Black Butler Vol. 3 by Yana Taboso

Teodora's Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

The murderous Jack the Ripper has been found: Ciel's aunt, Madame Red, and her butler, Grell! While Madame Red is fully human, the same can not be said for Grell who turns out that he is not an incompetent butler, but an able and flamboyant grim reaper! With an admiration for the demon butler Sebastian, the two fight while Ciel is left to confront his aunt and her tragic past. It is his duty to rid London of the killer, but could family bonds prevent him from killing family?
Oh, the fight scene between Grell and Sebastian was amazing! Yana Toboso was smart to not make it just full of sound effects, but include dialogue between the two supernaturals. Toboso also makes Madame Red's backstory dramatic and I found myself feeling sorry for her. The world Toboso has created is growing wonderfully and I look forward to reading more. Also, I can admit that, in my opinion, this manga is better than the popular anime of the same name (and I think that is excellent too). After the arc with Madame Red ends, we are introduced to the strong mother of Ciel's fiance, Lady Francis. This character is not introduced so early in the anime, which is a real shame. The short story involving her adds to the manga and strengthens the bonds between characters. This manga has made me interested to see what other differences exist in the manga and anime and how they compare with each other. 

Black Butler Vol. 1 by Yana Toboso
Teodora's Rating: ★★★★

Review:
It is the late 1800s in London and it is the home of Queen Victoria and her "guard dog," Ciel Phantomhive. Despite his young age, Ciel prefers to stay at his mansion, managing his family's business, with the help of the most special of butlers. Sebastian can do it all - cooking, cleaning, coming to Ciel's every beck-and-call, and preparing for guests at the last minute plus so much more, he is like a superhuman. If he is even human, that is? When Ciel is in trouble, Sebastian will always succeed in saving his young master.
This manga is a perfect combination of comedy and action. I recall holding back laughter numerous times at the "dramaticness" of expressions and awkward scenarios. The fighting scenes are clear and easy to follow. Each of the main chracters are memorable and wonderfully designed. Yana Toboso knows how to draw aged character (a common problem in mangas) and embraces the time period of her manga with remarkable detail. The art is definitely a highlight of this series. The story flows and is action-packed. Never does the story drag. If I  had to be nit-picky, I wish that the manga ended in a cliffhanger, but I can also understand the author's final decision. This manga was to act as an introduction. I would recommend Black Butler to fans of the supernatural, The Victorian era, and mystery.