Black Butler Live-action Film

This film... was not what I was expecting. At all. Ciel was a girl, living in modern-day Japan as opposed to Victorian England - you can't get any more different than that! Still, I quite liked it for what it was, even if it was a stark difference to the Black Butler we all know and love.

In a way, it loosely follows the kidnapping plot of the first manga book, but with the twist of an evil drug called Necrosis (honest to God, does nobody these days have the sense to stay away from pills with the Latin word for 'death' in it!) that mummifies your body almost instantly.

The actress for Ciel was actually really good, and all the characters were almost spot on in portrayal, although Sebastian wasn't nearly as charming as he is in the manga and anime. It surprised me, but the costumes in this film didn't look like really cheap cosplay costumes! An effort was made to make Ciel look dapper and smart, with his/her cane and top hat. I'm really glad that they didn't stick those strange, eyeless glasses on Mey Rin this time also, as that would have made things even more fake.

There was even some romance between Ciel and Mey Rin, and Ciel and Sebastian, which came as a huge surprise. In my opinion though, I think the writers made Ciel female in this film to enable romance between him and Sebastian, which is very unfair, both for Yana Toboso - who made him and obviously supports same-sex things - and the fans of Black Butler. Not to mention, it really says a lot about the acceptance of gay men in this film!

To be frank, it's not the best film I've ever seen, yet I did admire some aspects of it, such as the styling of the characters, and the dark atmosphere which is perfect for Black Butler. I'm really on the fence for this film.