Itsuki, a boy who was killed by a random attacker and reincarnated.
He reincarnates into a world where monsters called “Magui” exist in Japan – and he’s born into a family of “Exorcists,” who use magic to exterminate monsters!
Children of Exorcists are often targeted by Magui and if they’re weak, they’ll be killed again.
So Itsuki made up his mind. To become strong – to never die again.
He diligently practiced magic from infancy aiming for the strongest… only to realize.
“Oh no… I’ve worked too hard…”
A regular person who worked too hard but became the strongest!?
A fantasy tale of overwhelming effort to defeat all the Magui with extraordinary power!
The Circus adventure was also very good. The second time the manga really impressed me.
These words from Ciel really made me think:
''You fought to protect your own world, there is nothing wrong with that. After all, the justice in this world is a sham created by those in power for themselves. No one gives a damn about anyone else. If you are careless, you are sure to lose. To begin with, only two kinds of humans existed in this world: those who rob and those who are robbed. And today, I shall rob you and your allies of your futures. That's all there is to it.''
Ciel Phantomhive
Words of the aristocrat of evil. Not bad for a young boy, pretty cool words, huh? Not entirely true though, especially what the circus members did to protect their world... That was really wrong... But they were really desperate too... :/ But there is some partial truth to Ciel's words... You shouldn't go down without a fight for sure. The human justice system is a joke, but the universe has a justice system. Ciel doesn't know that; if you rob people of their futures, the universe will eventually punish you. Maybe not right away, but you are going to get it.
Alright, enough philosophizing. I've heard some complaints from some readers about the shouta fetish side of the manga. There was no shouta fanservice in the manga as far as I read, nothing lewd or anything, and I'm only one volume away from the current stuff. There was just a beautiful 13-year-old boy as one of the protagonists in the manga, just like any other beautiful character from any other age group or the other protagonist Sebastian, who was an adult. The Shouta Fetish is only in your head if you're a pedophile and find Ciel attractive. Otherwise, I wouldn't be reading this manga.
It's a really good read overall. The only reason I deducted 2 points and gave it 8 points was because of the characters setting up two boy bands... which competed with each other in the Blue Cult Arc. Victorian Era boy bands... Seriously... As a middle-aged adult man, I certainly didn't feel like the target audience during those chapters. Boy bands are one of the least appealing things for a middle-aged man. HA HA
Boy, was I wrong.
For anyone who enjoys dark Gothic Victorian fantasy, this book is perfect for you. It's a unique manga in its own right, featuring well-developed characters and a carefully thought-out plot. Now, some people might label Ciel as a "brat" and Sebastian as a "cliche," but as the story progresses, you'll find that this isn't the case at all. Each character has their own distinct personality that sets them apart from other series.
The plot may seem unclear or nonexistent at the beginning, but once the character introductions are over, the pace of events picks up quickly, and that's where this series truly shines. It skillfully incorporates original characters (like Grell) into the historical context of the era.
I can count on one hand the number of mangas supposedly set in England, but Kuroshitsuji captures the zeitgeist of the Victorian era beautifully. While reading it, I could feel the British pride, ingenuity, and etiquette that made the British Empire famous. There are numerous literary references that I appreciated, including Edgar Allan Poe and Oscar Wilde. You can see through the details that Toboso has put in that the author conducted extensive research on British culture.
Some people like to compare Kuroshitsuji to Count Cain/Godchild. Both series share some similarities, but don't let that deter you, as they are ultimately very different. Kuroshitsuji focuses more on the absence of human morals and the alienation from all that is good, while also exploring the habits of human nature and how we, as humans, are not too far removed from animals. The concept of love is largely ignored: characters who feel attached to others are often portrayed as the "fools" and "losers" of the series.
Overall, this series is fantastic to read, thanks to its stunning art and unexpected plot twists. Hats off to you, Toboso!
The enjoyment that I and other fans derive from reading Kuroshitsuji overshadows all its mediocre elements, making us view it through rose-tinted glasses. Nevertheless, I'll try my best to present my viewpoint properly.
The story receives the lowest score in this review. On the surface, we have a typical revenge story where the main character seeks to avenge his parents' deaths. Nothing new, right? But as the story unfolds, it reveals much more at its core. The 'main' plot is very complex and interesting and would deserve a 9. The problem lies with the actual events unfolding. With almost every arc, we get a new set of characters, mixed with already known ones, and some kind of mystery our main characters need to solve. And at the end, we find out more about Ciel and Sebastian or some other important character. This concept isn't inherently bad; the issue lies within some of these plot lines.
While arcs like the Titanic arc and the Circus arc are very engaging, others are simply boring. Also, the tone shift of the manga from funny to dark is sometimes fascinating, but the latest arc, centered around a boy band contest, seemed absurd. Due to the inconsistency of the arcs, I must give the story points: the core plot 9 and the subplots 6.
The art is a very intriguing aspect of the manga. It has evolved and improved so much over these more than ten years that this alone is a reason to read at least a few chapters. Especially in the newest chapters (we're currently at 136), the direction the mangaka's art takes is highly pleasing. We're at a very dramatic and crucial part of the story, and this is well-reflected in the art.
Ciel and Sebastian are our two protagonists, and their relationship is one of the core elements of this manga. Ciel is 12 at the beginning of the story, which you wouldn't guess from the way he acts. Already, there's an evident hidden backstory to this grim-looking boy living in a gigantic mansion with only a handful of servants around him. As we learn more about him, his personality becomes increasingly intriguing. Ciel is an incredibly complex character who operates in a moral gray area. He does things heroes don't do. Yet, readers root for him not because he's a good guy but because he's so damn fascinating to watch. And also because it's hard not to wish him the best when considering his ostensibly happy life.
Sebastian is a thousand-year-old demon who is such a veteran that he's bored with normal souls. So he waits for Ciel's soul while trying to drag him deeper into darkness to enhance its flavor. At times, Ciel and Sebastian's relationship resembles a typical servant-master dynamic, then sometimes a hunter-prey one, and rarely it even shows facets of friendship.
The two characters complement each other perfectly and have an amazing dynamic together. It's hard to grow bored of them.
There are other important characters as well, ranging from very unique to extremely cliché. Honorable mentions go to the Undertaker and the Queen, both characters who strongly influence the story from the background. Generally, the female characters in this manga aren't very interesting. Lizzy (Ciel's fiancée) shows some different sides as the story progresses, but the lack of chemistry between her and Ciel doesn't make reading about her very enjoyable. The same goes for the later-introduced Sieglinde. Both seem to be excuses for Yana to draw cute dresses and showcase Ciel's more lovable side, which I don't mind much, but let's just say that I'm quite glad neither Lizzy nor Sieglinde appear very often.
Other than these, we have a wide and very colorful cast, both in terms of personality and nationality.
If you don't enjoy one of the side characters, this manga should still be enjoyable, but if you strongly dislike Ciel or Sebastian (why would you though), it might be hard to read this.
As mentioned, the enjoyment in this manga can be very high at times. The main characters are captivating, and in the better arcs, uncovering the mystery at hand is also very interesting. Although the more psychoanalytic parts are what make this manga special for me, the action scenes are often entertaining—they range from very flashy and fun to very dark.
This manga deals with many dark themes, and although it never gets graphic, some scenes might be disturbing to some, so proceed with caution.
I highly recommend this manga, mostly because it is very dear to me and it might become very dear to you as well. It's an amazing character study with sometimes messy but overall good plot lines, packaged in Yana's great art.
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