Black Butler II (TV Series 2010–2011) Poster

(2010–2011)

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7/10
Another tale of an Earl and his Butler
HellsingGirlyCard4 April 2012
I confess upon finishing the first season and moving onto the second season I was a bit pessimistic- who could compete with Sebastian and Ciel?

Indeed no one, still this season did not fail to disappoint. Now I believe it has been confirmed that there is not going to be anymore seasons after this which is understandable considering this season was truly made to end the series in a heart-breaking end. Nevertheless I would recommend that any Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler fan should watch it so one could appreciate the new and exciting characters and story lines as we go into the history of the Earl Alois Trancy and how he made his contract with the Demon butler Claude Faustus.
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7/10
First and Third Seasons were Better...
mekamichan20 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Second season is... nice but the manga didn't show second season because second season was extra. We met Alois in second season but there is no Alois in the manga. In the end of the second season, Ciel being a demon. I find the end ridiculous. I don't want to say "it was unbearable". It was good but not better than other seasons.
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8/10
Apparently I have a different taste!? Or anyone else is blind!?
mumzzen9 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Here is my greatly unpopular opinion: I PREFER THE 2ND SEASON OVER THE 1st! "Oh no I didn't!?" Oh yes. Yes I did.

However (before you grind your teeth in anger) please note the following; 1. I HAVEN'T read the Manga but I have been made aware that the 2nd season isn't Canon/like the original script in the Manga. And

2. I HAVEN'T (yet) watched "The Book of Circus", though I know that THIS is supposed to be truer to the Manga aswell.

Now before you scroll past, here are my REASONS, why I prefer the 2nd season (even if it ISN'T Canon/like the Manga)

Reason 1. The story line was MUCH EASIER to follow. The 1st season had so many subplots that didn't really make sense..like the curry bun plot...why!? What was the point of that Indian prince!? What was up with the whole Angel thing!? Would God or whoever sent the Angel approve of his/her behaviour?? Why did the Queen turn young, died and then old again? What was the point of the episode with the ghost king-brothers?? And that naked demon hound-human-werewolf!? There were really so many different detours that took away from the main plot; Ciel's revenge. I felt that the plot was written by a 14 year old! (I actually wrote something similar to the curry buns, but instead of the food SAVING the day and CURING people, it was the food that turned people evil. A soda turning people into zombies, once you drank it. And I wrote this WHEN I WAS 14-15! If the curry bun plot is a part of the Manga and the writer of the Manga wrote this when she was 23-24? Then My oh my...I have no words!)

Which brings me to the NEXT reason why I prefer THIS SEASON over the 1st; Reason 2: The unecessary HUMOR in the first season. I get that this is an anime, and some humor is welcome, but with all the blood, gore, big breasts and sexual induendo's one can't help but to ask "Who is the intended audience here? Really? Is this supposed to be for teens? Children? Adults!?" The humor that are used in season 1 reminds of the silly humor used in Pokémon. Yes. You read it right. Pokémon. And so I find it confusing for such silly, clumsy humor to be a part in such a usually dark tone in this type of anime. (Unfortunately I didn't like Hellsin Ultimate for the very same reason. I guess I won't like that Manga either! Such humor is confusing, when there is so much blood and gothic tone/ scenery involved.

Reason 3: The pasing in the 2nd season as well as the plot is more COHESIVE. It is much more well directed and well written (Sorry. Perhaps I WON'T like the Manga then!) Like already mentioned, THIS plot makes more sense. The reason why it makes more sense in the 2nd season is that we are not simply introduced to characters at random and just expected to understand what is going on. (We don't get a bunch of characters thrown into our faces. Like The Undertaker for example...what was the deal with him, really? Why does he need jokes? He was a reaper? Ok? Then why didn't Sebastian understand that, since he seemingly can sense other reapers??)

I am baffled by the ones who say they thing this 2nd season is horrible and less cohesive than the first one. Yes, alright perhaps you should read the Manga first to understand season 1. But that is EXACTLY WHY this 2nd season is SO GOOD! I had acting and drama production as my major. I know what I am talking about! We were THOUGHT to write and direct scripts!! What is a good script, you may ask? Well, a good script is a script that can WORK ON IT'S OWN. You are SUPPOSED to tell the audience as if they are seeing/reading this story FOR THE FIRST TIME, even if it's an adaption of an already existing work! That is where the 1st season FAIL! There are STILL plot holes and things that are left UNEXPLAINED, as if when creating the 1st season was simply to please the Manga readers all along. Alright. Then what about the rest of us!? That does NOT make a good adaptation! A good adaptation is when EVERYONE (reader of the original source material or NOT) can follow the story and it will make sense for EVERYBODY! Even if this 2nd season is not a part of the Manga it had at least a story that even I who have NOT read the Manga or any source material.. could follow and understand it! There were almost NO plot holes or "headscratchers" in the story except for the obvious ones like why Lao and the rest were still alive but...over 80% of the story made sense and left me SATISFIED with more ANSWERS than QUESTIONS. LEt me get you an example; The Harry Potter movies are a good adaptation. Forget about the author and her Trans comments. Just for one second! Think about the movie adaptations. Now, here comes another shocker; I have NEVER read a SINGLE Harry Potter BOOK, and yet I could follow the story in the MOVIES, with nearly NO CONFUSION. Now THAT is what makes a good adaptation/a good script!

Conclusion; Perhaps I WON'T like the original Black Butler Manga then, as I found the 1 st season of the series to be confusing, boring, immature, and all over the place! So yes, perhaps then, this Manga simply isn't for me..

I have to admit, before writing this review, I didn't bother to check the facts of whoever wrote the script for the 2nd season or whoever wrote the adaptation for the 1st season...HOWEVER; if they ARE indeed the same people then I have to say; Well done with THIS season! You made a story (an original that wasn't even a part of the Manga!) that MADE SENSE and that were EASY TO FOLLOW and utterly entertaining, while fit for a more mature audience. Bravo!

P. S just to add more unpopular opinions while I am at it; I prefer Claude over Sebastian and I can't stand the pompous, overly confident Ciel. At least Aloise was evil and a spoiled brat to the core and didn't pretend to be any better, or noble. And that's oddly considering how Ciel acts as if he never wants to be noble and yet that is how he comes across as; A spoiled brat that wants to be a complaining "know it all-hero". Oh well. Don't get me wrong though; I'll STILL watch "The Book of Circus" and that Black Butler full length movie, and everything else that is attached to this universe. Of course I could HOPE they won't be too much alike that horrid 1st season, but I won't have too many high hopes. But don't you worry; I shall write a review about those aswell! Alright. That was all! I know you fans of the original Manga must be quite annoyed now so I bid you Farewell! Ta-ta!
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10/10
Mind-blowing Second Season!
raynsingree20 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN"T WATCHED THE FIRST SEASON. NO WAY AROUND IT, PEOPLE!!!!

So, the second season starts out where the last one left off- Ciel supposedly dead, Sebastien ready to devour his soul up like a particularly delicious piece of steak-

But wait- What's wrong with Ciel? His eyes are blank and empty- Someone else has taken his soul, before our sexy butler can dine upon it himself! Enter Claude Faustus and Alois Trancy. Alois, another young master of a rich household holding a demonic contract, this one to the glasses- wearing Claude. Claude is a mirror of Sebastien, except fighting with gold cutlery and the glasses. Alois however, couldn't be farther from the serious and composed Ciel. Alois delights in torturing his servants and causing everyone as much pain as possible. Well guess what? He wants Ciel, and what Alois wants, Claude gets. So Claude steals our favorite young lord's soul, and Ciel loses all of his memories! Thus is the setup for the second season. This season is only twelve episodes, and it crams as much as possible into those twelve episodes, no joke. it seems that every time I watched an episode, my brain exploded a little. A definite change from the more sedentary pace of the first season, but not a bad one. There's less attention given to the missions from the queen, and of the relationships of the other characters from the first season, mainly focusing on Ciel's inner psyche (and let me tell you, he's not all there). I'm a die-hard fan, and have been since I saw the first episode, and this storyline really resonated with me; I really did love this second season, and I really can't wait to see if the as-of-now-only- rumors third season is going to be a reality, because I will be all over that!
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6/10
Pretty entertaining OVAs!
cb_whitewood16 February 2022
For those confused, this specific listing is for the Season 2 OVAs of Black Butler. :)

I sense these were meant to be filler episodes that instead became OVAs, but after finishing S2 they were very refreshing to see. I enjoyed seeing backstories of side characters, and a first-person episode was an interesting experience.

The Alice in Wonderland episodes were cute, but felt too long. I'd recommend taking the time to watch these episodes, though, as they add a bit of depth to some characters, explain more about the Reapers, and give a very fun 4th wall break.
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7/10
Not as great as the first season, but still good.
annonymouscritic27 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Black Butler season 1 was met with a lot of praise and people wanted more. So in 2010, Black Butler's second season was released with much anticipation. After it ended a lot of people had mixed opinions on it. Many loved it, and some others hated it, and some people are somewhere in the middle. The shows plot happens a little over a year after the last season concluded and we are given two new antagonists, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus. Claude is a demon butler like Sebastian, but Alois is very different to Ciel. Unlike Ciel who despite being arrogant still cares about others like Elizabeth and the servants and fights for the good of England, Alois is sadistic and cruel and oddly cheerful all the time. As it turns out at the end of the first season, Sebastian never actually took Ciel's soul but instead Claude has stolen it but hasn't devoured it yet. Ciel suffers from memory loss and can't seem to remember what happened in season 1, like, ANYTHING that happened in season 1. So it's up to Sebastian to retrieve Ciel's soul so he can devour it himself after Ciel had completed the contract between him and Sebastian. This season doesn't have as many great moments as season 1, but still has it's fair share of plot twists and shocking moments. Alois' backstory is tragic, and the twist at the end is shocking but feels a little dumb (but damn is it a good twist!). This season has a PAINFUL amount of filler episodes for such a short season. It has 12 EPISODES. 12. That's pitiful because it's not even technically counted as a mini-series! The filler episodes are still fun to watch but because there are so many of them I'm just waiting until the story starts again. Regardless, despite the filler, this season is still good. It has the same voice cast in Japanese and in English (English is the best way to watch Black Butler) and the new voice actors for Alois and Claude are...decent. Claude is good but Alois' voice straight up annoys me. But this season is still passable. It's definitely the weakest of all the Black Butler's but it still does a good job at shocking and entertaining the audience. Not a must watch as it's not really considered canon as it isn't based off the manga in any way, but definitely a passable and decent season. A shame that everything else from the franchise is so much better though.
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