English Dub Review: Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- “His Butler, On Loan”

Overview:

Sebastian and Ciel pay a price for entering the Werewolves’ Forest. Sullivan agrees to help on one condition.

Our Take:

I don’t recall Ciel going with Sebastian to the forest, but he did because boils broke out on his and Sebastian’s bodies. We see a side of Ciel that I haven’t seen yet, and that’s seeing him deal with PTSD. Luckily, they happen to be staying in the home of a witch. She had a remedy to help them, but it was a little extreme. They had to bathe in a cauldron, and Ciel was forced to choke down this liquid and then throw it up. This triggered memories of his past when he was forced to eat similarly. I’m not used to seeing Ciel quite so vulnerable, and it made me a little sad.

I’m not sure if it was a side effect of the treatment or what, but this left Ciel temporarily blind as well. Between this and not being in his right mind because of his past dealings with adults, he didn’t want anyone to touch him or be near him. Finny is the only one that Ciel will allow to be near him, so as of now, the house gardener is going to have to do his best at being a butler of sorts. As for Sebastian, he has loaned out his butler services to Sieglinde until Ciel is completely healed.