This was a rather fun volume. The sort of jpop storyline is still enjoyable, and I really liked the Halloween extra. It was very lovely. It's really impressive to see how far Yana's art has come in 10 years. ( )

Ciel has Sebastian pretend to be part of Nina's entourage (Nina is the Phantomhive family seamstress) so that he can search the music hall. Sebastian finds and brings back Lizzie, as well as blood collection equipment and bottles of labeled blood (Polaris, Vega, Canopus, Sirius). Unfortunately, he doesn't find the "Names of the Stars" (who are, apparently, not the members of the S4). Lizzie runs back to the music hall (bound to it in some way?), and Ciel hits on a plan - open his own music hall right across from Blavat's, with his own boy band, the "Phantom Five" (Edward, Clayton, Cheslock, Joanne, and Soma). The bonus inside illustration and Black Butler AU: "Black Dealer." There's also a bonus manga, "On a Special Day: The Butler, Lyrical," in which the Phantomhive manor celebrates Halloween in English, American, and Japanese ways.

This arc hasn't really appealed to me, and this volume hasn't changed my mind. Still, it was fun seeing Sebastian forced to try on a bunch of trendy outfits, and Ciel's "Phantom Five" looks great considering he threw them together and expected them to be a functioning band in two weeks.

There was also a subplot involving Grelle and Othello (a reaper from Forensics) investigating the deaths from blood loss. Still meh.

The bonus comic wasn't terribly interesting, although the Japanese "lantern festival" panels were amazing. Toboso's artwork is lovely.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

For me, this series peaked during the zombies on the Titanic story arc, and this J-pop idols storyline is the latest in a series of very ho-hum adventures that make me wonder if it is time to stop reading. I guess I'll see how this one ends next volume and decide. ( )

This is the 24th volume in the Black Butler series. This was a wonderful installment of the Black Butler series. I love this series soooo much!!!

This volume continues the story started in Vol 23. Ciel is trying to solve the mystery behind this strange cult. He decides they have two missions: first infiltrate the cult and figure out what is going on, second create competition for the cult.

This was such a fun volume. I am so sad that I am caught up on this series but very excited that Vol 25 is supposed to release in January (only a month or so away).

The artwork in this series continues to be stunning. I love the characters and the story as well. This is one of my favorite manga series of all time and it is definitely the most fun out of the manga series I am reading.

Overall an amazing volume in this series...now I am desperate to see what happens in Vol 25!! There really just is no other manga series out there that compares to the illustration quality, uniqueness, and pure entertainment of the Black Butler series. I love it! ( )