Yana Toboso

La historia sucede en Inglaterra en plena épocca victoriana, el protagonista Ciel Phantomhive es un conde que tras la tragica perdida de su familia hereda todos los bienes y el capital ligados a su apellido. Junto a él, el misterioso mayordomo , Sebastian Michaelis, ayuda al joven conde en todas las tareas del hogar y otras deberes como aristocrata de la alta sociedad inglesa.
En este primer manga ,obviamente, no se puede ver reflejado la excelente amplitud de detalles historicos que ofrece; la sociedad inglesa en ese entonces, tradiciones matrimoniales, platos tícos de la epoca, eventos anuales a los que debias asistir como aristocrata, mortalidad infantil, la colonia de las indias, importanción de opio desde china, el fetiche de la alta sociedad por el mundo del ocultismo,...

Y todo esto rodeado de un alo de misterio y suspense.… (meer)

Volume #2 was much better developed than #1, so that was definitely a plus. The was a more defined storyline, and the story actually fit the setting (Victorian London), unlike #1. I also enjoyed the new characters- they added some much needed new voices to the text, and I thought they were well done. Also, I'll say I'm really liking Sebastian's character, mostly the idea of him. He reminds me a lot of Bartimaeus from Jonathon Stroud's "The Bartimaeus Trilogy". It's kind of fun to see a suave, demonic, James-Bond-y, Victorian butler fight with silverware and make tea.

However, I'm really not sure where this whole Ciel-Sebastian relationship is going outside of simply their master-butler standing. Everyone talks about the "corset scene", which was really strange and absolutely done to get the reader into a tizzy. It COULD have been seen as funny, if not for the fact that the dialogue has been just as "teasy" throughout both Vol #1 &2. I'm not someone who judges relationships on ages, but Ciel is TWELVE. I really hope I don't see a real romantic relationship begin between a child and a (much older?) demon!
I also wished there was more originality when it came to the Jack the Ripper storyline. I'm a sucker for JTR theories and plots, but this one seemed a bit lackluster. And given the circumstances (Victorian London, demons, rich lords, etc) that was a bit of a let down.

I'm reading this series for fun right now, and with the introduction of the characters from the end of Vol #2, I'll admit that I'm genuinely interested in seeing what happens next.… (meer)

2.5
This was interesting. I like the premise, and the setting of Victorian London is very appealing to me. I also like the human-demon relationship between Ciel and Sebastian and am curious to see how that develops. Also, I love the antics of the rest of the manor staff- very fun to read!

However, it just overall felt MEH. I wasn't surprised, I don't feel anything for any characters, and the art was nothing extraordinary. The pacing felt slow, and I think there was quite a bit of wasted space (especially with that whole Elizabeth/learning to dance bit). I'm going read the next couple volumes on the recommendation of a friend- here's hoping the next one is more developed all around.… (meer)