The List

7 Dashing and Devoted Servants

The strapping servant romance probably predates Harlequin romance novels. You can find dedicated lists to the topic on Goodreads, even sectioned off from "servants" "wet nurses, nannies, and governesses" and "sold and gambled" subcategories. This week's list takes a look at (mostly) male servants with a dedication to their employers and good looks to boot.

7. Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler) Ciel's attractive and devilishly competent butler can handle any task big or small. Sebastian is the most handsome servant on the list, in my humble opinion, but his level of devotion is questionable since he's bound by a Faustian contract. In short, a demon butler can do almost anything a master wants but he's also after their immortal soul, which is sort of a downer.

6. Subaru Konoe (Mayo Chiki!) Subaru comes from a family line of male stewards, and is thus expected to carry on the legacy. The hiccup is that Subaru is an only child, and well, female. Undeterred, she intends to continue her family's work while keeping her identity a secret. Her determination is notable considering she spends almost three years pretending to be a boy without getting caught. She also rocks a pair of tails as well as any of the men on this list.

5. Hans (Emma: A Victorian Romance Second Act) Hans is the steadfast footman of the Meredith estate and a rival for Emma's love. He's been with the Meredith's for many years prior to their move to England from Germany. Overall, he's rather stoic but dedicated to his employer. The most important detail is that Hans has gorgeous chops that automatically earn him 50% more cool points than anyone else on the list.

4. Cicada (Last Exile) Cicada is a lead guild agent and the most trusted servant of Maestro Delphine Ecliar. Leading his own subordinate task force, Cicada prevents Delphine's assassination using his adept skills in hand-to-hand combat. He's also got a David Bowie look going with the pale features and eye makeup.

3. Vanilla Ice (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) Were the previous entries too pretty for you? The long-haired, muscular Vanilla serves Dio without question, even going so far as decapitating himself to prove his loyalty. He doesn't stay dead very long. Dio resurrects his faithful manservant as a unitard-wearing vampire. I never thought I'd be talking about merits of Vanilla Ice's good looks, but the character doesn't resemble his namesake.

2. Gilbert Nightray (Pandora Hearts) Oz's best friend and trusted servant, Gilbert would do anything for Oz. He undergoes serious bodily harm and turns his pistol on a number of foes in order to protect his close friend. On the fashionably dashing side of things, the guy wears a cravat only contested in size by Miles Edgeworth. Unfortunately, similar to Sebastian, Gilbert's loyalty is a side-effect to other circumstances.

1. Sōshi Miketsukami (Inu x Boku SS) The mild-mannered Sōshi wishes for nothing more than to serve Ririchiyo, his half-demon employer. Ririchiyo wants to be independent and not be followed around by a reincarnated fox-demon. The couple's relationship grows after Sōshi proves his devotion time and again, even at the cost of his life. The question then becomes which is cuter, fox-tailed Sōshi or bodyguard Sōshi?

The new poll: Hayao Miyazaki has retired from film once and for all (probably)! Which is your favorite Hayao Miyazaki film?





The old poll: The last poll asked which anime film released in the U.S./Japan so far is your favorite. This week's winner is Evangelion 3.0 by a large margin. Here's the full results:

1. Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo 21.6%%
2. The Garden of Words 10.1%
3. From Up On Poppy Hill 8.7%
4. Toaru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki 7.9%
5. Blue Exorcist 7.0%
6. Steins;Gate Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu 6.0%
7. anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day 5.0%
8. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods 4.0%
9. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 film series 3.4%
10. The Wind Rises 3.2%
11. Kick-Heart 2.6%
12. Saint Young Men 2.5%
13. Hunter × Hunter: Phantom Rouge 2.3%
14. Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey 2.2%
15. Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home 1.6%
16. Pokémon the Movie: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 1.6%
17. Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea 1.5%
18. Hakuōki Dai-isshō Kyoto Ranbu 1.3%
19. Precure All Stars New Stage 2: Kokoro no Tomodachi 1.0%
20. Star Driver the Movie 0.6%
21. Gekijō-ban Toriko Bishokushin no Special Menu 0.5%
22. Doraemon: Nobita no Himitsu Dōgu Museum 0.3%
23. Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Bakauma—! B-Kyū Gourmet Survival!! 0.2%