7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In late-nineteenth century England, one year and three months after the dramatic conclusion of the first season, season 2 introduces a new butler and young master. The sadistic yet cheerful Alois Trancy has faced some harsh times. He was kidnapped as a baby, and was forced to work in a village as a slave. Gradually, he lost his parents, his best friend, and everyone he knew. Alois eventually returned home and became the head of his mansion, but seemed to exhibit some strange behavior ever since. Even more curiously, he returned with Claude Faustus, an enigmatic, emotionless butler with unfathomable talent...
Starring: Daisuke Ono, Maaya Sakamoto, Aya Hirano, Nana Mizuki, Takahiro SakuraiAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 93% |
Fantasy | 31% |
Comedy | 27% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (2 BDs, 3 DVDs)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Legions of loyal Dallas fans had a collective “WTF” moment when the long running series’ ninth season got started and it turned out everything that had happened the previous year had simply been a dream. With an awareness that this might be considered a spoiler for those who are unacquainted with this series, the first season of Black Butler ended with what might be called the consummation (for lack of a better term) of the occult contract between demonic butler Sebastian Michaelis and his supposed charge Ciel Phantomhive, a consummation that resulted in Sebastian consuming the soul of his supposed master. One would think that that would be the end of the show, considering one of the two main characters is, in Monty Python parrot sketch parlance, an ex-character, but of course that ignores the old show business dictum that if something is succeeding, why let mere death stand in the way of proceeding with a project? The second season of Black Butler attempts to maneuver around this seemingly insurmountable obstacle with a fair degree of sleight of hand, and it further echoes that long ago Dallas trick by starting several episodes with various characters awaking from slumber. In fact the whole second season of Black Butler has a much more surreal and dreamlike ambience than the first year did. It’s as if the entire occult element of the series has opened a portal to a parallel world of magical beasts and characters, through which Ciel, Sebastian and several other supporting characters traipse in a semi-somnambulistic manner, perhaps not fully aware (at least with their rational minds) of what exactly is going on.
My comments about Black Butler: Complete First Season hold true as well for the second season's AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Once again, this very distinctively animated series offers nicely sharp and clear line detail supporting a variety of nice looking character designs as well as some equally nicely rendered CGI elements. The colors once again pop very well and are nicely saturated. The recurring motifs of a spider (tied to the Trancy household) and a luminescent blue butterfly also lend this second season an appropriately spooky flair. This is a solid and enjoyable high definition presentation that continues the excellence of the first season.
Once again as with Black Butler: The Complete First Season, this second season features two lossless audio options, an English dub delivered via a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix and the original Japanese language track delivered via a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. For the record, and again as with the first season, this is one of a very few FUNimation Entertainment releases where the audio options can't be toggled through via the Audio button on your remote. Instead each must be accessed separately via the Setup Menu. There are also no optional subtitles on this release—they are part and parcel of the Japanese language track and cannot be turned on otherwise. Both of these mixes have their own charms, though most will probably want to opt for the English language track for a couple of reasons. First of all, the voice actors all do creditable if not outstanding British dialects, helping to properly locate the series in its time and place. Second of all, this particular English dub features a number of people not normally associated with FUNimation English dubs, and so there's a greater variety here than is often the case with FUNimation releases. Fidelity is excellent on both of the tracks, though as seems to be the case more often than not, the English dub features a much more aggressive low end (and not just because of the 5.1 element). Surround activity is well handled in the 5.1 mix, and the series' appealing music sounds great on this track.
This second season of Black Butler takes a turn toward the dark and disturbing, and that may turn off some viewers who were drawn into the first season's more comedic elements. The series is still incredibly stylish and there are at least a couple of really compelling plot arcs that play out in this second season, but they're always within the context of some kind of unseemly occult elements that are at the least disturbing, and perhaps for some viewers even more than that. But for those who don't mind a little Satanic element in their animes, Black Butler is stylish and consistently interesting. This second season continues the first season's outstanding video and audio, and the supplements here are even better than in the first season. Highly recommended.
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