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A review by mandalor3960
Black Butler, Vol. 20 by Yana Toboso
3.0
Just as the arc seems to reach an end of little plot development, Toboso seems to whip out a great plot turn and great scenes of great emotions and monologues.
Rating Update 3/13/2019 - 4 to 3 stars. It seems that I was not impressed with the volume, save for the ending. Hence, I lowered the rating.
Rating Update 4/7/19- 3 stars to 4 stars. Reverting back to the previous rating. Having read the synopsis, I remember the vivid scenes and monologues that took up quite a bit of the story, and I had previously misunderstood it to only be the ending.
Rating Update 4/9/19- 4 stars to 3 stars. Reverting back to the previous rating. Having read the synopsis again, I remember the vivid scenes and monologues taking up not as much of the volume to warrant a 4 star rating.
April 9, 2020
Update
I have changed the color of the rating from green to green with a grey outline because I read the book long ago and do not believe that my memories are complete. Moreover, the original review lacks content. In finalizing my rating system, I am going to use my current memories, the synopsis of the entire volume synopsis on the Wikipedia page titled "List of Black Butler chapters", reliance on the original review, my trust in the previous update's reliance of the synopsis of each chapter on the fandom site, and a reread of the synopsis of each chapter on the fandom site to ascertain the rating.
With all this in mind, the three star-rating seems like a good choice. I have found that there can be one emotional part in the first chapter, with Ciel dreaming about his alter ego, another in the second chapter when Sieglende falls trying to reach Wolfram and is hugged then by Wolfram, and another emotional part in the third chapter with Ciel talking to his dead relatives in his dream. I am not sure where there is a monologue that I enjoyed, as mentioned in the original review. The "great plot turn" mentioned in the original review probably refers to the last chapter in which it is revealed that Sieglende has been helping fake werewolves create a poisonous gas. These scenes are enough to raise the volume above at least a 2.5 star-rating.
I have created the 2.5EZA rating type for this book. By reading the original review, I have made assumptions that the "great scenes of great emotions and monologues" reach three stars (despite the use of the word "great") and the "great plot turn" is rated at four stars, since I feel this was the catalyst in jolting the rating of the book, since the original review draws emphasis to it. Perhaps the "great scenes of great emotions and monologues" reach a four star-rating but I have doubted that, as can be seen between the constant switching between a three and four star-rating for the book. I believe the tone in the original review that "the arc seems to reach an end of little plot development" is downcast, and finding the book to be OK at that point.
Here is the description for the 2.5EZA rating type: "“The opposite of the 2.5E rating type. The book was mediocre (two star-rated) until the concluding quarter that is four star-rated. The four star-rated content does require some of the two star-rated content as buildup. There is also some criticisms in the two star-rated content sprinkled about which does reach one star-ratings of dislike at times. This book barely reaches a 2.5 star-rating and is a very weak three star-rated book”. There is small amounts of three star-rated content in the two star-rated mass. I say it is weak rated 2.5 star-book because I don’t remember if the intervening content, between the good ending and the small tid-bits of three star-rated content, is rated at two stars, but I lean towards saying it is boring so that it is two star-rated".
Rating Update 3/13/2019 - 4 to 3 stars. It seems that I was not impressed with the volume, save for the ending. Hence, I lowered the rating.
Rating Update 4/7/19- 3 stars to 4 stars. Reverting back to the previous rating. Having read the synopsis, I remember the vivid scenes and monologues that took up quite a bit of the story, and I had previously misunderstood it to only be the ending.
Rating Update 4/9/19- 4 stars to 3 stars. Reverting back to the previous rating. Having read the synopsis again, I remember the vivid scenes and monologues taking up not as much of the volume to warrant a 4 star rating.
April 9, 2020
Update
I have changed the color of the rating from green to green with a grey outline because I read the book long ago and do not believe that my memories are complete. Moreover, the original review lacks content. In finalizing my rating system, I am going to use my current memories, the synopsis of the entire volume synopsis on the Wikipedia page titled "List of Black Butler chapters", reliance on the original review, my trust in the previous update's reliance of the synopsis of each chapter on the fandom site, and a reread of the synopsis of each chapter on the fandom site to ascertain the rating.
With all this in mind, the three star-rating seems like a good choice. I have found that there can be one emotional part in the first chapter, with Ciel dreaming about his alter ego, another in the second chapter when Sieglende falls trying to reach Wolfram and is hugged then by Wolfram, and another emotional part in the third chapter with Ciel talking to his dead relatives in his dream. I am not sure where there is a monologue that I enjoyed, as mentioned in the original review. The "great plot turn" mentioned in the original review probably refers to the last chapter in which it is revealed that Sieglende has been helping fake werewolves create a poisonous gas. These scenes are enough to raise the volume above at least a 2.5 star-rating.
I have created the 2.5EZA rating type for this book. By reading the original review, I have made assumptions that the "great scenes of great emotions and monologues" reach three stars (despite the use of the word "great") and the "great plot turn" is rated at four stars, since I feel this was the catalyst in jolting the rating of the book, since the original review draws emphasis to it. Perhaps the "great scenes of great emotions and monologues" reach a four star-rating but I have doubted that, as can be seen between the constant switching between a three and four star-rating for the book. I believe the tone in the original review that "the arc seems to reach an end of little plot development" is downcast, and finding the book to be OK at that point.
Here is the description for the 2.5EZA rating type: "“The opposite of the 2.5E rating type. The book was mediocre (two star-rated) until the concluding quarter that is four star-rated. The four star-rated content does require some of the two star-rated content as buildup. There is also some criticisms in the two star-rated content sprinkled about which does reach one star-ratings of dislike at times. This book barely reaches a 2.5 star-rating and is a very weak three star-rated book”. There is small amounts of three star-rated content in the two star-rated mass. I say it is weak rated 2.5 star-book because I don’t remember if the intervening content, between the good ending and the small tid-bits of three star-rated content, is rated at two stars, but I lean towards saying it is boring so that it is two star-rated".