Just think about it.
Summary:
- Season 2 is the most controversial in Black Butler fandom.
- It was criticized for not being canon.
- It would’ve been better if the season had been marketed differently.
Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) Season 2 is probably the most controversial part of the story so far. Is there some sort of “season 2 curse” for anime series? Yes, The Promised Neverland, we’re looking at you.
What’s so bad about it?
The main issue fans see with the season is that it deviated from the manga, and instead of adapting one of the original arcs, Season 2 gave us a new story that cannot be considered canon.
On top of that, fans were unsatisfied with the way the season ended. Ciel became a demon, just like Sebastian, and they continued their journeys together. Viewers found such an ending quite questionable and rather fanservicey. We can’t say that we really mind, but we see their point.
Better as a standalone project?
But even with all that said, there are still a big number of fans who admit to enjoying the season. They liked the new characters, they found their stories engaging, and the vibe of Season 2 is just as dark and twisted as anything Black Butler related.
The only issue is that the season is not canon, that’s why fans suggest that it would’ve been better as a standalone project.
Black Butler shouldn’t have tried to fit the second season into the manga, it would have been better if it had been advertised as an alternative timeline project.
Season 2 also upset a lot of fans because it made them think that Alois and Claude would replace Sebastian and Ciel for a moment. The beginning of the season was very good at toying with fans’ feelings, and some of them even believed that they had to follow new protagonists now.
But what if, instead of trying to fool everyone, the season was promoted as a Black Butler spin-off? Alois and Claude could really become the main protagonists for the project. There would be less Sebastian and Ciel, though, and that is a crime, but they would still be needed for the second part of the season.
That’s why we think that Season 2 could have become much more successful with the right marketing. The studio didn’t need to trick the fans, they had to be honest about everything. And they had to make it clear straight away: this is not canon, but rather a standalone “what if” kind of thing.