Black Butler: Book of Circus

“Yes, my lord.”

Black Butler’s so-called “return to form” might perhaps not be much of a true return to form at all…

At the very least, that’s what some people say about this latest installment (not including the sequel OVA) in the previously-soiled Black Butler franchise.

But before I dive back into that, know a bit about the background of Black Butler: Book of Circus (and more so the whole series) itself: young Ciel Phantomhive, the earl of the Phantomhive manor and the sole leader of a booming children’s product line, is the only one left to take care of his family’s legacy after his parents died, but only after making a certain deal with a demon to protect him in a moment of agony, of which is at a price: when Ciel finally acquires his desired revenge towards the multiple people who harmed him and, subsequently, killed his family, this demon (who takes a role as his butler) will devour Ciel’s soul.

But, back to one of the first words I described the Black Butler franchise’s history with: soiled. “Soiled?” you ask, and “Soiled,” I reply with: the Black Butler franchise has a pretty confusing history. First off, do note that this newest TV iteration of this beloved franchise isn’t much of a sequel at all- it’s a retelling. When the first season was airing, instead of completely following the manga up until a point where we, the audience, would be left hanging, the production staff instead opted to segway off around the middle point of the season, giving us a nice and tidy (albeit a bit solemn, but that’s just Black Butler for you) yet conclusive ending. However, while the production team manually manning the project were probably satisfied one way or another with their work, the big guys upstairs decided that this franchise should have a much different fate, a fate in which a second season would throw the previous ending out of the window, opening up plot hole after plot hole after plot hole, all for financial gain. I, personally, didn’t see that horrible of things with the second season at first, but as time went on, I grew a bigger and bigger disposition towards that corporate product; alas, that is for another time (perhaps a Rewrite article will cover that topic soon enough).

But, I digress… this is the present now, and the present we shall live in. So, when given the opportunity to make a new season, the production team did the right decision and decided to completely throw the anime-original plot out of the window, instead making it so where, chronologically, this newest TV season would happen right after the diverging point of the first season.

However, first things first, I do feel that, this time, I should address the (albeit few) various negatives that this new season holds: for one, while most of the page-to-screen transition does work, there are a few moments where some scenes were clearly out of place. For instance, take some of the side characters, such as the trio of characters named “Reapers” who keep a track record of a person’s history after they die- considering that these Reapers only show up to effectively explain that someone in the near future is going to die, you’d think that they would only get screen time as necessary… and, yet, this season still finds a way to intersplice some scenes with them at seemingly random points. It’s a small complaint, sure, but little scenes like these (and not just with the Reapers, either) are strewn about sparingly throughout the 10-episode runtime, and do manage to bring you out of the beautiful emersion just a tad… although, that is, in fact, just a tad.

Speaking of emersion: the studio behind this franchise (A-1 Pictures) has knocked it out of the park yet again with their beautiful character art and luscious London-set backgrounds, fully bringing you in to this slightly-historic, beautifully-realized world.

Not only that, but do realize that, for a London-based anime, the English voice actors would very much so have to give it their all to make it as realistic as possible. So, that is, in fact, the golden question: do they pull it off? Yes, yes, and more yes! The Black Butler series has always had a great English cast, and Black Butler: Book of Circus is no exception. The accents are great on their own, yes, but when it comes to expressing emotion through a simple voice, these voice actors are obviously seasoned in their craft.

Although, as mentioned earlier, some people do believe that Black Butler: Book of Circus still doesn’t wholly contain the whole Black Butler-esque vibe that the series used to hold. And while I could certainly see where they were getting at (the music does take a little turn from what it used to be like), I still hold a strong, firm belief that this is the Black Butler we’ve always known, and, as long as the big guys upstairs don’t order another disaster like the second season, it will always be that way. Why? Well, because… as long as it’s doing a halfway decent job, Black Butler: Book of Circus will forever be a beautiful, smooth blend of style, substance, and everything else in between.

This isn’t a series that dumps heavy loads of exposition on you, nor is it the type that goes for shock value: everything has its place in Black Butler: Book of Circus, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that’s a sign of good writing.

9/10- Black Butler: Book of Circus is a welcome return-to-form of a much gone-for-too-long franchise- a franchise that is well known for its smart world emersion, solid tone, and oh-so-wonderful writing, all of which this latest season of the series holds close and dear to its core.