this manga is really fun to read, dark but fun with good looking characters. I also enjoyed the first season of the anime, but when i watch the trailer of the second season, the new master disappoints me. The best thing in the anime was: the seiyu of the main charas where really fitting (ono daisuke^^) and they also had romi paku (hitsugaya toushiro, edward, temari) and noriaki sugiyama (sasuke, ishida) as small roles^^

... Last updated on June 21st, 2010, 1:32pm

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

Though it's a relatively new series, what's been released so far has been very enjoyable to read. The art is clean and beautiful, and the story has potential, with all of the mystery surrounding the various characters and their motives.
And in response to the accusation below saying that this series is a ripoff, I would like to point out that the only thing this series has in common with Hayate No Gotuku is that it features a butler taking care of a young noble. The series itself is dark, violent, and bloody, with a feeling and setting more reminiscent of a series along the lines of Count Cain than anything as cheerful as Hayate.

... Last updated on February 29th, 2008, 9:08pm

Narrative-wise, this series is on the weaker side.

On the art department, it's simply splendid. The character designs, buildings, are simply meticulous. A 10/10 from me. If I have the spare change to buy artbooks for this series, I absolutely will. I simply love macabre tones and gothic aesthetics. THE AESTHETICS ARE SIMPLY BRILLIANT.

But my reviews are based on how "fun" I find the series to read, and I will overlook the art skill for the sake of it, and unfortunately, its pitfalls overshine its strengths (to me, anyway). Since this series keep having people glazing it, I kept my expectations high since I'm a fan of many of the themes presented, but it was a mistake on my part.

First, the overarching narrative. It spells the typical revenge mystery thriller plot.

Second, this series deploys lots of mini-arcs. Which is not always a bad thing. The author and their team (editor, whatnot) does a great deal of research for these mini-arcs that tackle issues of the era (since I consider it a periodic drama of some sorts)

My problem is, some of these arcs feel very self-contained, and it might even be better if the main cast are not overly involved in them. I feel like the main cast going into them can overshine the subcasts of that arc, and well, it just leaves me disappointed. Another annoyance, is that sometimes, you feel like that these subplots are just thrusted in "inorganically" to the "main narrative" (the revenge one). If you look at the type of main narrative it is, it sets for a tone of suspense and thriller---but due to the big emphasis there is on the subplots, it feels like the main narrative is always thrusted to the backburner... making the subplots feel like fillers. Not all mini arcs have this problem though, but some do, and it feels jarring when trying to read this... It doesn't feel very cohesive when this happen (other series that do this but more seamlessly: FMA, HxH, etc.)... It feels like the author is milking it to the detriment of diluting the experience of reading this. But what can you do, this series is a cash cow and it makes sense financially doing it. But it leaves a sour taste that this series is gimped and it has the potential to reach higher highs.

Sometimes, you're like, oh what is this character going to provide and add to the story, but they are just COOL... and STYLISH... but then you'd be like even if this character is cut off from the roster, there wouldn't be that much change to the narrative anyway. The author keeps pilling up characters that LOOK COOL and STYLISH, but it becomes shallow if you strip themselves of that STYLISH PRESENTATION. Shame. The characters would have become better if the author spent more time developing them than always trying to frame them as cool. Yes, there are developments, but they mostly seem to happen either in flashbacks/off-screens, and not really in the present narrative---which is why it feels stale. The only "progress" that you truly feel is mostly delegated to the main protagonist, it is his story after all... But even so, having such a large cast and the author still doesn't do much to show of the main protagonist. He is like a pretty flower pot 80% of the time, the sense of agency is low, but oh well IT MAKES HIM LOOK COOLI guess so it's allowed. (THIS SERIES FARMS TOO MUCH THE RULE OF COOL to the detriment of developing the characters more). There's just too many missed opportunities (hence the stringent score---I just want the series to be better!)

If the series gets a rewrite and streamline the fat and fillers it might be better. Maybe if it happens, I can give this series the double score of what I've given to it.

... Last updated on December 21st, 2023, 12:24pm

I really like this manga and I love the art. I didn't give ten ou of ten for the characters because Soma and Elizabeth get on my nerves sometimes but each character here has a unique personality. I'd definitly recomend this manga, true it does get a bit dark at times but it has hints of humor in it as well plus you never know what's going to happen next.

The art is really stunning, there's something with the art which make my eyes getting drawn to watch at each pages for at least 7 seconds. The story is truly awesome, it's suspicious, mysterious, got black humor yet also sometimes funny ''normal'' humor, action, kind of horror, dectetive stories-like and maybe more?
It's easy to recognize who is who, the explanations for the mystery cases are explained well into every details and the stories is really different from other mangas.
I don't really want to tell more since I really want you to read it ~ It suits best with people with black humor, got sense for action and horror (might sometimes be very disturbing scenes for some people, depends) and if you like to read a story which is around the 18th century.

Love this series so much. My fave non-yaoi manga at the moment. Still, I dont expect it will turn out nicely in the future volumes, since this series is the kind that have a possibility to be prolonged pointlessly like Tenipuri or Conan.
Since Kuroshitsuji is not a yaoi manga, I'm expecting a plot development. Unless Yana-sensei decided to screw the dignity and turn this series into blatant shonen-ai as cheap as can be, (which, will result as one happy me and 853492382 raging fans and shattered organs), then who cares abt plot. But as for now, maybe I'll get tired if the plot keep advancing too slowly.

oh and Yana-sensei, some of us do realize what extra interpretation you wanted 'some of us' to imagine by some scenes, though most of us didnt since they're too saintly or lack their yaoi consumption that way, but anyway we're grateful for the torture, thx.

i love it. i really love it. but i wanna kick my own ass for reading this. why? cos now i pined away for the monthly chapters and it hurts! seriously, if you dont want to be hurt dont read this. wait until its finished.

Each chapter is a shocker and Yana Toboso really knows how to treat her fans right. There's always these little bits of fan service in each chapter which is definitely adequate to satisfy our hunger for more until the next month, and each arc is so well planned in every way which I cannot wait in seeing how Yana will link them all together. What is amazing and keeps me going for more of this manga is how the artwork which in the beginning was nothing much to look at (me personally having high expectations) to one of the best drawn manga I've ever seen. The next thing for me would be the personalities of the characters which are so out of this world yet they complement each other so well, and I really commend the author for this which I think is just brilliant. The heroes of the manga are, obviously, Ciel and Sebastian while, really, am I the only one who seems to like Elizabeth? She's like the ornament which is essential to this manga and makes the manga looks better.

Yet I do feel that it really is time for the author to slightly modify Sebastian's personality and make him actually care for Ciel which is what we are all hoping for but I have no idea how that will come out though. For now there is still the slight empty feeling something which you feel after having this really fantastic entre but there is still the long wait for the main course. Each time hints are given that Sebastian seems to genuinely care for Ciel but each time readers are reminded of what he is and what he cannot feel and for that I feel is actually the real plot in this manga. Not his revenge nor the ending of the contract but their relationship and what they will become of at the end of it which I hope will never be soon. Having these two strong characters which is lacking in practically all mangas as the cliche is always that there should always be a vulnerable one in every story, but really, Ciel and Sebastian are both strong and together, they're undefeatable as they both make up for each of their own weaknesses. Both so independent yet dependent of another, making readers love them so much and the author's care in creating this work is seen through each chapter, carefully drawn and written. This is perfection.

Can't believe there are 18 volumes already. Hope it doesn't end soon. Kuroshitsuji has been my all time favourite and I've read it for a few years already.

... Last updated on May 12th, 2014, 5:10am

I am so glad I decided to read this, despite it being a shounen I love it, The summary does not do this justice, All the characters are great and well developed and the artwork is amazing, I dont find any of the chracters annoying at all, even the ditzy maid is hilarious. This is not one to be missed 10+ from me for this series.