Kuroshitsuji
Encyclopedia
is a manga
written and illustrated by Yana Toboso
. Since its debut on September 16, 2006, it has been serialized in Square Enix
's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy.
The series follows Sebastian Michaelis, a demonic butler
who is bound by a supernatural contract to serve Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of the Phantomhive noble family and the business-savvy owner of the Funtom company, a toy manufacturer. In return, when Ciel has finished all of his tasks, including avenging his parents' deaths, Sebastian will be allowed to kill him and take his soul. It was announced in July 2008 that an anime adaption, directed by Shinohara Toshiya and produced by A-1 Pictures
, was expected. It premiered in October 2008, and has since ended with 24 episodes. The second season aired in 2010 spanning 12 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus. The series has been licensed by Yen Press
in North America and published in Yen Plus
August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary.
on the outskirts of Victorian era
London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the orphaned twelve-year-old head of an English noble family and a toy and candy empire, who serves directly under the Queen as her "guard dog". Master Phantomhive's parents were murdered when Ciel was little. As a result, he made a pact with a demon asking for vengeance upon those who had disgraced him and the Phantomhive name, in exchange for his soul. Now, Sebastian carries out any task required by his Master, perfectly solving problems plaguing England with ease, due to his demonic lineage and the Faustian contract with Ciel.
manga magazine Monthly GFantasy since its debut in the October 2006 issue. The chapters are also published in collected volumes
by Square Enix
. The first volume was released on February 27, 2007 and as of November 27, 2009, eight volumes have been released so far. Yen Press
licensed the series for an English language release and serialized the manga in Yen Plus
August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary. The publisher released the first volume in January 2010. French publisher Kana
licensed the series in under the Dark Kana imprint as Black Butler. The publisher released the first volume in November 2009. Carlsen Comics has licensed the series in Germany as Black Butler, the same title used for the French and English releases. The second volume was released in May 2010. On October 31, 2010 Italian publisher Planet Manga announced the licensing of the series. The first volume was released on April 28, 2011.
. It featured many of the characters appearing in volumes one and two. A second drama CD was released on November 26, 2008 under the Aniplex
label.
adaption, directed by Shinohara Toshiya and produced by A-1 Pictures
, was expected. It premiered in October 2008 and broadcasted on the Tokyo Broadcasting System
as well as the Mainichi Broadcasting System
. On January 1, 2009, a limited edition DVD
containing the first episode was released by Aniplex
. The next three episodes were released on another DVD on February 25, 2009.
At the event, on June 14, 2009, it was announced that the anime will be returning for a second series. Japanese voice actor
Junichi Suwabe
confirmed this news on his official blog later that day. The second series, Kuroshitsuji II, premiered in July and follows a butler, Claude Faustus, and his master, Alois Trancy, as well as Sebastian and Ciel. Both new characters were designed by Toboso.
On March 29, 2010, North American anime distributor Funimation Entertainment
announced on their online FuniCon 3.0 panel that they have licensed Black Butler. At Anime Expo
2010, Funimation also announced that they will stream the simulcast series, Black Butler 2. Funimation announced on their Facebook page that they have fully licensed the second season.
On January 11, 2011, Animax Asia airing the first season every Monday to Friday at 10:30pm.
The series made its North American television debut on February 8, 2011 on the Funimation Channel
.
Black Butler is currently airing on Australia's C31 and TVS
station during Super Happy Anime Hour.
between May 28, 2009 and June 7, 2009. Yuya Matsushita
portrayed Sebastian Michaelis, Shougo Sakamoto
played Ciel Phantomhive and Uehara Takuya as Grelle Sutcliffe.
, the second musical adaptation of the manga, ran at Akasaka Act Theater (1300 seats) in Akasaka, Tokyo
, Nagoya, and Osaka
, between May 3, 2010 and May 23, 2010.
Yuya Matsushita
will reprise his role as Sebastian Michaelis, Yukito Nishii will play Ciel Phantomhive, and Uehara Takuya will reprise his role as Grelle Sutcliffe. Written by Mari Okada, Directed by Sakurako Fukuyama,
Music by Taku Iwasaki
, Lyric by Yukinojho Mori.
and was released on March 19, 2009. The game is sold in two versions, a limited first-press edition with a higher price and numerous extra goods, and a regular edition.
The Japanese music distributor Recochoku has created an annual survey of which anime characters that people would like to marry. Sebastian Michaelis ranked ninth in the category "The Character I Want to Be My Groom".
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Yana Toboso
Yana Toboso
is a female Japanese manga artist born in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan and currently resides in Yokohama.-Works:* Rust Blaster is a 2006 six-chapter manga published by Square Enix in one volume. It tells the story of a human and a vampire who both attend Millennium Academy, a school for...
. Since its debut on September 16, 2006, it has been serialized in Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy.
The series follows Sebastian Michaelis, a demonic butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
who is bound by a supernatural contract to serve Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of the Phantomhive noble family and the business-savvy owner of the Funtom company, a toy manufacturer. In return, when Ciel has finished all of his tasks, including avenging his parents' deaths, Sebastian will be allowed to kill him and take his soul. It was announced in July 2008 that an anime adaption, directed by Shinohara Toshiya and produced by A-1 Pictures
A-1 Pictures
is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...
, was expected. It premiered in October 2008, and has since ended with 24 episodes. The second season aired in 2010 spanning 12 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus. The series has been licensed by Yen Press
Yen Press
Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...
in North America and published in Yen Plus
Yen Plus
Yen Plus is an American monthly anthology magazine of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and Original English-language manga published by Yen Press. The first issue went on sale on July 29, 2008 with five manga titles originally published by Gangan Comics, four manhwa titles, and two OEL manga titles...
August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary.
Plot
In a manor houseManor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
on the outskirts of Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the orphaned twelve-year-old head of an English noble family and a toy and candy empire, who serves directly under the Queen as her "guard dog". Master Phantomhive's parents were murdered when Ciel was little. As a result, he made a pact with a demon asking for vengeance upon those who had disgraced him and the Phantomhive name, in exchange for his soul. Now, Sebastian carries out any task required by his Master, perfectly solving problems plaguing England with ease, due to his demonic lineage and the Faustian contract with Ciel.
Manga
Written and drawn by Yana Toboso, the chapters of Black Butler have been serialized in the shōnenShonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga magazine Monthly GFantasy since its debut in the October 2006 issue. The chapters are also published in collected volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
. The first volume was released on February 27, 2007 and as of November 27, 2009, eight volumes have been released so far. Yen Press
Yen Press
Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...
licensed the series for an English language release and serialized the manga in Yen Plus
Yen Plus
Yen Plus is an American monthly anthology magazine of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and Original English-language manga published by Yen Press. The first issue went on sale on July 29, 2008 with five manga titles originally published by Gangan Comics, four manhwa titles, and two OEL manga titles...
August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary. The publisher released the first volume in January 2010. French publisher Kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
licensed the series in under the Dark Kana imprint as Black Butler. The publisher released the first volume in November 2009. Carlsen Comics has licensed the series in Germany as Black Butler, the same title used for the French and English releases. The second volume was released in May 2010. On October 31, 2010 Italian publisher Planet Manga announced the licensing of the series. The first volume was released on April 28, 2011.
Drama CD
On August 10, 2007 a drama CD was released by Frontier WorksFrontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products...
. It featured many of the characters appearing in volumes one and two. A second drama CD was released on November 26, 2008 under the Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
label.
Anime
In July 2008, it was announced that an animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaption, directed by Shinohara Toshiya and produced by A-1 Pictures
A-1 Pictures
is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...
, was expected. It premiered in October 2008 and broadcasted on the Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
as well as the Mainichi Broadcasting System
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
. On January 1, 2009, a limited edition DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
containing the first episode was released by Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
. The next three episodes were released on another DVD on February 25, 2009.
At the event, on June 14, 2009, it was announced that the anime will be returning for a second series. Japanese voice actor
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
Junichi Suwabe
Junichi Suwabe
is a Japanese voice actor working for Haikyo. His most known roles involve, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques , Archer , Keigo Atobe and Omega ....
confirmed this news on his official blog later that day. The second series, Kuroshitsuji II, premiered in July and follows a butler, Claude Faustus, and his master, Alois Trancy, as well as Sebastian and Ciel. Both new characters were designed by Toboso.
On March 29, 2010, North American anime distributor Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
announced on their online FuniCon 3.0 panel that they have licensed Black Butler. At Anime Expo
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
2010, Funimation also announced that they will stream the simulcast series, Black Butler 2. Funimation announced on their Facebook page that they have fully licensed the second season.
On January 11, 2011, Animax Asia airing the first season every Monday to Friday at 10:30pm.
The series made its North American television debut on February 8, 2011 on the Funimation Channel
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
.
Black Butler is currently airing on Australia's C31 and TVS
Television Sydney
TVS, or Television Sydney , is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.-History:Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials...
station during Super Happy Anime Hour.
Musical
, a musical adaptation of the manga, had run at the Sunshine Theater in IkebukuroIkebukuro
is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits....
between May 28, 2009 and June 7, 2009. Yuya Matsushita
Yuya Matsushita
is a Japanese R&B and Hip Hop singer and performer. He is signed under Epic Records.His debut single "foolish foolish" was released on November 26, 2008.- Biography :...
portrayed Sebastian Michaelis, Shougo Sakamoto
Shougo Sakamoto
is a Japanese actor and entertainer. He is best known for his role as the main protagonist Ryoma Echizen of the fourth generation Seigaku cast in The Prince of Tennis musical series, Tenimyu.-TV:...
played Ciel Phantomhive and Uehara Takuya as Grelle Sutcliffe.
, the second musical adaptation of the manga, ran at Akasaka Act Theater (1300 seats) in Akasaka, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Nagoya, and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, between May 3, 2010 and May 23, 2010.
Yuya Matsushita
Yuya Matsushita
is a Japanese R&B and Hip Hop singer and performer. He is signed under Epic Records.His debut single "foolish foolish" was released on November 26, 2008.- Biography :...
will reprise his role as Sebastian Michaelis, Yukito Nishii will play Ciel Phantomhive, and Uehara Takuya will reprise his role as Grelle Sutcliffe. Written by Mari Okada, Directed by Sakurako Fukuyama,
Music by Taku Iwasaki
Taku Iwasaki
is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Iwasaki is generally known for his jazz-like score music.-Anime:...
, Lyric by Yukinojho Mori.
Video game
A video game for Nintendo DS, called Black Butler: Phantom & Ghost was developed by Square EnixSquare Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
and was released on March 19, 2009. The game is sold in two versions, a limited first-press edition with a higher price and numerous extra goods, and a regular edition.
Book
On February 27, 2008, the was released. The was released on March 27, 2009. An official comics anthology was also released on that date.Reception
During the week of December 18 to 24, 2007, the third volume ranked third in comic sales in Japan. The fourth volume also placed, ranked ninth during the week of June 3 to 9, 2008. The fifth volume placed second during the week of September 16 to 22, and fell to third place the following week of September 23 to 29. The volume remained on the chart for a third week, placing tenth during the September 30 October 6 week. The sixth volume followed suit and placed first from January 27 to February 2, 2009, selling 359,703 copies. During its second week on the chart, the volume sold an additional 100,466 copies, ranking seventh for the week of February 3 to 9. The third week, the volume continued to fall, placing ninth and selling 45,653 copies during the week of February 10 to 16. During the week of June 22 to 28, the seventh volume ranked third selling 167,692 copies and remained third during the following week of June 29 to July 5, selling an additional 256,164 copies. The volume fell to eighth selling another 66,954 copies during the week of July 6 to July 12 and fell to twenty-first during the week of July 13 to July 19, selling an additional 29,951 copies. In addition to the volumes, the comics anthology Rainbow Butler ranked seventeenth during the week of March 31 to April 6 selling 41,083 copies after ranking thirty-third the previous week. The fourth and fifth volumes ranked thirty-third and thirty-ninth of the top-selling manga in Japan during 2008, selling 529,210 copies and 468,550 copies respectively. The sixth volume ranked thirteenth of the top-selling manga in Japan during the first half of 2009, selling 619,501 copies. The series itself was ranked tenth of the top-selling manga series in Japan during 2009, selling a total of 1,603,197 estimated copies.The Japanese music distributor Recochoku has created an annual survey of which anime characters that people would like to marry. Sebastian Michaelis ranked ninth in the category "The Character I Want to Be My Groom".
External links
- Official Square Enix website
- Official anime website
- Black Butler at Funimation's site