Grell has bi 💖💜💙 wife energy. Sorry I don’t make the rules.

If you don't mind, can I ask something from Black Butler? What do you think are Ciel and Sebastian’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Sorry if you've answered these questions before.....

P.s

Also, If you don't mind me asking (again), can I also ask your top fav characters and fav moments from the series (Black Butler)...? Thanks if you want to answer....

Hi! 🖤

I don't mind talking about it and no, I didn't. So, thank you for the question - and don't feel like you're unwelcome or anything, I like talking about these two. You're always welcome to ask me anything at all! It refers to everyone reading this.

♟ Greatest strengths:

I think Ciel's greatest strength is in Sebastian because he raised him to be the way he is. That, and the evil mind he supposedly inherited from Vincent make him very powerful. Sebastian is his tool but Ciel thinks on his own. He's a smart boy, he doesn't need to entirely rely on his demon in decision making.

Sebastian's greatest strength is in his bond with Ciel. Ciel as a person kind of goes along with this. Now, I should specify I don't have a normal understanding of morality so someone else can talk about how Sebastian is "more human" after experiencing Ciel, etc. But! What I care about is that Ciel gives him reasons to give a fuck about... most things?

♟ Greatest weaknesses:

For Ciel, I think it's whatever is underneath his cold outer shell. We don't know him that well even after all those years, so what it is exactly is up to interpretation, but I think it's his "softer" side. I'm talking about his care for his family (shown largely in the Jack the Ripper arc, I think he lost a lot of it after Angelina died) and his servants, majorly Finnian who he seems attached to/projecting onto ever since the Twin Twist (I don't think he had that care initially). I lean towards care for the family more than care for the servants, I think people overestimate Ciel's care for the three.

I could easily say his weakness is also losing Sebastian but I don't think it's the main one. If you strip Ciel off his demon, he'll definitely be vulnerable but he is himself without his loyal dog, too. He's just physically easy to hurt, but it doesn't make him immediately emotionally vulnerable. Ciel was very close to losing Sebastian on Campania and I realistically feel like he would be able to mentally handle it, even if it left him physically vulnerable.

My hot BB take is that Ciel has slightly less attachment to Sebastian than Sebastian has to Ciel.

As for Sebastian, I think his greatest weakness is Ciel. He becomes frantic when Ciel is hurt off his sights. Ciel controls his emotions, attitudes, moods; he has him wrapped around his finger. Ciel is his very reason for existing. So, definitely him! His bond with him makes him strong but that boy makes him so weak.

♟ What I love about their dynamic is versatility and power control.

Versatility because you can read it as romance, as primal desire, as grooming, as a supernatural entity that got hungry, as mentor and student, but it's ALWAYS there. The only thing you can't canonically find between them is "dadbastian" shit because they both hate familial connections.

Power control because they constantly switch up who's leading the game. Also, it's incredibly hot to have someone who can and will end your life bend to your every will because he chooses to play and behave.

♟ Top characters:

Aside from Sebastian and Ciel, I love Madame Red. She used to be my big favorite when she was alive in the series and I still think she's one of the best written BB characters. I love her, I love Grelle and I'm glad Yana got to write her the way she allegedly always wanted to write her (I never trust authors' words entirely but I'm happy for Grelle and people that relate to her). I adore Agni and I entirely love his character arc. I love Mey-Rin more than words can describe, especially with recent character story revealed.

I overall prefer Yana's women to Yana's men and think they're better written when the focus is on them.

♟ Top moments:

Can I just list my favorite arcs? Campania, Green Witch, Circus, Weston, Jack the Ripper, Blue Cult. My specific favorite moments are Sebastian's "90% serious" and Ciel in the Circus arc's ending. Every time this boy owns his title and threatens to shoot someone he sees as a lousy worm, I feel happy and proud for him.

Hy Abby, how you doing?

Abby, you have already said several times that in your opinion (btw also my opinion) that John Brown is not human.

I've often thought about it.... Sebastian should actually know that he is not human, should not he? I wonder why he is not saying anything? Just because he is not directly asked about it? Or maybe he doesn't know?

For example:

He had also never seen a Shimigani/Reaper... (if I remember correctly) and therefore didn't recognize Grell as such in the "JdR" arc. (apparently they still have a soul since he thought Grell was human?) If John Brown is an "angel", maybe he wouldn't recognize it since he's never met one? But that doesn't change the fact that at least the "lack of humanity" should be recognized by him or does John also hlave a soul as "Angel", so that Sebastian thinks he's a human??

What ist your opinion?

Hiya! I'm managing 😆

What does Sebastian think of John Brown?

I wish I knew Sebastian's actual thoughts about John Brown. The best I can come up with is "confused but impressed".

Sebastian says he'd never met/dealt with reapers "in the human realm" until Grelle (because he didn't yet know Undertaker was a reaper, too). This ties neatly into how Sebastian can be deceiving without lying. Because he made our earl figure out that Jack the Ripper had to be both Madam Red and Grelle before he admitted he'd already figured it out. He knew Madam Red was human, but he wasn't sure about Grelle being a reaper until he added up all the clues. Honestly, reaper was probably just his best guess... until Grelle's reveal. But Sebastian makes it pretty clear to his young master that he doesn't have to answer questions he hasn't been asked.

So, there seem to be some rules about this, and I'm still trying to figure them out. What have we learned, so far, about souls, detecting who's human or not, etc.?

Demons don't see reapers who are trying to remain unseen. Sebastian didn't notice Sascha and Ludger. Wasn't aware Ronald and William were at Kelvin's manor. Wasn't aware Grelle was the one to collect Agni's soul, etc. ETA: Sebastian didn't notice the mystery person in ch137, and we still don't know what that was -- possibly a reaper assigned to investigate the whole thing because of expected demonic involvement.

But reapers can typically see other reapers, even if they don't always recognize each other as such. Even people who are (or might be) part reaper have a tendency to be able to see reapers, even if they don't know that's what they are seeing. Like how Lizzie turns her sword to Grelle by instinct; she doesn't know what Grelle is, but she knows something is "off". Idk if Grelle is trying to be invisible there (I don't think so, at that point), but she definitely sees Grelle and automatically thinks this is another enemy. Then, much later, we have our earl taking notice of Sascha and Ludger when one of them speaks the name "Phantomhive". They are both trying to be invisible, but as soon as that name is spoken, our earl turns around and sees them on a tree limb.

Demons and reapers don't (usually) know someone is a reaper unless they can see those double-ringed green eyes. Sebastian, Ronald, and Grelle didn't know Undertaker was a reaper until he showed his eyes. Exception: despite being very nearsighted and not wearing glasses, Undertaker knew Grelle was a reaper from the first time they met. We don't know how.

Reapers seem to automatically recognize demons for what they are, even if they look human. Grelle knew what Sebastian was immediately... and got nervous. Undertaker knew what Sebastian was immediately, too... and seems to have found it funny. I headcanon that Sebastian made Undertaker laugh just because he was a demon in human form and dressed as a butler... and was telling (probably lame) jokes to someone he didn't know was a reaper. Situational comedy. Francis/Frances seeing Sebastian as something unwholesome without necessarily knowing why is one of the big clues that she's probably part reaper.

Reapers can't see souls in humans (or others, most likely) until they are using their death scythes. Ronald explains that to Layla/Al. That's why he wasn't sure who at the sanatorium was a bizarre doll.

Demons can detect souls (and the lack thereof) but only in a general sense. Sebastian didn't think much of Agares until their hands touched. Even then, Sebastian wasn't sure what Agares was; he just knew something was wrong. Perhaps he detected no soul there, but his previous experience with the mindless bizarre dolls on the ship didn't prepare him for someone like Agares, so he was confused. Sebastian also has the ability to count or at least detect souls in a building; he does this when he takes note that he cannot detect souls in Purple House, even though Arden and his friends haven't yet been accounted for, despite Violet saying everyone was evacuated from the building. That means he would have detected souls in the building, if there had been souls inside.

So, what about John Brown?

He always wears mirrored shades, so you cannot see his eyes. If he's a reaper, chances are that Sebastian would detect a soul but not know what kind of person he is. And John could sneak around the demon without him knowing. Other reapers would probably be able to see him, regardless of what he's doing, but they might not recognize him as a reaper. If he's a demon or angel, perhaps Sebastian cannot automatically tell. But reapers should know.... 🤔 It's -- convenient -- that we haven't seen any reaper in the same room with John Brown... or mentioning him. Because, like I said, if he's a reaper, they might not know, but if he's a demon or angel they might.

He's extremely smart/resourceful, quick and efficient. I don't recall how Sebastian gets that plant sample (with the "miasma" on it) to John Brown and Double Charles, but John Brown apparently does the chemistry work-up himself and has the results way faster than Sebastian expected.

He's got special transportation. Not only is the turnaround time for the lab results a bit too fast, but he delivers them himself -- also too soon -- apparently just him and that white horse. We don't know if they took a boat or train or anything. But they get from England to Bavaria and walk out from the woods, side by side. He's not even riding the horse. Not only is Sebastian surprised to see him, but Snake's snake (at the time) also seems surprised... and hisses.

He mysteriously has information too soon/precognition. Sebastian "interrogated" Beast for "Father's" name, but idk how he figured out where Kelvin's manor was located. And then he picked our earl up and sped him across the land, getting to Kelvin's manor much sooner than by carriage or train. At the time, we didn't know what Undertaker was, and even learning later he's a reaper doesn't fully explain how he knew where Sebastian and our earl were going... before Sebastian even knew. Unless reapers have precognition that's separate from the death lists (because Undertaker later says he doesn't have access to the death lists anymore). If Sebastian has to use his demon abilities to gather information and transport himself and our earl to Kelvin's manor, and Undertaker somehow knows early enough to travel there in time by carriage (because he's got the carriage, horses, and real Ciel), what's the explanation for John Brown taking Double Charles by horse and carriage to that opposite cliff in time? And Double Charles do seem to be human; they are both highly skilled and efficient, but they attended school and trained in fencing together. Grey shows precognition, but he's afraid of/doesn't believe in anything he cannot kill with his sword -- not the words or fears of a supernatural creature -- and he might have simply gotten advance information (Germany's sped-up development) from John.

He acts rather odd and might have a contract with the queen. Well, I've already mentioned how he doesn't ride the horse through the forests of Bavaria. There's also the fact neither he nor the horse seems affected by the mustard gas fumes. They don't have tracking devices (those amulets) provided by the witch's villagers, but they are unaffected and not attacked. Perhaps Snake's snake knows something is weird about John when he walks out of the woods. That horse, too. But we've known something was up with John Brown and the horse since we first saw them, near the end of the curry arc. John seems unharmed by the horse stepping on him (his head, even) and later acts oblivious around our earl. However, soon after that, our earl and Sebastian discover the circus ticket John had snuck into the earl's pocket. There's also this whole thing about the Prince Albert hand puppet, which looks suspiciously like part of a demonic contract. Much later, we see the flashback of Sebastian offering to make our earl believe his dead brother had returned... promising "many happy days". But our earl was smart enough to see through the offer and declined. In her extreme grief, the queen might have been given and accepted a similar offer from John Brown. She knows Albert died, but whenever the puppet shows up again, she accepts it as her husband returned to her, as if he'd just been away for a bit.

So. I think John Brown is not a reaper. He's likely either a demon or an angel... like a fallen angel. Much like Ash/Angela in s1 of the anime... which is a character parallel to him anyway, as a servant and confidante of the queen. If Sebastian doesn't know what John Brown is, he's confused but impressed. If he does know, he hasn't said anything about him to our earl... simply because our earl hasn't asked him.

Those Gentle Slopes: Snippet 6

I’ve got a surprising number of requests for a specific snippet - thank you all so much! But I’m so sorry, I didn’t clarify: the new chapter covers only Jack the Ripper arc, so the current snippets come from it. I wrote some in advance (like the blood-drinking scene or Sebastian interrogating the demons), but since the update is going to be posted very soon, I’m now focused on working strictly on it.   

@earlofgreytea, I promise that the scene you requested, aka fake poisoning, will feature in the first snippet I post once I’m done with this chapter :D I have to admit that I’m excited to write it as well, that arc gave me so much fun. 

From the requests related to Jack the Ripper arc, there are two winners: one is the scene of Sebastian running to save Ciel from Madam Red despite Grell almost cutting his arm off + a scene with Ciel’s fevered words that he wants nothing to do with Sebastian. The former is today’s snippet, the latter will be posted next week, and then the actual chapter will be done.

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All of a sudden, his seal began to burn. He barely had time to re-focus his attention when the familiar and the most magnificent scent of blood assaulted his nostrils.

But this time, there was no hunger. Only startling, blinding horror.

No.

His eyes fixated on his lord. He couldn’t identify the location of the wound; he couldn’t see the boy’s expression to judge how critical his situation was. The seal burned again as Madam Red advanced and grabbed him by the throat.

Rage, vibrant and incandescent, tunnelled Sebastian’s vision. It spread through him like liquid fire, burning and scorching, and if he wasn’t temporarily trapped, he would have already been there, crushing Madam Red’s skull to dust.    

“The gun!” he hissed violently. Neither his lord nor Grell reacted, which meant that he spoke the words demonically.

Sebastian opened his mouth again when the seal spasmed the most powerful warning at him. It meant only one thing: immediate, life-threatening danger.

Madam Red was no longer playing or hesitating. Just like her nephew, she had made her decision, and the dagger in her hand was its grave and bloody reflection.      

The world dimmed to one central image — the most important image in Sebastian’s existence.

“Young Master!” he bellowed. Mindlessly, he let go of the Scythe, letting it embed itself into his arm. The pain was agonising — the reapers’ weapons were doubtlessly forged with the ability to incapacitate and silence demons along with other representatives of the outer realms. Healing from such damage must take a longer time, too, but even if the wounds were forever, sacrificing his hand seemed like a cheap price when the stakes were so high.  

Throwing everything he had and everything he was into his leap, Sebastian crossed the distance separating him from Ciel Phantomhive. He had never moved with this speed before, and as he lunged at Madam Red, his true form had just begun to bleed through.

It didn’t matter that the transformation wasn’t complete. He would slice her apart with his teeth if he had to.

Blood was roaring in his ears, the fury deafening him to any sounds but one, and it was this sound that broke through his red-tinted resolve.

“Don’t, Sebastian! Don’t kill her!”

His instinct to protect this boy could only rival the overpowering need to heed his orders. His fingers, which had almost reached their target, froze, and the energy dimmed, forcing him back into his human shape.    

This second-long reprieve could have cost him everything. And his lord’s stupid, pathetic, cursed sentimentality could have cost him his life if Madam Red had landed her blow.

But she hadn’t. She stepped away, the dagger clattering as it fell on the ground, and burrowed her face in her hands.

Sebastian remained frozen in his aborted attack for several more seconds until his brain finally gave him a command to relax, soothed by the lack of immediate danger to his Master. The pain in his arm immediately grew unbearable, and when he saw the boy’s wide, horrified eyes, he tried to cover his wound.

Blood. Must avoid blood.

“Sebastian,” his lord whispered. His gaze was brimming with unidentifiable emotions, and Sebastian wanted to spit at him and pull him close at the same time.

This lying, disappointing little human… his orders and his composure had been an act. He was incapable of murdering his aunt, not even when his life depended on it.

Sebastian wished to fuel this contempt, to push it to the forefront of his mind and body. This was a simple and logical feeling. The concern and the strange reverence fighting for dominance were not.

Kuroshitsuji Anachronisms (2)

Welcome to part 2 of the compilation of anachronisms/historical innacurracies I noticed while reading through the manga! This time we'll get through the rest of the introduction arc and the Jack the Ripper arc (since screenshots are involved, spoilers under the cut).

Previous | Next

Introduction (Mini) Arc Cont.:

I'm 95% sure this gun is inaccurate. It looks like a modern pistol, even if the top slide is off.

The pistol the man has below the lower speech bubble is inaccurate as it looks pretty clearly like a SIG. That handgun line began in 1975.

Laundry detergent wasn't invented until 1914.

Flamethrowers weren't invented until 1900.

The Transformers series was an 80s thing -- a 1980s thing, not 1880s.

That's… straight up the alien from Alien (1979)? I can't really call it an inaccuracy because I've never been to Hell, but I do raise many an eyebrow to this.

Jack the Ripper Arc:

The type of anatomy model/doll Undertaker has here reminds me of the one in Corpse Party, but I think that's just a general reference to the types of models mid-1900s Japanese schools had. It's interesting to note, but I've had a bad time trying to Google for this, so I won't count it as inaccurate. What I will count as inaccurate is Lau's depiction of loan sharks since the first organ transplant wasn't successfully performed until 1954 (and it was, interestingly enough, a kidney).

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a 1969 James Bond film. As funny as I find it that Madame Red is indirectly comparing Sebastian to James Bond here, it is an anachronism.

Ma'am, that's a modern chainsaw--

And that's all for now! Next time, we should be able to get through both the curry arc and the circus arc.

I'm curious!! We know our lovely girl is trans, but what do you think her sexuality is?? I know she seems mainly interested in men; but wasnt it at least insinuated that she was in a relationship with Madam Red?

(Answering these together since they’re closely related)

The short answer: I suspect that Yana intended Grelle to be straight, but there is room within the text to read her as bisexual and to interpret her relationship with Madame Red as romantic.

The long, rambly answer: Throughout the manga, Grelle’s primary romantic interest has been directed at male (or at least male-presenting) characters, such as William, Sebastian, and Undertaker, and her interactions with Kuro ladies other than Angelina have been few and far between. Although I haven’t been able to track down the link, I believe Yana once tweeted that she envisioned Grelle and Madame as being “like sisters.” Thus, the narrative that sensei appears to be pushing is that Grelle is sexually and romantically attracted to men.

However, a mangaka’s intentions might not always align with the way a character is coded. For example, Ohba and Obata, the creators of Death Note, are notorious for having less-than-stellar attitudes towards the queer community. Yet protagonist Light Yagami merely views the women in his life (when he thinks of them at all), as pawns in his game. His fixation on his rival L borders on obsession, and the man dies cradled in Light’s arms. I doubt that Ohba and Obata set out to depict Light as gay, but the man sure doesn’t come across as straight. 😂

Grelle is a bit like that; if you view the Jack the Ripper arc through a sapphic lens, it’s hard not to see her and Angelina as more than just gal pals. Their collaboration wasn’t a one-time deal. Grelle knowingly broke multiple reaper laws, willingly disguised herself as a man (which must have been extremely dysphoria-inducing for her), and stayed by this woman’s side for about two years. That’s an awful lot of dedication for some mortal she met through happenstance. But if Grelle is doing these things because she’s smitten with An, her actions make perfect sense. There’s a morbid sort of intimacy in killing together (just look at Hannibal)—these ladies committed their crimes as a unit, their identities so closely intertwined that they were known as a single entity, Jack the Ripper. They were enmeshed in a secret relationship whose true nature was known only to them...I think there’s at least a smidgen of queer subtext to be found there. Moreover, in the licensed English translation, Grelle admits outright that she “fell head over heels for a woman.” I don’t know what she says in the original Japanese, and whether the connotations were altered in translation...but most people wouldn’t talk about “falling for someone” in a platonic sense. 👀

Moreover, An and Grelle also tend to be get rather cozy in sensei’s official art; Yana may say they’re not a couple, but they certainly look like one. 👀👀👀

Sisters... 🤔

Sure, Yana. 😂😂😂

Of course, the disclaimer to this whole spiel is that I myself am bisexual, so my perspectives of the Red Butler arc are a little biased (see what I did there? 😜💖💜💙) toward the narrative that Grelle and An were lovers. If you prefer to see their bond as sisterly and platonic, that’s fine, too! Canon Redcliff is ambiguous; definitely there if you see it, nonexistent if you don’t. But there is absolutely room to interpret Miss Grelle as bi.

Hello chibimyumi! I've been a fan of black butler for a few years now, and I really want to get into the plays. The thing is, I'm a moron who has no idea where to start. Do you have any tips for how beginners like me can get into them? Thank you!

Hello Anon!

Well, asking me is asking for bias since I am a blog literally started because of the Furukawa era Kuromyus, so........I recommend you start with the Furukawa era Kuromyus （≽▽≼;;）Before the Furukawa era was the Matsushita Era.

Okay okay... I’ll try to be a bit more nuanced.

Reasons to start with Furukawa Era:

All stories are canon except a few minor changes for adaptation’s sake.

Furukawa’s Sebastian was declared above canon by Yana herself, and Editor Kuma can’t shut up about how much of a fanboy he is of Furukawa ever since.

The Ciels in these musicals are genuinely good child actors.

From 2016 on, TOHO (the most prestigious JP theatre that owns the literal Imperial Theatre aids them, so the quality is off the chart.

That  is not to say that it’s wrong to watch any Matsushita era musicals  though! It’s just that I personally don’t recommend it, the 2009, 2010  musical DVDs are out of production, so you’d have to start with 2013 and  2014.

Reasons to start with Matsushita Era:

You want to see the history of Kuromyu, where it all began.

You are a fan of Matsushita Yuya or other actors that only appear in those musicals.

You like BL-like shipping fanfics a lot, and the 2013 musical would be a feast then (though it’s full of canon-contradictions, plot-holes and homo- and transphobia, so you’ll have to be able to overlook that.)

Furukawa Era Kuromyu Menu

The Furukawa era Kuromyus come in three musicals chronologically.

The Lycoris that Blazes the Earth 2015

NOAH’S ARK CIRCUS 2016

Tango on the Campania 2018

The Lycoris that Blazes the Earth is the stage adaptation of the Jack the Ripper arc, while the other two’s titles speak for themselves.

General Recommendation

If you are familiar with the manga itself already, there is no need to watch the Furukawa era kuromyus chronologically; I’d say, just start with your favourite arc among the three. I offer high quality English subtitles in exchange for proof of legal ownership of the DVD. This is my initiative to combat pirating of Japanese stage productions, because Japanese stage actors only get paid for their rehearsal labour depending on the DVD sales. That is why every time anybody asks me: “where can I watch Kuromyu” I’ll answer: “anywhere where your disc player and screen are.”

As the DVDs are quite expensive for universal standards, I recommend watching the PVs first.

Official PV Lycoris that Blazes the Earth 2015.

⏫Pros to starting with Lycoris:

It’s the first Furukawa Sebastian,  and you can see where he started.

At this stage Furukawa was declared ‘canon’ (not ‘above-canon’ yet). To Yana this was the first time she ever saw somebody doing her baby Sebastian justice.

Madam Red is simply AMAZING, you can’t miss that.

This was the first time - on Yana’s instructions - that Grell is officially portrayed as a transgender woman rather than a “gay-transvestite-laughing-stock”.

⏬Cons to starting with Lycoris:

The over-all quality is not as high as the following two (because TOHO didn’t step in yet), but it’s still above average for 2.5D. It’s NOT not your money’s worth, but it’s not ridiculously good either. It’s just that it’s not representative of the later two musicals’ quality. Many people who first and only watched 2015 said they hated Kuromyu, but then when they watched the later two they said: “wow amazing!”

Some songs are just...jarringly bad...

Official dress rehearsal NOAH’s ARK CIRCUS.

⏫Pros to starting with Circus:

Here Furukawa was declared ‘above-canon’ by Yana herself.

Furukawa really has grown as Sebas, and it’s clear as day.

Ciel is ridiculous. He’s played by the unanimously agreed-upon best so far, Uchikawa Reo.

TOHO steps in for the first time, and their influence is apparent.

Most of the music is a blast.

Joker... OH JOKER....!!!!  He’s even better than the manga. 10/10

Baron Kelvin, also even better than the manga. 10/10

There are actual circus-worthy performances

Dagger is played by 2016 actual world champion uni-cyclist Mitsuya Ryo.

Doll is absolutely heart-wrenchingly adorable.

⏬Cons to starting with Lycoris:

It is not chronological to the Furukawa Era Kuromyu.

It mightttt set your expectations for others a bit too high to start here.

DVD PV of Tango on the Campania.

⏫Pros to starting with Campania:

Here Furukawa rendered Yana and Editor Kuma speechless.

Young Uchikawa Reo polished his singing for Ciel, and now everything is perfect about him.

Furukawa and Uchikawa’s friendship which they built in 2016 really shows here.

TOHO turned their support up to 11.

The ensemble members (the zombies) are as much the stars as Sebas and Ciel are. They are mind-blowing.

Most (but not all) consider these songs the best.

Best directing so far (by the esteemed ex-Takarazuka director Kodama Akiko).

A portrayal of Grell as a competent transgender reaper asked requested by Yana herself. Yana admitted she did Grell wrong, and asked Uehara to do Grell justice in her stead.

⏬Cons to starting with Campania:

It is not chronological to the Furukawa Era Kuromyu.

It WILL set your expectations for others a bit too high to start here.

I hope this helps! After you watch the PVs and do decide to buy the DVDs and get the English subs from me, do let me know!

Kuromyu DVD purchase links

Lycoris that Blazes the Earth 2015 (Furukawa)

Noah’s Ark Circus

Tango on the Campania

These 👆 are from amazon.jp which ships internationally AND has the best prices. You can buy these directly without proxy (click here for how to change amazon.jp to ENGLISH).

Here is my FAQ post in case you have more questions.

Alternate Endings: Butlers & Masters in Black Butler, and how they parallel Sebastian & Ciel

read on ao3

There have been four butler/master pairs established so far: 1) Sebastian & Ciel 2) Grell & Red 3) Agni & Soma 4) Wolfram & Sieglinde Each of the other three relationships serve to parallel Sebastian & Ciel in interesting ways, and when they are introduced, how Sebastian & Ciel react to the pairs, and what happens in those parallel stories may even serve to elucidate the ambiguous nature of the relationship between the main characters.

Partners in Crime: Grell & Red

The first pair introduced is Red and Grell, alias Jack the Ripper. This is the darkest of the four pairs to be sure. The duo are on a murdering spree driven by the righteous idea (on Red's part) that she is in some way dealing out justice, motivated by an obsessive personality and a trauma that she can't get over—that of losing her family. It's a clear parallel to Ciel at his darkest; in fact it becomes even more complicated when you realize that (spoiler) among others, including the man she loved, Red lost her sister, just as Ciel lost his brother. What is established at once is that this is an unequal relationship—unequal beyond, and in a different way than, you might expect with one of them being the mistress and one the servant. In fact, their story is presented almost in the mythical way of a god becoming interested in a mortal due to some particularity of their character, or amazing talent; of course, one way or another, those stories usually don't end very well for the mortal. This is made even more explicit with the description of reapers as "death gods." At this point, with the way Grell frames his duties, he has ultimate power over the souls of those he weighs—in his words, he can decide "whether to let him live on, or to kill him" based on the assessment. Of course, this is overstating the matter on Grell's part, as in actuality, reapers are discouraged from allowing people to live. If we translate this to Sebastian, we have a parallel to when Sebastian met Ciel—what, similarly, drew him to Ciel, the connection with death as his appearance is intrinsically tied up with Real Ciel's death. Similarly, once the contract is made, Sebastian gains the ultimate power over Ciel's soul—which might even include whether to let him live, or to eat him. Grell becomes disappointed in Red when she refuses to kill Ciel; refuses, in effect, to let the game continue, to pursue her vengeance—so he kills her, saying as he does, "How disappointing, Madam Red. I am no longer interested... in an ordinary woman like you."

That this is one possible way the story could end for Sebastian and Ciel is in no doubt. In fact, it almost ended that way early on: when Ciel is recognized as Earl by the Queen, Sebastian asks him if he can be content with the life he's gained and abandon his vengeance. When he thinks that Ciel will abandon it, he starts to lose his "butler" form and reaches out to Ciel, obviously planning to eat him right then and there. When changes the story is that Ciel refuses to abandon his vengeance; and this moves Sebastian to an absurd degree. Still, you might argue that it is in that scene that Sebastian swears fealty to Ciel, that he in fact promises to play the game until the end, without messing around. Even later, during the Green Witch arc, Sebastian is driven in desperation to repeating his question, when time has run out for them to remain in the village. "Brooding over your fears and regrets, curled up in your blanket... is not what you should be doing right now. Come, get out of bed." Will Ciel abjure his vengeance, or does he still want to play the game? Ciel says, "No." "Oh? Well. You will abandon your position as the Queen's Watchdog then? Very well. You won't have to experience any hardship if you're no longer the Queen's Watchdog. No one will blame you for not wanting that forever. The servants will surely treat you well. However. Abandoning your revenge mid-way is against the contract. Ahhh. What an utterly boring end." Sebastian has turned from a human-looking butler into a darkness-tentacle-creature and starts to eat him. But even then, he doesn't stop trying to remind Ciel of his revenge, in a last-ditch effort to not end the game just yet. Sebastian asks Ciel why he actually made a contract with him, and Ciel reminds himself (or perhaps realizes for the first time?) that the reason he did it was, whatever he said or thought at the time, actually for himself. He breaks free of the cage and runs toward Sebastian. Ciel then says to Sebastian, "you... really tried to eat me just now, didn't you." Sebastian says, "No, no, I was only 90% serious." (Real reassuring, Sebastian.) He then reminds Ciel that he is both a demon and a butler. Grell compares the relationship between him and Sebastian to that of Romeo and Juliet, and that along with his comment that he is an actress, casts everything about his relationship to Red as an extended act—this is made even more clear in the anime, where Grell is introduced as a butler in an earlier episode, and plays it up to a theatrical extent. Similarly, one could see Sebastian, and his butler aesthetic, as a similar type of act, where the "play" being put on is more important than the people involved; it is all about the artifice. Grell actually replays the famous balcony scene, saying to Sebastian "you and me shall be the cast in this show," and continuing to riff off of it: "why don't you throw away the unlucky name your master gave you, and just focus your attention on me!" —wherefore (why) art thou Sebastian? Sebastian gives an answer: "all it takes is that one sentence. From the time when my master addressed me as 'Sebastian' that sentence became the newly formed contract. Since that day, I became 'Sebastian.' I made a vow to the moon." In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name..." continuing on to entreat Romeo to abandon the fact that he is a Montague and can therefore only ever be her enemy. Romeo answers "call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; henceforth I never will be Romeo." The way that Sebastian plays off of this exchange is clearer in the anime, and probably in the official translation too. Grell sets up the unstable dichotomy of death god/demon, who must always be natural enemies, but then positions Ciel, and Sebastian's connection to him, as what will keep them apart, and what Sebastian will have to refuse to get together with Grell. Sebastian's answer actually uses Romeo's words, saying that in meeting Ciel and in the creation of the contract, he was newly baptized as Sebastian; in other words, Grell can't be Juliet because Ciel is.   In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo begins by swearing his love on the moon, and Juliet interrupts him, saying: "O swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest thy love prove likewise variable." So in saying that he's swearing by the moon, Sebastian is actually playing along with Grell's reenactment of Romeo and Juliet, while still refusing Grell's casting of himself as Juliet, and putting Ciel in that place instead.

Soulmates: Agni & Soma

Agni is set up from the beginning as an incredibly good butler, just as Grell was (to Sebastian's disapproval) an incredibly bad one. The usual, 'oh no the whole house has been messed up' that was set up from the very first arc is flipped around, with Agni having done all this work incredibly well... this gets on Sebastian's good side immediately. Agni is also able to get the servants to work together and not break everything, which completely baffles Sebastian, leading to one of his awesome shocked faces. Agni explains his personal philosophy to Sebastian, and then explains that before he met Prince Soma, he was a very different kind of person. "Before I met the prince, I was an idiot that can be said to be hopeless. What I owe him can never be repaid in this lifetime." He explains how he had no faith, due to seeing his father misusing his position, and how he then continued to do bad things, saying "I took advantage of my social status and committed sins every day." But just as he was about to be executed for his crimes, Prince Soma arrived to say him, saying, "I've heard you are a wild person that is as strong as an untamed beast," and choosing to take responsibility for Agni. As he cuts Agni's hair, Soma says, "the 'you' who existed before today is now dead. You're hereby reborn with a new name and life." Agni interprets this memory, saying that from that day Soma became his god. He says "that day, I definitely saw a god emitting holy light inside of the prince's body! I swerved the prince ever since that day... the prince is my king and my god!" He continues to say that he will do anything for Soma, even if it costs him his life. While Agni is set up as literally the nicest person in Black Butler, his own story places him as a reformed sinner who has found god in the man he serves. Still, even in his "reformed" state, his dedication to Soma is shown to be potentially dangerous, as his fervor leads him to do criminal acts in Soma's name. There is no unequivocal good here, it must be pointed out. Still, everything that Agni affects, day to day, seems to lead to having friends and happiness because he's just such a nice person. This seems like a pretty weird comparison to Sebastian, but he certainly is a parallel to Sebastian. Not only do they both take pride in cooking, and are incredibly good at it, not only do they both have superhuman strength, but the story of Agni meeting Soma has some interesting resonances with Sebastian's own. Going back to Sebastian's description of his meeting Ciel to Grell, earlier on, a flippant reply that takes from Romeo and Juliet and the wild overstatements made by those in love can also be interpreted through the lens of someone who has found a god. The devotion becomes religious. There is, of course, the baptism mentioned in Romeo and Juliet, and by Sebastian in relation to his own story; Agni, as well, tells the story of a baptism, in which he gained a new name and a new life. Soma's words when he first met Agni are also interesting. "I've heard you are a wild person that is as strong as an untamed beast." The connection to Agni's former existence, as an "untamed beast" is explicitly similar to Sebastian, who first appears to Ciel as a number of beasts, and is referred to as a beast multiple times, including in the Green Witch arc, when Ciel tells Sebastian that, in destroying the evidence of the laboratory, he has his permission to "feel free to go crazy like a beast." (Sebastian's reaction is notable. He thinks to himself, "My master. You're misunderstanding something. What I find most entertaining is playing the butler in my game with you. It's not behaving like a frenzied beast. However, if that's how you like me... I'll act accordingly.") Further, this sounds really similar to the meeting between Gilgamesh and Enkidu in Gilgamesh.  Gilgamesh is described as "two thirds god, one third man" and like Soma, he starts the story thinking a lot of himself; to say that he's arrogant is an understatement. Enkidu is created as someone who can temper this, basically Gilgamesh's soulmate, and spends the first part of his life as a literally "untamed beast" of a man, living with the other wild animals and having more in common with them than with humanity. But after he's shown human things through having sex with a priestess who comes to tame him, he can no longer go back to that state of innocence, wildness, or beastliness... now he is unavoidably human, and that can't change. He and Gilgamesh have a number of incredible adventures, and Gilgamesh thinks that together they can do anything, but Enkidu eventually dies, and the rest of the story deals with Gilgamesh's grief and anger at what he feels is the unfairness of death. He goes to extremes, and journeys for a long time, to try to become immortal himself, but discovers that like anyone who is mortal (even one-third mortal) death will inevitably come for him. Still, he eventually gains some measure of peace and grows as a character. Perhaps Soma is also on a similar journey. And, if Soma is a parallel for Ciel, who has been going on his own angry journey, through the manga, against the fact of death, both of his parents and of his other half—his twin brother—perhaps Ciel himself might come to some measure of peace as well. So, Agni is the epitome of a butler, and as he dies, he thinks, "Master Soma, that day, when you saved me, you were probably just acting on a whim. But from that day forward, you have always been the sun in my sky." (In Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet appears, Romeo says, "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon...") Agni continues, "no matter the circumstance, I remained bound to you. As your orders were the light illuminating my path. What's more, just by exuding your shining confidence down from the sky, you have saved more lives than you will ever know... because you were my sun, were there for me, my days could finally begin. ... I was... your khansama was... extremely happy." Soma is, in Ciel's words, who he might have become if not for "that day". Soma's description of his life in the palace, where he as the youngest child had everything he could ever want, materially, but felt as though he was cut off from expressions of love, is what motivates him to cling so tightly to Meena, who was always there for him, though she was secretly resentful. (Oh my! Perhaps the way that Madam Red was always there for Ciel, and yet secretly resented his existence because she was jealous?) While Soma originally saved/hired Agni just because he was supposedly really good at making curry, the butler has come to mean everything to him. (This reminds me of Ciel's meeting with Klaus, where he says that one of the reasons he keeps Sebastian around is because he makes the best sweets ever. He's being flippant, it's not a serious reason by any means—and Sebastian couldn't cook when they met—but it's still interesting.) Soma says to Agni, later, "Ciel reminds me of my younger self. I would always be chasing after the love of my parents and Mina, but I never paid attention to the affection you were giving me the whole time." He says, "No, not quite the same. Even though he is aware of al the affection he is receiving, he refuses to accept any of it. It's as if he is afraid of obtaining happiness. Ciel says that he lives for the sake of revenge. That's why he lives a life of solitude." (Of course, that's the only reason Ciel is still alive instead of being eaten by Sebastian for having broken the contract.) In this iteration of butler and master, the butler dies for the master—something that Sebastian states that he finds admirable. Indeed, this has also almost happened in Sebastian and Ciel's own story. When they're on the Campania, Sebastian gets stabbed by Undertaker when he's trying to protect Ciel, and could very well have died in the process. He didn't, and so the story continues...

Parent and Child: Wolfram & Sieglinde

Sieglinde is a genius brought up believing one story—that she's the Green Witch, someone with a special duty handed down through the generations to keep her village safe—when really she's being manipulated by an old woman (her mother, though she doesn't know it) into making a gas that will cause death and destruction. This is rather interesting. If Sieglinde's story is a parallel to Ciel, just as Madam Red and Soma's stories are in a sense a parallel with Ciel, then Ciel might be believing a false story too. He, like Sieglinde, takes pride in his position—in his case, of being the Guard Dog, and keeping order in England. It's couched as a special duty, but perhaps he, too, is being manipulated by an old woman (the Queen? Hm). It's certainly made clear that the Queen has her own aims, and that she's interested in preparing for war. The idea that she might even be the one behind his parents' murders isn't so far off, and indeed, in the anime, she *was*. On an even more disturbing note, perhaps Vincent Phantomhive was more manipulative than he appeared...? Wolfram is in a similar situation as Finny. Both were used in experimentation in Germany, and both didn't have a name until they met Ciel, in Finny's case, and Sieglinde, in Wolf's case. ("For this mission, we gave you a name," he was told. "Lieutenant Wolfram Geltzer.") That's a pretty long list of people who were given new names, including every single butler—besides Grell—to date. (But, quite interesting is the recent reveal that reapers are, along with their names, which most of them use, also referred to by a number code within the organization.) (As a side-note, Wolfram is responsible for Sieglinde's crippled feet, just as Sebastian is responsible for Ciel's blind eye, but beyond that obvious similarity, I'm not sure it has any significance.) Wolfram describes his life before Sieglinde as being colorless, and that they had a duty, and acted, but without ever knowing the reason. This "patriotism" is then set against the personal loyalty he ends up having toward Sieglinde. Wolfram's past, on learning how to be a butler, is similar to Sebastian's, as he is baffled by having to deal with a child and with the idea of having to play with her and deal with her whims, instead of just killing people. He thinks, "after meeting you, for the first time... I discovered the bright colors of the world... and felt the desire to protect something. I found a reason to fight." He thinks this as he has been wounded, and reaches for Sieglinde through the haze of his memories. There is even a shot of their hands reaching out toward each other, as Sebastian and Ciel reached out to each other when Sebastian was wounded on the Campania, and he slipped into his early memories of their time together. Wolfram is saved though, and Sebastian says, gently, "Mr. Wolfram. A butler... isn't allowed to die before their master." (Agni should've listened to you!/Tanaka. But Agni, of course, is really the only one who can get away with disagreeing with Sebastian, and still change his mind.) This story isn't really told to it's end, but it's different from the others in that Wolfram was originally working at cross-purposes to Sieglinde, and was in effect on an undercover mission to use her. But instead, he ended up throwing in his lot with her, and abandoning his army. Furthermore, at least to the present moment, though he would give his life for Sieglinde, he doesn't have to. Sieglinde actually forgives him for his deception, realizing that his actions since then show his care and his regret.

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But why does grell change into madams coat again and appears in front of undertaker wearing it if she's 'moving on' because undertaker mentioned it? And that coat restricts her movements, madam was tiny and its not easy wearing tiny coat like that in battle but she keeps wearing it anyway...

Hello Anon, and thanks for the question.

For now, my idea with the coat is just a tiny bit of a theory, and I could most certainly be wrong. One thing that is clear is that Grell has grown as a character throughout the series. I’m not saying Grell isn’t still volatile and dangerous. Those are just natural aspects of Grell’s nature, but it’s also clear that Grell is more rational and calmer. Jack the Ripper Grell would have never quietly disappeared and left the manor with Othello.

So, how does that play into the coat? Well, as Grell is ‘moving forward’ and growing, there needs to be some shedding of the past. That coat was stolen from Madam Red, and almost representative of who Grell was back then. Since being reminded by Undertaker about the relationship with Madam Red, Grell has worn the coat significantly less. 

If I’m right, then why would Grell show up in this arc (first to collect Agni’s soul) still wearing the original coat? Well, when we are moving on Anon, we rarely do it all at once. It’s small steps. A part of us still wants to cling to the past sometimes, much like Grell still wants to hold on to that coat. Grell’s not wearing the coat as much but hasn’t put it away forever either.

Maybe one day Grell will stop wearing the coat completely. Who knows.

You pointed out, Anon, that the coat wouldn’t that easy for Grell to move around in, and it’s true. Maybe part of Grell’s growth is getting rid of those things that act as obstacles - anchors to the past that are no longer needed. 

As I said, Anon, it’s just a bit of a theory - some thoughts I have on the idea. I may be way overthinking the matter. It could be a dozen different things - including Yana just wanting to draw Grell rocking a new look with the different hairstyle and trench coat.

Anime/Manga sociopathic characters

Hi! Here’s a new list of characters in anime and manga with a mental disorder, this time it’s sociopathy. In my psychopath characters list, I talked about the differences between a psychopath and a sociopath. I highly suggest you if you didn’t already do it, to go read it before looking at that list. It was harder to find sociopath characters, since it seems to be easier for an author to unconsciously create a psychopathic character than a sociopathic one. Some of them might not be entirely sociopath, but they all have sociopathic traits since sociopathy (anti-social personality disorder) might be a spectrum, therefore, someone could have sociopathic traits without being 100% a sociopath. It’s probably because usually, in order to be diagnosis sociopath, one needs to be 18 years old and over (while a psychopath is born that way, and sociopath is something that is developed). So a character under 18 might have the potential to become a sociopath, without being able to be diagnosis yet. Anyway, without further ado, here’s my list of sociopathic characters.

Full-fledge sociopath

Togane Sakuya (Psycho-pass)

Once again with a Psycho-pass character. For those of you who had seen the second season, you must know that Togane was created as an experience to create an artificial asymptomatic criminal, which I already linked to psychopathy. But Togane failed to keep is psycho-pass clear and thus, became the latent criminal with the darkest psycho-pass. So by that logic, he can’t be a psychopath, but he still has some traits similar to one, such as the ability to put a facade to make himself look friendly, lack of empathy, manipulative, liar, cruel. But those can also fit a sociopath. Since both psychopathy and sociopathy are part of the anti-social personality disorder, I think it’s possible that the experiment he underwent as a kid half worked, since he does show sign of having an anti-social personality disorder, but not the “good type”. He also lacks the ambitious and control desire of a psychopath, as well as hurting others for his own pleasure. Most of his actions are under the order of his mother.

Kizami Yuuya (Corpse Party)

That creep...At first I mistook him for a psychopath, but for my defence, I was young and didn’t know the difference between those two disorders. Kizami used to torture and kill small animals as a kid, which is usually a sign of anti-social personality disorder. Tho it’s more frequent for psychopath kids, it can also be observed in kids who have the potential to grow up as a sociopath. Psychopathic kids usually do that to experiment with killing, while sociopathic kids it’s more a way to express their frustration on a being weaker than them, which was probably the case with Kizami. As a kid, he felt unloved, misunderstood and put down by his family, especially his older siblings. Growing up he became distrustful of others and actually pretty much hate everyone, but put a facade of being normal, kind, friendly and charismatic, and was really popular at school. He never commits any murder, until he got the opportunity when he and his classmates were transported to a haunted school into another dimension. You see, unlike psychopath killers who planned their murders, sociopath killers are opportunist killers. They usually don’t plan their murders, they wait for an occasion to strike, or simply act on impulse. That’s what Kizami did, he ended up in the perfect situation to finally snap and go on a killing spree. Even if Kizami was 17 years, he’s close enough of 18 and would most likely have a sociopath diagnosis.

Asagiri Kaname (Mahou Shoujo Site)

Also known as shitty brother by the fandom, and this surname is well deserving. But Kaname isn’t only a sociopath, he’s also a narcissist. In fact, the perfect disorder to describe him would be a malignant narcissist, which is a mix of narcissistic personality disorder, anti-social personality disorder (sociopathy) and sadistic personality disorder (what a great combination...). It makes him close to a psychopath, but he’s too impulsive and emotional. He had the type of childhood to explain such a disorder. He was mistreated by his father who was completely obsessed about his grades. If Kaname didn’t have perfect grades, his father punched him. Growing up in an unstable or hostile environment can cause sociopathy, while either being put down or used by a parent for their own glory can cause narcissistic personality disorder. Kaname has no sympathy for others, he used them to achieve his goals and has no problem killing them, and he enjoyed abusing his little sister and tormenting others he views as inferior. He considered everyone a scum and view himself as blessed and chosen by gods, or even a god himself. He’s able to make himself look friendly and charming to hide his true self and manipulate others. All of this makes him a major asshole, but he’s not 100% to blame for that. His father is, Kaname is the result of bad parenting, and ended up being so horrible as a way to cope with his father’s abuse.

Grell Sutcliff (Kuroshitsuji)

[note: I’ll use they/them pronoun for Grell, since it’s still unclear if Grell is a homosexual man or a transgender woman. I’m doing this to avoid any conflict, this isn’t my personal view of this character, I’ll keep it for another post]

Grell is shown to lack understanding of compassion and human emotions, especially during the Jack the Ripper arc when they killed Madam Red for not killing Ciel. They have no problem with committing murder, they’re impulsive, violent, show no regret or remorse for there acts, and seems to lack empathy. They are able to fake a harmless persona to trick others, they have difficulties with authorities and keeping their job. I thought at first that it was because they are a shinigami, but we learned that shinigami used to be human and let’s not forget that the other shinigami aren’t acting this way. Interesting fact, the real Jack the Ripper, according to some analysis and studies, might have been a sociopathic serial killer due to their messy murders that didn’t seem to be the crime of a cold a prepared psychopathic serial killer. 

Shioi Rina (Mahou Shoujo Site)

Another MSS character. Shioi does exhibit a lot of sociopathic tendencies. She’s manipulative, cunning, violent, cruel, remorseless, impulsive, lacking regret for her actions and has no problem with killing. I thought at first that it was only in reaction to knowing about Tempest, but we learned later that she was already acting similarly before knowing about Tempest. She seems to have a hatred for others because of the bullying she underwent, which could have caused her to develop an anti-social personality. Even when she’s confronted to those she had harm by killing someone they loved (Najimi), she still shows no remorse or sympathy and even jokes about it. She may have developed some bond with the characters later on, but sociopaths are able to bond with those they feel are similar to them. Since the other characters are magical girls with a tragic past like her, it does make sense. The only thing that goes against it is the fact she’s apparently only 13, and usually such a diagnosis can only be made around 18. It could be because it’s a fictional character and that the author didn’t know about that, but other than the age, Shioi pretty much fits the sociopathic type.

Characters with sociopathic traits

Pretty much everyone in the Phantom Troupe (Hunter X Hunter)

Even if they do care about each other and are loyal to their group, they never show any compassion, sympathy or empathy for others outside their group and have no problem killing them. They have no consideration for others life and the law. They all seemed to have a rough past that could explain there possible anti-social personality. I don’t have much to say about them since I’m not talking about any of them specifically, but overall they fit the sociopathic type.

Hashiri Nio (Akuma no Riddle)

As you could read above Nio’s name, I’m not saying Nio is a sociopath. But she does have sociopathic traits. She’s acting all friendly and cheerful with people, but in reality, she admitted to hating them (in the manga only). This fake attitude to hide her hatred of others is common among sociopaths, who usually looks friendly and sociable, despite their dislikes for others in general. Nio also seems to lack empathy and sympathy for others, and can even show great cruelty. She does have the type of childhood that could fit the anti-social personality. She has no relative, she seemed to have been raised on the street and didn’t even have a name before she met Yuri. She was also pretty much abused by Yuri while growing up (hitting a kid with a crop and having an implied intimate relationship with them is abuse, in case someone has a doubt). Since Nio is only 15 and that AnR is pretty realistic when it comes to character’s personality and psychology, Nio couldn’t have a diagnosis, and the fact she’s pretty much brainwashed and under Yuri’s queen bee ability is fucking up her brain in a way that could really happen in real life, making it difficult to actually have a clear idea of her mental condition. Without Yuri, Nio would have probably grown up as a sociopath, and even with Yuri, there’s a chance Nio ends up this way while growing up. After all, it’s not like Yuri would care, all she wants is Nio acting polite and obeying to her. So Nio might because as an adult a sociopath with everyone, except with Yuri thanks to the queen bee ability.

Saionji Hiyoko (Danganronpa)

That little...Okay, let’s talk about Hiyoko. Once again, I’m not saying she’s a full-fledged sociopath, but she does show sociopathic traits. She has a liking for killing small creatures, such as ants and crabs. She doesn’t hurt any humans physically, but that’s probably because she’s too physically weak to do so, so she instead hurt weaker creatures then her. She’s verbally abusive to others and likes to torment them. Hiyoko had a terrible past where people were jealous of her, to the point of trying to kill her. The only person she seems to like in her family was her father, and she was separated from him. She grew up in a strict and hostile environment, which are the usual ingredients to create a sociopath. Anti-social behaviour is a way to cope with hostility, a way to protect yourself, but when it’s used to often, it can turn into a mental disorder. But Hiyoko isn’t a lost cause, since she shows signs of changing over the series. She honestly cares for Mahiru and even shows concern for Mikan, her usual victim. It could be because due to her past, Hiyoko couldn’t trust others, but by befriending Mahiru and eventually her other classmates, she learns to trust others and lost some of her anti-social personality, which is possible. Hiyoko is 16-17 years old, she wouldn’t be able to have a diagnosis, and she hasn’t killed anyone. 

Accelerator (Toaru no majutsu no Index)

Once again, I’m not saying Accel is a sociopath, because he isn’t. But he does act in a sociopathic way, especially in the beginning of the story. He was used as a guinea pig all his childhood, which could explain his behaviour that looks really anti-social. He was then asked to kill multiple clones for an experiment, and became ruthless, cruel and even sadistic. But after he got beaten by the level 0 Touma, Accel changes. It looks like it was what he needed to snap out of his sociopathic behaviours. He realized how wrong he was and regret his acts. He still continues to act cruelly with his enemies, but he’s actually trying to change for the best. So Accel may have the potential to become a sociopath (and would probably have become one without Touma’s punch) he isn’t one. He continued to have some anti-social behaviours, but he couldn’t be view as a sociopath because he’s able to have remorse now. 

So that’s it for my sociopathic anime/manga characters list. I’m less confident when it comes to sociopaths than psychopaths, so it was harder for me to make this list. Thanks for reading and next time, I’ll make a second psychopathic list.

Grell is morally irredeemable and here’s why

When we find ourselves attached to a certain character, we find it easy to write off their sins, and faults. Such can be said in the case of Grell Sutcliff’s character - who many forget is a manipulative, calculating serial killer. Though it is easy to pin all of Grell’s actions upon Madam Red, the one who started the Whitechapel murders (and more), it is arguable that Grell’s actions played a far greater role. For the purposes of this analysis into the Red Butler arc, feminine pronouns will be used for Grell. And a shoutout to @frederickabberline​ for sending the pics because of my potato phone.

Now this is the face of someone who isn’t just your “beautiful queen”. She’s a murderer in every bit of the sense that Madam Red was.

General TWs for the Jack the Ripper arc as well as some spoilers for the recent chapters.

Grell is no different from Sebastian in the formation of her alliance with Angelina - both of these pacts were formed under the manipulation of a weaker, distressed human. Angelina, though not to excuse her actions, was in a position of considerable mental turmoil, having lost all of those dear to her. Alike to this, Ciel had just seen the death of his brother, and Sebastian appears, both ‘contractees’ seeking vengeance against others for their place in life. As Sebastian offers to “become [Ciel’s] servant” just as Grell offers to “lend [Angelina] a hand”. With no other choice, against the will of two ‘omnipotent beings’, the human contractees can’t help but accept, lured in by the satisfaction of their wish - the destruction of those they abhor. In addition to this, to “lend” her help is patronising. There is no inquisition or asking if Angelina needs any help, or if Grell could be allowed to participate. To “lend” would suggest that there was something that Angelina would need from Grell, not the other way round. In fact, one may even say this is insistence. Grell wanted satisfaction for herself, just as Sebastian does from his own contract.

Now, the time between the death of the Phantomhive family, and the return of Ciel is at the most a full month, and just before this was the death of Angelina’s husband, and unborn child. Even her coworkers worry for her, concerned that she is “back at work so soon”, most likely a week to three after the tragedy of the Phantomhives. In less than a month for her, she loses her husband, unborn child, sister, the man she loved and her two nephews. Now, couple that with the fact that other people around her are claiming to hate all the things that she can never have again.

For three years, considering that Ciel disappeared in December 1885, and the last victim of the Ripper died in November 1888, Angelina was under the influence of Grell. We’ve seen how death, destruction, and Sebastian’s influence has brought ruin to a child who was once so happy - Angelina too had seen similar anguish, and was encouraged to bring further bloodshed. Grell may not have told Angelina to start murdering others, but she definitely had a hand in urging her to continue. Grell’s push upon Angelina is also seen when she refuses to kill Ciel; to say “you just go on and kill that brat now, you hear?!” allows no room to tolerate her resistance. The ending of “you hear” also adds more of a warning tone as well, hinting that she won’t accept Angelina’s protests as well. Soon enough after, we see her death.

Angelina’s death takes place in an instantaneous switch. The reason Grell even “loved” Angelina was for she was “dyed in the deepest crimson of spattered blood” - as soon as she could no longer perform the function that Grell desired most out of her, Angelina becomes a “plain woman.” 

It can’t be said that Grell didn’t have any feelings for Angelina, as to say “loved” implies that there once were feelings. However, that key part of this interaction is how quickly Grell shifts her tone. This shows the lack of attachment that Grell really felt, despite claiming to love her.

Supposedly, Angelina might’ve had a change of heart, and ceased the murders, and would have never become known as Jack the Ripper. As the number of victims pile up, so does Angelina’s attitude to killing change. In the span of two pages, we see that she sees killing differently from pure “HATE. HATE. HATE,” to a lack of feeling. This isn’t to say that she isn’t driven to kill anymore, but we do see a contrast of her against Grell. In the panels where we do see Grell during the murders, she holds her iconic toothy grin. While Grell didn’t cause Angelina to act out in this way, Grell enabled these feelings of hatred to a point where Angelina felt it was acceptable.  

This ^ is a hell of a lot of a difference from this.

Now, asides from Angelina’s mental state, and motives that drove her to commit murder, Grell’s part in this should be looked at - this is, after all, an analysis on Grell’s evil characteristics. As stated before, the character is nothing short of manipulative. Her introduction to Madam Red is that she’s “had [her] eye on [Angelina]... all this time!” By this, it can’t be said that Grell had a sudden chance encounter, and decided to pair up with the murderer. Grell had the time as an invisible being with all the time in the world on her side to formulate a decision on what to do with her. Instead of clearing up the souls of the dead, she instead took it upon herself to join in.

This isn’t just a whim, but rather it is cold calculation to take advantage of a situation. Grell has nothing to benefit from any of this, knowing that there would be risks in punishment in “[breaking] the rules that govern [the] reapers, killing women not on the list”, as she acknowledges herself. The only way in which a reaper benefits from an alliance with a human is through pleasure and enjoyment, since earthly possessions shouldn’t matter to them. Grell takes pleasure in murder, in opposition to Angelina’s bitterness for the disposition she’s in. In this particular case, Grell can be called more evil than Angelina for the pure wish of malice against their victims. In addition however, the English official translation highlights “after I’ve gone to all the trouble of assisting” in their act together, showing that Grell saw a situational imbalance between the two of them - Angelina was seen as a liability eventually, despite being the one who instigated. Grell bears no attachments to the human Angelina once she loses her purpose, and the reason why she was loved, therefore becoming useless in mere moments.

This analysis was not intended to excuse Madam Red from her actions. She did intend to kill before Grell even came into the picture. Even without Grell’s action, she sought to kill Ciel for interfering, despite the fact that the two could’ve run off anyways to find a way to deal with their situation better. However, it cannot, and should not, be ignored that Grell is equally as responsible to the Jack the Ripper murders. Grell’s manipulation, lack of regard for others, and pure murderous intent is enough to put her on the same level as a common demon. There is no way that Grell can be morally redeemed for the acts that she had committed.

Note: I would love to discuss this further with anyone so feel free to comment upon this post or send us a message.

I’m almost convinced the reason Yana is making this flashback as morbid as possible is because she’s realized that she accidentally wrote Sebastian as a person with some (very little tho) nuance. At least he’s a good butler, and he covers OC’s ears and eyes from bad stuff, and comforts him, etc. But she wants him to be this pitch black monster. I couldn’t see the “they don’t care about each other” aspect before, because while I knew it was a contract,

it seemed like there was at least going to be SOME sort of development/complications. There’s two MCs, a duo and they bicker nicely in a snarky manner I’d do with my closest friends. There were these moments of “damn, he’s a demon aight” but they seemed to be part of a complicated relation between OC and Seb. Which is a lot better than “actually, they hate each other. 

Like yeah, of course OC is scared of Seb, anything else would be weird. But he also clings to Seb when he’s scared. Seb wants food, but he also seems to go out of his way to take care of OC. He seems interested in his life and he was happy that Lizzie managed to get OC to sleep peacefully even when she was worried she made his life more difficult. I get that he’s raising this baby chicken for his chicken nuggets, but c’mon. How is him having fun with his fiancée going to “taint his soul,” or w/e 

Really, NOTHING but this “demons are bad, whaddya think, lol” schtick? It’s piss poor writing. I love this manga, it looks gorgeous, and I’ll continue to support it. (I criticize out of love.) But gooood dammit, YANA, you can’t have us know absolutely NOTHING about THE main character! Sebastian is a bigger god damn plot convenience than the entirety of Blue Cult and Green Witch combined! 

No one understands him, we the readers, all got the rug pulled from under us in this flashback. We’re told he acts without thinking, yet he’s shown as cunning and intelligent. (Well, when the plot needs it.) We’re told he’s not conventionally attractive, yet everyone wants to bend him over. We’re told he’s cold, but then he says he’ll make tea for a freezing OC? He’s hilarious and adorable at times and at others it’s like a switch is flipped? 

Holy shit, anon- you took the words right out of my mind. I agree with every single thing you’ve said- I’ve been saying this exact same thing for the past few months! I’m glad at least one other person in this world agrees :’) I feel this message on a spiritual level.

Anyway, I think you’re spot on. I couldn’t see the “don’t care about each other” bit either. Maybe too many readers were confused so she decided to go back and retroactively make him more monstrous. Which just comes off as awkward and unnecessary since that crap was 3 years ago and we should have seen that side of him in his own flashback instead of in OC’s. Otherwise, it feels like an unplanned asspull, which I believe it is. It’s the equivalent of going back and saying Rachel always bullied Madame Red, which directly caused her to become Jack the Ripper even though that was never seen in any CR and we’re too far into the plot for it to be relevant anyway.

There were plenty of times where it looked like things were more complex than “Ciel and Seb just hate each other lmao.” It felt like there’d be more at stake if Sebastian was more interested in prolonging his time with OC, like yeah, this boy’s soul is why he’s here and it’s going to be delicious in the end, but will he ever meet someone so interesting again, will he ever have purpose again? And it did feel like OC was torn between keeping his demon on a leash and seeing Sebastian as more human than demon. And like you said, playing with Lizzie does nothing to taint Ciel’s soul or going on stupid egg hunts or whatever. 

Maybe someone on the staff pointed this out and Yana was like “oh no, there’s depth to their relationship- gotta make it not good! not good = good!”

Piss poor writing is exactly what it is lmao. Same here, I love what Yana’s done and there’s still so much to see, so much to improve, which is why I’m always so frustrated to see the manga ruin its own potential. Sebastian isn’t a character- he’s pure plot convenience, even worse than the entire German military and Bravat combined! He is literally the worst protagonist I’ve ever seen.

LOL So true- he’s always doing the opposite of what Yana says he’s like, and I doubt it’s because he’s nuanced. She just thinks she can fix everything by saying “no it’s not x, it’s y!” This flashback is just Yana shoving how much of a demon hurr durr he is in our faces, except it’s so random and out of nowhere I have no idea how this is any different than my stupid Madame Red example. All it does is make OC look even more like a helpless victim and show us that Sebastian was apparently a completely different person in the past, complete with memory problems. 

I’d imagine a 42 page long conversation is something that should have at least been hinted at in Sebastian’s own flashback during the Campania arc (wherein Seb was at his most sympathetic, so it would have been the perfect opportunity for Yana to dig in there and remind us he’s a bastard, but no?? she kept making him play hero in that arc?? because they needed someone to beat the zombies in the end lmao). But nope, we have to see it from OC’s pov instead! Which is why I feel like 138′s going to be a bunch of bullshit that Yana came up with last minute to scream “SEE OC IS SO HELPLESS and SEB IS A COLD EVIL TM!” even though nobody asked.

Whenever you talk about Frances helping Ciel out it really gives me the image of a Jedi with their Padawan while Sebby just watches proudly (from afar, because unkempt bangs). JK but I really like the idea so here's to hoping what Sebby said to her will mean something.

LISTEN THO’ ANON, I really like your SW analogy but I’ve got so much to say on the subject that, for your own sake, you should probably never send me an ask like this. 

I mean, look: 

These two are the last two Phantomhives left (because I’m certainly not counting the twin who’s becoming a villain and who’s dead anyway) and they’re similar on many things, one of these things being losing close family because of the Watchdog duty. 

Ciel lost his parents and his brother when he was 10 years old, even if we don’t know yet whether the murders were triggered by an investigation in particular or if the issue was directly with Vincent being the watchdog

And guess what? Frances lost her mom who was the Watchdog at the time (I strongly suspect it was also a murder but not canon for now) when she was barely older than Ciel was and then, she was way older but she lost her brother (and his family) too.

So Frances lacking a true purpose so far in the series (or so it seems), when she is the person most suited to understand how our!Ciel must feel, is really something I’ll always be salty about if it doesn’t change before long, especially when the current arc is forcing our Ciel to face his trauma (which hopefully means #development at the end). 

But that’s not even all there is to it Anon, because Seb went there 10 years ago or so, you know? He literally said the foreshadowing words that I need Yana to completely illustrate in the story as soon as possible:

Because, guess what? Baby pup did trip.

During the curry arc, when he more or less sheltered Agni for his crimes

(might be why Agni and Soma were targeted recently?)

During the circus arc, when he burnt those children, which led to him lying to the Queen about his report 

but the Queen found out and organized a murder party as a punishment (@ thanks Grey)

During the green witch arc, because he made sure that Sieglinde wouldn’t give or produce for the Queen anything like the SuLIN gas

and the current arc might or not [x] partially be the result of Victoria seeing through his lies about the SuLIN gas in ch108 and being fed up with him not being a very obedient doggy

But Seb said all this in ch14, which is to say before the curry arc even started, which means that he knew that Ciel would surely fuck up at some point because, despite acting like he’s the best chessmaster of the entire cast, the simple truth is… that he’s not. For now, Victoria is better than him, UT is better than him and I dare say that there might be more ready to strike (Lau?), while our!Ciel is left zoning out because he’s simply not good enough yet. 

That’s why Seb said:

Because out of the last two Phantomhives left, Frances is more trained and accustomed to the Watchdog’s duty than Ciel currently is. It’s not a criticism towards Ciel, but just a fact since Frances is older and thus already went through what Ciel should have learnt with Vincent about the Watchdog’s duty, had he not died.

Frances is strong, has been for a long time and she was probably trained to be from early on, just like it happened with Lizzie a generation later. Frances also lost her mom when she was young but she probably supported her brother for several years anyway, until she got married, had kids and started training her children as well as her brother’s:

So there you have it, Seb said:

However…

Claudia, Vincent and Rachel died

the twin is dead and probably a villain, and anyway he probably knows less about the Watchdog’s duty than our!Ciel himself

Madam Red turned out to be insane and is dead

Soma knows nothing about the Watchdog duty, Sieglinde is too new

Ed is not supposed to be involved with the Phantomhive family and Lizzie is too young

Dee? Unfortunately too tsundere and awkward with advice -> see ch131 + he’s in Germany anyway

Lau? LMAO no way + MIA for almost two arcs

Finally, UT is too desperate and not likely to be the best person to learn from when it comes to the Watchdog duty, seeing as he is not fond of it

…which leaves only Frances (even if I could also add Tanaka since he’s been with the Phantomhive family for a long time) to learn from when it comes to how to survive as the Watchdog. 

I know, I know, “Ciel wants revenge and he’s not going to have any future blah blah”, yeah yeah I agree, but really besides the Jack the ripper arc, I can’t say that the Queen seems very appreciative of his work (3 mistakes in one year with two that she caught on for sure)? So it sounds a tad ridiculous that, even though he’s helped by a demon, our!Ciel would have barely lasted 4 years when Vincent was the Watchdog for almost 20 years. 

That’s how it goes, the Watchdogs have to learn the ways of the game (it’s like a different kind of chess and it’s not innate), otherwise they have a high risk of ending up dead (and we all know that, without Seb, Ciel would have died countless times already). 

So you mentioned a Jedi, but Anon, Frances is not a random Jedi, she’s the master Yoda of Kuro, because she outlived her mom and her brother (even if, I know, she wasn’t the Watchdog directly; look at Rachel and Ann tho -> dead), but also mostly because she knows what it means and what it is like to be a Phantomhive. 

Therefore I’m looking for #plot where Frances’ character is concerned. Unless it’s denied in canon, I will always strongly believe that she’s keeping an eye on her nephew through reports that Tanaka might send, as well as through allowing Lizzie to visit Ciel often so that he won’t be all alone with work or his quest for revenge. 

I will also refuse to believe that she’s 100% condemned to be dealt with through plot convenience only, unless it unfortunately turns out to be canon every time. So for the current arc, I’m still hoping there is a reason (?) why she seems uninvolved with finding an explanation to Lizzie’s disappearance while still apparently stopping Ed from “helping” Ciel to get Lizzie back.

TL;DR were the words Seb said to Frances in ch14 just words or were they foreshadowing of Frances having a role to play towards Ciel and the plot?Well, that’s something I’ve been meaning to find out for over 4 years already. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sorry for rambling, but asking me about Frances and Ciel generally makes me talkative, haha. I hope it made sense. :) Have a nice day!

Grelle and Mey-rin for the ask, if you want :)

I’ll answer about Mey-Rin in another post because a few people requested her.

Grelle:

1. I like Grelle as a character, in general, but the comic relief antics can be seriously over-the-top. Also, it’s hard to pin down Grelle’s honest feelings about some things (like wishing to bear children) because Yana-san seems to have changed the character a bit since the Jack the Ripper arc without explanation. This might be resolved later, and it could have something to do with the “suspension” after being apprehended by William....

2. It’s enjoyable for me to see how Sebastian gets weirded out by Grelle’s advances; Grelle is clearly the only one on that ship. It would be interesting if William ever warmed up to Grelle, but I doubt it will ever happen. Therefore, I don’t have any serious romantic ships for Grelle.

3. I think there’s a canon non-romantic ship with Othello, even though they bicker with and even ignore each other quite often.

4. An unpopular opinion? I’m not sure about this, but I sometimes think the claim Grelle wishes to bear children is merely a lie to get Madam Red to allow Grelle to join the killing spree. True, Grelle says something later to Sebastian about possibly being able to bear the demon’s children, but that’s all there has been on the subject in the manga itself. The “interview” in the old Character Guide also touches on the subject. However, like I said above, Yana-san seems to have changed the character since that arc. Either that, or Grelle has actually changed focus; again, this might have something to do with the punishment handed down by the superiors....

5. I’d like for someone to respond positively to Grelle’s sexual/romantic advances. Or for someone to turn it around on Grelle and be the one to initiate it. Not so much for hopes that a relationship would start but more to see Grelle’s reaction to it. In particular, I’d like to see the reaction if William reciprocated. I’d also like to find out what really happened when Grelle had to go on “suspension” after being apprehended and taken to the superiors for punishment. (Does someone mess around with the disobedient reaper’s cinematic records in order to make them follow the rules better?)

Sebastian, the Compassionate Demon?

[Long post warning: sorry, I got carried away, but it’s been a while and I needed to speak…]

I always had this sneaking suspicion that ideas from Seasons 1 and 2 would start making their way into the manga proper.  Lately it seems as though we’re venturing into Season 2 territory.  (I can’t remember if Yana had any input on the plot of Season 2 or not, but I think she may have?) We’ve already had an instance of Ciel ordering Sebastian away (Green Witch) and rings have been prominent in both the manga and Season 2.  Currently I think we’re headed towards a Hannah situation.

One very important point of Season 2 was showing how demons could learn compassion and love, as the result of a human soul’s influence.  Hanna Annafellows consumed the soul of the child Luka and, if memory serves, she learned to love as a result.  I think her character design even changed to reflect this, as did her personality.

Well, I’m starting to think Sebastian is going to pull a Hannah on us at some point.

Now in the efforts of full disclosure, Sebastian’s growth as a character is one of the aspects of this manga I feel closest too.  That being said, I didn’t pull this out of thin air and this isn’t complete wishful thinking, but it is of course influenced by my hopes and dreams for this manga. XD

What is Known About Demons

Part of our problem with our understanding of demons in the Kuroverse is that we only have Sebastian as an example.  Other information has come from Ciel and William’s rantings.  We know they are beastly creatures who consume humans souls and who are incapable of human emotions (as was stated in the Blue Cult arc.)  We know they are capable of manipulating humans to accomplish a goal.  Apparently three years is a long time to go without a meal, because William remarks that Sebastian is starving during their encounter in the Circus arc.

Despite his supposed hunger, Sebastian seems to be in no rush to effect Ciel’s revenge and thus consume his soul as payment.  This issue has never been addressed directly in the manga, so we don’t know the cause of this.

Since we have precious little to go on, we’re all pretty much in the dark when it comes to understanding Sebastian’s inner workings.  We can assume from Will’s information that demons are quite nasty creatures: luring their prey with lies, stealing souls, manipulating the innocent.  Sometimes the word “beast” comes up to describe demons in the Kuroverse, and Sebastian fits that bill: sharp teeth, long nails, and cruel and cold enough to brand a ten-year-old child’s eye without a moment’s hesitation.  This was Sebastian’s original nature—but that does not necessarily mean it is his current nature. That would require growth.

Sebastian’s Growth

If Sebastian is capable of change, is there any evidence of this?  Has he perhaps grown a tiny bit beyond his simple, animalistic nature?  We don’t know if demons are capable of growth or not, but we actually have seen Sebastian change, albeit slightly, throughout his three years with Ciel.  To wit:

He changed how he treated Ciel when Soma and Agni (RIP) admonished him during the Circus arc.  Back then, he didn’t mind teasing Ciel, withholding information, and being downright nasty to his master.  (Remember how he let him stay tied up during the Kidnapping Arc?)  He’s changed to the point where as soon as Ciel is in trouble, he goes running to his side.  He even disobeyed Ciel’s orders and put him to bed in the Circus arc, which was in Ciel’s best interests.  He’s shown that he is capable of more than blindly following an order.

When Ciel said he could go wild and act like a beast during the Green Witch arc, Sebastiain remarked to himself that he enjoyed the game of playing butler more.  This shows that he has altered his behavior from his natural state.  A minor change, but a change nonetheless.

He was ready for a quick meal when he first met Ciel, then changed his tune when he was impressed by Ciel’s willingness to destroy himself.  This shows that he is capable of delaying gratification, though to be fair, he believes the meal will be more delicious as a result of Ciel’s development.

All of these changes are in stark contrast to Sebastian’s beastly origins.  He has shown he likes the finer things in life: being a buter for a well-to-do child and all the trappings that come with that.  I would like to think he would act differently if acting beastly were still his primary motivation.  It seems has he grown beyond that, however.

Sebastian’s Emotional Landscape

I’ve always been a bit mystified by the idea that Sebastian is an emotionless character. I think he’s one of the most expressive characters in the entire manga (that shocked face of his...always gets me.)

There have been plenty of times when Sebastian has shown emotion and expression.  He is not a disinterested observer of humanity (that title goes to Will,) but instead has become thoroughly involved in the lives of those humans around him.  Think of his differing reactions to humans such as: Tanaka, Frances, Ciel, Lizzy, the Servants, Sullivan, and so on.  All of them elicit different responses from him.  Of course, this could all be mere acting, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Let’s take his reactions towards others off the table and just look at quieter moments that might belie his inner thoughts:

In the Campania flashback, he has a forlorn expression as he turns away after watching Ciel address his parents.  Ciel could not see his expression here, and therefore would not benefit from Sebastian’s acting.He tucks Finny in during the Murder arc.  A small moment, but why bother with something like that?He seems genuinely impressed with Agni as an exemplary model of humanity.  Why would a demon be impressed by sterling goodness?  (Shouldn’t he instead be impressed by evil?)To me he looks a bit regretful at the end of Chapter 128 when Ciel asks if he is lying to him.He always treats Tanaka with the utmost respect.  It is in keeping with his station, but I do believe he respects Tanaka as a person.Sebastian’s expression during the Green Witch arc when Tanaka prevents him from reaching out to Ciel looks quite heartbroken.  From where I’m sitting, I see someone who is so upset by the fact that they are helpless to change a situation.  He also has been by Ciel’s side for three years, and now he’s been rejected.  (Yes, he did snap Ciel out of it rather harshly, but it had to be done.)Sebastian goes through great pains to prepare Ciel for a world which containins things “more evil” than a demon, as he says in the Campania flashback.  Sebastian is a teacher at the School of Hard Knocks, apparently.

He shows concern for Ciel on many occasions, but my all-time favorite is when he regrets he cannot make Ciel a cup of tea to warm him up while he’s in the midst of battling Bizarre Dolls out in the middle of the ocean.  (He also gave Ciel his coat in the Jack the Ripper arc, too.)There is also one panel, very early in the manga, where Sebastian looks on at a sleeping Ciel and muses to himself that this life isn’t so bad. This moment is juxtaposed against a cat’s paw—the creature that gives Sebastian the most joy in the world.  If taking care of Ciel is as enjoyable as petting a cat’s paw, then doesn’t this show that Sebastian enjoys his time as Ciel’s butler almost more than anything else?  It also shows he’s capable of enjoying the company of humans.Campania and the efforts that Sebastian goes to to protect Ciel’s life.  I don’t know about you, but no matter how hungry I get, I’m not going to get myself impaled through the gut for a meal, even if it were at a 4-star restaurant.  Because if you’re dead, you can’t eat, you know?  Not only that, but Sebastian seemed genuinely taken by Ciel’s praise at the very end.

His reaction to Ciel’s order to burn the mansion in the Circus Arc is what really sealed the deal for me.  He is thoroughly shocked at his master’s behavior and the nature of the order, and he even hesitates to carry it out—when has he ever hesitated to carry out a direct order before?  I think he was taken aback by how shocking the situation was.

It’s outside of canon, but there is that dialogue from the seiyuu event that shows Sebastian making a birthday cake for Ciel long after he has passed away.

Take a snack break and enjoy this little collage of the above moments:

Sebastian and Purity

It hasn’t been touched on in the manga, but it’s a common idea that demons were once fallen angels.  Keeping that in mind, it seems as though Sebastian is drawn to purity in a very earnest way.  (I don’t mean in the sense of him wanting to corrupt anyone.)

Outside their interactions in the current arc, Sebastian has been nothing but kind and respectful to Lizzy.  Of course this goes along with maintaining Ciel’s social status quo, but it’s something to keep in mind.  In addition to Lizzy, the other human whom has been elevated to friend status is Agni, a truly pure and noble soul.  It could also be said that Agni’s love and devotion to Soma was almost childlike.

And there is that little moment in the Circus arc when he stoops to pick up a doll at the site of the abandoned workhouse.

(@dorkshadows​  I think it was you who pointed that out to us all.)  :)

Sebastian also covered Ciel’s...eye...when Bard showed him a naughty magazine, he covered his eyes again to keep him from seeing the mutilated corpse left by Jack the Ripper, and covered Ciel’s ears during Madame Red’s joke.  If demons enjoy corrupting their prey, why is Sebastian taking such pains to protect Ciel’s innocence?

And, to reiterate: he hesitated at Ciel’s order to burn the Kelvin mansion, and even had a quiet expression on his face as he started the fire.

What this might all come down to is either Sebastian’s origins as a former angel, or perhaps the influence of a child’s soul.  I’m not saying he doesn’t have a nasty streak (he sure does love punishing the guilty, that’s for sure…) or that he’s somehow becoming good, but I believe Sebastian values purity and innocence, when one would think a demon would be more attracted to the sinister aspects of human nature.

Devil’s Advocate Time

There are many good arguments against Sebastian’s capability for growth and emotion. Here’s what I can think of:

1.  Sebastian is merely acting to keep up appearances and fit in with society

I completely understand this.  No point in having a demon butler by your side if he can’t pass for a human, right?  The thing is: Sebastian doesn’t seem all that concerned with fitting in.  He does stupid things all the time in front of people, like donning a unicorn suit, saying his nose is better than a human’s, getting stabbed with a bunch of knives at a party, and even coming back from the dead.  If he wants to avoid drawing attention to the fact that he isn’t human, he’s doing a really terrible job of it.

On top of this, why act when no one can see him?  We’ve seen a few times where he’s shown emotion when no one is watching. Why show a sad expression when Ciel’s face is turned?

2.  He’s luring Ciel in with his demonly ways

Ciel already knows he’s a demon, so there isn’t much point in this.  I guess he could use his acting to get Ciel to let his guard down, but how would this benefit Sebastian?  He’s already getting his soul.  I think Ciel is a strong character and he’s fully aware of his own (and Sebastian’s) actions.  I think he views Sebastian as a means to his end, as he has no trouble using Sebastian for his purposes.  While Sebastian may have influenced him and schooled him in the School of Hard Knocks, I think Ciel was out for revenge from the very start (he ordered Sebastain to kill everyone in the hall.)  It was more his being captured and imprisoned that hardened Ciel more than Sebastian’s influence, and if anything, Sebastian helped him to become a refined and proper Earl.  Ciel knows what he wants and he’s going to get it; Sebastian is just along for the ride.  (There is also the fact that Vincent was a bit shady himself, and Ciel is part of that lineage.)  And let’s not forget that Sebastian raised Ciel to be prepared for the challenges he is going to face, which actually has Ciel’s best interests at heart, not Sebastian’s.

3.  Demons aren’t capable of growth

And people aren’t capable of coming back from the dead, but we’ve seen that, haven’t we?  This manga is all about subverting our expectations, and it’s been done brilliantly in the past with such things as the identity of Jack the Ripper, the Bizarre Dolls, and Lizzy’s reveal.  Didn’t we all think there were werewolves at one point, too?  There’s no reason why we can’t be surprised again.

4.  But Yana and/or Editor K said demons don’t have emotions

If I were George Lucas in 1977 and I had access to Twitter, I’d be tweeting up a storm about how Darth Vader is DEFINITELY not Luke’s father.

5.  But Sebastian is cultivating Ciel’s soul…

I know, this is the most damning evidence, and I’ve spent a long time trying to process this panel.  I am in no way qualified to make any solid pronouncements about Japanese grammar, so take this with a huge grain of salt, but from my rough understanding, it seems the English translation left out a bit of a nuance.

In the original, Sebastian uses せっかく, which means taking great pains to do something.  This feels different than going through the “trouble” of something, which to me, sounds more like a hassle.  The English translation goes with “cultivate,” but 育てる means to raise, rear, bring up—in fact, the 育 kanji is used in the word for “foster parent.”  He’s taken great pains to raise Ciel.  The second panel he says something like he doesn’t want (it) snatched away from him, and the sentence ends with たまらない, an expression that means unbearable.  Take of that what you will, but to me it sounds different and more nuanced than the simple act of cultivating a soul and having it stolen because he’d be missing his dinner.  (Dictionary links here, so you all can see for yourselves: http://maggiesensei.com/2015/04/29/how-to-use-%E3%81%9B%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8F-sekkaku/ , http://tangorin.com/general/sodate , http://tangorin.com/general/%E5%A0%AA%E3%82%89 , https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100304112810AA4ALDB , http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=tetamaranai, )  I probably have a lot of these nuances wrong, but I tried.  XD

Assorted Evidence for Sebastian Becoming Hannah

A part of the 2CT is that Sebastian already consumed one of the twin’s souls.  As akumadeenglish pointed out here, this is what the “price to cross the river” is believed to be.  A demon consuming the soul of one brother while the other lives echoes Season 2 quite strongly, and I feel like we’re headed closer and closer to Sebastian pulling a Hannah on us.  The pieces are all falling into place.

There is also this very interesting find by @white-queen-lacus​: in the Weston arc, Sebastian is reading a Latin poem about love transcending the bounds of death.  It could almost fit with Hannah’s situation: a soul living beyond its natural end, to reach forth its love to its target. Yana likes to sneak little Easter Eggs in this manga, so wouldn’t that be quite the clue?  Perhaps this all speaks to Sebastian learning human compassion after having consumed the soul of a child. (That post is here--go read it!)

In Conclusion

What all of this means is that I think Sebastian consumed the soul of the real Ciel like Hannah consumed Luca’s soul.  As a result, a dim understanding of human emotion was awakened within Sebastian, which kindled the possibility for change.

He still lacks self-awareness, because a child’s emotions are raw and undeveloped, but nevertheless, the die is cast.  This is why Sebastian seems capable of a very nascent form of compassion, expressed as tiny hints that he is something more than just a savage beast.  His potential for change is still embryonic and fragile, and is dependent on the wishes and whims of his master.  It is Ciel who will determine what Sebastian will become in the end, because Sebastian must abide by his wishes, even if that means reverting back to savagery.  (And we’ve already seen hints of this, tragically.)

Sebastian has also let us in on the fact that he enjoys his life with Ciel, along with all the refined details of a butler lifestyle.  And perhaps the fact that he hasn’t brought Ciel to his revenge is a testament not only to Ciel’s unique soul, but also to Sebastian’s enjoyment of his life with Ciel.  Why would he be in a rush to finish up something he finds so enjoyable?

Sebastian reminded us at the end of the Circus arc that what defines humans is the desire to keep going beyond the hills and far away—to break free of their nature—to improve, to evolve, to change.  Even though humans may never succeed in transcending their nature, at least they keep trying.  Sebastian thinks that he, a demon, is incapable of this, but someday a flicker of realization might rise within him, a moment of clarity, no matter how fleeting; a tiny act, no matter how small, where he understands that somehow, despite his nature, he became something more.

And in that moment, that first dawning of Sebastian’s self-awareness, we, the reader, will be aware it of it before he ever could be: that he is becoming more than what he once was, and that perhaps he, too, is capable of reaching over the hills and far away...

If you have read this far, I applaud you and thank you for your time.  XD  But I do hope you take this all into consideration.  Send counterarguments, comments, and anything else if you wish.

Manga Adaptation:Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji)

Kuroshitsuji (黒執事, Black Butler) or Black Butler is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso.

Kuroshitsuji follows the adventures of Earl Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis, his demon butler, as they take up missions Queen Victoria assigned in order to solve certain mysteries. Although complying with her orders is his preliminary task, Ciel also seeks revenge on those who have shamed the Phantomhives and risks his soul for consumption to Sebastian in order to fulfill this.

The manga series has been adapted into an animated television series (i.e. anime), musicals, OVAs, and a video game.

In a manor house on the outskirts of the Victorian era in London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Ciel Phantomhive, the head of an English noble family as well as a toy, food, and candy empire, Funtom Corporation. Sebastian obliges to any task required by his master and solves the problems plaguing England effortlessly due to his demonic lineage and Faustian contract with his master.

The anime and manga of Black Butler, also known as Kuroshitsuji, have a vast amount of differences, sharing few similarities.

The series has been licensed by Yen Pressin North America and published in Yen Plus‍ '​ August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary.

A 24-episode anime adaption, directed by Toshiya Shinohara and produced by A-1 Pictures, aired from October 2008 to March 2009. The second season, Kuroshitsuji II, aired in 2010 spanning 18 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus, following the aftermath of the first season. This series was the anime's own adaptation and did not feature in the manga." (Source: Wikipedia).

First off, I will state the similarities!

1.) Beginning

The first similarity is that they both start off about the same way. The first five or so episodes follow the manga almost perfectly. The series begins with the introduction of the main cast and plot. It is revealed that the amazingly perfect butler, Sebastian Michaelis, is a demon, and a thirteen year old kid has made a contract with him. All of this is the same in both the manga and anime.

2.) Jack the Ripper and Curry Contest story arks

The Jack the Ripper and Curry Contest story arks are almost the only to plot points that are the same in both the anime and manga. Jack the Ripper is the introduction of quite a few characters, as well as the Curry Contest. It introduces, Madam Red, Grell, Angi, and Prince Sohma, characters that are plot-relevant.

3.) Character and Their Designs

Most of the characters in the anime and manga look and act similarity. They all appear to look like they do in the manga, and act almost the same. Sebastian is still a sexy butler, Ciel an adorable eye-patch wearing kid, and Tanaka, a humble old man. Their all the same! Props to the anime for not changing it!

1.) The Plot/Story Arks

The story arks are almost completely different after Jack the Ripper, splitting off into two different stories. The anime goes on and changes many things, such as making angels and adding more demons, having Queen Victoria become young and decomposed or something. This all led to a different ending than what the author of the manga has planned. The manga developed the characters more and has much more interesting story arks that would've been amazing to see animated. For example, the Zombie Ark. It was very interesting and would've been great in the anime.

2.) Characters Added and Left Out

The characters aside from the main cast are different in the manga and anime. In the anime, there are characters that shouldn't exist for the better of Black Butler. For example, Claude and Alois. For me, they are the ones that ruined the anime and I love the manga for not having them. There are also some characters like Elizabeth's mother, John Brown, and Diederich that would've been great to see in the anime. Also, you could've seen more of Vincent Phantomhive instead of Claude and his little brat Alois.

3.) Ciel's Current Well-being

In the manga, Ciel is still his thirteen year old self. He has become more mature and possibly a tastier soul for Sebastian. However, in the anime, he was turned into a demon at the end of season 2. This, was entirely different from where the manga has gone and will go (hopefully). It was completely unnecessary. What was the point of the rest of the series if you just ruin it there? Sebastian will forever be tortured and possibly starve more. They took away his perfectly cooked meal. This difference made the anime into garbage for me, and was a horrible way to change the plot.

More so the Manga is more preferable over the anime since  The continuity in the anime is truly bananas. If you want it to make sense, then definitely watch it in the order suggested by others in this thread. That being said, if you watch the only first season from start to finish, it's a well-written, cohesive, and self-contained story. It has a good flow to the episodes and has (in my opinion) a satisfying ending. It starts getting confusing in the second season because it's very hard to tell what is and isn't carried forward from the ending of the first season. The second season may or may not be worth watching. For me, its episodes are hit-or-miss, and the closer I got to the end of the second season, the more it felt like I was watching bad fanfiction. (I haven't seen/heard many others who dislike the second season so I might be in the minority here.) Since the "Book of _" seasons are taken straight from the manga, they're well-written and have continuity.

The manga has all of the story arcs (to varying degrees), and it has continuity so you won't be confused reading it (without having seen the anime). It also has more story arcs than the anime so if you're dying for more story, there's plenty there for you. There is, however, one GIANT advantage to reading the manga over watching the anime, and that's you'll be able to look for clues for certain upcoming story arcs and plot points.

The manga has a great art style and although may be somewhat boring in the beginning (because it's aimed to get the reader to understand the characters more), the storyline progresses further and is more intricate/elaborate compared to the anime. The anime, due to restricted time, lightly touches upon the story and can be somewhat confusing if you haven't already started to read the manga.