Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji)- a closer look at Ciel and Sebastian

Black Butler (Japanese:  Kuroshitsuji) is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso.

A 24-episode anime adaption aired from October 2008 to March 2009. The second season, Kuroshitsuji II, aired in 2010 spanning 18 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus, following the aftermath of the first season. This series was the anime's own adaptation and did not feature in the manga. A third anime series, titled Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus, was broadcast between July 10 and September 12, 2014. A two-part theatrical OVA titled Kuroshitsuji: Book of Murder screened in Japanese theaters on October 25, and November 15, 2014.

In Victorian-era London lives the young boy, Ciel Phantomhive. On the night of his tenth birthday, a fire engulfed his manor house, his parents were murdered, and he was captured by a mysterious organization. After a month of enduring excruciating and humiliating torture, Ciel returns to the Phantomhive household with an enigmatic black-clad butler, Sebastian Michaelis. To others, it seems that the butler is simply the best at his craft, from anticipating his young master's needs to carrying them out to the best of his inexplicable abilities.

Little do they know, Sebastian is actually a demon that has entered into a contract with Ciel, promising to help the boy achieve revenge on those who have wronged him in exchange for his soul. As the Queen's Guard dog and standing at the top of the British underworld, Ciel solves the crimes plaguing London while waiting for the day he will exact his revenge.

Though arrogant and proud, Ciel has a good side to him and he often does things to help and support those who care for him. Like the way he cares for his servants well-being and for Lizzy, his fiance. Though he is childish, there are moments when he acts in a mature way, like how he pretended not to care for his ring because either with or without it he is the heir of the Phantomhive family. It is this determination and strong will which Ciel often shows, that Sebastian likes about his young master. He also likes his greed and his ambition. Sebastian doesn’t want other souls and is patient knowing that the only soul he needs and wants is that of his master.

Ciel is a very complex character, displaying wickedness and cunning, as well as kindness and humanity, he is calculated and grown-up for his age, as well as childish at times. Ciel is able to solve difficult and dangerous cases, though he’s hopeless with tying his shoe laces or getting dressed by himself. This complexity at such a tender age is what attracts not only Sebastian, but also other demons (Claude) and humans (Alois).

Ciel often finds it entertaining to challenge Sebastian in areas of both strength and skill. He is confident that Sebastian will never betray him because of the contract, no matter how much he challenges him.

Sebastian cares for Ciel, not only for his physical health, but also for the kind of person Ciel is and will be. A reason for this could be that Sebastian is interested in Ciel’s soul and he wants that soul to be complex and well nurtured. That is why Sebastian doesn’t spoil his young master and is even careful to make sure that Ciel will be gradually humbled by one or two defeats. Sebastian has noted that because of Ciel's talent in competition, he overestimates his skills to the point of thinking he can never lose, so he doesn’t want his master to become too confident. Ciel is aware that Sebastian is only interested in his soul and doesn’t fool himself into thinking that the demon actually loves him. This is proven to be correct, though Sebastian’s behavior is often difficult to understand and leaves room for interpretation. Being a demon he feels and perceives things in a different way than humans do. Still, my opinion is that his attitude towards Ciel is the closest thing to love that a demon can have.

• SPOILER ahead

I arrived at that conclusion by comparing Sebastian’s relationship with Ciel to Claude’s relationship with Alois. Sebastian cares for the kind of person Ciel will be and he doesn’t hesitate to reprimand or teach a lesson to his young master when it is necessary, even if it’s a harsh one. Claude doesn’t do that, which leaves the impression he doesn’t care. But we don’t know Claude’s true feelings either because he’s good at hiding them and, again, he’s a demon.

What Claude does to Alois  is because the boy openly shows him that he wants his affection, which I think is considered weakness by demons. Ciel doesn’t do that, but I often wondered: if he did, would Sebastian’s attitude towards him change? Would Sebastian be able to do to Ciel what Claude did to Alois? Remember how the second anime ends, what Sebastian does to “check” if Ciel is still human.  From a human perspective, you don’t do something like that to the one you love or care about. But Sebastian is a demon.

• END of spoiler
    

There is a scene, in the first anime, after Aberline encourages Ciel to have hope for the future, to live his life (right before Sebastian decides to let Ciel see how he can manage without his butler). Sebastian gives Ciel a look that I can describe as scary  (see image); it’s the first and only time when I saw the demon look at the boy like that. At that moment, does Sebastian feel a change in Ciel? Is he concerned that his young master might have second thoughts about the contract? If he did, would Sebastian kill him? I’m not sure.

I noticed there are many questions in this article to which I’m not sure what the answer is. Probably because Sebastian is a demon and we don’t know how demons feel or see things.

Things are different with Souma and Agni: Agni unconditionally cares for his prince and the bond between them is very strong. That is because both of them are human.

See? This happens when I analyze characters or relationships too much. In the end I just want to say that both Ciel and Sebastian are complex characters and that is why the relationship between them is so addictive to watch.