Black Butler: Book of Murder

Smugdear★ 8

There is a truth that not needed to discover for our own good Bringing the old tradition of the classical detective story theme, Book of Murder covers right after Book of Circus arc. The story starts in Phantomhive manor, the queen order Ciel Phantomhive to held a banquet in his manor. The banquet was poisoned by a homicide that quickly turned the banquet into a death zone. Ciel must unravel the truth within the homicide. This OVA actually did their job well. Although there is no "mystery" in the genres, Book of Murder offers the genres. The mystery have both predictable & unpredictable things, but despite ofthat, the anime still managed to allure the audience with its excitement. The characters do their roles pretty well, there is a historical character that can be found here (Arthur Conan Doyle) The animation and the sound settings still the same with previous seasons, it's well matched & nice. Overall, it's just another Kuroshitsuji OVA that does their job well in bringing the intense excitement to the story ranks.

eskimoseb★ 8

In a match made in heaven, the Japanese interpretation of English aristocracy finally meets one of the most English of inventions, the mighty Sherlock Holmes! This is Black Butler’s most serious and mature arc yet. Fear not though, because it’s also one of its best. Book of Murder’s two hour long episodes are a very worthy addition the Black Butler universe. Book of Murder places a stronger focus than is Black Butler’s norm on the details of the storyline, so I am happy to say that story-wise this is one of the strongest entries to the series yet. Chronologically, Murder sits right after the Book ofCircus arc, so you’ll definitely want to watch that first. For people who have watched Circus, Book of Murder nicely references events of the Circus storyline, while tying up a few loose ends to the Circus arc. The story of Murder is unabashedly well trodden, as a cast of characters are invited to a Phantomhive banquet, but find themselves being murdered one by one. The events that unfold though are anything but clichéd however, maintaining suspense and introducing some very nice twists. Unlike previous arcs, Murder’s not action-packed, so whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to you though. Don’t mistake this lack of action for being boring though, as Murder’s tense and exciting mystery provide more than enough excitement by way of compensation. It’s a classic Sherlock Holmes-esque scenario, so the cute Sherlock references here and there were more than welcome, and the story definitely takes a very Sherlock-style logical approach to solving its own mystery (although I do think there were a few lapses in logic here and there). A strong logical progression is not really why I came to watch Murder though. I came to see the more of Black Butler fantastical setting and Sebastian’s awesome powers put to full effect. Book of Murder certainly delivers here, in an intensely satisfying way. Sebastian is still ridiculously powerful, of course, but as the mystery unravels I found myself thinking not ‘Oh that was how Seb did it, that’s cheating!’ but ‘Ah, so that’s how it was done! Well that was neat’. They’re fine lines, but I’m glad to say Book of Murder stays on the proper side. With regards to pacing, Murder wraps its murder mystery up a bit quickly in my opinion, but there’s more to this story than meets the eye! Keep watching Murder, and you’ll find yourself surprised I’m sure at its unexpected ending! I’ve talked about Sebastian already since he is no doubt the main focus of your attention (he was mine!). You may be surprised to learn that Sebastian is this arc’s main focus though. No, that honour goes to our narrator Arthur. Arthur’s a struggling doctor and writer, unexpectedly receiving an invitation to the banquet because Ciel is fond of his stories. He’s smart and able to keep a cool head, so naturally becomes heavily involved in identifying the murderer, helping Ciel with some well executed displays of deduction. Arthur’s not just a super sleuth, he’s also a wonderful father figure. Arthur’s paternal instincts bring out a newer side of Ciel that I promise you’ve never seen before. With all Ciel’s confidence and meticulous planning, I sometimes forget how he is, at heart, still a 12 year old boy. Murder’s story is a mystery first and foremost, but if mystery isn’t normally your thing, you might be interested in seeing Ciel’s more vulnerable side exposed during his brief relationship with Arthur. In and of itself, this was a huge leap for Ciel’s character, so Arthur is pretty much a godsend! Apart from Arthur, there’s a mix of old and new faces at Murder’s deadly banquet. Familiar favourite like the Phantomhive staff, Lao and Ran Mao are joined by newer faces, like Grey Charles, the queen’s personal bodyguard – watch this guy, he’s an interesting one. Apart from him though, the newer additions are pretty weak in general if I’m honest. I guess when there’s a murder mystery, someone has to be the victim right? (I’m sorry, that was morbid I know…). Overall though, the focal point of this story is definitely Ciel, Arthur and Sebastian, which is good because in Book of Murder they’re all fantastic. Regarding the animation and sound, there’s not much to say about Murder other than it’s business as usual. It’s not anywhere near as action-packed as other arcs have been, so the animation isn’t quite as extravagant, but I didn’t mind at all. In addition, there’s no OP and EP to talk about, which I haven’t experienced in a while, but it drives the point home that Black Butler isn’t taking any prisoners here: it’s out to show you what it can do when it’s at its most serious and best. So to wrap up, Murder is in a way more of the same, with a familiar cast for the most part and the Ciel and Sebastian still occupying much of the attention. On the other hand Murder offers a new, more mature, sort of Black Butler. Ciel and Sebastian are still kicking underworld ass, and I for one really enjoyed the Black Butler’s take on England’s greatest detective stories. Book of Murder is a definite recommendation to fans of the franchise. Pros: Great mystery story Black Butler + Sherlock-Holmes = Win! More Sebastian! But perhaps not in a way you were expecting… Cons: Uneven pacing with quite a slow start Not very interesting cast of new side characters Not much action (could be a plus though)