At this year’s Anime Expo, we got to sit down and talk with Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji): Public School Arc‘s Director Kenjiro Okada, Producer Yoshito Ito, and Daisuke Ono, the Japanese voice actor of Sebastian Michaelis. Okada-san is a newcomer to the franchise, taking the helm of the TV anime sequel at studio CloverWorks, while Ito and Ono are well-known names to anime fans. One of Ito’s earliest known credits is the first season of Black Butler, where he worked as an Assistant Production Manager. Daisuke Ono is, of course, one of the top voices of modern anime who has been breathing life into our favorite butler for over a decade.
Okada, Ito, and Ono attended Anime Expo 2024 where they discussed the recent Public School arc anime at the Black Butler panel hosted by Crunchyroll, during which the Emerald Witch Arc adaptation was announced. We managed to steal a bit of their time and discuss what it was like to bring back the beloved series.
Q: The adaptation of the Black Butler: Public School Arc was announced after so many years. Because it’s been so long and this is such a beloved series, many fans had very high expectations. How did it feel to take on this season and try to live up to these demanding expectations and hopes?
Ito: It’s been 10 years since the last season of Black Butler. I was thinking of wanting to make another season for the series, but I was worried. I thought, “How am I going to make it [the season]?” There were many dilemmas I faced, but the biggest was how to adapt to the current animation styles that are prevalent now versus 10 years ago. I also have to keep in mind the fans’ feelings and what they expect from the Black Butler series. At first, I was thinking of leaving animation as it is, but the animation and art styles have been evolving over the years. I don’t want to remake the series, but I want to do something new. So, I decided that the main goal was to adjust it and make it easier to pass it down to the next producer or the next set of staff who will work on future Black Butler projects. There are many fans, so the tension was high to meet their expectations. I had all of those in mind when thinking about what was the best way to respond to the audience while keeping everything relevant.
Oda: When I was reading the original work, I was very intrigued by the worldview. The overall stories and the characters were so unique. I saw a little bit of the anime series a long time ago, but when I was reading the manga again, I was very astonished with all the details I could find. I realized I wanted to expand as much of this as I could. I wanted to pinpoint the pivotal moments and the beautiful art from the original work using animation as a tool to express all of those things.
Ono: It’s been 16 years total since the first airing of Black Butler and seven years since the last movie. What was going through my mind when they announced the new season after all these years was “Will I be able to voice Sebastian again in the way that fans remember?” I’m the same as Producer Ito and Director Oda, [when they say] they carried their own dilemmas and pressure that they had to break through to meet the expectations of so many fans worldwide. But when I was listening to the voices of the other cast, I was able to snap back into character just like in the old times without any trouble. So, I am grateful that I could become a part of this project again, voice Sebastian again, and be able to contribute to the series that fans have loved so much over the years.
Q: Ono-san, it’s been seven years since the Black Butler Movie: Book of Atlantic and since we last heard Sebastian. I know that you have already mentioned it a bit, but can you explain more about what were your thoughts/feelings when you found out that there will be another season for the Black Butler series? How does it feel to be back voicing Sebastion after seven years? Did you have any struggles with getting his voice to match the new professor role he took on?
Ono: It’s been a long time since the Black Butler movie. After Black Butler, I had many jobs and voiced many different characters in many different titles and roles. During that time, I grew in so many ways and was able to master many kinds of versions of characters in different anime series. There were a lot, so I was left wondering, “Which voice was Sebastian?” It took a lot of internal thinking in order to tap into Sebastian again. It was really hard. However, after hearing Maaya Sakamoto-san [the voice of Ciel], I was able to be Sebastian again because it brought back so many memories from when I first voiced him. I couldn’t have done it by myself. It was thanks to everyone who brought Sebastian to life. If I were alone, I wouldn’t have been able to bring back Sebastian.
Q: Ono-san, what was your favorite Sebastian’s line in this season?
“[Honestly, you’re]… such a problem child.” That’s what he says during the cricket tournament [in Episode 8] to Ciel, teasingly. It was in a devilish way to express his own kind of love towards Ciel.
Q. Were there any scenes or aspects of the anime that were especially difficult to work on? Similarly, were there any particularly memorable moments from the production you’d like to share?
Ito: The most difficult thing was the character designs, especially Sebastian. There were so many fans who loved Sebastian. It made me wonder how it would turn out. How will I do this so the audience can relate and also accept the new character design for Sebastian? We were also discussing the timing of when Sebastian would enter the anime. I was wondering if he should enter sooner or if he should enter later. So, I focused on what was the best way to feature him. It was the most difficult part as a producer. The one positive thing that we are proud of is every single scene and animation was created with full confidence. So any scenes that we either pause, zoom into, or look into the specific details, we’re very confident in all of those aspects. There were a lot, but we did our best in creating them.
Oda: The most difficult thing was trying to make the cricket scenes because it’s such a foreign sport and it wasn’t that well-known in Japan. None of us knew the rules of cricket. So we studied it for one week. We went to the Cricket Association, learned the rules, watched the games, and learned about the formations in cricket. We spent a lot of time researching the sport and how we would make it come to life through animation.
Since there was such a long gap between the seasons, the production team was completely different from the last time. There were many things we were worried about and didn’t know if it would do well and hit the core of many fans as it did previously. But, we were pleasantly surprised that it did meet fans’ expectations. The most important thing was that we wanted the fans to enjoy it and were happy that we delivered that.
Ono: I previously mentioned a little earlier about how nervous I was about finding the voice of Sebastian after leveling up and playing so many other characters over the years. I was able to find the voice again after hearing the voices of the other voice actors in the studio. That was the most difficult for me. The most positive moment and a wonderful memory is being able to be a part of the team again with the wonderful cast of voice actors and actresses. Especially the young ones, such as the cast for the Prefect 4. They all watched and loved Black Butler in the past and some of them even told both me and Maaya-chan that Black Butler actually inspired them to pursue becoming a voice actor. To be able to hear that as the voice of Sebastian, I was pleased to hear that I had an impact on their lives and careers.
We want to thank Okada, Ito, and Ono for taking the time to speak with us about the series and the wonderful Crunchyroll staff for setting it up. It was interesting to hear their thoughts on the Public School Arc and learn a bit more about behind the scenes process. We can’t wait to see more of them in the Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc in 2025!
©Yana Toboso/SQUARE ENIX, Project Black Butler
Special thanks to Courtney Smith for translation assistance.
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