Manga Monday: Black Butler Vol. 10

  Welcome to Manga Monday! Manga Monday is a meme hosted by Alison over at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers.This past weekend I was able to check up on the super popular Black Butler manga series.

Description: With his royally sanctioned dinner party a shambles and a murderer on the loose, Earl Ciel Phantomhive is a veritable prisoner in his own home, alongside those of his guests who still live. And in the most shocking of turns, the young earl now finds himself without his indispensible manservant, Sebastian. But as the mystery deepens, there arrives upon the young earl's doorstep an odd vicar, wearing an insolent smile and an Inverness cape that flaps and splashes behind him... Is this mysterious thirteenth guest the perpetrator of the crimes that have bloodied the halls of Phantomhive Manor?

Review: Black Butler, Vol. 10 continues with the murder mystery plot set-up from the last volume and paying homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, I found this volume extremely enjoyable. Toboso captures the attention to details and the scientific process that Sherlock uses to solve his mysteries. As we follow the clues and members of the Phantomhive Manor, the suspense and intricate artwork enhances the enjoyment of reading.
  While I was not surprised twist at the end of the story, I'm not convinced on how the mystery was solved. I detect that Ciel has something up his arms. Sebastian is a very complex character. On the one hand, he is terrifying when you know his real identity, but his human characteristics of being a perfectionist at his work as a butler and love for cats always manage to make laugh every time. I'm very excited to see what is the next plot arc for this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence and some crude sexual humor. Recommended for older teens.

If you like this book try: Black Butler Vol. 11 by Yana Toboso, Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki, Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato

Manga Monday: Black Butler Vol. 9

  Welcome to Manga Monday! Manga Monday is a meme hosted by Alison over at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers.This past weekend I was able to check up on the super popular Black Butler manga series.

Description (from the back of the book): Earl Ciel Phantomhive's quietude is interrupted as Queen Victoria's very own butlers commandeer Phantomhive Manor for a lavish banquet sanctioned by Her Majesty Preparations for such an event are quick work in the hands of Sebastian, the house's most able butler, but corralling the eminent guests may prove to be rather more of a challenge. For this dinner party is anything but festive, and as a stormy night batters the outside of the grand residence, a far more violent storm beings to unfurl within. And no one is safe from the havoc it will wreak-not even one seemingly impervious manserverant...

Review: There has been many story arcs in the Black Butler manga series, some serious, some silly, and some very creepy. With the disturbing and sinister circus arc behind us, Black Butler, Vol. 9 offers us a different and delightful surprise with a murder mystery with the likes of Clue. 
  On a dark and stormy night, Ciel is hosting a grand banquet at the Phantomhive manor. After the guests enjoy their food and drinks and are ready to retire for the evening, terror strikes as one of the guests is found murdered in his room. Within a few hours apart, two other shocking murdered victims are discovered. Trapped in the manor, every one is a suspect and the murderer is at large!
  I love when the mangaka weaves a real historical figure into the storyline. One of the notable guests is Arthur as in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame. Toboso does a nice touch in paying homage to the great detective. Arthur is depicted as a novelist who is just starting, therefore he gets flustered too quickly when all the clues don't exactly line up. Arthur definitely added humor and irony which makes this series shine for me. 
  Though there is a plot twist at the end of this volume, I didn't bite the bait. I'm just waiting to see if my theories are correct when I start the next volume. The depth of these stories partnered with the beautiful artwork is truly wonderful. I could actually visualize the loud thunder and bright lightening while reading this volume. Toboso has a great eye for details which shows in the artwork.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence and some crude sexual humor. Recommended for older teens.

If you like this book try: Black Butler Vol. 10 by Yana Toboso, Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki, Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato

Manga Mondays: Black Butler Vol. 8

  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Now that I'm at a stand-still for the Nana manga series, I'm trying to catch up on some of my other ongoing manga series. Thankfully the manga series that I've been reading are from different genres which prevent me from confusing one from the other. Today I'll be reviewing the eighth volume of Black Butler.

Description (from Goodreads): When one curtain falls upon the big top stage, another rises behind the scenes, as young Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his virtuoso butler, Sebastian, face off against the villain behind the missing children. But as Sebastian, under orders from his master, single-handedly draws the gruesome tale to its sad conclusion on one front, battle lines are drawn on another! With the masterless Phantomhive Manor under attack from the Noah's Ark Circus and Sebastian nowhere nearby to protect its inhabitants, is Ciel's home once again headed for the same tragedy that took the lives of the young earl's parents?

Review: Black Butler is a genre bending manga that combines historical fiction  humor, supernatural, and horror. The plot arcs can begin on a bleak note but at its halfway mark turn to a slapstick comedy or in the case of the eighth episode an out and out battle.
   As you may recall, the seventh volume of Black Butler gives us important background information regarding the circus that Ciel and Sebastian have been ordered to investigate by Queen Victoria after many children have been kidnapped. The circus master is completely deranged and has used the children, almost always orphaned and deformed, for various body parts for his own 'plastic surgery' in order to achieve bodily perfection. Volume eight rounds out the circus arc in nonstop action until the very dark and disturbing ending. The Joker and his crew have arrived to Phantomhive to avenge the death of their master. You can't help pity them when it is revealed what they were fighting for and the lies they were told.
  I was surprised quite a few times while reading this volume. Unlike the previous volumes where Sebastian routinely steals the show, it is the servants of the Phantomhive that surprises and delights the readers in unveiling hidden talents. I knew they had to be worthy of something besides being there in the manga for slapstick humor. Another thing that really shocked me is how Ciel handled the problem of the missing children locked in cages. It is very easy to forget that Ciel is merely a boy but Toboso reminds us vividly when Ciel acts upon his emotions, particularly fear and rage, instead of a cool mind when he does the impossible.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong violence throughout this volume. There is also some language. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Blue Exorcist series by Kazue Kato, Soul Eater series by Atsushi Ohkubo