#tv rewatch

[sterlingsilverrosepetals]

Black Butler, Rewatch: Episode 1

Episode 1: “His Butler, Able”

Before watching this episode, on a scale of 1-10, how much are you looking forward to seeing it again?

7 

The episode that started it all. It’s okay not the best episode and I analyzed the entire first chapter so I have very mixed feelings about the anime’s take. Nevertheless, I still enjoy watching it. 

Favorite screencap: (I have two just because I can’t think of one without the other.)

Favorite Moment:

I loved seeing this entire scene animated. The swift ability Sebastian displays to easily pull the tablecloth. I love how they focused on his concentration as pulled the tablecloth away and in an instant the cup settled with the wine now in the cup. The contrast of the Butler and Earl’s reaction in the scene was great. If anything they animated this scene wonderfully. I will never get tired of it.

Least Favorite Moment:

Ciel: I don't need to explain my actions.

So this dart scene always made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like what Ciel did. Plus when I actually read the manga he didn’t do this to Finnian or the others. I could see him doing this to Sebastian easily but not the rest of his staff. It kind of made him more of a cruel tyrant in a way. It doesn’t fit Ciel when it comes to those closely connected to him. He would not do something so cruel to Finny. 

This entire scene makes him out to be a completely spoiled brat and makes the audience less inclined to see him as more than a wicked upstart noble.

Manga/Anime Difference Thoughts:

They definitely changed stuff from the original manga and these are some of things that stand out to me.

Ciel summoning Sebastian. This is not how the manga does it. There is no cage involved it almost seems like a void is where they first met. I prefer how it is shown in the actual manga. The naked child under a sheet is just wrong. Thank goodness the Book of Circus follows canon. 

Sebastian is hinted at as being abnormal in chapter 1 but he is still considered ‘human’. In contrast, the anime plays up his supernatural abilities from the start. This is kind of a misstep they are missing out on the big reveal. I think if they kept with the original manga interpretation they could have made the big reveal rather shocking. One of the things I love about the manga is it starts giving hints to his demonic nature but it doesn’t show them right around.

Who are you, good sir? Where is Chlaus? I can’t imagine why they changed him out. Except to have someone they could torture from the get-go. Missing out on an important overarching plot in the first book with the drugs because Chlaus isn’t there to give the evidence. That scene is necessary to understand Ciel’s role as Watch Dog. The anime just makes Ciel someone who tortures people to get his way. Also interesting to note it is Sebastian who greets the arrival whereas in the manga it is Ciel who welcomes Chlaus. From the beginning, it tells you what they think of their guest.

Morning tea Earl Grey instead of Ceylon Tea. The tea set is different too. It is a bitter variety of tea while in the manga Ciel starts out with a citrus tea. The original tea in the manga fits with the little hints of his childlike nature and his love of milk with honey for bed. This tea seems to play on the fact they want things darker. On a side note, the entire reason I tried Earl Grey was because of Black Butler and it’s one of my favorite teas now.  I always thought it would be too bitter but after trying it I loved it so much. 

What’s one thing you noticed/realized about this episode that you hadn’t before?

The Portrait/Flashback image looks ghastly and for some reason, Rachel has black hair. This looks odd and given how she looks in the rest of the anime I think it was a mistake.

The board game is still a good interpretation of the canon. I still enjoy the clever board game between Ciel and the bad guy. Even if it’s not in the manga it does demonstrate both Ciel’s intelligence and ability. Along with the fact he is a kid. Even in the manga Ciel is very prone to playing games it’s one of his joys in life. And it’s often used to show his detachment from the world and how he views life in general. So I think it was cool.

Foodie moment. They did a great job with the food what can I say? I want to show each dessert that Sebastian serves Ciel just because it is delicious. 

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this episode?

6 

To be honest I started with the manga (when it was still limited in translation) for a little while but the anime is how I was truly got into Black Butler. The beginning never entirely endeared me to the characters or the story. It wasn’t until they got into the Jack the Ripper stuff that was in it for the long haul. When I did read the manga I really viewed the anime differently and from a writing standpoint I think the manga was better.

They changed so many things I loved about the manga. The episode feels inconsistent and the payoff isn’t here. While I like the torture of the bad guy toy factory manager it made the series even darker and paints a bitter contrast to the manga. Plus they stuff so much filler in here. It works I suppose for the anime-only season but it gives you a different viewpoint on Black Butler as a whole. 

Celebrate it! (A little poem for you all.)

A lone visitor comes to call.

When will this foolish man fall?

Ravens stalk the night.

Danger lurks with frights.

Mishaps and chaos abound.

Yet still the Butler is profound.

Next Episode: Episode 2 His Butler, Strongest

[belvira]

Rewatching happy endings it is still amallzing

[caseycassidy]

Stiles + Scott constantly: lets go put our finger prints all over this crime scene 🥰

[barone-zone]

NEW EPISODE: Welcome to the Barone Zone / Bridge to Season 4! Check it out wherever you listen to podcasts or at https://postfun.org/raymond!

[imhilien]

SFF website Reactor (formerly Tor) will be doing a weekly Babylon 5 rewatch, starting next Monday with pilot movie 'The Gathering'.

[doesnotloveyou]

watching a star trek TOS episode where a starship captain has a psychosis that makes him aggressive and manipulative. he kidnaps kirk and spock, tortures his doctor, kills another mental patient, and threatens the safety of the Enterprise crew.

despite this, kirk continues to show him dignity and respect. instead of villainizing him, kirk reminds him his mental illness is not his fault and the awful things it has caused him to do are not who he truly is.

when spock finally shoots the man you think "well that's the end of that guy." but then we learn spock intentionally only stunned him, and the man is last seen getting mental health treatment. he is unaware of what has passed or who he is, and is confused to be referred to as "Captain" but he returns the respect he receives

Mental illness was treated better in a '60s scifi show than it is now.

[rad-batson]

*Bruce and 9yo Dick playing chess*

Dick: Okay, I'm gonna take your pointy, sad-faced guy for my horsey guy.

Bruce: Stop, stop. *pointing to Bishop* What is this piece called?

Dick: I call him Dwight.

[mydairpercabeth]

[arielluva]

never drawn their movie designs before :3

[raccoonnutella13]

people don’t talk about hilda (from the netflix show) enough and how absolutely insane she is. and by that i mean how she takes the Traditional Hero trope to the absolute extremes. she is filled with overwhelming whimsy; adventure is drawn to her like a goddamn magnet and absolutely NO ONE can stop her from pursuing it. and if they even try to get in her way then fuck them. this kid’s normal tuesday means possibly dying multiple times and fighting The Horrors. everyone around her is concerned for her and the unstoppable magical girl powers that she wields but she absolutely WILL be a little shit about it because she was pulled from her whimsical littol cottage in the woods where she played with trolls and forced to move to fucking Normal Non-Magic Town. turns out going to Normal Town is only a minor setback and soon she’s back on the befriending magical creatures (a GIANT TALKING RAVEN) grind. she’s so Magical Girl Protagonist that even her own mother is terrified for her.

put simply: hilda subverts the magical girl trope in such a way that makes her a threat to normal society. and i love her for that

[violetdaphne]

i love the scene in episode 10 of season 2 of leverage redemption when breanna says she wants the evil professor dude like bagged and gagged, and eliot and parker are just immediately like "okay bet lets fucking go nab this guy". like no questions asked, breanna asked for it, so they're going to do it. sophie has to step in to stop it and it just has me thinking like damn. breanna really has some of the most powerful and influential criminals in her pocket and wrapped around her finger. the very power she holds, the sway she has. can you imagine just other criminals in the leverage world just knowing this. like, just understanding that you lay so much as a finger on breanna casey, slight her in any way, then they're going to have the wrath of the og leverage team of leverage international against them, the full rage of eliot spencer, alec hardison, and the parker plotting vengeance. like just ugh i love this family and i love how breanna is their (eliot hardison parker) kid, the same way they were nate and sophie's. it's just a beautiful full circle that honestly has to be some of the best media ever written.

[ipledgeawaymysanity]

IS THAT CONNOR AND TRAVIS?

is that katie gardner behind them🥹🥹🥹🥹

[vivienvalentino]

hotch and morgan being weirdly in sync

[shesnake]

Community season 6 episode 13 "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television" (2015) dir. Rob Schrab

[barone-zone]

🔒 NEW BarONUS EPISODE: B.20 Fanfiction Theatre: Everybody Loves Robert! Nearly 2 years after reading the first chapter of A Grayer Shade of Gray's Everybody Loves Robert  on our episode 1.12, the Barone Boys bring the saga to a close...for now. Pay what you want for lifetime access to monthly bonus episodes like this at postfun.org/donate!

[chronicowboy]