Kuroshitsuji II

Several months after the events of Kuroshitsuji, the series introduces a new pair quite similar to Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis. Like Ciel, Alois Trancy has a tragic past. He does not know his parents because he was taken when he was a baby. He grew up and worked in a village and everything seemed fine until a massacre took his best friend from him. Alois then later turned up in his real home with a very skilled butler named Claude Faustus.

How Alois and Claude will affect Ciel and Sebastian is at the heart of this 12-episode sequel to Kuroshitsuji. Most of the cast from the previous season will reappear. The events after the final episode, whether Sebastian was successful at devouring Ciel's soul, will also be revealed in this sequel.

Although the opposing pairs of master and servant are similar in their circumstances, they're very different in their motives and methods. Whereas Ciel is calculating but fair, Alois is sadistic and needy. How different the butlers are remains to be seen and will certainly be a deciding factor in the end. That the two factions will battle it out in the end of this series is made clear in the first episode.

Claude and Alois

If you enjoyed most of Kuroshitsuji's dark side, Kuroshitsuji II has more. With fewer humorous scenes, the series has turned into a battle of wills and strategies. Both sides seem to be of equal strength, but whoever can out-think the opponent first might come out victorious. It seemed that they lacked opponents at par with Sebastian in the first series that was why everything seemed so easy until the final confrontation. This sequel however gives them a tougher challenge.

I loved the twist at the end of this sequel. Heartbroken and a bit shocked, yes, but it was a better ending than I expected. Look forward to more fight scenes as well. The first installment was okay, but this one made the series better. Who knew that a story about a boy and his demon butler could be this interesting?

Rating: 8 out of 10