Kuroshitsuji Kishuku Gakkou hen – 01

OP Sequence

OP: 「狂信者のパレード」 (The Parade of Battlers) by (otoha)

「その執事、登校」 (Sono Shitsuji, Tōkō)
“His Butler, at School”

The Hogwarts feel is strong with this one, even have the many of the same color themes for the houses (and Ciel would appear to be a Sapphire Owl *cough* Ravenclaw). While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this never goes beyond an homage, instead, doing things the Kuroshitsuji way . I’m assuming Weston College is a play on Eaton College, a renowned boarding school in England.

It was hilarious how they managed to add in an anime school trope of their own, Ciel (Sakamoto Maaya) running late to class, biscuit substituted for toast in mouth. He gets off on the wrong foot, stepping it into the hallowed grass reserved for the Prefect 4. Which, how was he supposed to know- where are the signs?? Forget about having a devil for a butler (or tutor), the punishment for rule violations sounds like hell- they call it Y, for which you have to write out a shit ton of Latin.

Notably, there are quite a lot of absences- Colet in Sapphire House, Derrick in Violet House, and the Headmaster who is apparently too busy to greet Ciel. It’s apparently about as easy to get an audience with the Head Master as with the king- which is to say- not at all. Unless you’re a Prefect- the privileged errand boys of the Head Master and top dogs of the campus.

In the Headmaster’s place, the Lower Headmaster Johann Agares (Hayami Show), welcomes Ciel. He cuts an intimidating figure, until he takes a clumsy tumble down the stairs. I’m not sure what to think of Agares yet, other than he’s an odd one. But then again, you’d have to be to work at that school. The Headmaster’s Office creates quite the awing, almost disorienting atmosphere with the glittering stained glass and the giant pendulum swinging, and I like it.

The pecking order of the campus is determined by year and built on the exploitation of unpaid labor of the younger boys- aptly named Drudges. Furthermore, the houses are pretty much oil and water- they don’t mix. Ciel’s “Are we little girls in cliques now” comment made me laugh.

For as insular and exclusive as each house is, Derrick Arden was transferred from Red house to Violet house. Ciel touches a nerve when he brings him up. Derrick is a VIP (though with the major money and cred at that school, who isn’t) as the distant relative of the Queen, and the reason for Ciel enrolling there in the first place. Derrick, a model son who writes home constantly (seriously- who has time to write a letter every day?!), has now cut himself off from the world- ceasing all letters and visits, as have a number of other boys, apparently.

Violet house is creepy, channeling haunted house vibes. Ciel shows guts, casually wandering over to Violet house, right after nearly stepping in it, in the dining room by showing interest in another house. He wants to cut to the chase, and I can’t blame him- who would want to stay in that strict place for too long? But if he starts trampling all over school values/sensibilities, he’s going to make things 10 times more complicated for himself in the end there. Ciel, who is usually no nonsense cut the shit is in for a world of pain in a school system entrenched in the red tape of tradition.

Of course, the going isn’t nearly so bad when you have a butler of all trades do the work for you. I had to chuckle when Clayton showed Sebastian “Ciel’s” spotless work. The irony was not lost on me that Sebastian (Ono Daisuke) is posing as a tutor, with a rosary around his neck. That thing doesn’t burn? Ciel has not had a normal childhood, yet, somehow, through this underground work, he manages to catch a taste of what other normal children in his class would experience- the circus with Noah’s Ark and now, the boarding school life. Albeit, from a completely different angle. Not being able to have Sebastian around 24/7 for the sake of a cover also forces him to interact with kids his age and fend for himself (on a very small scale, since the devil can still do all of Ciel’s chores). Not that that would pose a terrible challenge for him, he can adapt nauseatingly well, cue that sparkly smile.

The stained glass artwork was very gorgeous, one of my favorite parts of the premiere. The ED in particular was lovely as well. That was a much appreciated touch, to continue the tradition of SID doing one of the songs for a Kuroshitsuji season. And tradition will very much be the running theme in this school arc, going forwards.

ED Sequence

ED: 「贖罪」 (Shokuzai) by (SID)