Creative Staff
Planning & Production: Takeshi Kuma
Design: Yuuichi Nakagawa
Interior Design: Yuuko Sugasawa
Lettering: Lys Blakeslee
Story/Art: Yana Toboso
Translation/Adaptation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say
In this first-ever full-color illustration collection by manga artist Yana Toboso, the New York Times bestselling manga series Black Butler comes to vivid life. Starting at the beginning of the tale of Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his inimitable butler, Sebastian, the collection focuses on the series through the immensely popular Circus Arc. In addition to these glorious color cuts are illustrations from her debut work, Rust Blaster, as well as promotional art from Black Butler and the artist’s own tribute illustrations for other popular manga series. As anyone picking up this gorgeous beribboned hardcover tome will realize, black is a color of many facets, indeed!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Let’s be honest, what draws many of us to anime and manga, at least to begin with, is the art. I have always felt that this is especially true with manga. Stylistically, every managaka (manga artist) has their own style. From the most obvious parts of the visual presentation to the more subtle emotional influences of color and style, manga is as beautiful as it is varied.
This is, of course, as true for Black Butler as it is anything else and Yana Toboso’s first artbook is a treasure trove of gorgeous selections. Yana’s use of color in the full-page and 2-page spreads, as well as in smaller selections, is in some places bold and others muted. Each illustration holds its own sense of emotion from sweet melancholy to vibrant enchantment. Whether it be a fun seasonal portrait of Sebastion and his Earl against an intricate backdrop or a simple character portrait on a plain white page, every illustration draws the eye and begs you to linger just a little longer than you originally intended.
Personally, my favorite illustrations are the watercolors and those that appear almost as though they are a portrait one of the characters might have hung in their manor homes. I love the fun and whimsy of some of the scenes, and Yana certainly takes time to revisit the circus, but it’s the heavy emotion that grabbed me in the manga that once again grabs me in these pieces of art. It’s truly enjoyable to go through the images and really get a look at Tomoso’s artistic range. Some illustrations are decievingly simple at first glance while others are so beautifully intricate that I have a tendency to ge tlost in the detail.
And in all honestly… I don’t think there’s a single illustration in this entire 126-page collection that I even begin to dislike. It’s a hard win all the way around, for me.
The book is beautifully put together with a pin-striped hardcover and silver embossed lettering on both the front and back. Simple black ribbons from each the front and back cover serve as markers for not one, but two of your favorite pages in this sturdy collection.
In Summary This isn’t a book you quickly flip through, but one you can visit again and again and still find a reason to linger on your favorite works. I would suggest it not only to die-hard Black Butler fans, but any fan of beautiful manga artwork.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A+
Text/Translation Grade: A+ (Not a lot of text to translate)
Age Rating: G
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: October 27, 2015
MSRP: $45.00
