#Grim reapers

[amzblu]

Grell Sutcliffe || DEATH || <3

[sp00ky9]

Ok so I’m not like 100% happy w this but I’m glad I’m done 😞

[imintobones]

Do you guys think their periods ever synced up

[kuroshitsuji-wiki]

Trivia: Public School Arc and more!

A wiki is renownedly never done. However, after a major set-back and subsequent migrations, I have finally finished all major Season 4/Public School Arc-related edits on the wiki!!! (Unless wiki.gg suddenly bans the words "witch" and "werewolf," Season 5 edits should be done much quicker and with far less head- and heartache.)

While I was actually fixing up the final page on my list, I saw the news that the manga is coming back and hurried to report on that mid-page-revision. It was... interesting timing.

One of the things I was unable to do during the airing of Season 4 because I was just too busy with other stuff was going through all of Mr. K's and Yana's tweets, extracting all fun trivia, and adding them to the wiki. I have done that now, but also thought I could bundle them all up and share them here too!

Public School Arc trivia

Otoha wrote the opening "The Parade of Battlers" based on the entirety of Kuroshitsuji, particularly on Ciel's life, not just on the Public School Arc.

Ciel has a cookie in his mouth when he hurries to school in the first chapter/episode of the arc and not a piece of toast because Queen Elizabeth II apparently had cookies and tea first thing in the morning.

Soma's observation in Chapter 71 that Cole is "a bit like Ciel" was also meant to refer to the Chapter 129 reveal.

Mr. K said that Violet's drawing of Ciel and the Jabberwock could mean that he is hostile towards Ciel or that he wants Ciel to eradicate something sinister at school, like St. George did. (Per legend, St. George once killed a dragon that extorted tribute from villagers.)

In the fourth episode, Sebastian reads out a Latin poem (part of the Elegiae) to his class. They have a special languages expert on the anime team, and he apparently approved Daisuke Ono's Latin pronunication on his first try, to everyone's surprise.

While making the chapter, Yana had concerns that Ciel could not possibly throw the lantern far enough for it to land inside the Violet Wolf dorm. Mr. K brushed her off though, but later realised that he was wrong. They asked for Sebastian to help Ciel get the lantern to its destination in the anime.

The order in which the cricket teams enter the grand hall for the eve of the tournament party corresponds with their ranking in the previous year's tournament. (Meaning, in 1888, the ranking was: 1. Green Lion, 2. Scarlet Fox, 3. Violet Wolf, 4. Sapphire Owl.)

It was obvious, but Mr. K confirmed that yes, Vincent did not win the cricket tournament fairly, and that Francis and Tanaka know the truth behind the first Miracle of Sapphires.

Yana consulted the Japanese Cricket Association about the "Sword in the Stone" technique. They were surprised by her idea, but gave her the green light for it as it did not violate any rules then.

Mr. K said it is a "positive technique that proves that there is a way to fight even if you're not a star player = someone who cannot pull the sword out."

Yana actually said that what she did to Joanne Harcourt is terrible.

Tanaka and Francis' dance during the afterparty was Yana's personal highlight.

Because Eton College has a "Fourth of June" celebration (though it does not entail a cricket tournament), the tournament takes place on June 4th too. Eton College's festivities do include a boat parade though; it was the basis for Weston College's.

The director Kenjiro Okada added Maurice's little appearance in the penultimate episode.

They might not have been able to make the Public School Arc if they had not had the help of Rico Murakami, the historical advisor.

The covers for chapters 68, 71, 72, 73, and 83 were drawn in the style of Alfons Mucha, obviously.

Character trivia

Francis Midford is the only human character Sebastian is afraid of.

Agni is the strongest human character in the series.

Because Edward is the heir of a marquess, he could have been in Scarlet Fox too.

Mr. K noted that Edward's ability of "single-minded respect" might make him powerful in battle one day.

According to Mr. K, Soma just cannot read the air; still, he gets along with everyone (except Sebastian). He is also one of the few "purely good" characters in the series and always believes in the goodness of people.

Bluewer knows the Weston College rules by heart.

Clayton raises his hands extra high when Sebastian carries Ciel away after they won the tournament because that is how one claps in the Imperial Theatre. Mr. K noted that this might mean that he is actually a nice person.

Maaya Sakamoto was a bit worried for Ciel to have to go to school as he's such a loner and not good with people. He ended up positively surprising her though with how well he handled the situation.

The question of "can Ciel even do this?" actually came up during the first Public School Arc manga meeting. Yana and the others decided that Ciel gained enough experience during the Circus Arc and would be fine. Yana also noted that while Ciel "might not have grown much in terms of appearance or ability" since the first chapter, he is nonetheless "growing steadily and brazenly on the inside."

It was difficult finding a replacement for Tanaka's late voice actor Shunji Fujimura. For that reason, the team decided to bring back Mugihito who voiced Tanaka in the first Drama CD.

Lau talks like a Japanese mafia boss despite his cluelessness.

Yana remarked that Lau and the Viscount of Druitt have the odd tendency to always be there for important points in the story.

Because the Midfords are a family of swordfighters, Yana asked Aniplex to make them look strong.

Other trivia

New staff members could not believe that Kuroshitsuji has a cast full of prominent voice actors. For example, they were surprised that Finnian is voiced by Yuki Kaji.

The little "in-between/breather" chapters are difficult to animate because they often feature a different setting, different characters, different clothes, etc. They are just as demanding to make as a new season.

For basically the same reasons, "breather" chapters are amongst the most difficult/tedious chapters to make amongst the manga staff too. E.g. the boat parade and the afterparty were hard to make because so many characters appeared, many of which even needed new clothes for the occasion.

The Luxury Liner Arc was the most difficult arc to make, according to Yana's assistants: Back then, everything was still done manually, and they could not copy-paste the Bizarre Dolls, for example. The tilting ship also made things extra hard, and Yana had to make a little model out of a milk box as a visualisation help.

Death Scythes (especially Grelle's and Undertaker's) make Yana's assistants despair. Yana later asked a professional to make 3D models of them so that drawing them would be easier.

Mr. K (and another K-san from the Media Division) always supervise the voice recordings for episodes.

The design of the saucer on the cover of the Monthly GFantasy May 2024 issue is a nod to the Public School Arc.

Her research for the Public School Arc helped Yana make Twisted Wonderland.

The more sinful a person is, the stronger are their "future episodes".

I might have forgotten something, but that should be (almost?) all of them^^'

Hope we get a lot of information from Yana and Mr. K during Season 5 too!

[delusinaldreamer19]

I absolutely LOVE the whole idea of the reaper organization. The fact that these otherworldly beings, fuckin GRIM REAPERS, work and function like an office??? Like their headquarters are not some dark dreary hell cave but a CORPORATE OFFICE. That is such a unique and fascinating way to set things up.

It also makes me wonder if the rest of hell/the underworld works in a similar way in Kuro.

Like does Sebastian have a cubical? Do demons have a department? What if demons are just “assets” that get rented out by humans. That is so hilarious to me.

[luchigeon]

Thoughts on the German reapers? I think they’re pretty neat :3

I don't have much to say about them, since we seen them once, but they looks nice ! I'm curious to see them animated :)

[octobertomarch]

After more than a year i finally decided to apply gloss over their iris 😂🤣

This was drawn on vellum btw so i can't coat the whole thing 🤷‍♀️

[madcat-world]

Reapers - Vulpes-Ibculta

[raaaaaaaghhhh]

doodle

[sebastianmichaelisslander]

Go ahead, tell me who the fuck y’all think this guy is 😂 👀

[amzblu]

Happy 2025

Kicking off the new year with an Undertaker

[sp00ky9]

Hitting yall with the back to back grelle sutcliff

[truedarkhunter]

Counterpoint: Undertaker not with Cloudia

While many people, including ones I respect, are fond of the Cloudia and Undertaker pairing, I can't quite get behind it. I don't hate it, mind you, but looking at things both in the period and in the story setting, it kind of doesn't work for me. Here's some of why. 1. Humans are fireflies. Undertaker is one of the oldest, and would have the least connection to the human world. Hence he finds the stage of human life "absurd". He watches it as a play while attempting to stay detached. While some of the Reapers do dally with humans (Grelle in her macaroni get-up in The Story of Will the Reaper, and Ron flirting with a girl in Book of the Atlantic), they aren't long-term things. Reapers have too much to do to easily maintain such relationships and what do you do when someone wants to ask questions like "where do you live?" and "what do you do for a living?" These are some basic things people want to know quickly to assess your social status. Not only can Reapers not easily answer those questions, when they can get away to see someone (lover or no), it could be a month later or more. When they don't have a clear answer for their absences, like being in the military or a deep sea fisherman, it would be hard to wait for such a person. If Undertaker knew Cloudia from when she was a little girl, would he really see her as a woman? Wouldn't that feel weird, like Jacob from Twilight level weird? I kind of think he'd just have the affection and desire to watch over and protect Cloudia throughout her life if he formed a bond with a bright, little girl who didn't see him as scary or creepy, but rather funny and kind. She might have been the reason he discovered the value of laughter. That would be a greater gift. 2. Virginity was still a goal in Victorian times. Remaining a virgin until death was still a goal, especially with the influence of the Catholic church. You wanted to enter Heaven pure. Those who did got a special crown. With Reapers being in Purgatory already, some may wonder if it's wise to get involved with anyone when the goal is to get out of there.

3. It would ruin Cloudia. Virginity was also important to be able to marry well, as having dalliances before marriage could kill a good match. Undertaker was not her social equal. Even if he could have vied for her hand, he couldn't have offered her the life she deserved, and people would definitely have talked. If she had a relationship with him outside of marriage, it could alter her life - i.e. alter the course of human events by keeping her from the life that was originally planned. That would not be a good thing for Undertaker to do to someone he claimed to care for, nor would it be wise given how the Grim Reaper Association might come down on him. Unrequited love? Absolutely! Feeling friendship or a kinship to the girl who then died at 36, causing him to reach the point of wondering what his own life and efforts amounted to? Sure! Getting romantic with someone when you know that giving into your passions would only hurt them, especially when you know that in 5 minutes (to you) their desires will calm down or they will be married off and those emotions can find purchase elsewhere? Not so much. That isn't love, just desire. 4. Demons don't eat Reaper souls. Neither Sebastian nor Claude showed any interest in munching on Reapers, so something fundamentally shifted in them. So even if humans and Reapers can have kids, how would that have affected Vincent and Francis? Is one of them a half-Reaper? How would Heaven and Hell treat that soul after their life ended? (Angels and humans together produced Nephilim, would the Grim Reaper Association even allow such a pregnancy to reach full term? Would the other Powers That Be?) How would that soul get judged or sorted? While having Ciel be a quarter Reaper is a fun concept it also comes with a severe complication. 5. It ruins the story. The whole premise of Black Butler is about the pact between a DEMON and a HUMAN. If Ciel was 1/4 Reaper, i.e. inedible stuff, why would that pact even form? (Let's face it, he'd be like a dog dropping sandwich. No matter how little dog dropping is in it, you don't want it anymore.) What special powers would it confer? It certainly robs the tale of the struggle that makes it poignant if Ciel isn't really a fallible mortal like everyone else. His choice to walk the road not taken and giving everyone else a glimpse into a Faustian pact where instead of pleasure and power, the maker of the pact wants revenge is what makes it interesting. If Ciel isn't fully human, maybe the pact can't be properly formed in the first place. It can undo the very premise of the show, and that makes it not fun. I like it more for an AU concept than the main one. This tale is a tragedy. We are about to see it play out as a version of Hamlet. I'm more wondering who will be the one(s) left to report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Let's see if we get to learn Cloudia's fate. I DO suspect her death, and her close ties to the Undertaker, undid the best Reaper of the association and set him on the path of ending death itself so no one had to die anymore so he might find his own end/peace. And realize, if you do like the Cloudia/Undertaker ship, good on you. I'm still going to read posts and fan-fics about them and get some popcorn. The idea is intriguing, but comes with a lot of plot holes that I need to see filled to fully get behind the match. That said, if anyone can fill holes in plots, it certainly would be Undertaker. Ciao!

[midnight-sally]

Tomorrow, Episode 5 "Tree 2"

[kiriho-chi]

TRANSLATION BELLOW

— and what's the first thing i should learn as a cupid?

— you're under my wing, so the first thing i would teach you is flying~

— huh???

— or you can crawl down here. i personally would be flying from one rooftop to another. and you DON'T want to fall off the rooftop