Thursday, August 27, 2015

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage: Kuroshitsuji 2 Far Surpasses Its Follower Kuroshitsuji 3

REVIEW 2
Kuroshitsuji 2: The Most Beautiful Death in the World & The Thousand Souls and a Fallen Shinigami


Synopsis:

ACT I

Ciel Phantomhive has been kidnapped and now is at the mercy of a sacrificial cult. Desiring nothing more than revenge against those who have made him suffer, Ciel inadvertently summons a demon who offers him a contract - he will serve and see that Ciel's ultimate wish is fulfilled in exchange for his soul. Ciel accepts these terms and names his new servant Sebastian Michaelis, who will now serve as his butler.

Above: Ciel Phantomhive

It is a normal morning at the Phantomhive manor - Sebastian wakes, dresses and serves the morning tea as his master reads the paper. When Ciel reads that four women were mysteriously killed and bore no external wounds, Sebastian informs his master that a similar incident occurred a few weeks ago and the possibility of fatal disease is being considered. As Ciel continues to read his paper fellow Phantomhive servants Baldroy, Mey-Rin and Finney burst into his room trying to capture a rat which Sebastian quickly disposes of and orders the three of them back to their posts. After apologizing for the intrusion Mey-Rin remembers that a letter was delivered addressed to the young master. Sent from Her Majesty the Queen Sebastian and Ciel are surprised to learn that the Queen has great concern over the recent killing of these young women and that she suspects this to be murder. Doubtful of murder, Ciel's orders from the Queen are absolute: find and eliminate the killer. Once more, Sebastian and Ciel set out to investigate mass murder across England.

Above (left to right): Ronold Knox, Eric Slingby, Alan Humphries, Grell Sutcliff and William T Spears

As Ciel and Sebastian begin their investigation, The Shinigami Dispatch Society is beginning their work day. In charge of harvesting souls of humans on the "To Die List", head Grim Reaper William T Spears oversees the entire department and keeps all his fellow Reapers including Ronald Knox, Alan Humphries, Eric Slingby and the ever troublesome Grell Sutcliff in check. When Alan discovers that the number of souls on the Death List does not match the number of souls collected, William confesses that it may not have been best to leave the case to "him" (referring to Grell). Knowing Grell's incompetence, Will reassigns the case to Alan Humphries with Eric Slinby as backup, and Grell who leads the three away before Will can pull him from the case. As Will goes about his work, Ronald Knox asks him about Alan and Eric's close relationship. Will explains that the two were partners back when they were in training, and since then Eric has always been weary of Alan, and his condition.

The streets of London are busy as ever. Local constable Sharp Hanks and Scotland Yard detective Fred Aberline meet Ciel and Sebastian on the streets and report they still have no leads. With nothing to go on Ciel tells Sebastian that they must visit the Undertaker, the man in charge of all London's dead. After presenting payment the Undertaker confirms that all the victims bore no external wounds and that they all died with a peaceful smile on their face. The two leave and Ciel reminds Sebastian of his position as his servant and that he is merely a pawn in his game. As Ciel and Sebastian prepare to return to the Manor, they meet Eric and Alan who have heard about Sebastian through Grell. Knowing that he is a demon, Alan attacks Sebastian with his scythe but suddenly falls to the ground clutching his chest. Bored of watching Grell chimes in and explains that Alan has been taken by a sickness that can kill even Shinigami, known as The Thorns of Death. Thinking they might be onto something, Sebastian invites the three to rest at the Phantomhive manor until Alan has recovered. Ciel reluctantly allows this so as to keep a close eye on these Shinigami, the demons ultimate enemy.

Above: Eric (left) watches as Alan (right) collapses due to his illness

Alan awakes to find himself at the Phantomhive manor with Eric beside him. Angry and scared, Alan admits his fear of The Thorns of Death and how when one dies they experience many things, the most prominent being loneliness. Having never experienced loneliness, Alan explains how while in training he tried to understand the feelings of those scheduled to die but he was unable to understand them completely until contracting this sickness. As Eric watches over Alan and the night comes to a close, Grell appears, having been tied up and wearing lingerie. Alone in the mansion Grell fantasizes about a passionate night with Sebastian, who left him in such a state. When Sebastian returns and informs Grell that he is in need of his help. Grell eagerly follows after Sebastian as the sun rises and morning comes.


Above & Below: Grell's fantasy night


As Ciel awaits his breakfast, Alan and Eric insist on leaving the manor immediately to investigate their case. Sebastian, however, does not allow them to leave and reveals that he has discovered the identity of the mass murderer who has been terrorizing England - Eric Slingby. Eric denies any involvement and questions how a Shinigami could be responsible for such crimes. Sebastian explains that to solve this case, he needed the help of a Shinigami, Grell Sutcliff, who joins the group flustered over such a "passionate" night. Having been discovered, Eric confesses his involvement and attacks Sebastian with his scythe despite Alan's attempts to stop him. When Alan confronts Eric about his actions, Eric flees from the mansion with Alan close behind, as well as Sebastian and Grell.

Alan loses Eric along the way and desperately searches the streets. Watching from high above, Eric watches as a man in a heavy coat abducts a young woman and her friend. The two kidnapped women are led to the home of Viscount Druitt who plans to sacrifice them for the "goddess of beauty". Before he can do so Eric appears and sets the women free only to apologize for killing them himself. Eric slays the women, who bear no external wounds, and gains the adoration of the Viscount who in admiration of a real serial killer agrees to set the perfect stage for Eric to collect souls.

William is astonished that Eric would miss a scheduled Shinigami check in and Ronald proposes that Grell may be causing trouble again. As Ronald prepares for his next job, he is stopped while examining the 'To Die List' and notices that a huge number of people will die in the same place the following night. At the same time, Ciel and Sebastian return to the manor having received an invitation to an Opera held by the Viscount Druitt. The invitation invites only women and children, with gentlemen only allowed if escorting a woman. Discovering that the Opera will be held at the Crystal Palace, Ciel orders Sebastian to kill the Shinigami Eric Slingby and Sebastian swears to do so.              

ACT II

The Phantomhive manor is busily preparing for the Opera. Ciel, Grell and Alan attend all disguised as women, with Sebastian and the other Phantomhive servants also in attendance. Ciel at first opposes this, but soon realizes that having more soldiers never hurts, especially when dealing with a man like Druitt. Eric and Druitt watch from above as more guests arrive and The Opera House fills. Before Ciel or Sebastian can figure out Druitt's plan, the Opera begins and captures everyone's attention. Suddenly, the Opera House goes dark and Eric races around killing women with his scythe. Among the confusion, Alan confronts Eric who once again runs from him. William and Ronald suddenly appear and Sebastian and Grell join the battle against Eric, as Ciel is guarded by the the other Phantomhive servants. When Eric suddenly takes Ciel as a hostage, Sebastian orders Baldroy, Mey-Rin and Finney to return to the manor before running after his master.

Alan chases Eric until he confronts him about the real reason he has been collecting souls. Alan tells of a rumor where if a Shinigami can collect 1000 pure souls he can cure The Thorns of Death, but Alan is weary of its validity. Eric tells Alan he doesn't care if it is true or not and that if there is even a chance to Alan he will do whatever it takes. Realizing that Eric will stop at nothing, Alan respectfully asks Eric to stop killing and the two officially resign from The Shinigami Dispatch Society knowing they can never return to their work there.

Ciel is finds himself tied and wriggling on the floor until he orders Sebastian to come get him. After setting his master free, Ciel once again orders Sebastian to kill Eric Slingby and Sebastian leaves to do so. Sebastian finds Eric with Alan who has once again collapsed and confronts Eric about the number of souls he has collecting. Only in need of one more soul, Eric attacks Sebastian as Alan begins to recover and Ciel appears. Seeing Ciel, Eric prepares to obtain his 1000th soul, but before his scythe reaches Ciel Alan throws himself in front of it. A short cinematic record of Alan and Eric while is training is replayed, showing the strong friendship that developed between the two of them. As the record comes to a close, Eric watches as Alan dies in his arms. Seeing no reason to live, Eric allows Sebastian to kill him with Alan's scythe and the souls collected are released to finally be at peace.

Above: Eric (left) watches as Alan (right) dies

Sebastian and Ciel return to the manor where Mey-Rin, Baldroy and Finney are anxiously waiting. After sending them away, Sebastian pours the evening tea as Ciel states that immortal beings such as Shinigami are just as foolish as humans. Sebastian remains at Ciels side until he falls asleep and Sebastian prepares his master for bed. With Ciel asleep in his arms, Sebastian reminisces about their contract. and how one day, he will devour this soul.

REVIEW

As mentioned in my previous review, I watched Kuroshitsuji 2 after Kuroshitsuji 3 thinking that nothing would be better than Kuroshitsuji 3. I was gravely wrong. Kuroshitsuji 2: The Most Beautiful Death in the World (etc.) was just as good if not better than Kutoshitsuji 3 for many reasons.

The Cast:
Sebastian Michaelis - YuYa Matsushita
Ciel Phantomhive - Yukito Nishii
Eric Slingby - Taisuke Saeki
Alan Humphries - Matsumato Shinya
Grell Sutcliff - Uehara Takuya
William T Spears - Nagaoka Takuya
(Other roles include Ronald Knox, Undertaker, Fred Aberline, Sharp Hanks, Aleistor Chambers, Baldroy, Mey-Rin and Finnian)

Individual Performances

Once again, the performances of YuYa Matsushita and Uehara Takuya are unmatched. For this production, YuYa gives Sebastian a more ironic and hypocritical personality rather than one that appears purely dark and evil. Takuya also bring great life to Grell as the flamboyant Shinigami who is infatuated with Sebastian. I was originally shocked when Takuya came out in lingerie and was running about in heels, but looking on it now, he has my utmost respect. The pairing of Matsushit and Takuya is both comedic and casting brilliance and I hope that the two continue to do project together in the future. Ciel is this time played by Yukito Nishii who pulls off the role effortlessly. He is able to capture and portray Ciels pain and stern personality which plays off Matsushita's performance beautifully. Nishii is a perfect casting choice for Ciel, even if he appears to be a little older than the original character. Perhaps the real stars of Kuroshitsuji 2 is the duo of Alan and Eric. Saekis performance as the protective Eric and Shinyas performance as the naive Alan are stunning and are what made the production such a joy to watch. The two are a match made in heaven, are some of the best characters I've ever encountered, have the best scenes in the whole production and have the most stunning vocal themes. Of the entire Kuroshitsuji 2 case, these guys are it.

Set, Costumes and Score:

Much like the set for Kuroshitsuji 3, Kuroshitsuji 2 uses minimal set pieces and various stage levels to accommodate so many characters who are constantly on the move. Costumes also remained true to the series and manga, with special attention payed to The Shinigami Dispatch Society. With any production however, the first thing I pay attention to is its score. From the start I was thoroughly impressed with the score for not only its instrumental themes and group numbers, but also its solos. The individual themes of Alan and Eric as well as their duet together near the end of the show are breathtaking and incredibly moving and emotional. And along with a great score came great vocal performances especially from from Matsushita, Shinya and Saeki.

Final Thoughts:
Though I did love Suroshitsuji 3, Kuroshitsuji 2 has some elements that well overpower its third installment. First is its absolutely perfect casting with spectacular performances by all. Second, its story and character development. And finally is its score. The songs for Suroshitsuji 2 are incredible and fit the themes of Black Butler close to perfectly. Additionally the vocal performances given are absolutely beautiful. 3 may have come before 2, but ask me to chose just one Kuroshitsuji musical
and my answer will be Kuroshitsuji 2 hands down, every time.

All parts of Kuroshitsuji 2: The Most Beautiful Death in the World & The Thousand Souls and a Fallen Shinigami can be found with English subtitles on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ4lSylsIRPaW31U47KqLLYSFwxfv9U3l

NEXT REVIEW:
Black Pearl


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