Black Butler: Book of Murder Review

Another installment of the Black Butler series is now dubbed in English! This time it is in the form of OVA's. Let us see what the Queen has for the Phantomhive family this time around.

Synopsis: Black Butler: Book of Murder follows a murder mystery that has been taken place at the Phantomhive Manor after the Queen requested a party to be thrown there. Now everyone is under suspicion, including the hosts of the party themselves. Who killed who in one of the guests rooms with a weapon? Wait to see.

This addition to the Black Butler series is an OVA and it unlikeBook of Circus, it isn't as dark. Book of Circus was definitely darker in tone than in pervious seasons and to me, this OVA was lighter than the previous episodes. This OVA is essentially lue and one can truly see that in the beginning of the episodes. The OVA is fun and there is a little secret. One character makes an appearance and I bet you won't guess who...

There is one scene in the show that may have brought out a side of Ciel that we get glimpses of during the series. I will not say which scene because I do not want to spoil anything but this scene made me think. Ciel has been on this journey for about 2 to 3 years of his life and is consumed on finding the people who wronged him and making them pay. For a 12/13 year old, the world that he has been swept up in, has taken a toil. However you look at Ciel, he's still a kid and the emotions that he tries to hide because of his family business, still comes out from time to time. In this particular scene, we see a level of vulnerability that I'm not sure Ciel was aware of. We see him being a pained kid again and that scene, was one of the saddest scenes to watch. I'm glad that they show Ciel grow as a person and show us the vulnerability that he is facing.  

Voice Acting:  Once again, the voice acting is top notch in the OVA. The cast of Black Butler is back again and as usual, they are great with these characters. Taliesin Jaffe joins the Black Butler cast as Arthur (whose name is ironic as the OVA comes to a close) and is amazing. He brings a lot to the character of Arthur especially as bringing a sort of gentlemanly air and youngness about him. There are new voice actors that I have not recognized who did an amazing job and Jamie Marchi who's another great voice actress, lends to the cast as well and does a great job.

Sound/Background Design: The setting takes place at the Phantomhive Manor, so the manor is just grand as it was in the first series. For me, I find the manor more dark than usual. There are in a storm during this time, so the sahdows are right where they are when it gets dark and cloudy. But the storm sounds and manor, add to the mystery and to the overall mood of the show. I love it!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars- The OVA is a fun and shows the side of Ciel that the audience may have been aware of for a while. It still has its charm with some comedy and definitely the mystery. Great voice acting, great sound and music, and great animation. I suggest watching Book of Murder after Book of Circus because how the OVA takes off, its where Book of Circus left off. I can't wait for more Black Butler in the future. Until then...

Anime Rules!!!!!