Sometimes, the most haunting stories don’t come at you with screams—they whisper.
That’s exactly what Black Butler did to me.
It wasn’t even on my watchlist, at first. I had scrolled past it more times than I can count. A Victorian setting? A demon butler? A 12-year-old earl solving crimes? Honestly, it sounded strange… maybe too strange.
But late one night—half-restless, half-curious—I pressed play.
I didn’t know then that I was about to enter one of the most intricately woven, emotionally gutting, and philosophically dark anime journeys I’ve ever experienced.
I have always been attracted to stories that are an inch away from morality- the kind of stories that do not portray their characters as good or bad but create a grey area so that you begin to wonder about the morality of your actions yourself. Black Butler delivered on that.
And the concept of a demon butler who is obliged to be in service to a boy until he gives him his soul? That was poetic in a haunting sort of way. It was Shakespearean, it was tragic. And so I tried it out, without any hope.
Then I happened to meet Sebastian Michaelis--and everything altered.
Black Butler (or Kuroshitsuji) is a Victorian-era London tale of a young earl Ciel Phantomhive, the “Queen’s Watchdog,” and his butler Sebastian in their mission to solve crimes in the darkest recesses of the British aristocracy. Behind the bespoke suits, grand houses and posh society there is a nightmare.
Ciel was orphaned at the tender age of ten, and his parents were killed; thus, he was auctioned to become part of the worst places in the world of human depravity. Crushed and devastated in his sorrow, he makes a deal with a demon and the creature is obliged to assist him in his vengeance. His butler is Sebastian Michaelis who is that demon.
However, this is not a touching story about a boy and his protector.
Sebastian does not come to save Ciel.
He is merely waiting.
Sebastian is not only a butler. He is a prince of grace. Rock steady, cool, unbelievably perfect. He cooks. He cleans. With frightening grace he destroys enemies. And all the time he is saying the chilling phrase:
Because it is so because I am one hell of a butler.
And he is. Literally.
Sebastian is a flesh-eating monster. You can get it by the way he looks over Ciel with a smirk on his face. He shields the boy, yes,--but not in love. It is only due to the fact that the soul of Ciel is his reward. Ciel has a contract tattooed on his eye and once he is done with his revenge, Sebastian will consume him.
Just like a waltz between fire and ice to watch them together. Pain and power. Relying and playing games.
And somehow it is beautiful.
Ciel is not like any other child hero I have ever watched. He is chilly. Calculating. Sometimes cruel. But how could he fail to be?
He is a boy who is participating in a deadly game for adults. His trauma is his armor because he is surrounded by aristocrats, liars, murderers, and demons. At times, as brief as they are, his mask cracks. Where thou 'tis the boy below the earl. And it is the most painful moment.
He does not shed any tears. He does not fail. He does not have the luxury of doing so in this world.
But deep inside your heart you start to think: would he not just like Sebastian to jump and embrace him as a father? Friendlike? Does he ever feel bad at calling the devil that follows him everywhere?
The irony of it is that he will never permit himself to ask
Black Butler is a gothic feast in terms of visuals. Remember dim cathedrals, the corridors that were lit by candle, the gaslight streets in the fog. The animation, particularly in subsequent arcs such as the Book of Circus and Book of the Atlantic, is crisp, stylish, atmosphere-drenched.
What about the music? Exquisite.
The orchestra compositions are filled with grief and stress. The introductory themes cannot be forgotten (namely Monochrome no Kiss). The lighting, the costume design, everything drags you in this decadent, dangerous world.
It is not only a show. It is an atmosphere.
Does Black Butler have demons, reapers, secret societies, and grotesque villains? Yes it has. However, the fantasy is a thinly disguised exploration of some very uncomfortable themes that are way too close to home:
Trauma and survival: The narrative of Ciel is all about a child who was broken and taught to use his trauma as a weapon.
Morality and power- Is it justice to get revenge? Is Ciel a monster or a hero? Does Sebastian have any emotion-or is he just imitating humanity, in order to entertain himself?
Loneliness- The two characters despite being in constant company are completely lonely. And you can feel it between them in the silences.
It has a philosophical undertone to everything. The deeper I got into the show, the more I wondered uncomfortably about justice, childhood, loss and the price of revenge.
Black Butler did not only amuse me but also disturbed me.
It caused me to wonder what healing is all about. It left me to dwell with the bitter fact that not every victim turns out to be a saint. That not all hurts become wisdom. In some cases, they become an obsession. And what people appear the most calm? In many cases, they are the ones who are literally stitched together with the strings of pain.
I even wished that I could jump on the screen and prevent Ciel. Say, he had a right to rest. Tell him not to continue to feed the demon next to him. I did not think he would listen, though.
And that was the worst.
And as with all of us, sometimes, we make a bargain--metaphorically--with something dark in us, in order to continue?
The character of Ciel and Sebastian made me realize that power does not always speak. Sometimes it is a boy, haunted eyes and fire through which he walks, a demon at his side.
Looking to get some action, elegance and mystery? Black Butler does not disappoint.
Want characters that will push you and relationships that cannot be defined, and a story that is both beautiful and brutal? That is your world then.
However, do not go there in search of clarity. Or resolution. Or comfort.
Enter, anticipating to be scared.
It is because once you get inside Phantomhive Manor, you do not come out the same person.
Black Butler is a gothic tragedy wrapped in velvet and soaked in blood. It’s clever, stylish, emotional—and deeply philosophical beneath its genre trappings. It made me fall in love with flawed characters. It made me root for a demon. It made me question the definition of justice.
And even now, long after the final scene, I still hear Sebastian’s voice in my head.
“Young master, shall we begin?”
Yes. And I’m still not ready for it to end.
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