since every review seems to be giving the story a summary, I don't think ill need to include another version in mine, so anyway if you're into dark plot, but not at a horror or overly disturbing level (PG-15) then this is for you.

Regarding the characters, Ciel is a walking mess of contradiction - which makes him quite a tortured and interesting character. I wouldn't say he's realistic, but for a manga, I think he's 3 dimensional enough. Sebastian is a bit cardboard cutout, but tolerable (given what he is) and his sarcastic egoistic personality makes up for it. To be honest, their relationship seems to be the main attraction for this manga - at least that's what bringin' all the fangirls to the yard. It's one of those: not shounen-ai, but using that aspect as fanservice and I don't blame the author, it's a pretty natural route to take for that kind of plot and 'half shounen half shoujo' esque kind of art

the other characters do okay as supporting roles, most of them are quite eccentric and rather weird, which gives the manga a good shounen dynamic... the comic relief is nice, but sometimes overdone and unnecessary

the plot is separated into arcs and each is based (sometimes quite loosely) on British historical or folkloric events, which is often a nice spin. The author seems to have the habit of alternating the arcs between dark and humorous one, its up to you to decide whichever is your cup of tea. As for the mystery aspect of the manga, I don't find my jaw dropping at the plot twist - but maybe that's just because im too old for this kind of plot

the art is something you might want to read for. Like I said, it has a half shoujo, half shounen esque style, much like any other mangas published by Gfantasy - the latter chapters seem to lean more towards the latter category, with the increase in action sequences. Oh and the author has a knack for victorian fashion with a modern gothic touch so the clothing is nice to look at. The art is certainly detailed enough, but still stays very crisp and clean (as someone has mentioned), and the composition gives a nice dynamic and impact, which is a another plus

so to sum it up, this manga is popular because the author knows who she's targeting and what's she doing - not to mention, it's marketed by square enix for god sake. So if you're into stuff like Pandora Hearts, Nabari, Code Geas or even KHR, give this a try.

... Last updated on May 18th, 2011, 1:41am

this is great I'm in love with the series but I hate Elizabeth not because of Ceil marring his cousin I love to see more Shounen AI content there in my option is a smige But I thank Ceil is ready to die this is all he has left is his hatred and desire for revenge Also Ceil Thanks as Elizabeth as more of a sister then a bride also the green witch I sense a new member of the house hold love the updated plot twist

... Last updated on March 8th, 2019, 2:38pm

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.

This manga series is very different from the rest. the artwork is beautiful and the fight scenes are crisp.. unlike some others with garbled fight scenes(you know.. like lines and stuff)
the storyline is very gripping and a lot of research seems to have been done for this manga. the biggest cliche of everything happening in japan is avoided. thats a huge plus point, i think. the Victorian era setting is definitely good.

the charecters are good.. some of them could have been avoided, though. i think the true identities of the other Phantomhive servants should have been revealed a bit sooner.and althogh we might find Ciel's attitude all high-and-mighty and aloof, it is totally justified after his past is revealed. anyone would be devoid of feelings if they were ever to be exposed to all that he has been through. and we really do get to see the kind-heartedness of ciel when he takes in his servants(Finny,Bard and Snake, especially). and yeah, if you wear your heart on your sleeve, being a nobleman, you'll totally get eaten alive(figure of speech..). so Ciel's aloofness is ok i guess. and Sebastian's charecter is also good. his perfectness,i think is just to please the fans and probably to sell and give a hype to the series.

the lizzy twist is just frikkin great!!

the arcs are interesting.. the murder arc is the best and the credit also goes to the translators for thier work.. they make it seem like a part of a typical mystery novel.. all arcs bit by bit give a hint of the bigger picture.

another thing i liked about this is the curry arc... being an Indian, i really loved the way Yana Toboso has depicted the prince and Agni(the word Agni means fire in our language). and also the whole curry cooking process and the importance of the combination of spices has been really well put forth. the reseach about lord Shiva and the caste system(now totally non-existant) too is good. this is the first series with India part of the storyline.
all in all, a very interesting series...

Rating:10/10

... Last updated on June 26th, 2011, 10:41am

I agree with the person below me. The first chapter, even though it may seem, random-ish actually adds to the story. It's kind of like an introduction or lead in a book. It introduces all the characters and their personalities, and show you how their life normally leads. Manga is kind of like books (in my opinion.) There are great books out their with not-so-great leads. However, I think this manga had a great lead. If the mangaka just smacked a problem right into the first chapter, it would seem sort of abrupt and there really wouldn't be any way to introduce all of the characters and the situations they normally live, in my opinion, because the characters are actually well-rounded and have unique personalities. It's kind of hard to explain. Oh well. I just defend things that deserve it.

The first chapter is just an introduction. It's explaining Ciel and his situation aswell as a little preview of his personality and his relationship with Sebastian, who is quite unreal. The chef, gardener and maid are small pieces of comic relief (I never found them funny, though). You start to wonder how they even have their jobs and why Ciel even bothered to hire them (how he's a rich little brat with Sebastian for a butler. How can he not expect the best?). They seem to be idiots, but trust me, they're quite amazing.

My advice would be to continue with this manga. And also, don't go rating the entire manga a 1/10 after reading the first chapter, and only reading the first chapter.

I am quite attached to this manga. This is strange, as I usually need to have some sort of romance to stay with the story. This manga is a piece of little mystery arcs; some more important and interesting than others. That being said, you don't have to have a particular interest in or skill with mysteries. Nearly every arc begins with Ciel having tea, he and Sebastian hearing about something strange and then Ciel sending Sebastian off to investigate. Sebastian comes back with an insufficient amount of information, so with a lead, they venture off to discover the truth. Every arc is unique and interesting.

I must disagree with a statement about Kuroshitsuji being a light horror and dark comedy. This is definitely not a "light" horror story, and the comedy is not at all prominent or twisted/ disturbing. The cliched original plot is a little light, but the horror can be very real (speaking more in a literal sense). There aren't many crude, graphic pictures like in some intentionally disgusting mangas. This manga is more a psychological horror in the case of Ciel Phantomhive. I have been moved by him and his horrible, terrifying past. How he manages to deal with and accept Sebastian sometimes is truly amazing.

On to the characters! Ciel Phantomhive is really, a very fascinating character. Quite unrealistic, but very interesting. I once had to sit down and really analyze his character before appreciating him the way I do now. I have found him to be mature in many cases, but with many others he's still very childish. I'll leave that for you to discover, yourself. Sebastian's character isn't focused so much on his personality as it is -what- he is. That's really the key to his whole personality. Teasing, apathetic, cruel, etc. Some other prominent characters are more detailed and interesting (ie: Lau), but many of the others are stereotypes, comic relief, and cliched.

Don't let that dissuade you! Not every character needs such an in-depth personality in a manga. If anything, it makes the main characters more real; makes you love them more.

Love this manga. Can be really dark one second only to turn into complete hilarity at the drop of a hat. Love the Victorian setting which goes perfectly with the supernatural plot line. Ceil and his entire household are extremely likable, they are all so endearing! Lau and his doxxie are very cute as well.
I better stop early before I go onto a full on rant.

If you like dark comedy and light horror then pick this series up. Oh and the anime is pretty decent too.

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 must have missed something, but what was chapter 1 even about? I sat clicking through the pages but Black Butler seemed to have no intentions of telling a story. It was horrifying to see a mangaka, a magazine and several publishers waste 40+ pages on, well, nothing. It doesn't need to jump right into action and plot, as a quick look through the genres would promise, but it does not even feel like a manga. In that respect, innovating is too much of an understatement.

Edit: I've seen repeated dicriptions of eyecandy and gorgous. Honestly, the artwork is more than good enough, but it's not original. There are similar artists with similar styles, everywhere, half of whom draw better, cleaner battle scenes. The characters were obviously designed to serve vey specific purposes, you could tell at first glance who was going to matter and who wasn't (why bother give the maid and the chef names anyway?). It's typical shoujo art, I mean, have you ever seen so much sparklies in a shounen manga, ever?

Edit 2: I get it. Only it's just as incredibly transparent in its appeal. From what I have seen the writing is conventional if not poor, and the poses are awkward.

It's not even spoiler: For chapter 1: Look how hot and awesome the butler is. Look how spoiled the brat it. For the entire series: Wallow in the UST!

... Last updated on April 12th, 2012, 10:25am

this is an awesome manga!
the story is very original. you wont find it in other manga! far better than anime version.
i dunno why, after read the manga, i hate the anime version which is bad.
Ciel is so adorable and Sebby is so dependable.
the only question that left is, will it end with a happy ending or bad one?