Kuroshitsuji: Well thought-out history/fantasy with a whole lot of black comedy

Written by Little_Wolf-18 on March 3, 2012 at 12:06 PM

*London in the late 1800s. Ciel Phantomhive, only son of a wealthy merchant family that helped the Queen by solving murder cases before, has sold his soul to a demon in order to get revenge on the person who killed his parents. Due to the contract, the demon, under the name of Sebastian Michaelis, has become Ciel’s butler, and now serves his master together with three other servants who are quite terrible at their job.*

Sorry for openly disregarding the rule of ‘do not include summaries in reviews’; but quite frankly, the summary on this site sucks, and almost would’ve driven me away from this anime. Mine’s not much better but anyways… moving on to the review.

Frankly, I don’t usually like the union of history and fantasy in anime since the historic events most often get totally messed up and create plot holes bigger than the Grand Canyon. Anyway, “Kuroshitsuji” didn’t exactly change my mind, but forms the famous exception to the rule as it focuses on a fantasy aspect with a historical setting as frame, but somehow manages to not create plot holes wherever it changes historical facts – and those changed are few, from what I can see.

My first impression was that of another quite random comedy anime, but actually, before long, a story started unfolding before my eyes which, in turn, were literally glued to the computer screen. The background plot to this fantasy-comedy is rather dark and serious, giving the anime an overall Gothic appeal with some action and (partly pretty dark) humour. It can get creepy later on, but nothing that should scare anyone away. The story is well plotted out and easy to get into, with several more or less unexpected plot twists, turning the concept of good and evil upside down. Small stories that initially seem like the random sub-plots of an average comedy show to be part of something greater; most characters show up again, which I greatly appreciate. There’s no obvious plot holes, and the end, though predicted, is rather untypical and makes sense, concluding the anime well. The general pace is fast, yet not over the top action-packed, and in my opinion still easy to follow.

“Kuroshitsuji” remains quite sad and mystical with many secrets throughout the show, showing a rather cruel side of reality (as far as reality can be concerned in fantasy anime). Emotional moments are quite touching, but there’s also action and comedy, though the latter is at times rather dark and might drive some people away. Since it wasn’t entirely sick, but mixed with some comic relief etc., I could deal with it easily, but that’s a point you might have to consider.

Characters are unique and interesting, with distinguished personalities; perhaps a bit over-the-top for somebody looking for a realistic anime but then again, fantasy isn’t exactly the genre to go for in search of realism *sweatdrops*. Beautifully designed in both visual and psychological aspects, the characters are overall rather tough with many sides to them, and can all be loved in their own unique way, though their powers can appear rather random as long as the background plot isn’t yet revealed. (Having a demon serve as a butler is an amazing idea in itself.) Character dynamics are well done, alternating between darn funny and quite deep and touching. Character development is finely done for such a short series, and there’s a lot of secrets and lies to be unveiled that are difficult to predict at first (not impossible, but difficult). On the other hand, the story stays vague for the longest time where it comes to Ciel’s history. That might keep you watching, or unnerve you. His history is still unveiled, but it takes more time than it could have IMO. Looking at the rest of the story though… that’s a tiny thing probably.

Dialogue-wise, there’s a good balance between dialogue and action. Most of the humour in the dialogue is quite dry and sardonic, but I love this anime for the sarcasm it displays. Sardonic responses may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re mine~ I just found them ROFL-worthy. There’s a few corny moments in the dialogue, but IMO it’s quite easy to get over them.

Genre-wise, this has the mystery/suspense, fantasy/supernatural, and comedy aspect, with some action, and a tiny hint of shounen-ai… well, if you interpret a lot. It shouldn’t drive anyone away, as it’s never really obvious.

The artwork is unique and smooth, with amazing and rather realistic character designs and detailed animation, even though the overall colours are rather dark. The seiyuu are doing a truly nice job on this as well. The music is fitting, and the opening and ending songs WILL get stuck in your ears… you’ve been warned.

Entertainment-wise, this has some black humour and sarcasm that some might find disturbing, though I could deal with it easily due to it not being entirely twisted. If you’ve got the sense for it, however, you’ll probably be rolling on the floor during quite a few moments. Lots of the entertainment comes from the characters with all of their lovable or creepy sides – be it servants terrible at their jobs, a boy of twelve years outwitting Scotland Yard, a demon butler using the silverware as his weapons, a sadistic shinigami, one that drools over a demon, and… you get the point.

“Kuroshitsuji” might be geared a bit towards the female audience, but is a mystery/fantasy/comedy truly worth the watch for anyone looking for a change of pace from the generic stuff out there. Packed with characters that are deliciously over-the-top, it manages to maintain a good balance between a sense of evil seriousness and (though partly black) humour. It’s up to you of course, but I would watch this again anytime. :D