Kuroshitsuji dispensed a little bit of exposition in episode 6, but doled out a lot more confusion in the process. This season is certainly doing a yeoman’s job of guarding its secrets.

The episode beings with Sebastian about to devour Ciel’s soul (the ending of season 1). Only he can’t – Ciel’s soul is tainted somehow. Tainted apparently by Claude and Alois, who have somehow karmically molested poor Ciel (which irritates Sebby to no end). And now because Ciel has no memory of his revenge his soul is incomplete, and so Sebastian must arrange for a second revenge before he can devour his bocchan. So he strikes a demonic deal with Claude by which Alois will be the subject of Ciel’s second revenge and make his soul edible again – except somehow the deal says that Claude will get Ciel’s soul, which makes no sense. And Sebastian also reveals that Ciel’s soul is unique among all humans, and in the last moment of the episode Alois proclaims that he will own Ciel’s soul, and Ciel that he’ll kill Alois. Easy, right?

While there were certainly reveals here, I feel like I know less about what’s happening than I did before, which is a little frustrating. The episode itself was entertaining enough – a well-choreographed “Crouching Tiger” style battle between Claude and Sebby, Alois’s plot to get the guests to kill each other foiled by Agni and eventually by Sebby’s hidden musical talents, and generally a chance for Team Phantomhive to show off their usual quirks. All good fun, but a trifle in comparison to the still a bit muddled and obtuse main storyline.

I’m going to be patient and ride this out, because I enjoy watching Sebby, rooting for Ciel, hating Alois and laughing at the Phantomhive staff. But what will make or break this whole exercise is whether this business with Ciel’s soul is resolved in a way that actually makes sense. That and, of course, what happens with said soul at the end of the season.