It’s a great time to be a Black Butler fan. Aside from the new anime that will premiere on Saturday, the Black Butler manga’s first half is also free to read now for everyone.
Square Enix’s Manga Up recently announced that the earlier volumes of the Black Butler manga are free to read right now on the platform for a limited time.
With this, fans can get to read (or re-read) the original manga, which perfectly leads up to the upcoming anime.
Why the New Black Butler Anime Is a Big Deal
The Black Butler anime is no doubt one of the most popular shows of the late 2000s. Since the first season ended in September 2009, the anime got more seasons, along with an OVA and a movie.
Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic is an anime film released in January 2017, and it was the last anime project in the series. That was until the announcement of the Public School Arc anime.
This upcoming series is effectively the fourth season of the anime. While the show’s second season isn’t canon, fans will be happy to know that this upcoming season is canon as it’s based on a fan-favorite arc.
For this new season, A-1 Pictures isn’t returning. Instead, CloverWorks (of My Dress-Up Darling and Bocchi the Rock! fame) is handling animation duties.
This isn’t too surprising given that CloverWorks started as a studio under A-1 Pictures.
While the studio is different, the original cast members are returning, including Daisuke Ono (Erwin Smith in Attack on Titan) as Sebastian and Maaya Sakamoto (Echidna in Re:Zero) as Ciel.
RELATED: Black Butler Watch Order: Should You Skip Season 2?
Black Butler Manga Free to Read This Week in Manga Up
To celebrate the anime’s return, the first 14 volumes of the Black Butler manga are now free to read on Manga Up for a limited time.
While the free chapters are only until volume 14, this is perhaps the perfect transition to the upcoming anime.
That’s because the Public School Arc in the manga happens between volumes 14 and 18. This means fans can read the manga up to volume 14 and then watch the anime to see what happens next.
Black Butler Manga Free Period Dates Revealed
Of course, Black Butler volumes 1-14 won’t be free forever. Instead, they will be available for free only until April 17, 2024, at 11:00 AM Eastern Time / 8:00 AM Pacific.
Fans should get started reading ASAP if they want to take advantage of the offer.
Are you planning to read Black Butler ahead of the new anime’s premiere? Let us know in the comments section below.
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