Black Butler, Vol. 2
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/4/2010
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/4/2010 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I enjoyed the first Kuroshitsuji book so much that I ordered a copy of the second one from Amazon as soon as it was available. [This cover doesn't show Sebastian in quite as dashing a form as the first cover did, but I imagine that he gets to shine inside the book {grin}.]
Later: Another enjoyable-yet-scary visit with Ciel and Sebastian. The book continues the convention of replicating the cover-pic on the inside cover, with Sebastian in the same pose but a different outfit; here, he's a doctor (be still my heart!). The inner cover, in grey tones with blue details, shows Ciel and Sebastian and some new characters, including Lao, Ciel's aunt Madam Red, The Undertaker, and Madam Red's butler Grelle Sutcliffe.
Once the stories begin, we find the same mix of cute, silly, sexy-as-hell, and very-creepy-indeed that typifies the series. Early on, Sebastian's dealing with the hapless household staff, who've all managed to destroy more property while supposedly doing their assigned work; he copes with them coolly until he gets to cute little Finny, whose ability to mess things up while failing to remember it from one day to the next makes Sebastian remark "I have surpassed anger, and am, in fact, rather impressed." The stress of dealing with Finian sends Sebastian running for solace to "her... a supple body, flowing black hair..." - who turns out to be a black cat. (Sebastian "finds cats most agreeable," and remarks that they do not exist in his world [he's a demon, after all]; pets of another kind do exist there, apparently, but as the image resembles the creature from "Alien" one can see why he adds "they leave much to be desired"!)
In the main portion of the book, Ciel goes after the perpetrator of a series of heinous crimes - none other than Jack the Ripper. Having narrowed down a list of suspects, he focuses on one, and determines to crash a "secret party" that the suspect is giving - but on the advice of his aunt Madam Red, and with the rather gleeful aid of Sebastian, Ciel's made up so the suspect won't recognize him: he's dressed as a young girl, and very fetching he looks, too (when he isn't cursing out his butler for the idea!). [There's a hilarious bit in the book; I don't want to spoil it for those who plan to read the book, so select the whitespace if you want to see: The panels show Ciel's bare torso as he claws the walls and cries "Sebastian, I can't take it anymore!" and "It hurts!", while Sebastian, standing behind him, murmurs "...relax your muscles a bit further..." and "...you'll get used to it soon". And just when my jaw hit the floor I glanced to the next page, in which we see that Sebastian is lacing up Ciel's corset for his makeover as a young lady. The author of the series loves to play little jokes on the readers as much as on the characters!]
Anyway: the party-crashing works out fairly well, and the case appears to be closed - until another murder takes place, that of real-world Ripper victim Mary Kelly. Ciel and Sebastian are at the scene in time to see the killer emerge, and the identity is a shock (to me if not to our heroes - though even Sebastian seems a bit surprised at the details). And when the killer reveals his slasher smile and his most unusual weapon, well, we know we're in for a grisly fight - in Volume 3 {wry grin}.
There's also an amusing bonus strip from the author describing some of the behind-the-scenes details of making the manga and the drama CD, and one about Ciel's dancing lessons (an excuse for more panels of him in a dress - costume-porn seems to be one of the reasons for this series to exist!).
[For more about the manga and the anime adaptation, see the TV Tropes page - but beware of spoilers! Also, note that the plot of the anime departs rather drastically from that of the manga, though that happens later in the series than this volume.]
Books I have so far:
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Later: Another enjoyable-yet-scary visit with Ciel and Sebastian. The book continues the convention of replicating the cover-pic on the inside cover, with Sebastian in the same pose but a different outfit; here, he's a doctor (be still my heart!). The inner cover, in grey tones with blue details, shows Ciel and Sebastian and some new characters, including Lao, Ciel's aunt Madam Red, The Undertaker, and Madam Red's butler Grelle Sutcliffe.
Once the stories begin, we find the same mix of cute, silly, sexy-as-hell, and very-creepy-indeed that typifies the series. Early on, Sebastian's dealing with the hapless household staff, who've all managed to destroy more property while supposedly doing their assigned work; he copes with them coolly until he gets to cute little Finny, whose ability to mess things up while failing to remember it from one day to the next makes Sebastian remark "I have surpassed anger, and am, in fact, rather impressed." The stress of dealing with Finian sends Sebastian running for solace to "her... a supple body, flowing black hair..." - who turns out to be a black cat. (Sebastian "finds cats most agreeable," and remarks that they do not exist in his world [he's a demon, after all]; pets of another kind do exist there, apparently, but as the image resembles the creature from "Alien" one can see why he adds "they leave much to be desired"!)
In the main portion of the book, Ciel goes after the perpetrator of a series of heinous crimes - none other than Jack the Ripper. Having narrowed down a list of suspects, he focuses on one, and determines to crash a "secret party" that the suspect is giving - but on the advice of his aunt Madam Red, and with the rather gleeful aid of Sebastian, Ciel's made up so the suspect won't recognize him: he's dressed as a young girl, and very fetching he looks, too (when he isn't cursing out his butler for the idea!). [There's a hilarious bit in the book; I don't want to spoil it for those who plan to read the book, so select the whitespace if you want to see: The panels show Ciel's bare torso as he claws the walls and cries "Sebastian, I can't take it anymore!" and "It hurts!", while Sebastian, standing behind him, murmurs "...relax your muscles a bit further..." and "...you'll get used to it soon". And just when my jaw hit the floor I glanced to the next page, in which we see that Sebastian is lacing up Ciel's corset for his makeover as a young lady. The author of the series loves to play little jokes on the readers as much as on the characters!]
Anyway: the party-crashing works out fairly well, and the case appears to be closed - until another murder takes place, that of real-world Ripper victim Mary Kelly. Ciel and Sebastian are at the scene in time to see the killer emerge, and the identity is a shock (to me if not to our heroes - though even Sebastian seems a bit surprised at the details). And when the killer reveals his slasher smile and his most unusual weapon, well, we know we're in for a grisly fight - in Volume 3 {wry grin}.
There's also an amusing bonus strip from the author describing some of the behind-the-scenes details of making the manga and the drama CD, and one about Ciel's dancing lessons (an excuse for more panels of him in a dress - costume-porn seems to be one of the reasons for this series to exist!).
[For more about the manga and the anime adaptation, see the TV Tropes page - but beware of spoilers! Also, note that the plot of the anime departs rather drastically from that of the manga, though that happens later in the series than this volume.]
Books I have so far:
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Peddler's Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, March 8, 2011
GoryDetails at Peddler's Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Released 13 yrs ago (3/8/2011 UTC) at Peddler's Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book propped up in a window outside Peddler's Daughter at about 1:30 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!*** Released as part of bookczuk's 2011 Wine and Food release challenge. Not only is the butler in charge of the wine cellar and the pantry, but this particular butler cooks wonderfully well - in fact, you could say he bakes like a demon! ***
