Vol. 1, Black Butler

I ordered this manga along with 5 other ones. instead of getting here on Monday they got here today Friday. I can't wait to start reading them although I did read a little bit of the first one and was great so far.

loved it, amazing condition, great read. bought 3 vols and not regretting it!! i am being made to write a longer review but it is really just that simple. It is a good book, and was in gorgeous condition upon arrival.

I have enjoyed reading this book and exploring the complexities of this medium. I would recommend this book if you enjoy gothic manga or are interested in mysteries or adventure genres. Again, very good, a must read.

I have to agree with another reviewer that this is probably fab fodder for cosplayers. Conceptually, an undead superpowered butler beholden to a pediatric business maven master seems kind of interesting, but I found it formulaic and predictable, with characters that were not particularly interesting (but what wardrobes!), and "mystery plots" that were not particularly unique. I read the first three volumes, and am not going to continue with the series. I am almost certainly not the target audience for this kind of series (a 53-year-old woman), but I am a bit of a manga fanatic, and this is not one of the ones that captured my interest. This is almost certainly a matter of taste, but other people I know who are into manga are also kind of lukewarm about the series (or haven't bothered reading it at all). If you are a wide reader and/or collector of manga, you might want to invest in the first volume - but just start with one and see if it strikes your fancy.

I have to agree with another reviewer that this is probably fab fodder for cosplayers. Conceptually, an undead superpowered butler beholden to a pediatric business maven master seems kind of interesting, but I found it formulaic and predictable, with characters that were not particularly interesting (but what wardrobes!), and "mystery plots" that were not particularly unique. I read the first three volumes, and am not going to continue with the series. I am almost certainly not the target audience for this kind of series (a 53-year-old woman), but I am a bit of a manga fanatic, and this is not one of the ones that captured my interest. This is almost certainly a matter of taste, but other people I know who are into manga are also kind of lukewarm about the series (or haven't bothered reading it at all). If you are a wide reader and/or collector of manga, you might want to invest in the first volume - but just start with one and see if it strikes your fancy.

I just ordered this manga because I've already watched the anime(which I love) and I have read some online.
However the online version was not the best(bad scans/translations)
I love that my book came in before the expected date!
Always nice to get what you want without waiting for it very long, the artwork is simply amazing in this book!
The author has done so well with the art and story!
So glad I can finally start the collection I've always wanted!
Keep in mind, I will continue to buy! :)

This series bounces back & forth between a hilarious knee-slapping comedy & very macabre gruesome bloody death. Arguably a series for all genders, if you don't get turned off by the barrage of homosexual undertones & paedophile overtones. There's even a little T&A for the guys, very very little compared to the anime as ecchi moments are few, brief, & far in between. It's also a piece of pure eyecandy; beautiful men, extravagant clothing, painstakingly detailed background art, though the men will be disappointed to find that the women have considerably smaller breasts than the anime. Got a fetish for stuff like hands, eyes, or baked goods? This has it covered. & you know how in American comic books, men like to have the women constantly making sexy poses? Toboso does that to the men.

If you were planning to read this after watching the anime, you should know that the anime has a separate continuity & after the Curry Contest, the two mediums go in different directions, though elements from the anime are blatantly connected to the manga; Drocell is Joker, the elder Lord Trancy from season 2 is Baron Kelvin, & Ash replaces John Brown & Earl Grey. Grell's personality is more serious, competent, capable, & violent even towards Sebastian, Sebastian actually has a complex range of emotions & facial expressions, Ciel is 3 times darker, Soma is 3 times more childish, Druitt is twice as creepy, Undertaker is far more sinister, & Elizabeth isn't as useless & irritating.

Ms. Toboso also seems to have a thing for writing her characters into both historical events & works of fiction, but changing the names; Sherlock Holmes, Hamlet, Titanic, & even "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies." (Yeah, she went there).

If you enjoyed this manga, I highly recommend Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, Petshop of Horrors, & Kyou Kara Maou. If your favorite character is Ciel, try Gensoumaden Saiyuki, Ouran Highschool Host Club, & Kino no Tabi.

Note to shippers: This is one of those series like Gensoumaden Saiyuki & Axis Powers Hetalia falsely marketed as belonging to a single demographic (shounen & seinen respectively) with a mostly (pervy) female fandom. Don't you know what happens when a woman wrights a shounen series? It should also be noted that she has a few yaoi/shota mangas under her belt under the pen name of Yanao Rock, so the fanservice is completely intentional because the she just can't resist. The shotacon pandering is pretty constant; Almost everyone is either straight-up or suggestively hitting on Ciel, especially Baron Kelvin, Viscount Druitt, & Nina Hopkins. The fanservice is either played for laughs or for creeps. With the exception of Beast, who will never be seen again after the Noah's Arc Circus arc, any T&A moments for guys can be summarized as a short cocktease. I ask you, if you only use a gloved hand, does it count?

Yana Toboso's hit comic series "Black Butler" is a curiously interesting mixture of slapstick comedy, bloody action and dark mystery. Set in the fictional 19th century England, the comic follows the life of Sebastian, the world's most competent butler. Always cool and smiling, Sebastian serves a 12-year-old boy Ciel Phantomhive, the head of a big company living in a manor house.

Volume 1 starts with Sebastian busily preparing for the dinner. It seems there is nothing he cannot do. He can cook, he can catch rats (by hand) and he can even kill (not the rats) if he needs to. The story gets darker as the young master gets involved in a crime. The volume concludes with one line that strongly suggests Sebastian's origin.

The driving force of the comic is Sebastian and mysteries surrounding him. Smart and efficient, Sebastian does everything in a pitch-perfect manner. He is quiet and polite, and his words are often accompanied with dark humor. There is not much originality in the supporting characters, though, including chef Baldroy, housemaid Mey-Rin and gardener Finnian. They are meant as comic relief, clumsy and incompetent, but mostly stereotyped and not very funny.

Finally about creator Yana Toboso's artwork. Except one-shot comic published in 2004, "Black Butler" is the only second feature-length comic for her (after a 2006 comic "Rust Blaster"), and in "Black Butler" she still seems trying to find her style. She is good at drawing characters especially in action scenes, but the background is often disappointingly sketchy.

Frankly, I am not a big fan of the "Black Butler" series, though I find the central character very interesting. If you are an avid manga fan and looking for something different, try this one.

Book one is ok. Nothing much going on. Just stuff happening. A slow character introduction if you will. Just to familiarize you with the epic graphic novel that is Black Butler. It's the sample more or less. If I had not gotten the entire series at the store (I'm a bit impulsive) I would never have gone back to buy book 2.

But I picked up book 2 only because, well, I just got 7 books. I wasn't going to put them to waste.

I'm currently on book 3 and just blown away. I.. just cannot imagine how far this will go. It's just not what I expected at all.

mind = blown.

I'm on the edge of my seat with the rapid progression of the story itself and I saw a gradual improvement on the already amazing artwork. I both cannot wait to get to book 7 to see how this will end, nor do I want it to end.

You just keep getting deeper and deeper into the characters heads and the more you learn about what's really going on the more you hate yourself for ever doubting that this will even go anywhere.

Give Black Butler a chance. You'll definitely be wishing there were more than just 7. (does it continue? have to look into that..)

Sebastian is the loyal butler at the Phantomhive residence. He serves the current master of the house, 12-year-old Earl Ciel Phantomhive. As is fitting for an earldom, there are multiple servants, but none are as devoted or as good at their job as Sebastian. But is the butler too good to be true, or just too good to be human? In Toboso's manga, the traditional master/servant roles take on a creepy new meaning, leaving readers intrigued by the relationship between the calm butler and the powerful young earl. And it's no doubt that they are the main focus of the story. The petulant young earl is obviously a damaged boy, but we don't find out why here. Readers just learn the beginning of his life and see his dark, brooding personality. Sebastian, by contrast, is the quintessential British butler, perfection beyond belief. The other servants are all witless and inept, used purely for comic relief.

Toboso easily juggles comedy, action, and mysticism with the merest hint of boys' love. Indeed, with the first half of the book, the story seems like it is going to be simply humorous with a slight paranormal twist. In the second half, however, readers discover that the earl and the butler have a relationship that will prove to be eternal. Not much more than that is said, however, so readers will be eager for volume two to learn more. The setting is faux Victorian, where top hats, pocket watches, and ball gowns exist alongside cars, cellphones, and machine guns. This allows Toboso to draw frills, beautiful costumes, and romantic locales without worrying about anachronism. The action scenes at the end of the book are easy to follow and dramatic and creepy at the same time. To spice things up even further, Toboso makes both Ciel and Sebastian bishonen, or beautiful boys, of the type often found in boys' love comics or girls' romance manga. This element allows female readers to read into the relationship between master and servant, attracting readers who might not otherwise pick up an action title such as this. But the effect is so subtle that it will not take away from readers who just want to read this for the humor and action.

Violence in the form of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat, as well as the occasional pratfall, makes this for older teens and the mystical elements seem likely to grow darker over the life of the series. Though not much is said about who Sebastian really is, readers are given plenty of clues by the end, and they will want volume two to confirm their beliefs. Give this to fans of gothic tales like Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino or Godchild by Kaori Yuki (both from VIZ) and they will thank you!

-- Snow Wildsmith

Black Butler is an amazing manga series with beautiful art and a great story. The series is about a young boy in England. He has a butler who is a demon whom he is bound to by a contract. The first volume is an introduction to the series with the second volume heading straight into the first arc. The series has a beautiful gothic lolita style art. This first volume is fast paced and thrilling. The release by Yen Press is amazing as always with an amazing color insert at the beginning of the book. This is an amazing series with great art and a cool story.

As a person who usually enjoys mangas and animes that make her think and have dark, depressing stories, it was odd that I ever set foot into Kuroshitsuji. I would normally never get a kick out of something so light and airy as having someone's butler fight another person solely to avoid homework (although I do understand the notion and temptation). It's child's play. Next.

Except I couldn't stop reading it when I first started this manga on Onemanga. The artwork is beautiful and the story is set in one of my favorite time periods ever-- Victorian London. Although, I would not recommend you read Kuroshitsuji for the value of learning. Toboso has no qualms with breaking the time bounds of Victorian London (even creating a spoof of Nintendo in the series), but then neither did Kaori Yuki. However, Toboso is more vocal about it. At any rate, she is not creating a story meant to follow strict Victorian guidelines; she is writing a story about a 12-year-old master and his butler.

Only the butler isn't all he seems. The element of the occult is first presented in the first volume, but it's not as strong; it's a tantalizing treat. I would suggest if you've only read the first volume to hold on. Toboso did not introduce the plot of her manga yet and there is so much more to this manga than the first volume showcases. Hang in there. If you love the occult, a little bit of Victorian (if you don't mind a dash of modern reality splashed in), Count Cain/ Godchild, and stories that are dark and twisted, then you will love this tasty morsel of a treat. And trust me, I'm picky about what mangas I indulge in.

Meet Sebastian. He's the charming butler of a young nobleman, Ciel, head of the House of Phantomhive and its toy company. He excels at any task he is given, be it cooking, redecorating the Phantomhive mansion, or taking care of any of his charge's demands. In fact, he does these tasks so perfectly that he almost seems to be inhuman...

The first volume of Black Butler introduces us to this duo of servant and master and shows us the trials and tribulations that they have to face living in an alternate-world Victorian England (last I recall, people in the Victorian Era didn't own cell phones or video games). While its premise might sound similar to Kaori Yuuki's Count Cain Saga, it takes itself much less seriously. The first couple of chapters are essentially a comedy-filled slice of life centered around the young Earl and his servants, and even after the tone starts to darken, it still retains the same goofy sense of humor it had in earlier chapters, albeit with slightly less of it.

The artwork in this manga is gorgeous if a bit shojo-like. All of the characters are beautifully drawn with a great amount of detail spent on the costumes of the period. Even the background details and food in the volume are well-drawn, and it certainly provides a good deal of eye candy for its readers to look at.

The characters themselves, however, leave a little to be desired in this first volume. Ciel and Sebastian are intriguing enough, but the rest of the recurring cast comes off as a bit annoying. The Phantomhive staff, with the exception of Sebastian, are all a bit... bumbling to say the least, and while they aren't that bad, they do start to grate on your nerves after a few chapters. Likewise, Ciel's fiancee Elizabeth came off as somewhat irritating, if well-meaning, though hopefully her personality will grow a tad bit more tolerable in later volumes.

Overall though, Volume 1 of Black Butler was an enjoyable start to what could be a great new series. The setting and art were both very well done, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to fans of Godchild/ Count Cain who wouldn't mind reading something lighter or even to people who enjoyed the first volume of Pandora Hearts.

I got this graphic novel from watching Black Butler on anime. My sister said they were not the exact same, and after reading it, I would agree. This graphic novel has that spooky humor that everyone loves so much.
I would recommend this graphic novel, but I don't want to ruin it for you if you're thinking about reading or getting it.

I loved the animated series, and I wanted to read it. So for my birthday this past month they bought me the first volume. Now I need to own all of them! It is now an addiction. You want more of Sebastian, you need Sebastian, Sebastian owns your soul!

Black Butler is very original and a breath of fresh air in the manga world.
It follows the story of a 12 year old Ciel and his demon butler Sebastian.
Yana Toboso's artwork is gorgeous and gothic. Also, if you don't like romance this is perfect.
Recommended for everyone especially if you like titles like Vampire Knight.

I saw this and though "Wow, what beautiful art!" so I picked it up and never sat it down. I devoured it in one sitting. This manga is gorgeous with a great plot, and I own every single volume that has followed. If you know and watch the anime, you also need to be reading it. I do watch the anime, but the books are even better! If you love fiction, beautiful art, lolita, darkness, London, butlers, evil... Well, there is nothing to hate about this. So if you are looking for a new manga series to start with, this would be it.

I got this graphic novel from watching Black Butler on anime. My sister said they were not the exact same, and after reading it, I would agree. This graphic novel has that spooky humor that everyone loves so much.
I would recommend this graphic novel, but I don't want to ruin it for you if you're thinking about reading or getting it.

I loved the animated series, and I wanted to read it. So for my birthday this past month they bought me the first volume. Now I need to own all of them! It is now an addiction. You want more of Sebastian, you need Sebastian, Sebastian owns your soul!

Black Butler is very original and a breath of fresh air in the manga world.
It follows the story of a 12 year old Ciel and his demon butler Sebastian.
Yana Toboso's artwork is gorgeous and gothic. Also, if you don't like romance this is perfect.
Recommended for everyone especially if you like titles like Vampire Knight.

I saw this and though "Wow, what beautiful art!" so I picked it up and never sat it down. I devoured it in one sitting. This manga is gorgeous with a great plot, and I own every single volume that has followed. If you know and watch the anime, you also need to be reading it. I do watch the anime, but the books are even better! If you love fiction, beautiful art, lolita, darkness, London, butlers, evil... Well, there is nothing to hate about this. So if you are looking for a new manga series to start with, this would be it.

I love the Kuroshitsuji series. It has a darker storyline, but has bits of comedy thrown in to lessen the seriousness, which I personally believe makes it all the more enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone who's seen the anime, and to those who enjoy anime or manga centered around contracts. Even if you have seen the anime I would recommend reading the manga series as the manga and the anime branch off into different story lines.

I absolutely love Yana. She is fabulous and her work is magnificent, Black Butler is no exception. I recommend if you are twelve and up to read this so then you can pick up on the underlying humor. Overall I looked forward to buying the next one.

Fantastic manga. I've been following it since it came out! I do not like the English version due to some of the name changes ( Bard- Baldroy and Grell- Grelle) but its a well drawn manga with a good (sometimes long) storyline.

"Black Butler" seems like a manga that is designed more to provide ideas for cosplay outfits than to be a comic in its own right. The entire set-up comes from a wordplay pun that only makes sense in Japanese, juxtaposing the term "Aku made Shiitsuji Desu" ("I am a Butler through and through") with "Akuma de Shiitsuji Desu" (I am a Butler from the Devil"). There is almost no story here, but every page is packed to the gills with Little Lord Fauntleroy outfits (complete with eye patch!) and frilly Gothic Lolita dresses.

The story (such as it is) starts with Earl Ciel Phantomhive, a twelve-year old boy who also happens to be the head of a giant corporation that produces candy and toys. Not that the Earl has much to do with his company, as he spends his days lazing around his manor house and making unreasonable demands on his staff. The Earl is served by three members, Finnian the Gardner, Mey-Rin the Maid and Baldroy the Chef, who are all hopeless incompetents with no redeeming qualities other than to accidentally destroy everything they touch. Fortunately for the Earl, he is also served by Sebastian, a butler of inhuman skills and perfection personified in every possible way. No matter what muddle-headed hijinks Finnian, Mey-Rin and Badlroy cook up, Sebastian is always there to set things right and save the day with elegance and style.

Most of the book follows this standard plot. An important guest comes to visit, but Baldroy burns the food, Mey-Rin breaks the China and Finnian wipes out the garden. Sebastian steps in at the last minute to cook up a meal, set out the decorations, etc. The Earl's betrothed Ms. Elizabeth stops by, decorating the entire house with frilly lace and pretty bonnets. Sabastian is there to teach the Earl the Venetian Waltz at the last minute, so he can charm his future wife.

About half-way through, the tone abruptly from light-heated whimsy to a darker tone as the young Earl is kidnapped by the Italian mafia who want to use his toy and candy company as a front to push drugs into England. While the Earl is beaten and threatened, Sebastian works his way through the Italians, coming to the rescue of his master and revealing his demonic nature in the process, and why Earl Phantomhive has such a hold on him.

The second half of "Black Butler" definitely caught my interest more than the frivolous first half, and whether or not I continue with the series depends a lot on what style author Yana Toboso chooses. The art is good enough, although I am not personally such a fan of the lace and frills of the Gothic Lolita style which dominates the character designs. There might be more to the story, and an explanation why Earl Phantomhive doesn't just fire the incompetent trio of Finnian, Mey-Rin and Baldroy. There is some potential here, so it is just a case of wait and see.