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「その執事、失望」 (Sono Shitsuji, Shitsubō)
“His Butler, Despairing”
Enough is enough, and Sebastian puts his foot down. Time is of the essence here- you have the Queen’s hand and the villagers’ ire pushing the hands of the clock forward, forcing Sebastian to take drastic measures to snap Ciel back into action. (Side note- how did John Brown get there so quickly, without encountering the villagers or the miasma? On horse no less. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had supernatural powers too, but I can’t remember if they touched on that at all at some point in time).
Drastic action for Sebby means threatening to eat Ciel for breach of contract, should he abandon the revenge ship. This forces Ciel to come to terms with himself. The ghosts of the people who died because of his revenge plot and involvement with the underground haunt him. I’m sure they’re always lurking in the background- I mean, how could you just forget about that and move on. But, his state of mind dredges them up from the dark corners where they probably habitually lurk. The other Ciel reappears, claiming Ciel sacrificed him- is that an avatar of Ciel’s conscience or another person? (No spoilers, please!). After some deep soul searching, Ciel realizes that his motivation for the contract was not payback for others or greed, but revenge for what was done to him, personally. That makes sense- it’s as selfish and twisted a reason you get that would compel a demon to contract with a human. Something selfless such as acting for others or something so run of the mill as monetary/power-related greed would intrigue a demon into becoming a human’s servant. It also rings true to the deeper, darker side of humanity, the snap second impulse of anger you feel when wronged by someone, but that you quickly suppress.
Philosophical questions aside, that was a gorgeous scene. You could viscerally feel the creeping darkness, the snake-like void. What a treat to have such a visual feast week after week- many thanks to the splendid art team. This scene was a reminder that all appearances aside, Ciel is full of raw emotion and trauma, and Sebby is not a cuddly being. It gave me a deeper glimpse into Ciel’s desperation on that fateful night to contract with such a terrifying being- only the most despicable, dehumanizing of situations would strip away fear of negotiating with evil that one would normally shrink from. Although, it does make one ponder just what that says about the crevices of the human heart, human lusts, that a devil would be considered the lesser of evils.
When all’s said and done, Ciel snaps out of his fit, but royally irritated at such a rude awakening. Sebastian claimed to be only 90% serious, but part of me wonders if it was all just for show. Would he have really eaten him if Ciel hadn’t woken up? Sometimes it’s hard to tell if his concern for Ciel is just a wolf in sheep’s clothing deal, or if there is the glimmer of something genuine. Granted, he is a demon, so you probably can’t attribute too much human feeling or honesty to him- or can you?
This whole experience is quite the hard pill for a dignified, proud little boy like Ciel to swallow. He even shocks the socks off his servants by apologizing. I gotta side with the servants on this one- how he reacted was totally normal for a little boy. Even the cook comforts him that soldiers in the battlefield experience the feelings he did. My reaction to his experience was “Oh, so a typical day in the life for someone who suffers from severe anxiety”. For Ciel though, who’s literally hellbent on revenge for being physically violated, not to mention being the Queen’s watchdog, any sign of weakness is totally abhorrent. I think it’s an important lesson for him- a reminder that despite the mantle he’s taken on, he still has a human heart and can’t avoid the frailties that come with that.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely his fault. The analyses from the Queen turned up the results that the “miasma” is nothing fantastical, beyond a chemical compound. Which makes sense, since emotions are the result of neurotransmitters and chemical reactions in the brain. Get a compound to mess with that, and everything goes out of whack. The “Ultimate Spell” can only be one thing- a weapon of some sort, which is a fearsome thought indeed. I mean, what else would you use a mind-altering substance for. All the more reason to stop them. And soon.
Let’s not forget Sullivan. My heart really went out to her. That scene with Wolfram hit home just how trapped she is- not allowed to see the outside world, forced to work on an “Ultimate Spell”. She can’t even escape from her situation- when she instinctively tried to run after Wolfram, but fell on her face because of her bound feet- man, what a moment of pathos. This whole “Ultimate Spell” needs to be stopped, ASAP, not just to save future victims from chemical warfare, but to free Sullivan. She’s a child, she’s bright- she deserves to live beyond some witchy fantasy.
End Card
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