The sequel to the dark fantasy-adventure,Black Butler II(2010) takes place 15 months after the conclusion of the first season. Ciel Phantomhive and his demon butler Sebastian are still bound by a contract that will eventually allow the servant to devour his young master's soul. Sebastian's position as Queen Victoria's "guard dog" fighting  supernatural crime takes a backseat to a weird rivalry with Alois Trancy and his demon butler Claude. Ciel may be arrogant, imperious, and unlikable, but the viciously sadistic Alois makes him look downright endearing. The story is a hopeless tangle of plots and counterplots and counter-counterplots as Sebastian and Claude vie for Ciel's apparently highly desirable soul.Black Butler IIhas a considerably darker tone than the original series: Ciel's slapstick staff disappears for several episodes and the viewer is treated to such dubious pleasures as Alois poking out a maid's eye because he disliked the way she looked at him. At times, the filmmakers seem less interested in the contest between Sebastian and Claude than in out-grossingElfen Liedand other gore fests. The American cast continues to offer ear-rasping attempts at English accents.Black Butler IIends inconclusively to allow for possible future sequels. The tone of the OVAs shifts radically:Welcome to the PhantomhivesandThe Threads of the Spider's Storyplay like episodes of the series, with the jiggle scenes and homoerotic elements well to the fore. The animated making-of is a faux documentary with the characters appearing as actors playing themselves--and the filmmakers congratulating themselves on creating "a global phenomenon."  The choppy, multipartCiel in Wonderlandborrows elements from Lewis Carroll, which is a bit like the cast of a Peckinpah movie putting on an elementary school pageant. (Rated TV MA: profanity; nudity; violence; violence against women; child abuse; potentially offensive religious, ethnic, and sexual imagery; grotesque imagery; torture; alcohol, tobacco, and drug use)--Charles Solomon(1. Clawed Butler, 2. Solo Butler, 3. Wench Butler, 4. Terrorist Butler, 5. Beacon Butler, 6. Bedewed Butler, 7. Deathly Butler, 8. Divulging Butler, 9. Hollow Butler, 10. Zero Butler, 11. Crossroads Butler, 12. Black Butler; OVAs: 1. Ciel in Wonderland, Part 1, 2. Welcome to the Phantomhives, 3. The Making of Black Butler II, 4. Ciel in Wonderland, Part 2, 5. The Threads of the Spider's Story, 6. The Story of Will the Reaper)