Manga Review: Black Butler, Volume 13, by Yana Toboso

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Publish Date: April, 2013

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: Very Minor/Only Hints.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

His betrothed's unexpected skill with a sword having narrowly saved him from a gory fate at the gnashing jaws of the undead, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, along with his intrepid butler, Sebastian, fights to see another day aboard the doomed Campania. But as they draw nearer to the heart of the Aurora Society's scheme to reanimate the dead, the pair are met by the beautiful young "Kaiser," who holds all the keys to this mystery in the palm of his gloved hand, platinum blond locks fluttering in his wake...

Review:

I’m so sorry that it took so long for me to get back to this series (to both Black Butler/Yana Toboso and Yen Press). But I’m so glad that I picked it up again, and that I have the next book already. This series is just killing me, it’s so good. And this volume… this volume was the best.

There is finally some backstory to Elizabeth. I love her. I have been a big fan of her for a long time, and have wanted to get to know her more, and finally it is happening. And it is so good. It’s even better than I thought it’d be, and it makes me love her even more. I don’t want to spoil too much, though, so I won’t go into detail. Aside from saying that what happens with her in this book is awesome.

And then we move forward, and there’s this big reveal with the Undertaker. Then a reveal about the zombies, which is a big surprise. All the while the ship is sinking, and Sebastian and the grim reapers are fighting. It’s all one big, exciting mess, and it’s fantastic. Which ends with a really bad thing for Sebastian and Ciel, in a cliffhanger. But we’re left guessing on that as we get flashbacks, from Sebastian, of when he and Ciel first met.

I was not expecting these flashbacks at all, and I loved getting inside Sebastian’s head. He’s such an ass, and he’s obviously frustrated. Ciel is being bratty and picky and trying to be tough, and he’s adorable. They were in such a different place then, mentally and in their relationship, just getting to know each other and all. It was adorable and hilarious. I really hope there’s more in the next volume, but at the same time, I really want to know what’s happening in the present.

Either way, I’m loving it.

Oh, on a sidenote: I really love the humor in this series. Toboso is funny in her little sidenotes, but my favorite parts of it are on the back of the cover, where she draws comedic parodies of the cover, and then at the inside of the back cover, where she draws little scenarios for the characters, like this one where they were a spy operation (Michaelis operation, run by Sebastian, to save kittens) and how she ends all of them with “…or something.”. I hadn’t noticed them at the beginning of the series, but now they get a smile out of me every time.