I do remember watching one or two episodes of the first season of Black Butler, so many years ago. I never got around to watching the rest. Then I saw that the series was available on Netflix streaming, and thought I’d finally watch it all. It turns out that what Netflix has is just the second season of Black Butler. Somewhat disappointing, but still I did enjoy watching these episodes.

In season 2, Ciel Phantonhive and his demonic butler Sebastian are back investigating threats to the British public on behalf of Queen Victoria. Only now there is another young aristocrat and his butler, Alois and Claude, who are seeking to steal Ciel’s soul from Sebastian.

Netflix also includes six bonus episodes, four of which are intended as self-parodies, but totally fail. Only the last, the darkly tragic The Story of Will the Reaper, is interesting enough to completely pay attention.

Season 2 of Black Butler is as dark as its name suggests. Without seeing season 1, I could still get the gist of the plot and follow the story. If you like your anime dark, I recommend season 2.