By: Yana Toboso
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Series: 黒執事 [Kuroshitsuji] (#2)
Summary:As high society's social calendar opens up and the Season draws to a close, London is gripped by fear. Someone has taken to stalking women of the night and painting the town red...in their blood. The name on everyone's lips seems to be "Jack the Ripper" - and as a result, the name on Queen Victoria's lips is Phantomhive. Summoned to London to clean up the mess created by this madman, Ciel Phantomhive arrives with Sebastian, his extraordinary butler, at his side to pour him tea, polish his silver, and...investigate a serial killer. And with the aid (and occasional interference) of a few of the Phantomhive house's numerous acquaintances, little stands in the way of the young earl getting to the bottom of this mystery. However, one question remains...can he handle the shattering truth behind it?
Review:As the Season draws to a close and high society’s social calendar opens up, fear grips London. Someone is stalking women of the night and painting the town red...in their blood. Everyone seems to talk about “Jack the Ripper”.
Ciel Phantomhive comes to London, summoned by Queen Victoria, to clean up the mess left behind by this madman. He arrives with Sebastian, his extraordinary butler, by his side to serve him tea, polish his silver, and investigate a murder. With the help (and interference) of a few Phantomhive house acquaintances, the young earl unravels this mystery with little difficulty. But can he handle the shattering truth behind it?
It starts with a domestic comedy sequence, then moves onto investigating this famous crime. Since the manga is based on a true story, the author alters the details quite a bit.
Yana Toboso introduces us to some new characters. The author introduces Undertaker in this volume, someone we shouldn’t underestimate as He will eventually unveil their secrets.
Ciel’s late mother’s sister, Baroness Angelina Dalles, or Madame Red, along with Grell Sutcliff, the awkward butler of Madame Red, has a secret that will shift the course of the investigation.
We will also learn more about Ciel and Sebastian’s pact in this manga since the author reveals that Ciel’s right eye holds the seal of the contract and thanks to the seal.
Toboso’s decision to make Ciel twelve years old was unnecessary. I guess it makes him more prone to buffeting, pushing around, and otherwise being put in vulnerable positions, but that’s not exactly a significant reason.If he were older, his position as a manufacturing head would carry more weight. It remains as it is, not what it isn’t. A more interesting story would have resulted if Ciel had been older. It would have allowed for a more interesting dynamic between himself and Sebastian, and would have given Ciel more agency.
This whole arch with Jack the Ripper and Madame Red is really cool. Although the pacing was a little off (the middle had some really slow sections), I enjoyed it overall. The way things turned out was shocking. I definitely need volume 3.
There is a slight improvement in the second volume over the first. The improvement is not significant, but it is in the right direction. The second volume is still not as good as it could have been, but it shows that the manga is making progress.