I\u2019m with the kid on this, mustard is vile.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>When I think about how my view on Kuroshitsuji<\/em> has evolved \u2013 starting with \u201cBook of Circus\u201d, pretty much \u2013 it\u2019s remarkable. It represents the way the series<\/em> has evolved, and it has \u2013 tremendously. The kind of self-indulgent excess that checkered the series in its earlier days has almost entirely disappeared. I think it\u2019s not unrealistic that Toboso Yana herself evolved \u2013 figured out what worked and what didn\u2019t and tailoring Black Butler<\/em> accordingly. The essential character dynamic between Ciel and Sebastian is the spine, of course. But the arc plotlines are really cleverly conceived too.<\/p>\n<\/a>You probably know by now my view that the essential theme of Kuroshitsuji<\/em> is victimization. Everyone is either a victim or an exploiter, and that \u2013 along with Ciel daring to try and achieve the impossible by crossing over \u2013 drives the drama. I tend to view the plot characters through that lens (something like Circus really hammers this home). And it fits Midori no Majo-hen<\/em> to a T. Sieglinde is the victim here, indisputably. The fact that it was her mother<\/a> who spearheaded the victimization just makes it worse. But it also makes these developments resonate especially strongly with Ciel.<\/p>\n<\/a>The fate of these victim characters in Kuroshitsuji<\/em> tends to be pretty grim, so I\u2019m not holding out great hope for the Emerald Witch. But this may be a special case. When Ciel erupted \u201cChildren are not their parents\u2019 tools!\u201d in that bunker, sure, he was speaking for Sieglinde. But he was also speaking for himself. Altruistic is not the first word anyone would apply to him (that he\u2019s a servant of the crown notwithstanding). But this boy has a spine of steel, and he does have a sense of righteous indignation. Ciel\u2019s own past makes what these people did to Sieglinde personal to him. Maybe enough to care about Sieglinde\u2019s fate for its own sake, and not just that of his mission.<\/p>\n<\/a>Ciel is certainly the Protagonist of Black Butler<\/em>, but is he its hero? He\u2019s no hero in a moral sense, but he is<\/em> admirable in his strength of will. He\u2019s harsh with the girl, no mistaking that. He holds that pistol to her head<\/a> and there\u2019s no reason to think he\u2019d hesitate to use it. But in his way, he\u2019s trying to do the right thing by her. He knows what awaits Sieglinde if she returns to the land of the \u201cgood guys\u201d with him. And he\u2019s trying to compel her to avoid always being a victim, should she choose to keep living. He chose to seize control of his fate, though he paid the ultimate price to do so. He\u2019s encouraging her to do the same.<\/p>\n<\/a>Along with that outburst from Ciel, the most interesting moment of the episode was Sebastian\u2019s reaction when Ciel told him to indulge his full nature in cleaning up the mess in the castle (and under it). Sebastian admits that being Ciel\u2019s butler \u2013 and living with the constraints that place on him \u2013 is more enjoyable than simply being a ravaging beast. That\u2019s not to say he\u2019s forgotten how to go all-out, or remotely hesitates in doing so. It\u2019s been a long time since we\u2019ve seen his butler, unleashed<\/a>. And the sight is a reminder of just what Sebastian is \u2013 and what he isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n