Please tell us you’ve noticed it too.
Summary:
- The Witch and the Beast resembles Black Butler a lot.
- Both series have similar settings.
- Their main protagonists’ dynamics are alike.
Back when the first trailer for The Witch and the Beast (Majo to Yajuu) was released, we already thought that its vibe was a bit familiar. And now that the anime has started airing, this feeling is only getting stronger.
It’s important to point out that it’s not a bad thing, though, a lot of series have similar vibes, settings or lore, and it doesn’t have to be terrible. It’s just very peculiar to notice.
And The Witch and the Beast constantly makes us think of Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji), which is actually pretty awesome since we love Black Butler too!
Similar settings
The most obvious similarity is the setting. Both series have this unmatched Victorian vibe that we’ve been in love with since we first read one of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Both anime have supernatural creatures that are very present in the story. Although The Witch and the Beast doesn’t have demons (at least for now), it has witches, and we see some similarities in the way they are portrayed. Both are frightening, giving off dark and unbeatable vibes, and both are feared by people.
Their duos are alike
But the main thing that reminds us of Black Butler is the main duo of The Witch and the Beast.
First of all, we have an unstoppable “beast” (Guideau and Sebastian) and a character that gives them commands (Ashaf and Ciel). Of course, Sebastian just doesn’t have an option to refuse an order due to his contract with Ciel, and Guideau follows Ashaf for a yet-unrevealed reason, but still.
We won’t even focus on the fact that Ashaf’s appearance and a coy look in his eyes resemble Sebastian’s, but we’ve noticed that, too. There are other similarities we see between them, though.
Both Ashaf and Sebastian act as weird and twisted father figures for Guideau and Ciel. Ashaf teaches Guideau manners and patience as well as the importance of working as a team, while Sebastian teaches Ciel such things as etiquette, shooting, horse riding and even dancing.
On top of that, both duos are tasked with investigations that are usually connected with supernatural activities. Ciel is notorious for being a Queen's Watchdog, and Ashaf and Guideau work for The Order of Magical Resonance.
The dynamics between Ciel and Sebastian, and Ashaf and Guideau are also very similar. We can see actual care and even a bizarre affection between these two duo members, and yet they like to toy with each other and antagonize each other.