Kuroshitsuji Review

Directed by: Kentaro Otani & Keiichi Sato

Casts: Hiro Mizushima, Ayame Gouriki, Mizuki Yamamoto, Yuka

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Suspense

Release Date: 12 June 2014 (Malaysia)

Loosely adapted from the manga & anime of the same name, Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) follows the exploits of Shiori Genpo (Gouriki), head of the Genpo noble family and her tailcoat butler Sebastian (Mizushima) as they solve crimes as the Queen's "watchdogs", all while searching for the true murderer of Shiori's parents.

I was a huge fan of the anime's first season (and would like to pretend the horrendous season 2 never existed) so I'm half-heartedly skeptical about how a live-action adaptation would play out. To make it easy on those who know zilch on the original story, Sebastian is a demon - vowed to serve Shiori until the point where she exact her revenge and henceforth consume her darkened soul. Sounds grim, but the main appeal of the original work is the relationship between the butler and his master. As Sebastian stands hungrily by his master's side to devour the precious soul, he can't help but also be simultaneously amused by his master's humane actions that is often accompanied by cold demeanours.

Praises: Fanboy-ing aside, there are several stark differences between the anime and the live-action. For one, Sebastian's original master is Ciel Phantomhive - a Victorian era noble while here, it's Shiori, a noble living in a 21st century "Eastern Nation". Apart from the settings, the stories differ significantly; but Hiro Mizushima of Kamen Rider Kabuto fame managed to pull off a rather impressive Sebastian Michaelis, maintaining much of the character's charming charisma without making it feel cartoonish.

A realistic Sebastian can be tricky (it's a flawless, handsome demon for Christ's sake!) but Mizushima makes it seem like an effortless stint and though he serves a different master here the love-hate relationship between Sebastian and Shiori mirrors the one with Ciel, thus not much to complain about. One of the many twists is that Shiori is actually a girl dressing up as a boy for the Genpo head can be of only from the male species, a comedic nod to the fact that Ciel looks quite much like a girl in the anime. I find this change rather hilarious and offers a refreshing take of a more emotionally compelling bond between the two.

Much like the Phantomhive household, Shiori too has a clumsy, over-attached maid servant Rin and the quiet, tea-sipping old butler Tanaka. Both offered comedic reliefs while maintaining their role from the anime and despite shortage of two (namely an explosive-frenzy chef and a superhuman gardener) they filled up the void quite well, offering Shiori a sense of family-love that she has long lost. I can't get enough of their antics really, therefore I appreciate the excellent choice of Mizuki Yamamoto and Taro Shigaki for the respective parts.

The film makers know well not to dish out a Sebastian that lacks class, elegance and of course, speed - I delight upon the fact that the demon butler moves with blinding agility both in battles and in service, something that mustn't be lost in translation. Another plus is that the action choreographies felt neat, demonstrating the demon's abilities without being way over the top.

Plot wise, the film adopts a more current approach on social illness and themes of modern world and while I personally prefer the original 19th century London fix, these contemporary flavours can be quite exquisite. Fans of the anime/manga might be able to figure out the entire narrative before halfway through the film but still, the characters do smart things to thwart a seemingly smarter menace, giving a sense that the movie is constantly ahead of the audience.

Complains: Unfortunately, the film loses its pace and momentum towards the climax. The final confrontation felt overly draggy, and just when you think it's over something else pops up to prolong it. I understand the need to emphasise the dramas in order to develop and flesh out the characters but much of the intensity is lost in a stretched-out finale.

It doesn't help that the villains are outright flat, one-dimensional characters that are utterly uninteresting. Hanae makes one helluva boring antagonist with a selfish motive sparked from deprivation of love; while her character aims to be tragic instead she came off as a spoiled whinny brat. There is at least one possible sequel given the way this film ended, so hopefully the film makers will get the baddies right next time.