Black Butler: Public School Arc Full Deatail And Overview
🏛️ Overview & Basic Info
Title (English): Black Butler: Public School Arc
Original Japanese Title: 黒執事 寄宿学校編 (Kuroshitsuji: Kishuku Gakkō-hen)
Type: TV mini-series / anime season
Episodes: 11
Original Run (Japan): April 13, 2024 → June 22, 2024
English Dub Starting Date: April 27, 2024
Network / Broadcast & Licensing:
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In Japan: Tokyo MX, GYT, GTV, BS11, MBS, etc.
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Streaming / Licensing: Crunchyroll (English sub & dub)
On IMDb, it’s listed as Black Butler: Public School Arc (TV Mini Series 2024).
One of its episodes, for instance “His Butler, in Disguise”, is also individually listed on IMDb, with air date April 20, 2024.
🎬 Production, Staff & Creative Team
Here are the key behind-the-scenes contributors:
| Role | Person(s) / Studio |
|---|---|
| Director | Kenjirō Okada |
| Script / Series Composition / Writer | Hiroyuki Yoshino |
| Character Design | Yumi Shimizu (credited in sources for this season) |
| Music / Soundtrack | Ryo Kawasaki |
| Production / Animation Studio | CloverWorks, associated with Aniplex |
🕒 Episode Schedule & Timing
Release Pattern & Time Slots
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The first episode premiered April 13, 2024 in Japan.
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Episodes aired weekly, every Saturday during its run.
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According to Escapist Magazine, new episodes were released at 9:00 AM PT (Pacific Time) on Saturdays on Crunchyroll.
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IMDb lists individual episodes with dates, e.g. Episode 2 “His Butler, in Disguise” aired April 20, 2024.
Here’s a rough mapping of episodes to dates (as per Escapist’s schedule):
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Episode 1 — April 13, 2024
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Episode 2 — April 20, 2024
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Episode 3 — April 27, 2024
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Episode 4 — May 4, 2024
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Episode 5 — May 11, 2024
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Episode 6 — May 18, 2024
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Episode 7 — May 25, 2024
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Episode 8 — June 1, 2024
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Episode 9 — June 8, 2024
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Episode 10 — June 15, 2024
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Episode 11 — June 22, 2024
Note: The exact lengths of episodes (in minutes) are less often cited in public sources, but as a typical anime TV series, they’re expected to run around 23–25 minutes per episode (excluding ads / breaks) in many cases.
🎭 Cast / Voice Artists (Japanese & English Dub)
Here’s a detailed breakdown of principal and supporting voice cast.
Main & Recurring Japanese Cast
| Character | Japanese Voice (Seiyū) |
|---|---|
| Sebastian Michaelis | Daisuke Ono |
| Ciel Phantomhive | Maaya Sakamoto |
| Gregory Violet | Tatsumaru Tachibana |
| Herman Greenhill | Shunsuke Takeuchi |
| Edgar Redmond | Toshiki Watanabe |
| Lawrence Bluewer | Junya Enoki |
| Edward Midford | Seiichirō Yamashita |
| Soma Asman Kadar | Shinnosuke Tachibana |
| Undertaker | Junichi Suwabe |
| Elizabeth Midford | Yukari Tamura |
| Minor / Episodic roles | Many (Clayton, McMillan, Grelle, etc.) |
| Character | English Voice / Dub Actor |
|---|---|
| Sebastian Michaelis | J. Michael Tatum |
| Ciel Phantomhive | Brina Palencia |
| Violet | Kieran Flitton |
| Greenhill | Jonah Scott |
| Redmond | Reagan Murdock |
| Bluewer | Brandon McInnis |
| Edward Midford | Justin Briner |
| Soma | Abi Kumar |
| Undertaker | John Swasey |
| Elizabeth | Cherami Leigh |
| Minor / Guest Voices | Alejandro Saab (Derrick Arden), Spike Spencer (Snake), etc. |
A few notes:
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Some roles see changes from prior seasons (for example, Abi Kumar replaces another actor for Soma Asman Kadar because of circumstances in prior seasons.
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English dubbing was produced by Crunchyroll and was released after the Japanese version’s airing started.
📖 Premise & Narrative Arc
Story Setup (in brief):
The Public School Arc centers around Weston College, a prestigious boarding (“public”) school in England. Students, including some of high standing (even royalty), have gone missing or have stopped correspondence. Among them is Derrick Arden, who is related to Queen Victoria. The Queen tasks Ciel Phantomhive with investigating the mystery.
To do so, Ciel enrolls as a student, and Sebastian takes a role as a housemaster within Weston College, enabling them to investigate from within.
Inside the school, there are four “houses” presided over by a group known as the P4 — four charismatic and powerful students who are at the center of the intrigue. The school setting features competitive sports (notably a cricket tournament), interpersonal dynamics, mysteries, and dark secrets lurking behind the elegant facade.
Because the Public School Arc comes from the manga (chapters ~67 to ~85, vol. 14–18), many events are adapted, but the anime version sometimes shifts tone or pacing for dramatic effect.
📝 Reception, Strengths & Criticisms
What worked / strengths
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The school setting and the “mystery at a boarding school” trope provide a fresh change of scene from the usual Victorian underworld settings of Black Butler.
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Visually, character designs and house themes bring color and flair to the four leads (the P4) and the world of Weston College.
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For fans of Black Butler, seeing Ciel temporarily more “normal” (school life) gives a lighter, sometimes comedic contrast to usual darkness.
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Some episodes toward the end bring strong payoff in terms of revelations, conflict escalation, and character stakes.
Criticisms & Challenges
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Pacing Issues: Some viewers felt that the mystery dragged in episodes mid-season, with cricket tournaments or school tropes delaying the core narrative.
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Tonality Shifts: The arc sometimes leans into a more whimsical, trope-heavy “school drama” feel, which may feel at odds with the gothic / dark fantasy DNA of Black Butler.
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Less Tension in Some Parts: Because the stakes feel somewhat diluted in a school environment (versus life-or-death supernatural conflicts), some arcs feel more slice-of-life or episodic than relentless.
Overall, the arc is often seen as a lighter-but-entertaining detour—less intense, but still worthwhile for fans wanting character interaction and mystery.
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🧩 Trivia, Insights & Additional Observations
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The title “Public School” is slightly misleading under modern usage: in the UK, “public school” historically refers to exclusive private boarding schools. Hence, Weston College in the arc is elite, not publicly funded.
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This is the fourth season / major anime arc in the Black Butler series, following Book of the Atlantic.
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The anime adaptation was announced at Anime Expo 2023 and revealed more details during Aniplex Online Fest 2023.
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Because of voice actor changes (e.g. for Soma, or English cast replacements), some fans noted small shifts in performance tone.
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The arc blends typical Black Butler themes (servitude, loyalty, hidden identity, darkness) with a school-mystery aesthetic, which sometimes polarizes audiences who prefer the darker arcs.
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