Many people describe Black Butler as their first exposure to anime. The original anime series ran from 2008 to 2010 and attracted a large fanbase, which only grew when the OVAs were released in 2014. While the Black Butler manga is still ongoing, many people miss the anime despite it heavily deviating from the manga's plot. For those looking to fill the space left by Black Butler, Moriarty the Patriot may be just what you are looking for.
Debuting this month, Moriarty the Patriot's anime adaptation is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. But rather than following 221B Baker Street's most famous resident, it instead explores the origins of Holmes' nemesis, the mathematics prodigy, William James Moriarty. While very different in many respects, Moriarty the Patriot and Black Butler share a surprising number of elements.
One thing both Black Butler and Moriarty the Patriot share is their setting. Both take place in fictionalized versions of Victorian England and use the period's gothic architecture to create an atmosphere. Black Butler's environments are actually quite varied, going from accurate recreations of Victorian London's gothic landmarks to dark and dingy buildings full of shadows and oppressive architecture, all of which are often trapped in swirling banks of fog. This only becomes more apparent when Black Butler moves into its more supernatural environments like the hedge maze. These environments allow the animators to draw on gothic influences and take them in strange and fantastical directions.
Moriarty the Patriot's vision of England is full of realistic gothic architecture that accurately recreates Victorian London's glory and its unhidden squalor. The beautiful and ornate buildings of the rich contrast heavily with the deprived East End and the surrounding countryside. Moriarty the Patriot's London is full of tight corners, dark shadows and swirling fog that is tinted an ominous red by the gaslamps.
Both series also use the Victorian era's strict class structure as part of their story. In fact, the protagonists of both shows belong to rich upper-class backgrounds. Ciel Phantomhive's upper-class life is ruined when his family manor burns to the ground. However, after making a pact with a demon, Ciel is able to rebuild his family's legacy and even ends up serving the Queen as part of England's secret service. And he does all of this while managing his manor's dysfunctional staff.
Similarly, Moriarty was adopted into a position of privilege. However, because his adoptive family was abusive, Moriarty comes to hate his position in the social hierarchy and enlists his brothers in his plot to bring down the nobility through crime and murder.
But their privileged upbringings aren't the only things that Ciel and Moriarty share. Both are dramatically cunning and have genius-level intellects. They're also very driven, stopping at nothing to achieve their goals, even if those goals require them to perform some very grim tasks or go to some less than welcoming places.
The shows also share a similar format. Each episode focuses on an individual mystery, and these episodic mysteries tie together to tell an overarching story. This episodic format allows every episode to be filled with excitement and intrigue, while also giving the characters a lot of time to grow and develop.
Though unique in their own ways, Black Butler and Moriarty the Patriot have enough in common that fans of Black Butler who want some more animated gothic mystery should really give Moriarty the Patriot a go.
