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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Manga Review: Black Butler, Volume 10, by Yana Toboso


               Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5
Publisher: Yen Press
Spoilers?: Somewhat minor, with the big reveals kept secret.
Volumes: 15+

Goodreads Synopsis:

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?

Available on Amazon.

Review:

This volume continued the murder mystery from the last, and I’m a bit upset about this, but my enthusiasm for this series has lessened a little bit. I still like it, but I really want to like it more. I just hope that it kicks back up.
So, (Sir) Arther (Conan Doyle) is still trying to solve the mystery, with Ciel and others pushing him and each other, and some of the others are freaking out over not knowing who it is. They’ve got three, including Sebastian, dead, and none of the clues are adding up to one person. The servants (aww, I love them, and they’re crying…) are freaking out a bit, wanting to help but not sure what to do without Sebastian’s guidance, but Tanaka is doing fantastic by taking over his spot for the moment.
And then, oh no!, someone new shows up and he’s suspicious, but Ciel knows him and his name is Jeremy, and it turns out that Sebastian called for him with the bird from the last volume. He’s here to help. He looks over the crime scenes and the dead bodies, and all of the guests look through each other’s suitcases, thinking maybe someone is hiding a clue, but nothing really helpful is found. One of the guests (who works for the queen) has to sneak back to look at Sebastian’s body, thinking that maybe he’s not dead, but he is. And then they set Ciel up, thinking that the killer is out for him.
And then we find out who the killer is, and, while I will not spoil this, it was not as exciting as I’d been hoping. Not bad, but not as thrilling a scene as I wanted, although the ending of the volume is very nice. All of the guests leave, but Arthur is suspicious of Jeremy, because of something he said, so he rushes back to the manor, barges inside, and speaks of his suspicions. And then we (Arthur) see that Jeremy is actually not Jeremy but---! And while I know who Jeremy actually is, I will not spoil who he actually is, leaving some questions for those who have not yet read the book. But it’s actually rather exciting, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Arthur. Is he going to be sticking around for a bit longer? I hope so, as I do rather like him.
Also, is Jeremy an actual person that Ciel knows, then, or is he just a character that someone pretends to be every once in a while? I’m curious.
I’m sure some new story line will be started in the new volume, and I look forward to that. I do not have the next book yet, as I am slow, and it might be a while, but I’m sure it’ll be good.

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