On one series of manga I own, there are Roman numerals on the binding indicating the order the story progresses in. "Black Butler," being the series, is about a young Lord and a demon making a contract in Victorian London. The story follows the Lord and his "butler" (the demon) on adventures before the contract is up and the demon is able to eat the Lord's soul. I believe why the author of the story used Roman numerals for sequencing is because such a thing would be found on a book from that time, so she is trying to be as authentic as possible while writing a manga in the modern era. Also, another valid point she would use the numerals is that there has been hints in the manga saying the demon dates back to Roman times as well so it would make perfect sense to incorporate a little Roman history even if it is just the numerals on the binding. Moving on, the reason Roman numerals were even created is because the Romans needed a common method for counting because of trade and communication purposes. Then it was just adopted into modern day society just as a lot of the Latin they once spoke was morphed to form new words for modern day languages, and I just have to say it is one of the more elegant ways we are able to count. The numerals are just so sophisticated and intriguing. This is why I believe they are used so much in important documents, etc., they make a piece look more put together. Then when someone can actually read them, it makes that person look really smart. This is another reason why the human race should get a pat on the back to reincorporate Roman numerals into a lot of languages; basically all if you think about it. So in conclusion, the addition of Roman numerals to modern day society (especially my manga) was not a vain choice.
By: Cat Grayson
10/16/18
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