Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Olorin666
A wonderful season. In my personal opinion, you can just start with this one. You can skip Season 2 entirely—and even the canonical episodes of the first season. The soundtrack and opening are among the best in anime, period. The circus story is really cool—a well-crafted, flawless narrative with no lulls. The characters are interesting—I really love the circus in works of fiction. The main villain and his motivation are well-developed; it was predictable, but no less interesting for that. The pacing is excellent—I watched it in one sitting. Finally, there’s a focus on drama and fewer dumb jokes and yaoi elements. A mature, cool, and engaging story. A wonderful season.
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
Kuroshitsuji is one of those anime that completely pulls you into its world before you even realize what’s happening. It was only my third anime ever, and somehow I got totally lost in it in the best possible way. I watched it together with my sister, and that alone made the experience even more special. There’s something about sharing all the twists, the humor, the dark moments, and the absolute chaos of this series with someone else that makes it unforgettable. The atmosphere of Kuroshitsuji is unlike anything else. It mixes elegance, mystery, gothic aesthetics, and dark humor so perfectly that every episode feels like stepping into a beautifully twisted Victorian fairy tale. And of course, Sebastian and Ciel are such iconic characters. Their dynamic is intense, clever, emotional, and so…
Read at the sourcecolelouch
This truly feels like the real beginning of the Black Butler franchise and what the series is fundamentally about. The earlier seasons almost seem like they existed just to introduce characters like Grell and Agni, but this arc sets the actual tone and emotional depth of the story. The atmosphere is fantastic, and the opening theme is strikingly unique, one that will definitely stick with me. It subtly hints at the emotional emptiness and sorrow the show is about to dive into.
Though the arc is relatively short, it’s sharply focused. The circus troupe is largely memorable, and the core members make a strong impression despite their limited screen time, though I do wish we had gotten to spend more time with them. The narrative is deeply tragic, and for the first time, we truly get to explo…
Read at the sourcePanda_Roll
The book of circus is taken directly from the manga volumes 6-8 after the curry arc.
The fanfic season 2 is retconned and we continue from season 1.
EXCEPT!
This is what Black Butler should have been, the quality of writing shows putting it leaps and bounds beyond anything from S1.
Ciel is investigating a string of child kidnappings that coincide with the circus coming to town. This one is darker than you think so keep that warning in mind. There is one line that Sabastian utters that sums up his character. "This is part of the butler's aesthetic."
This isn't the static deus ex machina from the past season, this is a demon and he is VERY hungry. The "butler" mask is paper thin and he makes a joke of it, that it's his current "aesthetic" and nothing more.
Ciel also manages to get a pe…
Read at the sourceNerdodivergent
This is by far my favorite season/arc/etc of Black Butler. The story? Hilarious. Watching Sebastian be his perfect self while Ciel nearly dies from doing the bare minimum is incredible. The characters? I love them. A lot of new characters are brought into this arc and the fact that time is given to develop them and give them each distinct personalities is really great (Doll is my favorite and SHE DESERVED BETTER). The ending? My jaw was on the floor. I won't spoil anything but I really loved how much they dived into Ciel's backstory. A lot of questions were answered (Not all!) and you really got to see Ciel as scared little kid he tries so hard to hide. I could watch this arc over and over again and still be on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you were disappointed in the show for go…
Read at the sourceLoopsiePages
If this didn't have snake or doll this would be unwatchable. it is only for edgy shock value and the creepiest anime character ever made that people still inexplicably ship with a 13 year old.
The anime is like watchable in the first half not gonna lie, they had us, and then BOOM it all went down hill and started being really really edgy and really really really have Sebastian do horrible things cause he's a horrible person. Why must he be so close to this child? Constantly? Because he’s traumatized and is basically being groomed by this stupid demon that wants to literally eat him.
Everything about the circus people is suffering after suffering for no reason except to be edgy. There wasn’t even a clown in this circus.
Read at the sourcecocolita22
I love this OVA! Definitely my favorite OVA of any show. It's full of fan-service for the eagle-eyed BL lovers out there looking for a hint between Sebastian and Ciel! Trust me, you will love this OVA, especially the second half.
Most importantly, the plot is amazing and unique! A circus?!?! We don't see that very often in anime. The mystery component was so surprising. I don't want to spoil at all but this will shock you! You might even be startled. This is a journey I think you need to go into completely blind!!!
Even if you've never seen Black Butler before, I think you would enjoy this set of episodes.
Read at the sourceLZ58840
This is my first review here. I am writing it after completing all 10 episodes, watching one per day. I have only previously watched the first season a few years ago and liked most of it. I have not read any of the source material (manga).
### Story ### (7.7)
This is a pretty juicy story full of mystery, action, and dark themes. It isn't my favourite type of story but it's well established here. The first episode does a good job of quickly (re-)introducing the main protagonists. The antagonists were introduced well but I felt they could have used more action time, especially in the final battle. The pacing throughout the show could have seen some improvement, especially during the final battle and at the story's climax. The ending felt a bit rushed with some unfulfilled dialogue, and I t…
Read at the sourceGhost-Hardware
After the poor, anime-only season 2 ended (while barely making sense along the way) we thankfully have A-1 Pictures willing take a risk by retconning it and giving us a great adaption of what I thought was probably the best arc from the manga.
I appreciate straight adaptions and there's little deviation from the source here. One notable change, and one I did appreciate, is a scene where the circus group kidnap one of their child victims. It was well put together and surprisingly violent as well. This is the sort of thing which adds instead of taking away from the source material. Speaking of violence, this was one of the darkest series I’ve watched. It was quite a leap from what came before it, and you could argue it bordered on being tasteless. Then again, I think the darker moments are…
Read at the sourceBobbatea
I love this season, I like it better than the first season. I think the graphics are better and I think the artwork is well done. I love the characters and the plot as well. I did think it was a little bit too dark, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I think that season 3 was better than all of the other seasons. This one was well made and actually made sense, I didn't really enjoy season 1, well I did enjoy but only a few episodes, I didn't like season 2, I thought season 2 didn't make any sense and that it was all over the place. I really like Black Butler but I prefer the manga better. The manga has amazing art and I think is very well made, I solute Yana Toboso for doing such a good job. I hope that they make a season 4 soon because I would definitely watch it.
Read at the sourceMichael_Lotz
Holy! this season was amazing compared to the first two. I found myself watching the whole thing in one day I only watched this season because I had already watched the first two so I was like why not but this season blew my mind I loved all the circus characters and the development of certain characters, and the action was great this season this is worth watching the first two seasons to understand this one cause its amazing. My favorite new character was joker and the way they developed his character as someone who loved their father but at the same time was terrified of them. This season overall is so close to a 10/10 for me it is a must watch
Read at the sourceTypicalBravo
If only MAL allowed us to do decimals in our ratings, for me Book of Circus would get a 8.5.
For the Story I gave it a 7 mainly because the first few episodes seem to lack direction and to me are rather boring. And because of that I actually dropped this anime once, hence why it gets a 7 for Story.
For Art I also gave it a 7, the art style throughout Kuoshitsuji is great, and there is nothing different in the style here.
For Sound I gave it an 8, this is due to the sound really brining forward the key moments of the plot, and helping us feel a mix of emotions about all the characters. This is most prominet in the last OST track you here in the show, it is called With the Wind and its melody connects you with the characters, and for me got me to cry.
For Character I gave it an 8 becaus…
Read at the sourceitzz_dotty
No offence but was this really a season 3? Like season 2 wasn't even canon and basically this one was an arc in 10 episodes
-Story- 10/10
Young boy and his demon butler go to a circus that's full of people who kidnap children and remove their heathly limbs in order to give them prosthetics that the dude who is all behind this circus makes. Sounds legit
-Art- 10/10
As I have said in my two previous Kuroshitsuji reviews, the artsyle of the show is really good and amazes me
-Sound- 10/10
The opening and ending were trully enjoyable, the VA was really cool too -Character- 10/10
Characters had a lot of depth, nothing much to say
-Enjoyment- 8/10
I will admit that you somewhat know what to expect, the ending is somewhat predictable but not really. It did infact dissapoint me
-Overall- 9/10…
Read at the sourceHarmonywind5
I feel like many people see Black Butler as generally a light-hearted show that caters to a more female audience. Having only watched the first season minus the filler episodes toward the end, Book of Circus served as a shocking realization of just how brutal and dark a franchise Black Butler can be.
Story: 9
One of the most compelling story arcs in the series, Book of Circus will leave you feeling chilled down to your bone marrow. After the light-hearted fanfare of season 1, I never expected Book of Circus to be quite so dark and despairing. The end of the arc left a particularly strong impression on me, and I've never forgotten how cold and unfeeling the narrative was in dealing with the tragedies in this arc. I don't have the words to properly express how I felt in those moments beyon…
Read at the sourceakirios39
I didn’t like this season. I loved the end with the fight in the mansion cause it reminded me so much of season one, but everything else was a bit of a drag... This season did not have the same wit and charm as the first season of the show. The characters were fine. But the pacing of the beginning was too fast for me and hard for my dummy stupid brain to follow. But as it went on it was easier to follow along with. There were scenes that made me feel sick to my stomach. The Circus at Kelvin’s in particular felt like it was all just done for shock value. While stuff done like that was more tolerable in the first season.
I liked Soma more in this season than I did in the first season, I don’t know why though. Basically all the characters from season one made me happy, but Joker was also kin…
Read at the sourceBabyGirl06301
Well, this was definitely the best season thus far. Probably because the entire season was in the actual manga. Good for season three for sticking to the source material.
Finally seeing Ciel's past was refreshing, especially since it paved the way for brilliant character development. Additionally, the circus troupe's characters were a delightful addition to this season, as opposed to last season where the added characters were dull (for the most part). Overall, the depth that was seen in all of the characters this season was awesome.
The only nitpick I have with season three is that we didn't see much between Sebastian and Ciel. They were essentially separated the entire time, which I suppose was the point of this season (i.e. Ciel forging his own path), but it was still sad. Also, it…
Read at the sourceSpringball64
DISCLAIMER: This review contains minor plot spoilers, discretion is advised. They will not ruin the anime, but they may spoil or hint at a plot twist.
Book of Circus was really good! I think it was a great expansion of the series, and it didn't do what some other anime do with "LOOK CLOWNS, BOO!" It instead actually uses different elements to provide some scare tactics, and makes the clown an actual character.
Story: The story in this anime was really good, it had few plot errors or mishaps, and managed to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout its entirety. It never felt slow, or too fast, with its perfect pacing, giving you just enough time to digest the new information given to you, before feeding you even more. 9/10 for story.
Art: The art style is consistent and the high-quality…
Read at the sourcestraydogsaturn
After watching the second season, it took me a good while to come around to wanting to watch this season. But wow, am I glad I did.
Book of Circus is the shortest of the seasons so far, but by far, I'd consider it the best. It's ten episodes and I knocked it out in a day, something I don't do often. It took me about a month to finish the first season, and even longer to finish the second one, but this, my lord.
Book of Circus introduces the Noah's Ark Circus, an entertaining group of circus performers who captured my attention right away. They're interesting characters, and though you know they're the villains, you can't help but love them!
Sebastian and Ciel remain the same duo, maybe even slightly more entertaining than the last season. They're sent to the Noah's Ark Circus to inves…
Read at the sourceAppleIceCream
Hi again!
So, watching this season was a really pleasurable experience.
Story (10)
This one has a very good thing that the previous seasons didn't have. It's canon, it was manga based. So I feel I can take it seriously.
I mean, I liked the ending of the first season, I enjoyed the second season but I put that things in my hands and I think... "where I put this in the storyline?" because I know that the manga will lead in a different way.
So I kinda see the endings of the two seasons like alternative endings.
I don't know if I already said it but I would have prefered that the second season would just focus on Alois and Claude without putting Sebastian and amnesic Ciel on the middle too. It left things kinda messy.
But back to this season: I really liked the concept and development…
Read at the sourceMayumiMay_
From the beginning: The name of the circus. (I may be plotting, but I thought it might be a reference).
"Noah's ark was able to carry much load and served to save Noah's family." The circus is a way to keep all the main characters together. It is like a boat, that there is capacity for much cargo. There is a place for everyone who wants to enter, as in this case, Sebastian and Ciel, who enter the circus through information.
This bow is one of the best in my opinion. (Actually, I love the circus theme in movies and animations, from the general). Something remarkable is that whenever an anime / movie tackles this theme, or the story is sad, or it's scary. In children's tales, there may be a happy ending. Perhaps.
Taking advantage of what I mentioned about children's tales, there is a popu…
Read at the source
