The appeal and reputation of Black Butler II: A thorough explanation of the evolution of the series

Black Butler II - An Encounter Between the Master and the Servant of the Abyss and Darkness

Black Butler II is a 2010 anime TV series based on the manga series of the same name by Yana Toboso. The manga is published in Square Enix's monthly G Fantasy magazine and is characterized by its mix of fantasy and dark elements. The series revolves around the story of Ciel Phantomhive and his butler, Sebastian Michaelis, but the introduction of new characters Alois Trancy and his butler, Claude Faustus, adds depth to the story.

Broadcast information

"Black Butler II" was broadcast on TBS affiliates including Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) from July 2 to September 17, 2010. The specific broadcast schedule is as follows:

• Mainichi Broadcasting System: July 2, 2010 to September 17, 2010 (every Friday 1:20-1:50)
• TBS Television: July 3, 2010 to September 18, 2010 (every Saturday 1:55-2:25)
• Shizuoka Broadcasting System: July 3, 2010 to September 18, 2010 (every Saturday 2:10 to 2:40)
• Tohoku Broadcasting: July 4, 2010 to September 19, 2010 (Every Sunday 2:23 to 2:53)
• Chugoku Broadcasting: July 4, 2010 to September 19, 2010 (every Sunday 2:43 to 3:13)
• Hokkaido Broadcasting: July 5, 2010 to September 20, 2010 (Every Monday 2:00 to 2:30)
• Kumamoto Broadcasting: July 5, 2010 to September 20, 2010 (Every Monday 2:20-2:50)
• RKB Mainichi Broadcasting: July 6, 2010 to September 21, 2010 (Tuesdays 2:25-2:55)
• Sanyo Broadcasting: July 6, 2010 to September 21, 2010 (Tuesdays 2:50 to 3:20)
• Chubu Nippon Broadcasting: July 8, 2010 to September 23, 2010 (Every Thursday 2:00-2:30)
• Animax: November 2, 2010 to January 25, 2011 (Tuesdays 22:00 to 22:30)

It was also streamed online and could be viewed on Niconico Channel, Animemobi, Bandai Channel, ShowTime, and more.

story

Ciel Phantomhive is a boy who desires revenge on those who have humiliated him, but never loses his noble spirit. He is always accompanied by his butler, Sebastian Michaelis. Meanwhile, Alois Trancy is the young head of a prestigious aristocratic family, who is cruel in his behavior and fragile in the dark, and he is accompanied by his jet-black butler, Claude Faustus. A master who holds deep darkness within him, and a butler who perfectly carries out his master's orders. When these two pairs of master and servant meet, the story begins to flow.

Commentary

"Black Butler vs Black Butler" begins. Ciel Phantomhive is a boy who seeks revenge on those who humiliated him, but does not lose his noble spirit. He is always accompanied by his butler, Sebastian Michaelis. Meanwhile, Alois Trancy is the young head of a prestigious aristocratic family, who is cruel in his behavior and fragile in the dark, and he is accompanied by his jet-black butler, Claude Faustus. A master who holds deep darkness within him, and a butler who perfectly carries out his master's orders. When these two pairs of master and servant meet, the story begins to flow.

cast

The main cast is as follows:

• Sebastian Michaelis: Daisuke Ono
• Ciel Phantomhive: Maaya Sakamoto
• Claude Faustus: Takahiro Sakurai
• Alois Trancy: Nana Mizuki
• Elizabeth: Yukari Tamura
• Luca: Marina Inoue
• Grell Sutcliff: Jun Fukuyama
• Hannah Annafellows: Aya Hirano
• Edward Abberline: Hisayoshi Suganuma
• Baldroy: Hiroki Tochi
• Meyrin: Kato Emiri
• Finnian: Yuki Kaji
• Tanaka: Shunji Fujimura
• Undertaker: Junichi Suwabe
• Soma Asman Kadar: Shinnosuke Tachibana
• Agni: Hiroki Yasumoto
• Liu: Koji Yusa
• Blue Cat: Sayuri Yahagi
• Arthur Randle: Jo Aoyama
• Paula: Yui Izuki
• Viscount Druitt: Tatsuhisa Suzuki
• Ronald Knox: KENN
• William T. Spears: Noriaki Sugiyama
• Arnold Trancy: Mitsuaki Hoshino
• Margaret: Shoko Tsuda
• Turner: Takahiro Shimura
• Ellen: Ayano Ishikawa
• Ellen's husband: Tomoyuki Higuchi
• Ackroyd Township: Ryugo Saito
• Count Trancy: Susumu Fukumatsu

Main Staff

The main staff are as follows:

• Original author: Yana Toboso (published in the monthly "G Fantasy" published by Square Enix)
• Planning: Koichiro Natsume, Koji Taguchi, Seiji Takeda, Takuo Minegishi, Masaki Yasuda
• Series Composition: Mari Okada
• Character design: Shiba Minako
• Key animator: Tadashi Sakazaki
• Art setting: Kazushige Kanehira
• Art Director: Otsuka Gaku
• Color setting: Yuichi Furuichi
• CG and Director of Photography: Takayuki Furukawa
• Edited by: Masahiro Goto
• Prop design: Haruo Miyagawa
• Music: Taku Iwasaki
• Music Production: Aniplex
• Sound Director: Katsuyoshi Kobayashi
• Sound effects: Tomokazu Mitsui
• Sound adjustment: Yo Yamada
• Music producer: Keiichi Tonomura
• Original drawing scan: Hiroaki Hirata
• Assistant Editor: Mizutsu Taisei
• Coordination assistant: Haruka Matsushita
• Recording studio: Boomerang Studio
• Sound Production: Satoshi Sasaki
• Sound Production: Trinity Sound
• Format editing: Motoki Shirai, Hiroki Honda
• Logo design: Nakagawa Yuichi
• Research assistance: Rico Murakami
• Web Promotion Producer: Rie Tsuzuki
• Advertising: Shintaro Komatsu, Satsuki Maruyama, Hitomi Ando, ​​Akiko Saito, Soji Shioya
• Publicity cooperation: Hiromi Hasegawa
• Production Administration Manager: Keiko Ishikawa
• Production staff: Yoshiko Kitamura
• System management: Masayoshi Yoshioka
• Production desk: Takumi Kabe
• Setting Production: Reino Kikuchi
• Aniplex: Takeshi Ochi, Masaru Seo, Hiroshi Sasaki, Takehiko Nishida, Toshiyuki Kanazawa, Madoka Motoki, Hiroe Tsukamoto
• Square Enix: Akiko Ibuku, Nozomi Watanabe
• Hakuhodo DY Media Partners: Yasuyo Ogisu
• Movic: Naohiro Oto
• Mainichi Broadcasting System: Takehiko Tamura, Yusuke Sekiya, Osamu Miyaoka, Hiroki Kagamoto
• A-1 Pictures: Osamu Takesue
• Executive producers: Hideo Katsumata, Masaru Ueda, Tomonori Ochikoshi, Nobuyuki Kurashige
• Associate producers: Yasutaka Kimura, Toshihiro Maeda, Kozue Kanba, Haruka Seiya, Osamu Hosokawa
• Supervisor: Kuma Takeshi
• Publicity Producer: Kazuko Yamamoto
• Producers: Mikihiro Iwata, Hiroyuki Shimizu, Hiroo Maruyama, Shunsuke Saito
• Production: A-1 Pictures
• Director: Hirofumi Ogura
• Produced by: "Black Butler II" Production Committee (Aniplex, Square Enix, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Movic), Mainichi Broadcasting System

Main Characters

The main characters are as follows:

• Ciel Phantomhive: Head of the Phantomhive family. At just 13 years old, he runs the UK's largest toy and sweets manufacturer, "Phantom Company." He also has a secret side as the "Queen's watchdog," punishing evil that disrupts order. He made a deal with the devil to take revenge on those who humiliated him.
• Sebastian Michaelis: A butler who perfectly executes any command from his master. His true identity is a demon with whom Ciel made a contract to exact revenge. He serves him as a flawless butler until the moment he completes the contract and eats Ciel's soul.
• Baldroy: Nicknamed Baldo. He is the chef for the Phantomhive family, but because his cooking method places emphasis on heat, he has never cooked a decent meal. He is the leader of the Phantomhive family servants. He used to be a capable soldier.
• Mey-Rin: A maid for the Phantomhive family. She is extremely clumsy and speaks with a strong accent. She is extremely farsighted and always wears glasses. She admires Sebastian, but her feelings are never reciprocated. She used to be a sniper.
• Finnian: Nicknamed Fini. The Phantomhive family gardener. He is clumsy and has even killed all the trees in the garden. He has a lively and friendly personality. He has a history of gaining superhuman strength through unwilling human experimentation.
• Tanaka: The steward of the Phantomhive family, who has served since Ciel's father. He always sips tea with a two-dimensional head, but sometimes becomes more realistic.
• Alois Trancy: The young head of the prestigious Trancy family. He was kidnapped shortly after he was born and went missing, but returned with his jet-black butler, Claude. Perhaps because of this experience, he has both a boyish cheerfulness and a fragility that makes him afraid of the dark.
• Claude Faustus: A butler whose name is all but mysterious. He is absolutely loyal to his master Alois and manages the vast Trancy Mansion. His eyes behind his glasses never lose their composure.
• Hannah Annafellows: The only maid who serves the Trancy family. She is quiet and always has a sad expression on her face. Her brown skin gives her an exotic look.
• Thompson/Timber/Canterbury: Servants who work silently under Claude at the Trancy mansion. They are triplets with identical faces, from left to right: Timber, Thompson, and Canterbury.
• Elizabeth: Nicknamed Lizzie. Ciel's cousin and fiancée. Full name is Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford. She loves Ciel very much.
• Liu: On the surface, he is the branch manager of the trading company "Kunlun," but in reality he is a senior member of the Shanghai mafia "Qingbang." He often makes nonchalant statements, but sometimes he shows his ruthless side.
• Blue Cat: Lau's sister-in-law who is always by his side. She is expressionless and silent. She wears short Chinese clothes. She sometimes joins the fight with a weapon in her hand.
• Viscount Druitt: His real name was Aleist Chambers. He had a unique aesthetic sense and was on friendly terms with the previous Earl Trancy.
• Edward Abberline: A detective at Scotland Yard who works for Lord Randle and searches the streets of London to solve the case.
• Grell Sutcliff: A red-haired Grim Reaper. He is head over heels in love with Sebastian. He follows Sebastian around at every opportunity, but is rejected harshly. The Grim Reaper's scythe (Death Scythe) is a chainsaw type.
• Undertaker: Officially a funeral director, he is also an underworld informant who demands "the finest laughter" as payment. He was originally the "legendary Grim Reaper," and his true face, hidden by his bangs, is so handsome that Grell falls in love with him.
• Arnold Trancy: The younger brother of the previous Earl Trancy and Alois' uncle. He seems suspicious of Alois who suddenly returned with Claude.
• Count Trancy: Alois' father, the previous Count Trancy. He didn't seem to have much good taste, decorating the interior of his mansion in gold and red...

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Kuro Butler (2010/07/02)
• Episode 2: A Single Butler (2010/07/09)
• Episode 3: The Prostitute Butler (2010/07/16)
• Episode 4: The Terrorist Butler (2010/07/23)
• Episode 5: The Smoke Signal Butler (2010/07/30)
• Episode 6: The Night Dew Butler (2010/08/06)
• Episode 7: The Killer Butler (2010/08/13)
• Episode 8: The Butler (2010/08/20)
• Episode 9: False Butler (2010/08/27)
• Episode 10: Zero Butler (2010/09/03)
• Episode 11: Crossroads Butler (2010/09/10)
• Episode 12: Black Butler (2010/09/17)

Related Titles

The following works are related to "Black Butler II".

• Black Butler Sakidori SP Who is the strongest black butler?
• Black Butler
• Black Butler Extra Edition
• Black Butler Bonus Video
• Black Butler II Extra Edition
• Black Butler II Special Edition
• Black Butler II Bonus Video
• Black Butler Book of Circus
• Black Butler: Book of Murder
• Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs are as follows:

• OP1: SHIVER
  • Lyricist: Ruki
  • Composer: the GazettE
  • Arrangement: the GazettE
  • Sung by: the GazettE
• ED1: Bird
  • Lyricist: Takahiro Maeda
  • Composer: Jin Nakamura
  • Arrangement: Jin Nakamura
  • Vocals: Yuya Matsushita
• ED2: In the silence of the shining sky
  • Lyricist: Yuki Kajiura
  • Composer: Yuki Kajiura
  • Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura
  • Sung by: Kalafina
• IN1: In the silence of the shining sky
  • Lyricist: Yuki Kajiura
  • Composer: Yuki Kajiura
  • Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura
  • Sung by: Kalafina

Evaluation and Impressions

"Black Butler II" is a work that deepens the series by introducing new characters and storylines while retaining the charm of the original. In particular, the appearance of Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus brings the relationship between Ciel and Sebastian into sharper relief, bringing new tension and drama to the story.

The animation quality is also high, demonstrating the production skills of A-1 Pictures. The beautiful character designs and background art add to the visual appeal, while the epic score by Taku Iwasaki adds to the atmosphere of the story and stirs the emotions of the viewer.

The acting of the cast was also superb, with each character's personality clearly expressed, including Daisuke Ono's Sebastian, Maaya Sakamoto's Ciel, Takahiro Sakurai's Claude, and Nana Mizuki's Alois. In particular, Nana Mizuki's Alois was able to perfectly balance cruelty and fragility, strongly drawing the hearts of viewers.

The story development is also ingenious, with the conflict between Ciel and Alois, the fight between Sebastian and Claude, and the gradual unfolding of each character's past and inner thoughts, all drawing viewers in. In addition, the themes and subtitles of each episode are unique, helping to pique the viewer's interest.

However, some fans criticized the anime for straying too far from the original. In particular, the story of Alois and Claude differed greatly from the original, which left fans of the original feeling uncomfortable. Still, some praised the anime's unique interpretation and development, saying it allows viewers to enjoy the world of "Black Butler" from a new perspective.

Recommendation

"Black Butler II" is recommended for those who like dark fantasy and mystery, and for those who want to enjoy deep character portrayals and human drama. Also, fans of the original work will enjoy the anime's unique interpretation and development. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy beautiful animation and music.

It is important to understand the differences from the original work before watching. Enjoy the anime's unique story development and the charm of the characters, and delve into the depths of the master-servant relationships between Ciel and Sebastian, and Alois and Claude.

If you check out other related works in the "Black Butler" series, you will be able to understand the world of "Black Butler" more deeply. In particular, "Black Butler: Book of Circus" and "Black Butler: Book of Murder" are attractive because of their faithful story development to the original work.

"Black Butler II" is a work that depicts the encounter between the master and servant of the abyss and darkness, and its charm has the power to draw viewers in. Please enjoy the world of "Black Butler" through this work.