I’m with the kid on this, mustard is vile.

When I think about how my view on Kuroshitsuji has evolved – starting with “Book of Circus”, pretty much – it’s remarkable. It represents the way the series has evolved, and it has – tremendously. The kind of self-indulgent excess that checkered the series in its earlier days has almost entirely disappeared. I think it’s not unrealistic that Toboso Yana herself evolved – figured out what worked and what didn’t and tailoring Black Butler accordingly. The essential character dynamic between Ciel and Sebastian is the spine, of course. But the arc plotlines are really cleverly conceived too.

You probably know by now my view that the essential theme of Kuroshitsuji is victimization. Everyone is either a victim or an exploiter, and that – along with Ciel daring to try and achieve the impossible by crossing over – drives the drama. I tend to view the plot characters through that lens (something like Circus really hammers this home). And it fits Midori no Majo-hen to a T. Sieglinde is the victim here, indisputably. The fact that it was her mother who spearheaded the victimization just makes it worse. But it also makes these developments resonate especially strongly with Ciel.

The fate of these victim characters in Kuroshitsuji tends to be pretty grim, so I’m not holding out great hope for the Emerald Witch. But this may be a special case. When Ciel erupted “Children are not their parents’ tools!” in that bunker, sure, he was speaking for Sieglinde. But he was also speaking for himself. Altruistic is not the first word anyone would apply to him (that he’s a servant of the crown notwithstanding). But this boy has a spine of steel, and he does have a sense of righteous indignation. Ciel’s own past makes what these people did to Sieglinde personal to him. Maybe enough to care about Sieglinde’s fate for its own sake, and not just that of his mission.

Ciel is certainly the Protagonist of Black Butler, but is he its hero? He’s no hero in a moral sense, but he is admirable in his strength of will. He’s harsh with the girl, no mistaking that. He holds that pistol to her head and there’s no reason to think he’d hesitate to use it. But in his way, he’s trying to do the right thing by her. He knows what awaits Sieglinde if she returns to the land of the “good guys” with him. And he’s trying to compel her to avoid always being a victim, should she choose to keep living. He chose to seize control of his fate, though he paid the ultimate price to do so. He’s encouraging her to do the same.

Along with that outburst from Ciel, the most interesting moment of the episode was Sebastian’s reaction when Ciel told him to indulge his full nature in cleaning up the mess in the castle (and under it). Sebastian admits that being Ciel’s butler – and living with the constraints that place on him – is more enjoyable than simply being a ravaging beast. That’s not to say he’s forgotten how to go all-out, or remotely hesitates in doing so. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen his butler, unleashed. And the sight is a reminder of just what Sebastian is – and what he isn’t.