The plot is interesting. The characters designs are quite crisp and clean. Ciel Phantomhive is a tortured little boy who sadly matures well beyond his years after undergoing abuse from adults in an occult group. Frankly, I admire the name choices that were made. Sebastian LOOKS like a "Sebastian", and Ciel sounds like a girl's name. However, the last name "Phantomhive" makes him very impressive. Fanatastic manga, although in some scenes it is quite dark and grim. Then again, the servants who serve under Ciel occasionally give comic relief.
The anime itself is pretty decent too. I encourage those who like manga to watch the anime as well. Supposedly there will be a season 2.

I was just introduced to this anime and one reason why it appeals to me is because... its almost EXACTLY like the Count Cain manga series. If this one can be made into an anime, Count Cain should be made one too, in my opinion. I believe that the Count Cain plot (well, so far) is far more intrigueing.

Contrary to some people's thoughts, I believe Kuroshitsuji has an amazing plot. The fact that Sebastion is so utterly perfect in the area of physical abilities might be a turn-off for some, but keep in mind that this manga isn't an action/fighting one. It has an underlying tone of drama that occurs less in the beginning but starts to become more prominent later on. Also, the negativity shown so often towards Ciel's position in terms with the Queen gives me the joy of anticipating a complete character break-down with lots of angst.

I do admit though, the curry arc was pointless, other than to introduce two characters of whom I feel like will never play much part into the plot except to be nuances.

But, this mangaka is a great story-teller. It may not be favorable to people who haven't read millions upon millions of stories yet, but for those who have, a story where the plot is entirely focused upon exactly one thing is appealing. SUBPLOTS ARE AWESOME!!! The way Toboso Yana gradually shows the past is one of my favorite story-telling methods. She really knows how to end on cliffhangers too. >.>

Well, all in all, the reason I like this manga is probably because of the tragedy. I can imagine it wouldn't appeal to many people who didn't like the element of tragedy.

This just might be me starving for more tragedy.

And the art is hot, and I think it looks so much better in the black and white state that it's in than in a colored form. This again, might be just feeding my black and white addiction, and probably doesn't appeal to other people like that.

... Last updated on March 17th, 2009, 11:19pm

Seeing the array of reviews here, I realized most of them are biased, so I'm going to be frank. Instead of going on about how much I love or hate this manga, I'm going to give the things that stuck out the most.

Gorgeous artwork: There is a level of detail to this manga that I don't usually see in of shonen works. You have textures, variations in coloring, facial details on close up... the list goes on.

Humor tinged with dark undertones: Anyone that reads the manga will say that it starts off dark. However, a common tool in writing is to introduce static characters as comic relief. Kuro Shitsuji does this. While the initial chapters are dark, spots of light peak through in the form of Ciel's staff, the infamous butler included.

Seemingly pointless plot arcs: Ah, the curry arc... was there really a point to that? It was hilarious, but it didn't seem to add to the plot. Of course, since the series is not finished, we really have no way of knowing whether or not this arc pertinent. Recall the second season of Ghost in the Shell. Seemingly pointless episodes played a part later on.

Plot isn't immediately obvious/ character motivation: Many mangas introduce the goal of the character in the first five minutes and then spend forty plus volumes having the character complete this goal. Not Kuro Shitsuji (Naruto anyone?). You know Ciel has a goal at the beginning, that much is clear, but the finer details of the goal remain obscure. We know he is hunting someone, and that he was humiliated. The rest of the details are given in snippets throughout the manga. This is good story telling. A good author never reveals all his/her cards at the beginning, ^_~ In addition to this, there is depth to Ciel's goal. It is emotionally driven and passionate in a believable fashion. Even though we don't know what it is, we see how it influences him. To see a counter example, consider the Inuyasha series. The main character, Kagome, has a very simple goal and there is nothing left for the reader to discover. Inuyasha's character is a bit better, but still easy to figure out. Ciel's mind is a maze of idea's that we have weed through to figure out why he behaves the way he does.

Ciel Phantomhive: A flaw in many manga/ anime is the lack of a strong BELIEVABLE main character. Ciel fulfills this role. He is not a sweet little angel, but manipulative and conniving, wanting to do whatever it takes to get is goal, but this creates faults. In addition, he doesn't change. A lot of characters have 'major revelations' and change for the better for it. Not Ciel. He has revelations, but continues on with achieving his goals in the same manner as before.

Sebastian: Oh, the butler, so many references to a Gary Stu. He's perfect at everything. It's exaggerated, however, so it's humorous. In addition, you don't know HIS motivation either, though it is clear that he has a reason for serving Ciel. With Ciel at least you get an idea of why he acts the way he does, not Sebastian. Subtle hints, like well placed glares, shrewd glances and such indicate that there is more to it that the author and artist reveal on the surface.

Shonen-ai hints: There are hints of romance between Ciel and Sebastian. No need for elaboration here, the manga speaks for itself. However, it is possible to ignore this aspect as it is not a huge focus and is only subtly hinted at.

Now that I gave the highlights, it is up to you, dear reader, to interpret them and see if you are interested in reading the manga or not.

... Last updated on March 15th, 2009, 5:34pm

I really like this manga. Aside for the great art this has what a lot of other mangas lack, fantastic character development! The realism put into the characters is refreshing and it really helps you connect with the characters. The relationships are well thought out and they are really the corner stone of this manga. What little action it has is done to perfection, enough to get across the cut-throat world Ciel must survive in but not too much to draw attention away from what is really important. In this the perfetion of Sebastian is an absolute neccessary.

The comedy and light-hearted arcs are a refreshing change from the dark drama and, pointless as they may be, are entertaining to read nevertheless. The dark theme is well captured to contrast this light heartedness with a great use of shading to potray mood and danger. The slow revelations into Ciel's tragic past are enticing and each chapter's cliffhanger ending leaves you practically begging for more.

All in all a very captivting and well thought-out manga. I agree that Count Cain is darker and less comic but Kuroshitsuji isn't exactly light-hearted. A very interesting read but a slow plot line. If lots of action and the entire plot revealed within the first chapter is your thing then this won't appeal but if character development is your thing then this is a must-read.

... Last updated on March 22nd, 2009, 12:58pm

Seriously..if you CANT find the hints between Sebastian and Ciel you do not live in this world...
off course the mangaka is "laughing at herself" about it..she knows very well what type of reaction causes the relantionship between these two, and she jokes about it...
-and for all u readers who dont know who this woman is...u should know that this mangaka has wrote a couple of yaoi stories under another pen name...and one particullary was very shotacon..so, yes, u are right at thinking that this manga smells a litlle bit of shounen ai ( yaoi is not the same as shounen ai plzzz )
About the plot: i have to agree with previous entyries that sometimes the plot isnt a plot at all...she goes far away form the main story, and some chapters are like autoconclusive..
The new arc seems better than the one before..( curry arc..just stupid..) and the main story seems to somehow be connected with the strange things that are happening in the circus..
-so, lets wait and see if she continues with this line, or if the mangaka will add more of the boring and cliche arcs tha we have seen before...

the art and comedy is pretty good. but i have to agree with a previous comment that there were a lot of yaoi hints between sebastian and ciel, and also the blantant attraction Grell has for Sebastian. i can't actually imagine boys would like to watch this type of anime.

I won't lie I am here for the pretty arts, the pretty men, and mostly the pretty clothing. The plot could be wonderful but it's lacking. And the yaoi teasing is a bit hard for me to handle :[ (btw ciel is 12 because I know how many girls think oh so hot) The part I do like (besides the clothing) is the allusion to dark things that happened in the Victorian era. The mangaka does a wonderful job with freaking you out, without going all the way into it. (Perhaphs that's how?) But yeah anyway if you don't need a solid plot and you just like beautiful men with a side dish of bl then this is the manga for you! 8D *also I'm hoping for more chicks just to tick off the fangirls yes yes I'm antagonistic
edit: okay the story does get better as it goes on And everyone here is a bamf

... Last updated on October 13th, 2010, 9:48pm

It's one of those fanservice series.
The art is great, and Sebastian is hot, a demon a and a butler. Did I mention he's hot?
And that's pretty much it. As much as I have enjoyed the cat moments, it wasn't nearly enough to make it deserve all the commotion.
The plot is... Is it even there?... Couldn't find it from what I've read.
Maybe I'll read some more, or just flip through it since the art is a serious eye candy.
*sigh*

If the mangaka could at least throw in some romance with a few BL moments, it would have made it so much more enjoyable...


Edit:
Yeah, yeah. We've heard enough from you fangirls.
Shounen-ai doesn't come out of "hints". Many series have hints.

... Last updated on April 3rd, 2009, 2:19pm