably as if it had been the best tailor-made swimsuit on Saville Row. In different phrases, the match is ideal. Context is all the pieces, and whereas the ‘Hogwarts Arc’ pattern is problematic, Black butler is a sequence that was born for it. From a plot perspective, it makes excellent sense – no illogical contortions wanted to get right here. And simply as importantly, aesthetically it simply could not be extra seamless. Toboso Yana may have written this in her sleep (though she clearly did not).
I used to be a bit of frightened a couple of new director (Okada Kenjirou), not to mention one from Shaft. However the Toboso gene is dominant (solely Okada – mockingly – Mari has been capable of screw it up, and that was with authentic materials), and Okada (Kenjirou) has additionally labored at locations like Bones. As soon as administrators escape of Shaft, they typically get a “nature is therapeutic” impact and depart lots of the nonsense behind. This premiere appears to be like, sounds and appears like Kuroshitsuji – there are not any issues on that time. It is a winner when you’re a fan of the sequence and for essentially the most half I’m too, particularly when Grell is not concerned (together with the fashion of writing he represents).
Briefly: this was classic Black butler. And classic Black butler is actually superb. The premise is that this time Ciel is requested (in Victoria’s common underhanded manner) to research Weston School, England’s most prestigious public faculty (do not forget that in English colleges ‘public’ and ‘non-public’ imply the alternative of most different nations). Her cousin’s son, Derrick Arden, has stopped contacting the house entrance and is refusing to reply requests – and apparently he is not the one one. The logical manner for Ciel to research that is to do it himself, so he decides to turn into a Weston scholar. And if there is not a gap, he and Sebastian can ‘create one’ (very sinister, how chilly was that).
This example is unquestionably ripe for the choosing of this sequence. It’s totally regular to maneuver to a spot like this, and having Ciel coping with all of the ridiculous customs and ‘traditions’ at a complicated British boys’ faculty principally opens up limitless potentialities for leisure. This atmosphere is so twisted and ugly in actual life that Toboso hardly wants any embellishment. We get to cope with a little bit of hazing (it is truly fairly gentle), ridiculous guidelines (solely these with excellent permission are allowed to cross the garden) and unpaid slavery (‘fags’ are referred to as ‘drudges’ right here). Whether or not we’ll delve into points like corporal punishment and sexual abuse (which had been endemic in such locations in Victorian instances) I do not know – that is likely to be too tense, even for Kuroshitsuji.
Sebastian has come by, posing because the director of Ciel’s blue ‘Sapphire Owl’ home. In true Hogwarts vogue, Weston is split into 4 homes – Violet Wolf, Scarlet Fox and Inexperienced Lion are additionally alongside for the journey. Every home has its personal specialty and its personal prefect. These are often called the P4 and have absolute energy over the boys’ lives. Moreover, solely these invited by them can go to the mysterious warden – and assembly him is essential to Ciel’s investigation. As an alternative, he’s welcomed to Weston by one other grasp, Johann Agares (Hayami presentthrowing over the cash if it ever existed), the clumsiness of which might be a plot level or simply for comedic impact.
As common with KuroshitsujiEvery particular person arc brings with it a set of latest characters. At Weston we’ve got pleasant (with Kuroshitsuji normally implies that shopping for inexperienced bananas isn’t really helpful) McMillan (Shiraishi Haruka), the red-haired first-year who takes Ciel below his wing. The heads of the respective homes are Gregory Violet (Tachibana Tatsumaru), Edgar Redmond (Watanabe Toshiki), Herman Greenhill (Takeuchi Shunsuke), and Sapphire’s prefect Lawrence Bluewer (Enoki Junya). Additionally apparently vital is Bluewer’s faggot Clayton (Ishige Shouya), which appears to have lots of affect on the distress degree of Ciel’s day by day existence.
It is onerous to overstate how good Sakamoto Maaya is Kuroshitsuji. I imply, she typically is, however she’s simply as nice as Ciel, and her efficiency is the anchor for all the pieces that occurs on this sequence. Black butler has all the time excelled at world-building and “Public Faculty Arc” is not any exception – it attracts you into the second and by no means actually allows you to go. I discuss loads about aesthetics in anime, however it is a present that very clearly has one. Every little thing it does has a sure aptitude, a grand theatricality. This setting suits in completely, and it guarantees to be eleven entertaining weeks.
ED: “Shokuzai (Reconciliation)” by SID
