Claude Faustus vs Sebastian Michaelis

This picture sums up the rivalry between Sebastian Michaelis and Claude Faustus perfectly. Right from the start, it was a battle between the two. A battle to see who would get the best soul at the end. In this case, the best soul would be that of Ciel Phantomhive. Ciel's soul is the prize for the eventual winner. Watch Kuroshitsuji season 2 to see who wins! ^_^ 

PS. I support Sebastian. What about you~?

A Lovely Sketch of Sebastian and Ciel

Nothing could express my feelings when I saw this picture for the first time. It is so beautifully drawn and the warm tones bring out the sensual quality in the characters. I also like the way how Sebastian holds Ciel with one arm and Ciel clings onto his butler's head with a single arm too. So much love for this picture~ ^_^ 

Sebastian Says Shhh~

I'll be posting occasional pictures of Kuroshitsuji original and fanarts for sharing on this blog. All the photos and arts credits do not belong to me. Most of these pictures can be found easily on Tumblr so there you go. 

First, I shall be posting a picture of Sebastian Michaelis for this entry. The picture is shown as below: 

This picture is taken from the anime in Season 1, where Sebastian is fighting against Grell Sutcliff and yes, those are Sebastian's blood if you look closely. Grell used his illegal modified death scythe to strike Sebastian but we all know who wins in the end. ^_~

I really like how Sebastian manages to look so calm and intimidating despite being injured. He is indeed one hell of a butler. ^-^ 

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 62

Ok, I know this is late but I always forgot to post my review once I have completed reading each newly released chapter of Kuroshitsuji. I keep neglecting this blog. I'm so sorry.

Anyway for the latest chapter, Yana has brought us more details on how Sebastian came to be contracted to Ciel. Finally fans of Kuroshitsuji gets more insight into the thoughts of Ciel Phantomhive as well as a little bit of Sebastian Michaelis.

Overall this chapter is more centered on their initial meeting and how Sebastian copes with serving such a young, tiny Master. It is actually quite heartwarming and a little hilarious. See a preview picture from the chapter below:

Ciel is too cute in this panel, especially with his grumpy face. Sebastian can be clearly seen as being frustrated with having to deal with such a stubborn young child who couldn't even take care of himself. Well, that is understandable considering that Sebastian is a demon who has lived for centuries. Ciel is nothing but a mere soul to him, a human child that is frail and weak.

With this chapter, Yana promises to show us more about the intricate relationship between Sebastian and Ciel in the forthcoming chapter. All we have to do now is to wait for November 18.

Ugh... I do really hate waiting sometimes. LOL ^^

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 61

The latest chapter for Kuroshitsuji is already out for a few days and I still can't get my mind to stop thinking about it. Chapter 61 is so epic, as expected from Yana sensei. 

Both Sebastian and Ciel are still trying to fight the Undertaker along with Grell Sutcliff and Ronald Knox yet none of them are successful in defeating the wily old fox. 

I've got to admit that the Undertaker is super uber cool in this new arc. His scarred face along with his long, dangerous death scythe is making him so much hotter than ever. Yet in this chapter he is breaking my heart by aiming that scythe of his at Sebastian. See the picture panels from the manga below. 

Undertaker had used Ciel as a bait to get Sebastian to attack him. In the melee, he seized the chance to strike his death scythe right into Sebastian's chest, thus sending strips of Sebastian's cinematic record flowing out from him.

The chapter ends in a cliffhanger as usual. Now I am anxiously waiting for the next chapter update as I want to know what's going to happen to Sebastian. He's the main character so he can't be killed off like that. He had already died once and that was for show~

Nonetheless, this chapter is a great read and once again, strengthens my fangasm for Kuroshitsuji. ^_^

Online Shopping for Some Books

Finally I got down to do some online shopping for my favourite books tonight. All in all, I bought six books, three mangas and three novels. That's quite a nice haul for me there.

For the mangas, I bought Kuroshitsuji volume 5, 6 and 7. I love Kuroshitsuji a lot and so it's one of the very few mangas that I would buy in print. Amazon is selling the manga up to Black Butler, Vol. 4, do check it out when you can. I strongly recommend this manga for all newcomers.

For the novels, all three books are written by bestseller author, Cassandra Clare and she is famed for her Mortal Instruments trilogy. I bought City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments, Book 4), Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) and Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices). Hopefully I will get all my books soon so that I can start reading them.

I already owned City of Bones (Mortal Instruments), City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments) and City of Glass (Mortal Instruments), the initial trilogy of the Mortal Instruments. So far I have completed reading City of Bones and will start on City of Ashes soon. I shall write more about City of Bones the next time.

Ciao for now~

Anime Watch: Kuroshitsuji II Episode 1

Wow finally the wait for the second season of Kuroshitsuji is over. This time round, the storyline seems to be different as both Ciel and Sebastian are not to be seen anywhere. Instead we are introduced to new characters who seem to be the main protagonists for this season.



Watch Kuroshitsuji II Episode 1 (subbed) in Anime  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Enjoy the brand new show!

PS. There's even a slight hint of yaoi. >_<
If you are interested in the manga that this original anime series is based on, you can go to here: Black Butler, Vol. 1

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 46

The latest chapter for Kuroshitsuji is out and as usual, you can get it from Bleach Asylum. =)

Jeremy, the new character that was introduced back in Chapter 45, turned into a full detective mode in this chapter. With each inspection of the dead bodies, he pierced together the bits and pieces of mystery that had befallen the Phantomhive house in this arc.

Poor Ciel even had to be a sacrificial lamb in order to catch the killer and its helper. Who could that be? All that remains is Chapter 47 =)

I am so in awe of Yana Toboso sensei and her style of story-telling. I wish Kuroshitsuji could go on and on. Sebastian is THE butler that every master would kill for. Hiak hiak!

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 45

Once again, it's that time of the month and Kuroshitsuji has fall upon us, beckoning to be read. ;) Thanks to Bleach Asylum for scanlating this latest chapter so quickly, though probably it's also because the chapter is so short.

Warning! Spoilers ahead!!!

---


Here, readers are introduced to a new character which Ciel identified as Father Jeremy. If you recall, Sebastian had instructed Mayrin to send out an owl just before his 'death'. It turns out that this owl reached Father Jeremy and now he has arrived at Phantomhive mansion to solve the murders mystery, since Sebastian is not able to do so due to his unique circumstances.

Now the arc is delving into a Sherlock Holmes world where mysteries are being attempted to be resolved before the next murder happens. This is also like what Agathe Christie would write in her mystery novels too.

Oh man, Yana Toboso sensei is going to her readers one hell of an exciting read and now I am eagerly waiting for the next chapter to come. =D

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 44

Wow.... new chapter 44 for Kuroshitsuji is finally here. Many many thanks to Bleach Asylum for bringing this wonderful manga scanlation to us. So far it is the only group that translates Kuroshitsuji and I am so grateful that they are still around to scanlate more Kuroshitsuji chapters.

In this chapter, there are some cute moments and touching moments. It is so fun to see so many stray cats that are hidden away by Sebastian. Ciel is allergic to cats so Sebastian can't have a pet cat openly in front of him.

Then there's the servants who are missing Sebastian and reminiscing over how they met Sebastian for the first time and they vowed to protect Ciel in place of Sebastian.

Overall this chapter is really cool and meaningful. =D

Anime Watch: Kuroshitsuji II PV

I know this is quite late but I have just come across the new PV for the upcoming season 2 of Kuroshitsuji, which is going to be out in July this year.

There are new characters in the PV that I can't recognise but there seem to be no traces of Ciel and his butler, Sebastian anywhere in the PV.





Oh man, I hope this season will be better than the previous season and I am so curious about the direction for this new season. Is it going to deviate away from the manga or otherwise? Things are not so clear at the moment so all I can do now is to wait.

^.^

Yay! Manga on my iPhone!

I have finally figured out how to create manga files and read them on my iPhone using this software that I downloaded from the Apps Store.

eManga helps to create manga files by using its own software and then synchronizes with a compatible iPhone to the manga library. It is quite a nifty software and I can read my favourite mangas on my iPhone.

The only thing is that it requires a lot of effort in creating the manga files from my own database. That alone takes up a lot of time as I need to sort out the cover page, credits page and the manga pages into the software during the creation.

With the amount of time it takes, I am better off reading my mangas off the computer and it sure doesn't take up much time either.

Loading some mangas on my iPhone can help to pass the time while travelling outside. So far I have loaded a bit of 07 Ghost, Penguin Prince and Zettai Kareshi.

Anyway my real problem is not getting to read mangas on my iPhone but how to manage my huge manga collection in my external hard disk. My 1TB external hard disk is already maxed out and I still have more new manga releases to be stored. It looks like I have got to buy another external hard disk soon. Thank goodness the IT show is coming on 11 March and I can resolve my storage issue for now.

Still, I have got to plan out how to manage my storage space efficiently since I can't be buying external hard disks all the time if I run out of space to keep my e-data. Man, I wonder if anyone could offer me a permanent solution to this and no, I don't have a DVD writer either. This kind of sucks.

My manga collection can take up a lot of space in a disk. Oh, I also have my anime collection too. So these two collections are more than enough to suck up all the free space in my 1TB disk. Scary eh?

I seriously need some advice on this storage issue. Gah! X_X

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 42

Wee! Kuroshitsuji chapter 42 is out for reading! Please join Bleach Asylum and thank them for another wonderful release!

In this chapter, we see the guests trying to figure out how Sebastian was murdered and why he got two fatal wounds in two such different locations, namely his head and abdomen. They even thought that a second murderer might be on the loose too.

Meanwhile Ciel appoints Tanaka as the replacement butler for Sebastian. The moment Tanaka wears the butler badge, he transformed into a different person. He looked so much different from what Yana had portrayed him previously. Whether it's going to be good or not is dependent on the next chapter.

But before chapter 42 ends, we get another murder and this time round, it's Phelps. My my, the plot gets more twisted as the arc goes on. Three murders in the space of two nights can be a bit much for a detective to swallow, eh? Plus the owl that Sebastian had entrusted to Mayrin was shot down by someone. Who was it? What is exactly going on? That is all that remains to be seen and I doubt we will get any answers soon.

Hopefully we get more insight into this arc in the next chapter in March 2010. See ya!

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 41

Yes! Kuroshitsuji chapter 41 is out and we get to see the final moments of Sebastian before he gets murdered too. Please join Bleach Asylum to get this chapter and thank the wonderful people there for bringing us this chapter.Without them, we won't be getting any Kuroshitsuji manga at all. >.<

In this chapter, Ciel gets chained to Arthur for the night in order to see whether Ciel is the murderer since he did not have an alibi to prove his innocence. It is so cute to see Ciel being so child-like, especially when he needed his security pillow to sleep and Sebastian had to bring it over for him.

We get to see a poignant moment of Arthur musing over how child-like Ciel is before Sebastian's final live appearance. The next scene brought us Sebastian's death and how distraught Ciel was. He ordered his butler to wake up from his sleep and stop pretending to be dead. Well, as the reader, I do know very well that Sebastian can't die and so this justifies Ciel's actions.

However Ciel's guests do not know that fact and therefore it's no wonder that they are puzzled by his behaviour. How will this arc pan out? We shall have to wait for the next chapter to see what happen next. Yana Toboso is as brilliant as ever.

Manga Read: Kuroshitsuji Chapter 40

Tonight is such a lucky night for me. I get to read the latest translation of Kuroshitsuji chapter 40 and it's all thanks to Bleach Asylum. The guys there are so wonderful. I simply can't live without my monthly dose of Kuroshitsuji after all. (^_~)

In this chapter, after the discovery of Georg's murder, everyone in the mansion arrived at the murder scene, with Ciel being the last to enter. Irene managed to point out that the room was locked while the murder is committed, hence turning the case into a locked room murder. This is churning out into a Sherlock Holmes style of crime scenes and I am loving it a lot.

Ciel proceeded to explain how a locked room murder can be achieved with the use of a needle and thread. Yet eventually as he was unable to produce any alibi to separate himself from the crime scene, he was placed as the number one suspect. As a result, he was chained to Arthur in order to make sure that he would not try to commit another murder again.

That tender loving scene we saw of Ciel's family is truly endearing when he recalled how he used to be so scared of thunder that he crawled into his parents' bed to seek comfort. My heart aches when he said that now he has no one to stay by his side. Apparently Arthur thought the same way as he patted gently on Ciel's head in an effort to comfort him.

The focus then shifted to Sebastian as he went back to the murder scene to clear the hearth, as instructed by Ciel. Somehow Ciel knows that there is something hidden in the hearth and Sebastian is the only one who can check it out, being a butler and all.

Yet when Sebastian was checking out the hearth, a mysterious figure appeared behind him and appeared to prepare to strike Sebastian. That's when the chapter ends and leaves the reader hanging for more.

Yana sensei is so good at creating the mystery and suspense for this current arc and I am so looking forward to the next chapter. In my opinion, I believe the murderer could be Irene as the most innocent person is usually the most suspicious person too. I wanted to guess Arthur as the murderer but seeing this arc is written from his perspective, he can't be the murderer at all.

So for now, I can only wait till 18 January 2010, when the next chapter comes out in the next issue. The case won't get solved that fast but I'm sure Yana sensei will present us with more clues to decipher the case.

\(^o^)/

Manga Read: Bleach Chapter 383 to 386

Continuing from Bleach chapter 382, chapter 383 sees the battle between the two shinigami captains, Kuchiki Byakuya and Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yammy going into full force when Yammy transforms himself. The result of the transformation can be seen below.

It seems like the sole factor to make Yammy's powers stronger is to get him angry. The angrier the better. That is certainly a huge size, even for an espada. How will the two shinigami captains deal with him?

Meanwhile, the focus shifted back to Karakura Town where Aizen tries to instigate Shinji into attacking him. Will Ichigo rush back on time to save them all? Will Shinji's strong confidence in Ichigo pays off?

On the other side, chapter 384 sees Komamura Sajin, captain of the 7th division, heading off Tousen, who has gained the powers of a Hollow. His transformation is a full on head mask.

Tousen decided to abandon his shinigami roots and seek the powers of a Hollow to make himself stronger than ever. How will Komamura face off against such a strong opponent? Will calling bankai help?

Captain Komamura's bankai looks impressive but is it enough to fend off the hollowified Tousen? We have seen how powerful a Hollowified shinigami can get. Examples are Ichigo and the vizards.

In chapter 385 we see two showdowns. One between Shinji and Aizen, the other between Komamura and Tousen. Who will come out as the victor?

 Shinji and Aizen

 

Komamura and Tousen

How will it end for them?

Chapter 386 is the latest installment to this exciting series and I am glad to have caught up to it finally. Here we see that Tousen evolved into a terrible being as can be seen below.

In his battle against Komamura, he seems to have the upper hand as he striked the captain down easily. However it is actually Komanura who does not wish to fight against Tousen anymore. He wants to be the vessel to accept and heal Tousen's disillusioned heart.

However Hiragi dealt a heavy blow to Tousen before he could finish off Komamura. Finally Hiragi gets his rightfully deserved spotlight here.

Just one strike and that is it for Tousen. Will he finally be finished off in the next chapter? I predict that we will see a tribute to Tousen in the next chapter, if he is truly defeated once and for all. Too bad Ichigo still hasn't gotten his spotlight in the human world yet. Perhaps we shall see him soon in the next couple of chapters. Or we might not.

Kubo sensei sure can draw out a long battle that doesn't see the need for Ichigo's appearance. Wahaha.... Let's wait and see, shall we?

Manga Read: Bleach Chapter 376 to 382

In Bleach chapter 376, we see Aizen finished off Halibel as she tried to attack him back. Now he declares his move on the Gotei 13 as well as the vizards. How will the battle turn out?

Before we see that, the story turns to Mashiro's battle with Wonderweiss, who seems intent on fighting back no matter how many times Mashiro kicked him down. At the very last moment, Mashiro's hollow mask suddenly cracks, giving Wonderweiss a chance to smash her face.

Muguruma Kensei stepped in before Wonderweiss can defeat Mashiro completely.

From the picture above, you can see how impressive Kensei gets when he releases his bankai. How will the battle turn out? The next page changes the focus back to Aizen, who is now being confronted by both the Gotei 13 and the vizards.

He succeeded in taking down Hiyori who is unable to control herself and tried to attack Aizen. The chapter ends with a picture of Ichigo, as seen below.

Will Ichigo finally made his appearance after such a long absence? Not to worry. Kubo sensei finally rewards his fans with a long awaited appearance of Ichigo and he sure appeared in style. See the picture below.

Ichigo comes to Rukia's rescue amidst a whirl of smoke. How is cool is that? As Ichigo prepares for battle, he draws his opponent away from Rukia and starts getting serious in his battle.

However in chapter 379, something goes terribly wrong with Ichigo's hollowification and at the last crucial moment, he was unable to summon his mask out. He seemed on the verge of losing when unexpected help arrived in the form of Kuchiki Byakuya and Kenpachi Zaraki.

In chapter 380, Kenpachi is fighting off Yammy as the shinigamis persuade Ichigo to return to the human world. Being the stubborn guy that he is, Ichigo refused until Byakuya told him that as a representative shinigami of Karakura Town, he is obliged to go back and defend it. With that, we see Ichigo off below.

We see Ichigo travelling back to the human world together with Retsu Unohana, the captain of 4th division, in chapter 381. Here, Unohana warns Ichigo about Aizen's shikai and that he must never see it if he wants to defeat Aizen. That is the only condition in order to escape from the influence of Aizen's zanpakuto's power.

Again in chapter 382, we see the continuation of Ichigo's conversation with Unohana. However this time round, the talk is on Ichigo's reiatsu. All the while, Unohana thought that Ichigo's reiatsu is at captain's level with that half piece of shinigami clothing. However Ichigo said that it wasn't his full recovery so his shinigami clothes has yet to grow back fully. That said, Unohana realised that Ichigo could very well be their ultimate trump card after all.

Back in the battle against Yammy, Kenpachi has yet to defeat him fully but expects Byakuya to finish the job. They ended up quarrelling and forgot about their opponent. When Yammy ambushed them, Byakuya and Kenpachi retaliated and the combination can be seen below.

Poor Yammy. Faced with such a powerful attack from the two captain, will he finally succumbed to the battle? Let's onward to the next chapter.

Manga Read: Bleach Chapter 372 to 375

After the defeat of Barragan in Chapter 370, Chapter 371 continues on with the battle focus on Starrk. He was momentarily affected by Barragan's death and almost wanted to give up fighting. Only Lilynette managed to persuade to fight back to avenge his ally. And so, in his battle against vizard Love Aikawa, he produced animals, as can be seen in the picture below.

How will the battle turns out for both of them? Starrk certainly looks impressive enough to reclaim his position as the no. 1 among the arrancars.

As it turned out, those animals that looked like wolves are actually the combined powers of both Starrk and Lilynette. It took out quite a lot of energy from Rose and Love in trying to deflect them. In chapter 373, we can see how impressive Starrk can get during battle when he is serious.

Look at that serious posture of Starrk's.

However in mid-battle, he gets stabbed by a blade. Where did that come from? Was it a secret enemy hiding somewhere from him?

In Chapter 374 we get the answer from Kyoraku Shunsui, captain of the 8th division. His zanpakuto is actually twin swords that has the ability to influence all players, including the owner, into abiding by its rules through turning child's game into reality. 


One of the game techniques, Kageoni or Shadow Demon, forces the players to alter their own shadows; whoever steps on a shadow, even their own, is declared the loser. Another game technique, Irooni or Coloured Demon, involves the players calling out a name of a color and then slicing the enemy where that color is displayed. However, if the color is not on the body of the person who called it out then the damage given is minimal; the more that the declared color is prevalent on the declarer's body, the more damage the attack will commit.

The final page for this chapter ends below: 

Is that the end for Starrk and Lilynette? How will their battle end? We can see that in chapter 375. I suppose this chapter also counts as a tribute to Starrk and Lilynette. 


Starrk is totally defeated by Shunsui and as he fell, memories from his past are flashed before the reader. We see how he met Lilynette for the first time and how Aizen approached him too. It was all loneliness before he had known Lilynette. 


We see Lilynette for the last time as Kubo sensei dedicated a page to her and Starrk as seen in the picture below.

No matter what happens, Lilynette will stay with Starrk forever, even in death. How poignant. As for Aizen, he continues to be a heartless bastard. With the end of Starrk's battle, the focus now turns back to Halibel. 


As Halibel faces off against attack from 2 vizards and 1 shinigami, Aizen made a sudden move in her battle. A shocking move, I would say. In a sudden about turn, Aizen decided that Halibel is no longer strong enough to fight for him and thus he proceeds to kill her off himself. See the picture below.

He is truly a heartless man and he spares no mercy to anybody. Perhaps the only exceptions are Gin and Kaname. So far they have remain constant by his side and they did not need to engage in battle the way Aizen made the arrancars do. 


How will the plot turn next? I am curious to find out in the next chapter.

Manga Read: Bleach Chapter 368 to 371

Here we get to see real action coming from the vizards as they attacked against the arrancars after the shinigamis have exhausted their energy.Most of them are stronger than the shinigamis and they managed to deal some heavy blows to the arrancars, who had been holding the upper power till now.

Kuna Mashiro gave powerful kicks to Wonderweiss and that strange creature, Fura, defeating them in the process. Sarugaki Hiyori actually quarrelled with Toushirou just before they were about to confront Halibel. Lisa decided to go against Halibel by herself when it appears that the quarrel is not going to end. 

Ushōda Hachigen managed to defeat Barragan while helping in Soi Fon's battle. It was truly fantastic at the way he tried to pierce through the defence of self-declared emperor of Hueco Mundo. It was ironic when both he and Soi Fon had lost an arm in order to defeat Barragan. I wonder if they will get to grow back their arms.

Chapter 371 is sort of like a tribute to Barragan as he dies in his final battle. Flashback to the past showed us how Aizen had approached him in the first place. His powers are truly amazing enough that he had to shield himself from them so that he won't die of old age. In the end, he is just like everyone else and is vulnerable to dying of old age.

Next I shall move forward to the next chapters.

Manga Read: Bleach Volume 42

Bleach volume 42 covers chapters 359 to 367 and I have only just finished reading them. The chapters are pretty short so it's quite fast to browse them through.

Despite the shortness, Kubo Tite had drawn many interesting plot twists into this volume. For a start we get to see Wonderweiss again and he's brought along a strange-looking friend. See the pictures below and you'll get the idea.

Arrancar Wonderweiss Margera

What is this strange thing?!

See the strange thing above? It looks so huge. Will the shinigamis be able to overcome it? Fret not. The vizards have arrived right on time to help the shinigami captains in their fight against Aizen.

The Vizards finally arrived. 

However this signals Wonderweiss to say some odd words that made the strange thing do this. See picture below:

Gillians released by the strange being

Lots of gillians were released by the strange being and this gave the vizards a chance to showcase their prowess. Hiroko Shinji almost hit Aizen but was deflected by Tousen at the last minute. How will the story continue from here?

The vizards used to be the enemies of the shinigamis but now they decided to band together with them in the fight against Aizen. However Shinji clearly specified that they are on Ichigo's side, not the shinigamis'.

So far the focus has not fallen back on Ichigo so I do not know how he's faring inside Aizen's prison. The next few chapters will reveal more story twists that promised to be more entangled than a Aldo hairstyle. Hee...