Only last month, Australian anime publisher Madman Entertainment chose to release Black Butler: Book of Circus, the first anime adaptation in the Kuroshitsuji franchise to arrive on store shelves in a number of years. Not only was this something new after a long period of waiting, but it also brought viewers back into the manga chronology, which diverged in the middle of season one (Following the “Indian Butlers” arc). A month has since passed and Madman have quickly released the first OVA duology in the series titled Black Butler: Book of Murder. With the characters now confined to the grounds of the Phantomhive Manor while a killer is on the loose… it is time to get your detective cap on as we seek to discover who dunnit.
Storyline / Character Development
Black Butler: Book of Murder takes place some period of time after the events of Book of Circus, although shouldn’t be considered a main continuation of the events which took place during the 10-episode season. It is clear that Queen Victoria is displeased with Ciel, following his failure to rescue the children kidnapped by Noah’s Ark Circus. As a means of potentially redeeming themselves, it is at her bequest that Ciel and Sebastian host an event for a foreign guest.
But tragedy strikes when the dignitary is found murdered in his quarters, leaving some to suspect that Ciel was involved in the murder. This sets off a string of murders, which not even the demonic butler Sebastian might necessarily be able to escape from. Left with no other choice given the storm brewing outside, the surviving guests must work together so they can identify whodunit before the culprit can strike again.
Among those invited to attend this event is Arthur, who at the time was an ophthalmologist turned aspiring water – and whose little read works caught the fancy of Ciel. As someone who is left feeling out of place among notable figures and butlers of the Queen, but is thrust into a role of leadership when he is deemed to be the only one with a watertight alibi, Arthur offers some interesting perspectives throughout the show.
Black Butler: Book of Murder in my mind is more of a standalone experience which doesn’t have as much structure as a normal arc. Instead, it opts to introduce new characters within a confined yet intriguing story. Murder mysteries in both anime and wider fiction can be varying quality – from the downright puzzling to simplistic. There were many elements to this story which were either plainly in sight or safe assumptions, and I managed to deduce the actual culprit and twists quite early. However, the journey from start to finish was surprisingly appealing, supported by the several of the Black Butler tropes and quirks I was expecting to see. Therefore, while the concepts were just average with regard to delivering a genuinely confounding mystery, its execution was more satisfying.
Design / Music / Voice Acting
Between the original two anime seasons of Black Butler and Black Butler: Book of Circus, there was a noticeable dip in animation and design quality. Perhaps because they worked on a two episode structure rather than a season of weekly episodes, the quality did seem to claw its way back up slightly. One thing that Black Butler has always had is charm, from the 19th Century Britain setting to the distinctly designed characters. Although there were few occasions for Sebastian to show off his charming yet deadly battle prowess, the design team worked with the limited environment to present an aesthetically pleasing experience befitting of the era.
As I have mentioned many times before, one of the things I love most about Funimation’s English localisation of Black Butler is their voice cast. The cast once again take full advantage of the 19th Century Britain setting to let their talent shine through voices they mightn’t usually present. Brina Palencia yet again provides an exquisite regal boyish voice for Ciel Phantomhive, while J Michael Tatum drew me in as the voice of both Sebastian and a newly introduced character. Once of the more significant new additions to the cast is Taliesin Axelrod, who provides a youthful yet mature voice which suited the character of Arthur well.
Extra Content
Like other seasons of Black Butler, Black Butler: Book of Murder comes with a small assortment of on-disc extras. The most notable addition is an audio commentary for Episode 2, which comes in at more than an hour in length. Providing interesting and often entertaining commentary this time around was Ian Sinclair (ADR Director and VA of Baldroy), Aaron Roberts (VA of Grimsby Keane) and J Michael Tatum (VA of Sebastian). There is also the usual US Trailer and an assortment of trailers for different Funimation shows (On the Blu-ray release), including those for Tokyo Ghoul VA, The Boy and the Beast, Psycho-Pass, Assassination Classroom, Yona of the Dawn, Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie and Rage of Bahamut: Genesis.
Final Words on Black Butler: Book of Murder
Black Butler: Book of Murder doesn’t feel like anything more than a side-story in the wider Black Butler franchise, and to be honest wasn’t a tough mystery to crack in several aspects. But it was nevertheless an adequate watch, which felt like a little bit extra to whet my appetite for the upcoming sequel film ‘Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic”, due to air in Japan sometime during 2017.
