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I don't want Sebastian to eat Ciel's soul, but if he insists, I want him to regret it. I don't mean he slowly comes to realize what he's lost years down the line and remembers his master with bittersweet fondness. That's fun, but I want 'Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan'-level remorse.

Immediate, I've-ruined-everything level remorse.

The body's still warm enough that he can convince himself for a second that what he's done is reversable-level remorse.

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Because sebastian admires the insatiable human spirit, he teaches ciel to be indomitable and persevering—on this first page specifically, so that he may assert his will over a fickle animal—and then that attitude is what saves Ciel from being taken by sebastian after he’s knighted by the queen.

Though I have no idea if we are to take the parallels between Sebastian and Jane/Artie to their most literal conclusion (that they are also demons), I think we’re to take it into consideration.

At least understand that Artie is something of a “Beast”, but beasts are not inherently evil. If you accept them as such and without fear, they are loyal. As we’ve seen from all of Ciel’s servants.

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Some recolors of @namisiaa’s lovely manga render. I asked them if I could try to make one that looks like this famous painting of Miranda from The Tempest, which I figured Yana was referencing:

O wonder!  How many goodly creatures are there here!  How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has such people in ’t!

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Sebastian Michaelis

Lineart and coloring: Namisiaa

Original art: Toboso Yana, Kuroshitsuji: Chapter 216

I'm only 30 days late 🤣🤣🤣

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ah, sorry, he’s talking about his acting method for Sebastian in relation to his characterization of Sebastian. There, he is talking about Ciel’s actress performing Ciel’s breakdown and regression, and by really feeling invested in her acting, he can react as Sebastian would. Here’s a better translation of that excerpt:

“His emotions are moved when his master’s, Ciel’s, emotions are moved. The intensity that Maaya (Sakamoto), who plays Ciel, brings to her performance—beyond what we’ve seen before—also affects Sebastian. No matter how far it goes, I’m always ‘receiving’ from everyone around me.”

He said something similar in an old BoA interview, but now here he’s saying that what he’s learned about acting through initially playing Sebastian (an understated discipline in which he locks in to his costars’ performances instead of focusing on putting on a performance himself) is, ironically (fittingly?), the progression of Sebastian’s character arc as Ono sees it. By being present and attentive towards other people, He, a previously unempathetic demon, can become moved by them. I may delete this post and make a new one with a better translation and compare it with the old BoA interview instead

I’m late to seeing this

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I’m curious: when was the last time we got any internal dialogue from Sebastian or Ciel?

was it all the way back in the blue memory arc?

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Have so many posts I want to make but migraines are the death of me

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I’m late to seeing this

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Lost in Translation & That actor, Influential II

Now that the chance had arisen to talk about Sebastianese, or ‘keigo’, I wish to make another post on what may have been lost in translation, while using this opportunity to make a sequence for ‘that actor, influential’.

1. Inconsistency in Body and Words

‘Keigo’ is formal language, but it is not restricted to just the spoken words. In Japanese, not only is it imperative that the speaker chooses their words carefully, but also that the body language is appropriately formal. This includes properly timed bowing, nodding, and other such gestures.

In chapter 138 wherein we see newborn “Sebastian Michaelis” in his full glory for the first time, he already speaks in impeccable ‘keigo’. While his command of the vocabulary part of ‘keigo’ is flawless, his body-language leaves a lot to be desired.

I don’t know whether this is universal, but in the very least in Japanese society, crossing one’s legs is considered rather impolite, and unacceptable even in formal settings. It goes without saying then that butlers should never display themselves with legs crossed.

The first time we see any Sebastian with legs crossed was in ‘Tango on the Campania’ on January 31st, 2017. Few months later Yana admitted that she was beaten by the punch with Yunbastian’s mighty arrogant way of sitting down, first seen in the manga on March 18th, 2018.

2. Drawing Attention by Comparison

Additionally, I wish to point out that chapter 138 did not display so much of Sebas’ legs just because they are drop-dead-gorgeous.

The panels serve as visual, comparative narratives wherein we see a well-educated though still somewhat demure kid, versus an uneducated and mighty arrogant demon. Herein, O!Ciel’s straight back and legs represent his educated background, while Sebastian’s casual posture represents the raw demon he is still; one who is yet to be educated by his master.

3. Tone

Not only did Yunbastian predict Sebas’ unpolished mannerisms, he might also have inspired Yana on the demon’s tone.

人間の欲望には際限がありませんからねぇ

Ningen no yokubou ni wa saigen ga arimasen kara neé~

There is no limit to the greed of humans, [now, is there? lol]

あまり良い選択とは思えませんがねぇ

Amari ii sentaku to wa omoemasen ga neé~

I cannot think of it as a very good choice, [now, wouldn’t  you agree? lol]

In ‘keigo’, it is best to leave out linguistic fillers or similar redundant trails and sounds (e.g. “erm…” or “right?”). At the very beginning of the contract, on top of committing the body-language taboo, Sebas also made the mistake of trailing his words; a mistake he never makes again later in the contract!

By trailing the neutral ‘ne’ into ‘neé~’, in practice it makes the speaker sound sarcastic. An English equivalent would be like an emphasised polite word: “Oh, so sorry, madam!”

When tone of voice and body-language are inconsistent with the hyper-formality of ‘keigo’, it is considered even ruder than someone who just speaks in casual language. This inconsistency would be considered an attitude where the speaker knows they should be respecting the listener, but does not feel like the person deserves the respect. Instead, all there will be left of the politeness in the words is an attempt to show-off just how highly educated the speaker is. (The potential irony of ‘keigo’ is discussed in this post as well.)

This same type of ironic impudence is likewise first to be seen in Yunbastian, where he says “as you wish” with an unacceptable tone and speed, while smacking the plate down before his master.

4. Facial Expression

Obviously, facial expression is part of body-language as well. We see in the same chapter how Sebas uses hyper formality in language, while the rest of his face is screaming: “I am so much better than you, peasant.”

貴方に危害を加えた人間を残らず抹殺して参ります

Anata ni kigai wo kuwaeta ningen wo nokorazu massatsushite mairimasu

I shall [humbly] proceed to obliterate the ones who have harmed you.

よくお気付きになりましたね

Yoku okizuki ni narimashita ne

You did well in [nobly] taking [noble] notice.

O!Ciel I don’t know how you trained your demon pet, but dayum, I take off my hat for you.

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UT failed so hard at being a shinigami tho’… ://

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Did this seem intentional or no

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This too. What did tanaka tell him that our ciel set fire to?

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This ones always kinda perplexed me— sebastian has met bizarre dolls before. He’s even met some that could operate on their own. How’d he figure r!ciel was any different?

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The scanlation and official translation chose to give this panel wildly different deliveries, but it’s interesting to me how they both were informed by previous scenes where Ciel is having a flashback to “that day”

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Along with my theory that Sebastian may have come to fear Ciel’s possible insatiability, I have this half-formed thought in my head about Ciel’s regret being what would break him out of the contract (?). Him having doubt in Sebastian, maybe. These scenes feel a bit like Lot and his wife or Orpheus and Eurydice. Like if something makes Ciel hesitate and turn around, he will lose Sebastian.

I think this is how the contract grants Sebastian strength; their belief in and faithfulness to one another. So when Ciel removes his eyepatch to show his commitment and issues an order to Sebastian, believing wholeheartedly that Sebastian can and WILL carry that order out, that is what makes him literally able to do so.

(edit: arranged the panels to read right-to-left, to maintain the intention of Ciel marching forward and Sebastian being behind)

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I like that this has happened to Sebastian often enough that he doesn't even react anymore. Just pure resignation.

Even Ciel got a turn: