Secrets to Success: Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

There is no humor greater than gallows Humor. Hence, I freaking adore Black Butler.

Black Butler, or Kuroshitsuji if you wanna be picky, is one of the most successful and well-loved supernatural animes in the medium. Playing out more like a black comedy/gothic mystery, the show follows the ersatz family of the Phantomhive Manor, specifically lord Ciel and his Butler, Sebastian. Lord Ciel, no older than 12, is under contract with the demonic Butler to find and kill the assailant who murdered Ciel’s family and burned down the manor. Once that killer is no more, Sebastian then gets to devour the young boy’s soul.

For all the instances of blatant Yaoi-Baiting, and there are plenty, Kuroshitsuji has been one of my all time favorites for a very long time. With an elegantly written plot, bittersweet drama, and bust-a-gut dark humor, the show is a delectable piece of dark chocolate, albeit with a spicy kick.

But for all my praise, it’s hard to ignore what is, ultimately, the show’s biggest issue: Sebastian.

Uh-oh, I think he heard me….

Now before you link me to miles of fanfiction about how awesome Sebastian is, let me make it very clear that I adore the Butler; he’s unbearably charming, perfect at everything he does, and so apathetic of humanity it makes some utterly hilarious moments. But that in itself is the problem. Anything fighting him will lose; anyone threatening Ciel will be thwarted; Sebastian will never be caught off guard. This eliminates a lot of possible tension in the show, as with the Hellsing series, and it leaves a single question in mind: how has this show survived with such a huge drawback?

Well, the devil’s in the details, my friends. And this show has a wicked attention span when it comes to details.

• I humbly Introduce Lord Protagonist DeHuman
  

There’s no doubt Sebastian steals the show frequently, but he simply cannot be the hero. So, why not focus on a more likable, more squishy fellow, who has absolute control over our deceptive dandy?

Enter Lord Ciel Phantomhive, Earl and sole survivor of the Phantomhive Mansion fire. Ciel, a tiny human boy forced to mature, has all the agency the series needs. As the lord of a huge estate and family business, he directs where everyone goes and what gets done about any given problem. He has a weighty backstory that affects his every move, the ability to make bad calls that lead to trouble and, most important, he control’s Sebastian’s every move. This fact is not lost on the fans, who enjoy a host of naughty thoughts about their relationship.

The author also encourages this indirectly and directly. I’ve gotten used to it.

For all Sebastian’s power and grace he is, at the end of a day, a tool to be directed. Ciel decides what his Butler does and focuses on day to day, and that decision shapes the story much better than letting Sebastian wander willy-nilly. By putting the reins in a much more flawed character, our story blossoms and carves out a much better path.

• Focus on the Journey, Sir

With all the potential Ciel brings to the show, ultimately we know how it will end: Sebastian will find the killer, make him dead, and then Om-Nom-Nom on Ciel in a way the fans did not hope he would. With this hanging over the heads of all who watch the show, we run a very real risk of the audience becoming completely apathetic. So, the key here is to make the trip there interesting, dress it up all pretty.

Um, maybe not like that…

Black Butler is focused on solving a gothic mystery, and making the lead up to the end as crazy and tense as possible. Since you never know exactly when the show’s gonna drop the hammer, especially as we find more and more people connected to the Phantomhive Murder, the tension rises and you become more invested. It also makes the journey there as interesting as possible, with flashy animation, interesting antagonists, and a dark sense of humor that will “go there” or go home.

• If You Can’t Cry, Laugh

It’s hard to imagine such a premise being fun, isn’t it? I can imagine those outside the fandom wonder how fans of this show can watch it without feeling incredibly sad. After all, aren’t we watching the downfall, the tragic fall, of the Phantomhive Family because of one little boy’s fall from grace?

We are, but we’re also watching Sebastian coo over a cat.

It’s…. so… Fluffy….

Black Butler is a tragedy, to be sure, but it doesn’t really wallow  until later in season one. The buildup to the big breakdown is pickled not with sadness but with laughter: dark comedy, slapstick, puns, you name it. And what should be jarring blends seamlessly because of Sebastian’s blunt detachment from the world, and Ciel’s bitter determination. Thus the show prevents itself from growing boring or stale by being what is, without a doubt, one of the funniest shows you will ever see, and one of the darkest.

• So Where Does This Leave us, Children?

It leaves with a show that is both funny and morbid, macabre and marvelous, and everything in between. With careful structure and clever writing techniques Yana Taboso created a show that your average anime fan may like, but your supernatural fantasy fan will adore.

 

Do you think Black Butler is the best or the worst? Why do you like/dislike the show? Feel free to leave a comment or question for me below, and don’t forget to like and follow for more content just like this.

 

My Anime Guilty Pleasures

If you follow me, which you totally should, you’ll notice  two posts in a row decrying some show or another. Both successful, and I’m grateful for that, but I also noticed a trend in the comments I got off of them both. Each time I got comments by people who both liked the post but also the show in question, a few even offering reasons why.

And you know what? That’s perfectly okay.

The internet seems to be on a high horse when it comes to taste. If someone you like dislikes something, should you dislike it too? Absolutely not because there’s no accounting for taste. Even Doug Walker, one of the web’s biggest critics, hosts a panel at anime conventions where people talk about films everyone disagrees with them on, and inevitably someone loves a film he’s thrown in the trash. But it’s okay, and it’s okay here too.

To prove it, I’ve decided it’s finally time to put my own tastes into the line of fire. These are my anime guilty pleasures, shows that I don’t bother defending when they come under fire.

Of course, I’ll still try to rationalize it. Because I have a problem.

*slightly sad laughter*

 

 

• G-Gundam

 

We got ourselves some succulent cheddar here, Grade A cheese all around.

Of all the entries into the well, prestigious Gundam series, this is the last series anyone would suspect of fan-favoritism. And yet, in the sea of drama, giant mechs, and complex story-telling, the campiest entry of them all is still one of the most well-loved stories in the entire franchise.

 Set in distant dystopia space, as these over-the-top features often are, everyone on earth now lives in space colonies and fight each other every four years in big Gundam Tournaments. Our Broody-McEmopants-protagonist, Domon Kasshu, is entering the 13th Gundam tournament to represent Neo-Japan kill his evil brother, Kyoji (“KYOOOOjII!”). Along the way, he’ll fight a host of exaggerated cultural stereotypes, evil robots, and, worst yet, his emotions.

The fast-paced action, overdone drama, and succulent 90’s schmaltz make this one of my favorite shows to watch. While I’m now laughing hysterically at things I used to think were so cool and edgy, I’m also reminded of the times I spent watching Toonami with my brothers when I see an episode of this show. This and a love of all things camp keep me coming back for more.

Keep a straight face. I dare you.

• Tokyo Mew Mew

But now for something that isn’t rose-tinted by my childhood. Oh no, this one’s rose-tinted by pure sugar.

Tokyo Mew Mew is a Magical Girl anime that’s so similar to Sailor Moon I’d swear it stalked it and stole its clothes when it went to sleep. The show follows a clumsy, shy teenage girl (sounds familiar) who gets magical powers from a mysterious source (getting warmer) all while being saved by a mysterious figure that looks an awful lot like a guy she knows in real life (ding ding ding). This time, however, we get our powers from endangered animal species, and the aim is to save more animals from evil alien critters.

Oh, and occasionally get Bad Touched by the villain.

Bad Kish, BAD!

For all this show borrows from Sailor Moon, I enjoy the sugar rush of it all. It’s a short, sweet anime that’s loaded with all the delicious candy cliches of Magical Girl that I like, and one of the first of the genre I ever saw. As campy and predictable as the show is, and as weird as the names tend to be, I find it hard not to smile when the show’s opening plays.

 

• Hellsing Ultimate

And now for a U-turn of ghastly proportions.

Horror is a fun genre to explore in anime, what with the medium’s ability to go anywhere the imagination wants. I have my collection of favorites, but one title in that pack gets me the odd looks and shaken heads. Yes, I’m a fan of the gore-tastic power-fantasy anime to end all of them, and I am anything but sorry.

So, to you folk who are scratching your heads, Hellsing is a horror/action anime about The Hellsing Organization, London’s defense unit against the supernatural. Their ace in the hole is none other than Lord Dracula (or Alucard, as he’s called) whom they have enslaved to do their dirty work. Alucard, the red-coated monstrosity of anime, is infamous at this point for his overpowered, horrific abilities that create more Nightmare Fuel than a Chucky-Cheese Puppet Show.

Make it Stop

Ultimate was the show’s OVA that followed the Manga story instead. It’s twice the gore, twice the crazy, twice the Unkillable Hero, and I adore it so much. When I watch Hellsing Ultimate, I’m not here for deep story; I’m here to see blood gush in unrealistic ways and watch limbs go flying a la evil dead. This isn’t expert storytelling; this is appeasing the horror nerds, and I’ve got my popcorn all cued up.

 

 

What’s your anime guilty pleasure? Feel free to comment below. And don’t forget to like and follow for more content just like this.

 

The Shounen Failure: Inuyasha

Oh hey, let’s put me in the line of fire again. That was fun.

I can still recall the first time I saw Inuyasha. Sicker than a dog (heh) and staying up way past my bedtime, I came across this weird show on Adult Swim while channel flipping. It had a pretty boy with white hair fighting another white-haired pretty boy with really cool powers, so I was definitely interested. The only part that didn’t really work for me was the female, who liked to stand around and obsessively scream at white-haired boy #1 during the fight. Whatever my reservations, it got my curious and I checked out the rest of the show later on.

Then I got older. And now the show annoys me to no end.

This was my face the last few episodes I saw.

This show feels like it was supposed to be a “Ra Ra, girl power in shounen” series that falls flat on its face within the first season. The plot is repetitive and annoying, our protagonists are unlikeable schmucks, and there are far too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to our “antagonists.” 

I want to be clear, this is not a rag on the manga artist. I know Rumiko Takahashi can write and draw really well, being a fan of Ranma 1/2. What I don’t understand exactly is what went wrong with this show. I have my theories below, but what exactly went wrong always eludes me.

 

• Shikon Hot Potato!

There’s one type of plot I hate above all others: the repetitive one. If your plot is so barren than you need to repeat yourself like some lazily-written Groundhog Day to keep it going then you need to consider whether your story should go on at all. Hence one of my earlier posts, Survive or Stagnate.

Inuyasha stagnated something fierce, refused to lay down and die for the longest time. Our resuscitation paddles here came from the ever infamous Shikon Jewel Shards, the pieces of a powerful jewel that Kagome shattered in the beginning of the show.The group’s quest has been to gather the shards to keep big bad baddy Naraku from getting his hands on it. Despite this providing a great opportunity to stretch the story out naturally, the show feels the need to have the hero’s shard collection stolen over, and over, and over again. And just when you think they’ve gotten it back on track…. they lose it again… for five more episodes.

When it comes to Shounen, repetition is a sickness. In my “Secret To Success” post on One Piece, I praised Oda for keeping the show going for its ridiculous length by constantly coming up with new and exciting plotlines to chase. By adding new material, you could hypothetically keep a show going forever and keep your audience entertained. When Shounen chases its tail, on the other hand, you risk losing people who’ve been there since day one.

• When Did Abuse Become Funny?

Maybe I just don’t get the Tsundere trope, but I’ve never found romantic violence all that funny or entertaining.

With the protagonist being a human girl in a world of danger, not many people will probably criticize Kagome for wanting to be protected at all times. However, when that threat has passed, when does a want for protection become an obsessive and petty means of causing pain?  Of course, I’m referring to Inuyasha and the prayer beads.

 

I know how slapstick works, and I know how the “Slap-Slap-Kiss” Dynamic is supposed to work. Inuyasha and Kagome are too very hot-headed, very immature characters who have to come to terms with their emotions and we get to laugh along the way. What I don’t get, and what I’ve never gotten, is why Kagome didn’t remove the prayer beads when it became abundantly clear he wasn’t going to kill her, or run off on her.

 

There there, honey, you had it coming

In short, it’s because the show thinks it’s funny to constantly have her punish him for various petty things that teenage girls care about, like insulting her cooking, or not noticing her like a good sempai. But what’s supposed to be funny began to ring abusive to me after it became clear that these two were romantically involved and that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

• Cheap Pathos Makes the Bad Media go Round

And now, my biggest Pet-Peeve: Kikyo. My God, Kikyo, why do you exist?

An intro to the new guys: Kikyo was Inuyasha’s love interest just before he got killed. The two were well on their way to being together when plot happened and Kikyo was convinced she had to kill Inuyasha, which in turn killed her. The big romantic hub-bub between Inuyasha and Kagome is that Kagome is Kikyo’s reincarnation self. This opened the door for a questionable but otherwise very Japanese fantasy romance that would have been enjoyable and allowed Inuyasha to move on.

And then Kikyo got resurrected as a zombie and wrecked the whole thing.

I come baring High School Drama!

This idea can work for a one-arc thing, putting Inuyasha through the emotional wringer, and then lose her for a second time for extra angst. But Kikyo became a regular antagonist for the show, a killer zombie whose sole purpose is to kill her lover for the second time. But, to be honest, I’m pretty sure she’s just here to make the fans go “Oh noz, we he leave Kagome?”

This is just cheap pathos. The key to a successful second antagonist is credible threat and logical cause and the presentation of a new threat. Azula makes sense in Avatar The Last Airbender because, while Zuko wants to capture the Avatar, she wants to kill him. Both Naraku and Sesshomaru want Inuyasha dead, and Zombie-Kikyo has little to offer that both of them haven’t already done.

• Sad But True

It’s easy to accuse me of criticizing a show I just never liked. But, truth be told, I used to love this show, making me all the sadder it’s turned so sour. I enjoyed watching the show for a very long time and lost interest midway through. I got very bored with the repetitive plot, lost my taste for the comedy, and just felt like the show was pandering to a different group than mine.

This show has strengths. Characters like Koga, Miroku, even Sesshomaru are well done for their interesting powers or backstories, sometimes both. The show also knows how to make some really cool monsters and, had it focused on the Yokai of Ancient Japan, it would have been something special. But, instead of a cool action series surrounding old Japanese Mythology, we have stagnating Shounen series with some real cool mythology accenting the edges. It’s one of those times that I wished the scenery would chew the actors… and hopefully spit them back out.
Do you disagree? Is Inuyasha your favorite show? I’m interested in hearing from everyone, so feel free to comment down below. Don’t forget to like and follow for more content just like this.

Why I Never Finished Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)

Once upon a time, I was bound and determined to complete the first Fullmetal Alchemist Anime. But, after watching a majority of episodes, I just couldn’t do it.

The manga impressed me too much, I admit it. I loved it so much that I remember being said that I’d never been able to finish the anime due to DVD restrictions and a lack of availability on the internet. I dove in as soon as I got a Netflix subscription, and my puppy-love soon blossomed into a deep disappointment. 2/3rds of the way in lead to some independent research and a towel was thrown in soon after.

The feeling of time wasted is a terrible one indeed

These days I’m watching Brotherhood, and find it immensely compelling. I don’t understand the people who complain about Brotherhood, because  the 2003 anime is a story only halfway told, lost in the void when it went past the comic strips Arakawa had out. Bypassing the manga is oft the death knell of many an anime, but Fullmetal Alchemist did not heed the warning. Instead of waiting, like Attack on Titan, they attempted to plug the holes with their own ideas, ideas that only hurt the overall story in the end.

Yes, what follows below is an opinion based on an unfinished product. I am open to being told why I should continue, so feel free to comment below.

SPOILER WARNING: Skip to the end if you’d rather not be spoiled on various bits of both anime.

 

 

• Bad Idea One: Fixing What Wasn’t Broke, Mr. Homunculi

 

When looking for some nasty antagonists, it’s hard not to go straight to the Homunculi. You got one who mindlessly eats everything in sight, a woman who lives for the thrill of murder, a boy with a severe hate-on for humanity, and a few others. These Homunculi couldn’t be bigger monsters if they tried, something the 2003 anime occasionally forgot, though it also knew how to make them at least a little pitiable in their depth.

The Homunculi were created by a mysterious an enigmatic figure called Father as extensions of himself, and they carry out his orders without complaint or mercy. They still work for someone in the 2003 anime, but the origins were drastically changed. They were no longer Father’s long-reaching limbs that stretch across the country without fail; now they’re failed human transmutation experiments. This attached some baggage to each of them, baggage that completely changes them around for the worse.

Like turning this THING into a Woobie. Right…

Each and every one of them went from an interesting character to a tired cliche: Envy went from a monster envious of humanity to a spurned child with daddy issues; Wrath was no longer a cold, merciless killer who held down the military’s corruption, but another abandoned child who just stumbled into his powers, and so on and so forth. I understand this decision humanizes the Homunculi, thus making them more relatable, but  the Homunculi were never meant to be human. You’re not supposed to relate to these creatures; you’re supposed to be afraid of them. This chance in backstory removes a crucial sinister element from them, reducing any threat they may have been.

 

• Bad Idea Two: The Old Switcheroo Makes No Damn Sense

 

Speaking of changing characters, my biggest pet-peeve with this series has to be the role switching that occurred later in my viewing experience. Because they had to create their own plotline, they had to switch some character roles around, and it wrecked a bunch of connections between them.

Here’s your second warning: Spoilers ahead, ye be warned. Skip to the next section if you don’t want.

I will not be responsible for exploded brains or lack of surprise on your next watch

Scar, the Ishvalan refugee and a murderer of several state alchemists, is responsible for the death of the Rockbells in the original plotline. He killed them during the war out of a blind panic and carries the guilt with him even as he continues to kill Alchemists. This also provided a great character moment for Winry to confront him and be strong enough not to kill him in return, something her parents wouldn’t have wanted.

The 2003 anime, however, decided that it would be better to make Lt. Colonel Mustang the killer of the Rockbells, to make it clear that there was corruption higher up in the military. It not only robbed Winry of her big moment, especially since she can’t really confront Mustang, it also goes against Mustang’s character. To be blunt, if Kimblee finds the idea too “shady” (and he liked to make people explode in this series) then why would a bushy-eyed, goody-two-shoes Mustang even consider it?

This and a few other changes in series made me quit actually watching because I just couldn’t buy it. But this did lead me to research who our final threat was. The disappointment I felt was crushing.

• Bad Idea Three: Dante.

Dante, Dante, Dante…what a disappointment.

Now, when the anime ran out of Manga material, Father didn’t exist yet. Lacking this intensely scary villain, the show had to come up with a new one who’d been pulling the strings this whole time. Thus they created Dante, an alchemist successful in creating Human Transmutation…and suffering from Alpha Bitch Syndrome.

She also dragged Rose into this nonsense. Because stupid, that’s why.

What’s the motivation of this formidable alchemist for orchestrating all this political intrigue? To live forever by making a Philosopher’s Stone and transferring bodies, sure. But why is she now specifically targeting the Elric brothers? Because their father was her lover. All this fuss for ends, and for ends that are sub-par at best, predictable at worst. It feels cobbled together when compared to the grand scale of Father’s plan in the original story. Dwarfed and rather pathetic, Dante feels like an afterthought, they tacked on at the end. She is, ultimately, what made me quit.

In the end, I feel like Dante represents what I didn’t like about the anime the more I saw. It’s a rushed, cobbled-together mess that had a lot of promise in the beginning. Much like I said in my anime starter-pack, you’re better off starting with Brotherhood than the first anime not because “the book is better” but because you’ll find a story much more artfully crafted. Besides, when the source material is better, it shows.

 

How did you feel about the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime? Was I right to quit or am I a failure who shouldn’t be talking about it? Feel free to comment below, and don’t forget to like and follow more content like this.