Creative Staff
Story/Art: Yana Toboso
Translation/Adaptation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say
The decks of the Campania run red with blood when the corpses brought back to a semblance of life by the Aurora Society’s “absolute salvation” turn on the ship’s passengers in a ghoulish farce. With their investigation waylaid by this primitive struggle for survival, Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his exceptional butler, Sebastian, are trapped at the mercy of both the unnatural and Mother Nature herself.
Even as dead feet shuffle along the opulent decks of the luxury liner in search of living prey, in the distance there looms before the cursed vessel a massive iceberg that glows and crackles eerily in the gloom of night…
Content: (please note that content portions of review may contain spoilers):
Hell has been unleashed aboard the Campania as the Aurora Society’s “miracle” turns nightmare as their display of having conquered death goes horrifically wrong when not only aren’t the suddenly moving bodies acting like the hopeful families lost loved ones, they actually begin to attack the guests including those desperate for their return. Even Sebastian seems to be at a loss as his usual attacks against the corpses seems to have no effect, though not every unusual being present on the ship is as stymied as another nonhuman on the ship has the secret to stopping the creatures movements down cold…though the enemy of their enemy may turn out to still be their enemy and raise the stakes considerably for how Sebastian can carry out his duties in the midst of all the chaos.
Things don’t get any better for Ciel either as his solo pursuit of the Aurora Society’s mastermind Rian Stocker finds him in new peril when he is followed by Elizabeth and discovers that the ship’s hold has a large number of caskets in it that bear the Aurora Society’s phoenix emblem…and the contents of these aren’t resting in peace either. As Sebastian battles the latest Grim Reaper to cross his path, Ciel is going to have to rely on his newest companion Snake and his small pistol in order to protect his beloved Elizabeth and somehow survive the unceasing hoard long enough to find out just what is going on and how to stop it in time to save the people on the ship he cares about…but when it turns out that they have vastly underestimated the numbers of the creeping dead does anyone onboard have a future? And just what was it that the newest Reaper to appear, Ronald Knox, knows about the ship’s future that will raise the stakes of the voyage even higher and will that future event find Ciel’s efforts finally stretched too far beyond even his abilities and with their failure will something irreplaceably precious to be forever lost?
There is an old saying that trouble comes in threes and the voyage of the Campania seems to exemplify that for Ciel as the plague of moving corpses would be troublesome enough to deal with on their own but his need to have his fiancée and her family protected causes a new level of trouble for Sebastian who suddenly needs to be in at least two places at the same time- and that is before he runs into yet another Grim Reaper who has no problem trying to rid himself of the demon so he doesn’t have to worry about unnecessary paperwork. Due to this Ciel spends a fair part of the book on his own trying to protect Elizabeth which allows for the opportunity to explore just how deep the commitment Ciel has to her runs while he also has to combat his own demons (mostly figuratively) as watching his butler work is bringing him back to his worst memory amidst the horror show in front of them.
In addition to the emotional pull of the volume as Ciel becomes closer and closer to being overwhelmed, the action gets a nice boost as Sebastian has a seeming unending army of mobile corpses to deal with in addition to the appearance of a new problem in the form of Ronald Knox who operates a bit differently than some of the Grim Reapers that have been encountered in the past which complicates an already delicate balance for even the skilled butler. Still not finished, the third trouble presents itself as a natural threat bearing down on things that will raise the level of danger for all aboard as Sebastian will encounter a new time limit- and just for fun an old familiar face will appear as well to ramp up the series particular style of humor in the midst of the frenetic events of the night which will leave the Reapers busy as well try to find time in their schedule to combat him and also take care of all the souls that are perishing at an alarming rate lest they find themselves facing overtime.
In the midst of the chaos it falls upon some characters to live up to their potential as the various people that Ciel has surrounded himself with show some of the reasons that they are a part of his life as they get a chance to show their own skills, from Snake to Ciel’s mother-in-law-in-waiting the Lady Milford and her husband and son, who all demonstrate an ability to rise to the occasion…though the occasion threatens to sweep over them through sheer numbers. But it is the last few pages where the already impressive volume really takes its impact to a higher level as the danger pushes even Sebastian beyond his considerable limits and Ciel finds that he is helpless in perhaps his greatest moment of need which leads to a shocking moment that changes not only the future of the series but also will perhaps change how its past is viewed as well as emotions run high and the series demonstrates just how much incredible material the anime series missed in the stories that were created after its run.
In Summary
A ship full of animate and hostile corpses is trouble enough, but when it turns out that the Grim Reaper onboard is actually waiting for a bigger catastrophe all the danger bakes together to create a situation that may finally prove to be too much for the Queen’s Watchdog and his devilish butler to handle which will creates an environment ripe for a major shock. Fans of Black Butler don’t dare miss this volume as the stunning end will likely forever change the dynamic of the series in a way they never dreamed of when it looks like Sebastian and Ciel find the limits of their abilities and one member of the cast may have to make a major sacrifice because of it. Recommended.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 22nd, 2013
MSRP: $10.99
