Yes, my lord: Devilishly Good Darjeeling from the mind of Yana Toboso

Manga Title:  Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

Author/Mangaka: Yana Toboso

Genre: drama, supernatural, period piece, mystery, sometimes horror

Published by: In Japan, Square Enix; In USA, YenPress (You can buy Black Butler online or at your local Barnes & Noble)

Age Appropriate: Rated R, for blood, violence, sexual themes and suggestive scenes.  Some people might say older teen, since amidst all that is plenty of PG-13 material, but I call R.

Bloody Mess Meter: 7/10 (What does this mean?)  

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Well, since YenPress has acquired Kuroshitsuji and begun publishing it not only as monthlies but as of this month, volumes, I’m sure the horde of fangirls has reached a new peak, frothing at the mouth.  This is one series, however, that’s become too dear to me to let the hype ruin it.  So take a deep break, step back from the squealing fangirls who’ve found their flavor of the week, and give this series the chance it deserves.

Set in Victorian England, the story follows the young earl, Ciel Phantomhive, head of the family household and Funtom Company– makers of some of the world’s finest toys and sweets, and his impeccable, beautiful, demonic butler, Sebastian Michaels, who shadows him at all times.  Ciel holds a Faustian contract with his dark servant- his soul for the destruction of the people who killed his family- binding them together through hell and high water, murder and intrigue, and all the requests Queen Victoria makes of them.  The Phantomhives have always been the queen’s “guard dog”, taking care of shady issues in the underworld of London, to keep her royal hands clean of the mess.

Where does Sebastian fit into all this exactly?  Everything, from the pressing of shirts, brewing of tea, polishing of silver, preparation of dinner parties, it’s all up to him; and he does it all with the skill, speed, and finesse only one hell of a butler could manage.  He is at his master’s beck and call, gathering information, dispensing with enemies, and acting as a human- er, demonic shield for his very life.  They’re a ruthless, captivating team… and rooting for the bad guys has never been so fun.

This series makes me laugh, cry, and wiggle my fingers in evil glee.  When I began reading Kuroshitsuji, it was late, I couldn’t sleep, and a few random, pretty livejournal avatars had lured me into looking up fan translations.  From those first few pages, I was hooked.  I love a series that can grip my emotions, dazzle my senses, (I have a pre-existing love of Victoriana… and demons…), but also make me giggle and snort with amusement.  I can’t abide a series that drips with so much unnecessary drama that I want to burn the pages and punch the author out.  Yana Toboso knows her audience but, even more importantly, she knows her characters, and that counts for a lot in my book.  No one’s a cardboard cut-out, nothing’s cut and dry, and you find yourself identifying with characters in the most bizarre ways.

Overall, amidst the blood, dark plots, and luscious afternoon desserts, this is a series that comes highly recommended by me to just about anyone who’s willing to give it a shot.  A note of caution though, to anyone interested in the anime: The episodes generally follow the same story arcs up to a point and then skew off to create a stand-alone story and ending where there isn’t one in the manga, (obviously, the monthlies are still being released in Japan).  I personally recommend reading at least a portion of the manga before starting the anime.  Good news is that they do want to create a 2nd season, (nevermind the theoretically definite ending the first one has).  Oh, and a 2nd live musical is in the works.  That’s right, it’s so awesome, they even created a musical.

I’ll be revisiting Kuroshitsuji more in depth in the future, (on top of all my other little adorations this series makes use of, I’m a huge fan of the original Faust, so expect contract speak from me).  I’m also curious, to those of you familiar with the series, what’s your favorite story arc so far?  Who’s your favorite minor character(s)?  Wondering wtf is up with Queen Victoria and that Prince Albert doll?  Let me know by leaving a comment here at The Last Doctor!

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