​Ciel Phantomhive from the hugely popular anime/manga “Black Butler” by Yana Toboso is one of my favorite characters in the series. Ciel, literally meaning “sky” in French, is a 12 to 14 year-old boy who is the head of the Phantomhive family, an aristocratic household that used to be run by his father Vincent. Due to the death of both his parents and the mansion being burnt down, Ciel has a hard time finding happiness in his life. 
 
While he was still young, Ciel made a contract with a demon. The contract sealed in his right eye. In exchange for his soul when the task is complete, the demon, Sebastian, vows to help him take revenge on the murderer who killed his parents. Ciel’s personality isn’t necessarily one that you would call nice. He can be quite arrogant and cold, but he has feelings just like any other human. He may not show it, but Ciel does care about his fiancé Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford and some other people around him. The story takes place in England around 1888 and as such, Ciel is very obedient to Queen Victoria. He is often called “The Queen’s Guard Dog” and carries out supernatural or other jobs for her.
 
I guess a lot of people don’t like Ciel because of his arrogance, but he is a very interesting person in the series. Ciel is traumatized by his past and is overall a very sad character, which makes me feel bad for him. It makes you realize that he’s still a kid and he’s had to face the fact that most of the people around him fall into ruin. “We are chained to the earth by a chain of gold, but we dare not sever it; for fear of what lies beyond the drop.”
 
 
 
 

​I’ve recently been watching the anime Black Butler, and I would like to talk about one of my favorite characters in it so far. 
 
Soma Asman Kadar is a 17 year-old boy who is the prince of Bengal and traveled to London to find a servant of his who had disappeared. Soma is a bit selfish and vain, but is a funny and reliable character. Although he has a hard time confronting problems, Soma helps out the story’s protagonist, Ciel Phantomhive, and gets him back on his feet. Soma’s had some tough times and it’s hard to believe such a carefree person can have such an unfortunate past. Nonetheless, he enjoys his time with his attendant and friend, Agni.
 
I really like Soma’s design, because I think there’s something to be said about the diversity of his character. A lot of anime characters are just strictly white, and I like the fact that this series acknowledged people of different race.