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Black Butler - Tropes O to R
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Tropes O
- Obfuscating Stupidity: In the anime, Lau. No really, he'll stop faking it in episode 20. Strongly hinted in the manga as well, though Ciel and Sebastian seem to be slightly more aware of it.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: In the manga, Lizzie's brother Edward clearly has a sister complex and really doesn't like Ciel taking his sister's attention away from him.
- Obviously Evil: Episode 2 is a great example. Who could be the bad guy? Ciel? Madame Red? The two dignified looking British guys? Or the Italian with the facial scars, who dresses like Tony Montana?
- Of Corset Hurts: Chapter 134 (as part of an extended flashback) shows the first time Mey-Rin tried on a corset (or any feminine clothes for that matter) as part of Nina Hopkins' complete makeover for the ex-assassin/ newly-hired maid. The unsuspecting Mey-Rin has a look of shock/ discomfort on her face when Nina tightens the laces.
- Don't forget the corset scene. Ciel looked to be in...quite a lot of pain there.
- Of Corsets Sexy: The corset scene, combined with Innocent Innuendo. Later on, Beast wears some sexy outfits for the circus performances.
- Off Hand Backhand: Sebastian gives an awesome one to one of the Zombies in chapter 56
. - Oh, Crap!: Occurs frequently, but one of the more unique examples is Agni's startled response to Sebastian putting dark chocolate in his curry - as he notes, it actually works wonders as an ingredient, and is something an Indian chef would never think of, meaning Sebastian actually has him on the back foot.
- One Cast Member per Cover: Volumes 1-5 only had Sebastian on the covers, but starting from Volume 6, a different character is on each cover. The protagonists Ciel and Sebastian are the only ones to be featured in more than one cover, but Sebastian's covers greatly outnumber Ciel's.
- One-Winged Angel: Sebastian so far has shown this thrice, and every time it's obscured.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: The Werewolf arc. They protect and imprison a witch village in the middle of the woods. Instead of turning people into werewolves, their curse causes victims to swell up and die even if they aren't actually bitten. Cruelly subverted in Chapter 97 : the werewolves are just villagers in really good costumes and using a bio-weapon which gives the effect of the "curse".
- The Owl-Knowing One: The school dorm Sapphire Owl, which houses the most academically accomplished students of Weston College, has the owl as their emblem.
Tropes P
- Parental Abandonment: The whole first tier circus crew had been abandoned by their parents due to their various disabilities.
- Siegliende's mother made her believe that she is a descendant of a powerful witch and left her to live with servants only, just so the girl would focus on the project of making the stable chemical weapon, the project which earlier took the life of her father.
- Parents for a Day: In the Witch Forest Arc, Finny suddenly has to take care of a traumatized and severely poisoned Ciel. Even Sebastian can't help. Surprisingly enough, he does quite well.
- Perky Goth: Is there nothing in the series that DOESN'T fit this aesthetic style?
- Pet the Dog: Sebastian will kill without mercy and betrays very little emotion, but he adores and has a huge soft spot for cats. In fact, he keeps a closet full of kitties hidden from Ciel (who is allergic), but they (the cats) seem pretty happy. Also it's not a case of Cats Are Mean, but a case of cats-are-too-nice-not-to-love-even-for-a-demon.
- Ciel lets Snake become one of his staff as a way of making up for killing his nakama, not that Snake knows this—he thinks he's only staying until they locate the rest of the circus troupe.
- In chapter 128 Ciel seems truly regretful at Agni's death and the impact it had on Soma.
- Pillow Pistol: Ciel almost shoots Sebastian with one of these in Chapter 14.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Lots.
- Playground Song: During an arc in the anime, Drocell, the puppet-working-for-a-serial-killer, keeps playing and singing "London Bridge is Falling Down". His prey is young, beautiful girls that he turns into living dolls; the song is used to control said dolls and determine what materials to construct them from. Despite being male, he's kind enough to make an exception for Ciel.
- The anime seems to love the song "London Bridge is Falling Down". The tune shows up all over the place.
- This may have something to do with the fact that in Victorian England, "London Bridge Is Falling Down" was one of the most popular playground songs.
- Also, the Noah's Ark Circus arc of the manga has Joker singing "Tom, the Piper's Son" as he makes his way to his "father"'s office. In fact, most of that family references the song.
- The anime seems to love the song "London Bridge is Falling Down". The tune shows up all over the place.
- Please Wake Up: Ciel when Sebastian died and he kept repeating things like "sleeping on the floor doesn't look that comfortable to me" and "get up". Subverted because it ended up being a fake death, which Ciel was aware of the entire time.
- Alois to Luca in season 2.
- Potty Emergency: Joanne, Redmond's fag had...ahem...quite the troubles to leave the cricket field after eating meat pie filled with super-strong laxatives.
- Later on, he wet his pants while escaping the zombies at the midnight tea party.
- Powered by a Forsaken Child: Those wonderful prosthetic limbs that the Noah's Ark Circus kids have? Made from the bones of children murdered by Baron Kelvin and the doctor.
- Precocious Crush: When Madame Red was around Ciel's age, she fell in love with a slightly older man. That man was Lord Phantomhive...who would marry Madame's older sister and become Ciel's father.
- Protectorate: Ciel's bumbling normal servants. A chef, apparently imported from America, who likes using heavy artillery on food, a Cute Clumsy Girl maid, a napping steward, and a gardener who mixes up "weed killer" and "fertilizer". It takes all of the powers of Hell for Sebastian to prevent them from blowing the mansion up on a daily basis. Also, Elizabeth.
- Only bumbling when it comes to the servant part. As one of the manga chapters demonstrated, they weren't hired for their ability to take care of the house under normal circumstances. But during an attack...
- Elizabeth is actually quite capable of taking care of herself. She just didn't want Ciel to see that side of her.
- ...And, ironically, if Finny's speech in Chapter 91 is any indication, Ciel is this to his servants.
- Psychotic Smirk: Not a Big Bad (though quite the Villain Protagonist), but Sebastian does this a lot. And Lau nearly every time he opens his eyes, though Arthur seems to be the only one to notice this.
- In season 2 episode 10, Cielois gives off a rather disturbing smirk when climbing up the giant thorny clock tower thing.
- Ciel gives off a slight psychotic smirk in Chapter 49, after he slaps Sebastian as part of the act used to trick everyone into thinking Sebastian was dead.
- Punny Name: Sullin, the new chemical weapon developed (somehow unwittingly) by Siegliende.
- Purely Aesthetic Era: Despite all the painstaking historical research, the creators sometimes just throw accuracy to the wind. Mobile phone? Check. Modern motorized chainsaw? Check. To be fair, the modern motorized chainsaw is a supernatural weapon wielded by a death god who may or may not be constrained to series-current technology.
Tropes R
- Rape Discretion Shot: Used in the anime whenever it comes up in relation to Alois' past.
- In Chapter 135, only enough is shown to make the event absolutely clear, along with heavy use of symbolism.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Manga-only, since the anime uses Black Comedy Rape.
- The dubious consent between Beast and Sebastian is drawn and played up to make it more disturbing, with attention drawn to how William hates demons specifically because they do things like this (despite this happening because of William not allowing Sebastian to leave the circus without Ciel and Sebastian having no intentions of turning to this "method" beforehand).
- Then there's the rape of the Phantomhive twins. Played for pure horror and sparked unambiguous fan disgust and hatred towards the perpetrators.
- There is indeed an anime-related example in the form of Lord Trancy, who's depravity takes the form of keeping young boys (including Alois) as his sex slaves until they died from either disease or the poor conditions they were kept in.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Sebastian features this stunning contrast, and that's part of the reason why he has so many admirers.
- "Reason You Suck" Speech: Sebastian gives one to Soma, telling him how none of his servants were ever "his" to begin with and were given to him by his social status and how none of them were with him because they wanted to. Agni being the exception, since he really does care for Soma, but was forced to "betray" him during the curry arc.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Sebastian, with added Hellish Pupils when required.
- Madame Red and Beast too, being a vengeful prostitute-killer and (albeit Forced into Evil) child kidnapper respectively.
- Removing the Head or Destroying the Brain: How the "Bizarre Dolls" are dealt with during the Campania arc.
- Royal Brat: Ciel and Alois apply, though they are both partially subverted as they actually do know what life is like for those less fortunate than them, due to their Dark And Troubled Pasts.
- Running Gag: Sebastian and his obsession with cats. And then, Ciel's (both hateful and allergic) reactions to said cats.
- Every volume of the manga has a different "alternate take" on the series on the inside front cover (Black Racer, Black Chef, Black Ninja...), with a brief synopsis of what that might be like on the inside back cover. Said synopsis always contains the words "(or not)" somewhere, ends with "...or something", and there's a sketch of Sebastian having trouble with the premise in the corner (except for Volume 10's "Black Esper", where he actually likes it).
