I have seen Black Butler's multiple seasons and am a faithful reader of the manga, but I am not the die hard fan that some reviewers on this website are, so I think that I can look at the film more objectively than they can in this brief run-through of the film:
Black Butler is based on a manga of the same name by Yana Tsuboso. The original story is set in c. 1880s London revolving around a young earl named Ciel Phantomhive strikes a bargain with a demon so that, in exchange for his soul, the creature will act as his right-hand man as he tries to figure out who murdered his parents and sold him into slavery. The demon's name is Sebastian Michaelis and his capabilities far exceed that of a normal human being, naturally.
The film twists all this into something that is half n half of "then and now". Instead of a young man, it is Ayame Goriki playing Shiori Genpou who nonetheless poses as a "young earl" as Kiyoharu Genpou in order to remain the head of her family's company (when it comes to realism, it makes sense she would do that). Her butler is Sebastian Michaelis, played by Hiro Mizushima, who isn't too hard on the eyes. Really, my eyes were drawn to Goriki and her honestly pretty well done acting. I could have been distracted by the fact that she had a really, really cute haircut, though.
For all of my fellow Japanophiles, you're well aware of the fascination that Japan's fashion district has with European Victorian-era clothing, and the actors certainly seemed to have walked straight out of Shinjuku during a Lolita meet up. Very fashionable period pieces are featured by the actors, and the mansions and scenery is all very proper and European in nature, so much so that you forget the film is set in the present until you see a car or a cell phone in a new scene.
The balance between past and present tips a bit in either's favor, sometimes becoming a bit unbalanced, sometimes just right so that I didn't feel too out of it while watching. The acting is fine and for the spin they put on the story it isn't too bad.
The special effects are easy to see through (that fire in the opening scene was a bit laughable), and everyone's attempts to appear very proper and serious sometimes feel a bit over the top, but maybe that's because anime and manga is so dependent on extreme emotion that seeing it in live action just makes it hammy and melodramatic.
Info-dumping and chatter is a problem this film has. When action is happening, it's all fun and entertaining. When the characters stop to stare moodily at each other an inform the viewer about what the deal is with everything, not even pretty actors can make the scenes that enjoyable...
Don't listen to people who give this less than 5 stars. Simply judge it for yourself how it is. And if you don't feel satisfied with the story, think of the film as an overly long music video. It's certainly pretty and convoluted enough to act like one.
Black Butler is based on a manga of the same name by Yana Tsuboso. The original story is set in c. 1880s London revolving around a young earl named Ciel Phantomhive strikes a bargain with a demon so that, in exchange for his soul, the creature will act as his right-hand man as he tries to figure out who murdered his parents and sold him into slavery. The demon's name is Sebastian Michaelis and his capabilities far exceed that of a normal human being, naturally.
The film twists all this into something that is half n half of "then and now". Instead of a young man, it is Ayame Goriki playing Shiori Genpou who nonetheless poses as a "young earl" as Kiyoharu Genpou in order to remain the head of her family's company (when it comes to realism, it makes sense she would do that). Her butler is Sebastian Michaelis, played by Hiro Mizushima, who isn't too hard on the eyes. Really, my eyes were drawn to Goriki and her honestly pretty well done acting. I could have been distracted by the fact that she had a really, really cute haircut, though.
For all of my fellow Japanophiles, you're well aware of the fascination that Japan's fashion district has with European Victorian-era clothing, and the actors certainly seemed to have walked straight out of Shinjuku during a Lolita meet up. Very fashionable period pieces are featured by the actors, and the mansions and scenery is all very proper and European in nature, so much so that you forget the film is set in the present until you see a car or a cell phone in a new scene.
The balance between past and present tips a bit in either's favor, sometimes becoming a bit unbalanced, sometimes just right so that I didn't feel too out of it while watching. The acting is fine and for the spin they put on the story it isn't too bad.
The special effects are easy to see through (that fire in the opening scene was a bit laughable), and everyone's attempts to appear very proper and serious sometimes feel a bit over the top, but maybe that's because anime and manga is so dependent on extreme emotion that seeing it in live action just makes it hammy and melodramatic.
Info-dumping and chatter is a problem this film has. When action is happening, it's all fun and entertaining. When the characters stop to stare moodily at each other an inform the viewer about what the deal is with everything, not even pretty actors can make the scenes that enjoyable...
Don't listen to people who give this less than 5 stars. Simply judge it for yourself how it is. And if you don't feel satisfied with the story, think of the film as an overly long music video. It's certainly pretty and convoluted enough to act like one.