Rich 12 year old orphan Ciel Phantomhive lives alone in a mansion on the outskirts of Victorian London, attended to only by his young incompetent cook Bardo, his young incompetent gardener Fini, his young incompetent maid Meirin, his old incompetent steward Tanaka, and his tall, dark and mysterious butler Sebastian.
Sebastian is more than competent at any task that needs to be done; in fact he has abilities around the mansion that might be called “demonic”. Ciel is not your ordinary 12 year old boy either. He has an uncanny maturity about him, along with a lot of cynicism. He also has a right eye which glows red, on which he usually wears a patch.
Ciel and Sebastian share an odd relationship, because although Ciel is Sebastian’s master, Sebastian is also responsible for Ciel’s upbringing, and as such is able to put some constraints on his young master’s whims. One evening a guest comes to visit. Sebastian uses his “abilities” to compensate for the incompetence of the other servants so at first everything goes smoothly.
But when the guest starts to try to put in place a plan to defraud young Ciel, the plan goes awry thanks to the inadvertent doings of the other servants, as well as thanks to Sebastian’s deliberate misinterpretation of what is occurring.
The servants are in awe of Sebastian’s abilities but don’t question their origin. Sebastian and Ciel tolerate their ongoing relationship for their own reasons, but neither is truly happy and Sebastian makes many sarcastic observations when the Young Master isn’t within earshot. Sebastian introduces Japanese touches to the landscaping and the menu, and then has to explain what he has done to the baffled locals.
Main Characters
Sebastian Michaelis is the butler of the Phantomhive household and Ciel’s bodyguard, two jobs he is completely devoted to. He often describes himself with a pun which reads as “a butler and a demon”. He is highly skilled in any area and handles any task, as well as any problem that arises from the errors of the other staff, with ease. This is due to the fact he is a demon bound by a “contract” to abide by Ciel’s will. A sign similar to the one marking Ciel’s right eye can be found on his left hand, which has been used on one occasion to twist the arm of a kidnapper without touching him.
Ciel Phantomhive is the business-savvy, twelve-year-old head of the English Phantomhive noble family, taking over after the deaths of his parents. He also runs a company that manufactures toys and sweets. His right eye, which is always covered, bears the “sign of contract” which binds the demon Sebastian Michaelis to his will.
Bard is the household cook, who almost always seems to have an unlit cigarette in his mouth. However, he rarely produces anything edible as he uses weaponry such as flamethrowers to cook. Sebastian believes anything he creates is “at least 80% charcoal”.
Finian is the Phantomhive gardener, but it seems every time he tends to the garden it is killed through an accident caused by his clumsiness. Sebastian views him as an idiot.
Meirin is a clumsy, bespectacled maid. The fact that her glasses are always cracked certainly does nothing to improve this. She seems to have a crush on Sebastian, as she is even clumsier when Sebastian is watching.
Tanaka is the house steward, but he rarely does any work. He is also the shortest of the servants. He is usually seen drinking tea. Thanks to: D. Baranyi
(黒執事)
