Narumi Katou is a middle-aged man who suffers from the bizarre ZONAPHA Syndrome: a rare and inexplicable disease that causes its victims to endure severe seizures at random, with the only cure being to watch someone laugh. One day, during Narumi's part time job, a young boy with a giant suitcase fleeing from three adults runs into him. The boy introduces himself as Masaru Saiga, the new owner of the famous Saiga Enterprises following his father's recent death. However, other members of his family are trying to assassinate him and claim the fortune for themselves.
Determined to save the child, Narumi helps Masaru escape and ends up fighting the pursuers, only to discover that they are sentient humanoid puppets with superhuman strength. As Narumi is about to lose, a white-haired girl suddenly joins the fray and swiftly summons yet another puppet from the boy's suitcase, claiming herself to be Shirogane, Masaru's guardian.
Karakuri Circus follows three people from different backgrounds whose fates intertwine and diverge as they unravel the mysteries of an ancient tale of love and betrayal, and the long, ancient battle between humans and puppets.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Kaidu-
This is one of the worst adaptation to ever come out in recent memory. Not only it's a bad anime, but it's also an insult to the original manga by Fujita-sensei which is considered a classic in Japan. Let's go over the biggest problem: it's rushed like hell. How rushed? Well... Imagine if you had to adapt JoJo part 5 into 13 episodes... Or HxH into 24 episodes... Or FMA into 16 episodes... Or... Well, you get the idea. The original manga is 43 volume long. This anime is 36 episode. This means that even if they adapted a volume per episode, it wouldn't doit. So they had two choices: either cut whole volumes or cut small content. They choose both.
Now to the problems that this causes: it's a mess.
There is barely any characterization for the characters we are supposed to care about, and the character development is so sudden it makes no sense. Characters will do things that they would normally never do for no reason at all because of it.
The story also just keeps jumping nonstop from one point to another, dramatic moments will happen with no build-up whatsoever and sad songs will play at a sad moment that no one cares about.
Technically speaking, it's also ugly. Character movements are too stiff, actions scenes barely have any action and are just static shots of a character delivering an attack. Excessive post-effects are added to some scenes and they also look ugly (for example, the white bloom that is present through the whole hospital arc fight).
It also manages to have a terrible directing and editing. Characters will just stand somewhere or walk while talking with nothing happening on-screen (as in episode 4 when two character are talking on the side walk), some cuts are TOO SUDDEN (episode 13 cuts to the opening all of sudden almost as if it wanted to make a cliffhanger, but it just made it worse) and the narrative in general is really just too much simplified.
As I re-write this review, all of my points are still valid and the show has only gotten WORST. It's downright offensive to the viewers and to the original material.
There's not much too say. It's just a really bad and insulting show. A real waste of good source material.
TL;DR do yourself a favor and read the great manga
Stark700
Over the past decade since I’ve been reading manga, there’s one author that I always felt underappreciated. Kazuhiro Fujita is the manga artist responsible for works such as Ushio and Tora and Moonlight Act. It’s not his first rodeo of having an anime adaptation. Ushio and Tora got the treatment of a 3-cour show (with a split break) based on his manga. Both series ran a large chunk of chapters before their conclusion. Karakuri Circus takes place in modern Japan focusing on a young boy named Masaru Saiga. The story itself contains elements of action and dark fantasy while the plot revolves with three protagonists.Masaru, Narumi, and Shirogane may all have different personalities but their roles are all pivotal for the integrity of the plot. Masaru’s inheritance from his family paints a target on his back as people are after his money. Narumi and Shirogane saves Masaru from death but also begins a complicated story as their lives changes forever. Make no mistake, Karakuri Circus is actually more complex as it seems on the surface. My original impression of Karakuri Circus felt like the anime managed to do what it could do to get the story flowing. However, several episodes in the early stages begin showing red flags.
To put it bluntly, this anime adaptation went way over the speed limit in the beginning. It’s incredibly rushed and skipping many chapters to get to certain plot elements. Just for statistical references, the first four or so episodes adapted at least 25+ chapters. With 43 volumes, this didn’t come to me as a complete surprise. The staff probably wanted to cover the entire manga but by doing so, it also damages the original product as a whole. This glaring red flag told me that Karakuri Circus is a victim of modern day adaptations. What got me curious is why the show didn’t receive more episodes in the first place. Perhaps a split double cour could even remedy this a little but instead, we get a continuous triple cour of 36 episodes. If you think about it, that’s almost 11 chapters per episode if we go with the flow. Luckily, the anime doesn’t exactly go with such numbers but it still suffers from omission. As a fan of the manga, I’m rather dumbfounded.
Onto the actual plot, Karakuri Circus seems to have a vision to dive deep into its background story. Events in the past heavily influences the present timeline with characters such as Shirogane based on past incarnations. What began 200 years ago has made powerful impact in the present story. However, the first few episodes didn’t follow such format. Instead, it focused more on our three protagonists attempting to live a normal life. Despite that, fate has linked them together with the past that’s practically inescapable. As more episodes progressed, there’s a so much revealed that it’s hard to take in all at once. This the second red flag of the anime. How can viewers be invested in so much content going on at once? Now, I do get that Karakuri Circus relies on character decisions. Some of these are so important that they change the outcome of the story. But really, it feels that the story goes into many directions rather than being focused in one direction. Unfortunately, that’s not all the problems it suffers.
When it comes to characters, the cast itself begins to show weakness. Now on the surface, I do like our main characters. Masaru, Narumi, and Shirogane shares a unique bond together that’s hard to overlook in the beginning. There’s hints of deeper feelings between Narumi and Shirogane while Masaru and Shirogane also develops a close bond. The main problem though lies with its commitment to the characters. We are shown many flashbacks throughout the show that sometimes makes me forget our main characters. The first few episodes made me invest a lot into them but by the time half this show aired, that interest has greatly degenerated. That is, I don’t want to say the characters in the past are not important. On the contrary, they play huge roles such as the case with Francine, the Bai brothers, and members of the Saiga family. Two characters of the past also greatly resemble our main characters – Francine/Shirogane and Narumi/Bai Yin. There’s also emotional value poured into the relationships between certain characters. But as the more I watched the show, the more I felt detached with them. I wanted the anime to just be more focused in one direction and not jump back and forth between every episode. That seems a bit too much to ask because the anime adaptation had other ideas.
But still, I do applaud Karakuri Circus for its expansive characters when it comes to diversity. While the anime adaptation suffers from rushed content, certain characters do make an impression. The Saiga family such as Shogi and Angelina are names that shouldn’t be forgotten easily during their arc. Members of the Midnight Circus has unique members with a variety of personalities. Furthermore, some of the antagonists in the show have impactful influences such as the Faceless Commander in later episodes. Hell, the Bai brother are responsible for causing a major story plot in the show – the Zonapha Syndrome. Known for its deadly stages, this syndrome is one of the most important elements in the entire series. So despite the story being rushed, it’s hard to deny that certain characters had great influence in the overall tone of the plot. If only the anime adaptation devoted more time on the plot to be more fluid and tolerable. Too bad.
Founded in the August of 2014, studio VOLN had previously worked on Ushio and Tora. For its visual context, Karakuri Circus blends between old school art and new school. What I mean is that the show retains a style of the manga while also able to adapting it to modern standards. Character designs are crafted with precision and uniqueness. Every character seems to stand out on their own without feeling out of place. The most unique designs are the automatas, clowns, and circus acrobats. Many of the modern circus characters have a flamboyant look while the automata gives the impression of unique old school machines. Furthermore, I think praise should be given to the character expressions for being able to sell emotional content when it’s given the chance. The main characters such as Masaru and Narumi are prominent examples of this especially in early episodes. Later on, Shirogane’s emotions becomes much more apparent too. The bottom line is, VOLN managed to make a show that managed to live up to its visual expectations.
Karakuri Circus is honestly a mixed bag of sometimes being great at what it does and other times falling short. Anyone who have read the manga will recognize how much the adaptation decided to skip content to get the main story going. That itself is a mistake and is hard to fix. If you came in as an anime original viewer, this might not be such a sour experience. As for me, this was more or less an average anime that could have been much, much more.
bmoore07
People evolve. We venture beyond our comfort zones, adapting and adjusting to new environments. In the end, we become better versions of ourselves. However, for the shirogane (masters of magical puppets), this is not the case. Defined by their silver hair, slim figures, and seemingly ageless bodies, they’ve been fighting monsters for hundreds of years. Their reasoning for this lies within a traumatizing event from long ago; this event permanently affected them. While the seasons change, the shirogane stay the same. It's apparent in their fighting style (the manipulation of puppets). With the issues they confront, the shirogane insist on an approach that’s not onlyunreliable but is also (more or less) outdated. To me, the shirogane are frozen in time.
The same can be said of Karakuri Circus. Like the shirogane, this show is from a bygone era. July 9, 1997 was when Karakuri Circus first emerged, as the brainchild of mangaka Kazuhiro Fujita. And although it was recently adapted into an anime (thanks to Studio VOLN), the premise is typical of the era it hails from. At the outset, we’re introduced to Masaru Saiga (a timid soul with a big heart and a photographic memory), alongside his companions Narumi and Eleonore. Loyalty is established (and romance blossoms) as they voyage through a coming-of-age tale involving daddy issues, the power of friendship, and eventually saving the world. This did not grab my attention (at least, not at first). For me, the overarching story is redeemed when it connects to its various subplots, specifically the shirogane’s struggles against the automata.
Here's where the magic unfolds. Masaru’s journey may be this show’s backbone, but it’s in the feud between these two factions that Karakuri Circus comes alive. Their various showdowns are engaging to watch, mostly thanks to composer Yuki Hayashi (he’s the brains behind the soundtracks for Haikyuu and My Hero Academia). It’s because of him that, for each action sequence, viewers are blessed with a colorful array of accordions, drums, and guitars. And the fights themselves are quite impressive. The puppets that the shirogane weaponize and maneuver are rendered in stunning CGI. Gaudy explosions often follow the attacks these fighters unleash (at one point, a column of fire erupts as lightning bolts dance around it). And the battles end stylishly; it’s mesmerizing to watch the automata crumble piece by piece, under grey ooze and hissing steam.
Fight scenes are this show's pride and joy. However, what's said during these fight scenes isn't always as inspiring. As far as dialogue is concerned, there are certain areas I enjoy; the one-liners here are very much appreciated and the soul-stirring speeches are genuine highlights, especially in the final six episodes. On the other hand, this show is held back by a hamfisted screenplay; the dialogue is both excessive and redundant, often emphasizing the most obvious ideas. Karakuri Circus provides character development but not without pointlessly detailing the process. It presents ingenious tactics but not without long-winded explanations of how they work. It features personality traits (like Eleonore's weaknesses or a hospital patient's hobbies), but not without an extended monologue about them soon after. For most shonens, infodumping is a recurring issue, and Karakuri Circus is no exception.
Ideally, these monologues would be reduced (if not removed entirely). Studio VOLN, though, were occupied elsewhere, with modifying the manga’s overall storyline. Looking to comply with the 36-episode format, they condensed the events of the source material, disposing of specific plot threads in the process. Among others, the Beast Tamer arc and the Kuroga Village training period were axed. Although it caused complaints (especially from fans of the manga), the differences, for the most part, aren’t too severe. To be clear, the editing process and the end result are by no means perfect, but they don't detract from the overall experience. By holding onto the original’s ideas and themes, Karakuri Circus remains true to Fujita’s vision.
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It’s a mess. The table is cluttered with mess; it's practically submerged in folders, calculators, pencil shavings, ink stains, and rough sketches. However, Kazuhiro Fujita and his three assistants ignore this. An idea has caught their attention instead. “Aren’t there idiots who get excited just from being on a cliff?” Fujita wonders aloud. He then rises from his chair, gesturing with his hands to emphasize the point he’s making. After doing this, a voice intones, “For Fujita-san, if he’s not talking to people, then it appears he cannot progress in his work.”
Kazuhiro Fujita is a featured guest on “Urasawa Naoki no Manben,” a 2015 documentary series that captures a mangaka’s journey in creating their material; it’s intended to provide a glimpse into the process’ inner workings. In the documentary, Fujita and his assistants are filmed at work for four days. When this is finished, Naoki Urasawa (Manben’s host) and Fujita convene to examine the footage.
While doing so, they discuss a variety of manga-related topics. Naturally, the conversation shifts to detailing the early stages of Fujita’s career. At the age of 25, he was hired by Shonen Sunday and soon after he reviewed what they had to offer. Fujita scrutinized the magazine’s catalog, a lineup of sports stories and romantic comedies, and he wanted to invigorate the ranks with something new. In order to succeed, he derived inspiration from his childhood influences.
Ever since his days growing up in Asahikawa, Fujita loved reading manga, especially shonens. At the time, he was entranced by series like Shotaro Ishinomori’s “Kamen Rider,” Go Nagai’s “Devilman,” and Ken Ishikawa’s “Getter Robo.” However, out of all his childhood influences, there was one that towered above the rest: Rumiko Takahashi’s “Yami wo Kakeru Manazashi.”
“It was a short story with regular humans that fought the weird and won. I thought ‘Oh, I am really glad she drew something like this.’ Like, ‘This is just the kind of thing I want to read!’ It was the kind of thing that made me think ‘Manga’s amazing!’ And I think it was the thing that turned me on to doing manga”, - Kazuhiro Fujita
- - - - - - -
This idea would define him. Throughout his career of thirty years and counting, Fujita waged war against the unknown. In his stories, he would maneuver his everyman leads into confronting opponents of unnatural origin, like evil spirits (in Ushio to Tora), fairy-tale denizens (in Moonlight Act), and sentient haunted houses (in Souboutei Kowasubeshi). With Karakuri Circus, it’s the automata that adopt this role. However, there’s a crucial difference between this show and the rest of Fujita’s works. Beneath the speeches, the references to Chinese culture and the slapstick comedy lies Karakuri Circus’s true intent: to find common ground between the shirogane and automata through their goals. For the shirogane, that goal is learning from the past. After centuries of failure, they finally abandon their age-old stubbornness, which causes them to evolve both in combat (with a wider range of styles and tactics) and outside of it (with more openness in their personal relations). As for the automata, their purpose isn’t as detailed. There’s a backstory here but it’s a strange one, almost impossible to make sense of. Regardless, this show succeeds in providing both sides a cause worth fighting for. It’s not much but having this makes it easier to understand the automata.
However, this show fails to humanize them. Excluding the Les Quatre Pioneers (the four oldest automata) and a few others, there's no reason for anyone to care about them. These guys are cartoonishly evil. They kill for sport, getting off on the worst of bloodbaths. In battle, their signature move is to take the children and slap them around before using them as bargaining chips. If children aren’t nearby, they’ll resort to removing women's clothing and gloating about it afterward. The automata are caricatures, plain and simple; they’re card-carrying villains, cruel for cruelty’s sake, cackling at the chaos they’ve created. And they’re not the only ones like this. In Karakuri Circus, almost every antagonist is written the same way. From Zenji Saiga (Masaru’s uncle) to episode 16’s suicidal samurai and even the main villain himself, they’re all reduced to stereotype, burdened with bloated egos and creepy facial expressions.
This black-and-white worldview cripples the show's storytelling. It's also an issue that's appeared in Fujita's writing from the start.
People evolve. We venture beyond our comfort zones, adapting and adjusting to new environments. In the end, we become better versions of ourselves. However, for Kazuhiro Fujita, this is not the case. Defined by his haunting imagery, two-dimensional villains, and references to Chinese culture, he’s been drawing manga for thirty years. His reasoning for this lies within a short story from long ago; this story permanently affected him. While the seasons change, Fujita stays the same. It's apparent in his writing style. With the stories he creates, Fujita insists on an approach that’s not only flawed but is also (more or less) outdated. To me, Kazuhiro Fujita is frozen in time.
The same can be said of Karakuri Circus. Like Fujita, this anime is from a bygone era. And it shows, what with its archaic sense of humor and its bright-red line between good and evil. There's little room for nuance here, the shades of grey few and far between. However, what Karakuri Circus lacks in subtlety, it compensates with heart. The stories here truly inspire. They are love letters to the human spirit, songs of triumph over our past failings and grievances. And although they're constrained by cliches, I'll always remember these tales of personal growth, especially the ones I least expected.
7point8outof10
I would like to preface this review by saying that I have yet to read the Karakuri Circus manga, so I will be discussing the show on its own merits, rather than comparing it to the manga. That said, there are lots of elements to Karakuri Circus that make it clear that it cut out a lot of stuff from the manga. This anime serves as a case study as to what happens when you adapt a great manga (or, at least, I assume it’s great based on what I’ve seen of the anime) from 42 volumes into 36 episodes. As you might imagine, theresult is a bit messy.
If I were to choose two adjectives to describe Karakuri Circus, I would go with “creative” but “rushed”. The plot is full of all sorts of brilliant and entertaining ideas, but it breezes through them so quickly that few of them really hit you with the impact they deserve. This also applies to the characters of the show. This show has an enormous cast, but few of them get enough screen time. To the show’s credit, there are still many great ideas, moments and characters, but if either there was a greater number of episodes, or the focus of the 36 episodes we do have was more narrowed, then these would’ve been more effective as a result of being more thoroughly developed.
The circus motif of the series is going to be hit or miss depending on your personal tastes, but I for one think it’s great. Karakuri Circus does a great job capitalizing on different elements of the circus, creating lots of unique and entertaining puppets to be fought throughout the series. The way they twist the joyful and comedic look of the circus into something much more abhorrent is very well done. If you are afraid of clowns, then these designs will definitely add to the atmosphere of the series.
These designs, as well as the varied abilities of the puppets make the fights pretty entertaining. These fights are usually quite simple, but usually have an emotionally resonant idea or important stakes in the plot that comes with them. There is also always a tangible sense of tension once it becomes clear that this series isn’t afraid to kill off its characters. In many cases, however, these things feel like they could’ve hit harder if the characters involved had received more development, and things start to feel formulaic after a while. The animation is also pretty underwhelming.
The character deaths feel particularly formulaic (with exceptions). This is perhaps where the incredibly fast-paced nature of the show hurts it the most. Because of this pace, character deaths happen so frequently that the deaths of minor characters don’t have the impact they ought to, and the more major deaths feel less shocking (though they still hit pretty hard).
In terms of presentation, Karakuri Circus is pretty solid. As I said earlier, it has underwhelming animation, but it is still pretty nice, visually speaking, as a result of the puppet designs and the classic ‘90s aesthetic. As for the audio side of things, the BGM is pretty darn great, as are the opening and ending themes, and the voice actors do a nice job at conveying their characters.
The most recurring theme throughout the series is that of smiling (and, by extension, laughter). While this may sound pretty cliché, it fits the series rather well, in large part due to the circus motif. After all, the point of the circus is to make people smile. This idea is twisted and perverted by the villains of the series, adding a lot more to this theme than you might expect. While it certainly also indulges in the cliché elements of this theme, the accompaniment of this dark parallel makes these moments feel richer. I can certainly say that this theme, and the show in general, succeeded in making me smile.
Most of Karakuri Circus’ problems seem to come from how rushed it is. It oozes creativity and heart, but so much of it feels as though it could’ve been executed a lot better had it been given more episodes. I have yet to read the manga, so I am hesitant to recommend it, but I will say this: if the manga is truly like the anime but with a much slower pace, then I am reasonably confident that it will be an excellent read.
So, should you watch Karakuri Circus? I would say that it depends on how interested you are in the series. If a battle shounen between mechanical puppets with a strong circus motif interests you enough that you are convinced it is worth your time, you should probably read the manga instead. However, if you are somewhat interested, but think that a 42-volume manga is too big of a commitment, then you should definitely check out the anime! Who knows? Perhaps you will like it enough that you will be convinced to read the manga? I certainly plan on reading it.
JiangHaoyi1979
Finally the 36 episode long anime has ended and it ended with a clean ending, not something that every anime does which always leaves an open ending, that the good part, the bad part about this anime was that to run for 36 episode was just too much of a chore, since we have to see a lot of back stories and info dump that were seemingly pseudo-science by nature, in one episode about the backstory of Yin and Bin it was 1758, that was the " Renaissance" that was the time that moden medicine was starting to develop in it's early stage, that wasthe time when modernity was in it's infancy , so how did a Chinese guy like Bai who traveled from China to Europe able to to created an virus or some kind of nanotech that gave people such disease like ZONAPHA , with tools that weren't even invented and how did he develop a stone that can heal the same disease when alchemy wasn't an accurate science, in fact the philosopher stone that them alchemist were developing never come to light , now I don;t know about you people but I beginning to think that the original creator of this thing, Fujita, Kazuhiro can be a bit "NUTS" when he came up with this kind of thing, but then again see how this in its manga form did was a success, but in its anime form, it does have a lotta plot holes that sometimes it can be annoying, especially when common sense was put aside for something elaborate that basically makes it too stupid to comprehend , also those puppets that can move and think, WTF they're just made out of wood or simple material , so how come they can do that , I mean it's not like that Bai aka Faceless to be able to develop "Artificial Intelligence" that was basically crazy, now don't tell me it's magic , cu'z if it is then Masaru , Narumi, and Eleanor ought to be wizards or magic user. Art, basically since the anime debuted in the late 90's it wasn't surprising that everything there were based in that era, but unfortunately, that idiot of the original creator, Fujita, Kazuhiro, should have included cellphones, since they exist already in the late 90's like that fold up phone, also, on the character side of this thing basically has too many antagonist and too many protagonist , yet thought it would only be Masru, Narumi, and Eleanor, the addition of other support like Cuy, Vilma, Pataleon and others were just too much to comprehend that sometimes you felt lost as to who is who around here, so without anymore bullshit, here were my ratings for this anime:
Story-Good 7: Since , there is that plot about a grow up like Narumi saving Masaru from the greedy Saiga family , it was good at first but this change when Narumi disappears and that's where the pseudo sci-fi thing begins as the world was threatened by a disease called ZONAPHA and the attack of the puppets that can think without any AI tech in them.
Art- fair 6: There was limited fanservices and mostly were about them puppets with a hotch·potch of design that were just too lame to to consider cu'z they're not even funny.
Enjoyment- Fair 6: This anime maybe interesting, but I can't just ignore the plot holes.
Overall- Good 7: That's for the clean ending.
Disfemisef
This was a 36 episode anime that really shouldn't have been that long. It followed the adventures of Masaru Saiga, a billionaire heir who inherits his father's wealth after his death. With the help of lover of kids and certified Jesus Christ, Narumi and the mysterious and beautiful doll like Shirogane, he tried to uncover his dead father's weird secrets and evade the weird puppet creatures coming after him. It had some pretty good points and a lot of bad, but let's look at the good first. I liked some of the characters in Karakuri circus. The protagonists were well established and developed. They had backstories I could sympathize with and I was somewhat invested in their growth. The animation was okay, not spectacular, but okay. I liked that they did a bump of chicken song, so that was exciting.
And now, the bad. THE PLOT! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IN GOD'S RIDICULOUSLY POLLUTED EARTH WAS GOING ON??? It was so convoluted, it felt like the equivalent of your earphones getting entangled in your pocket. While I could follow what was happening from a literal standpoint, nothing made sense to me. Some story choice just seemed beyond ridiculous and the resolution just seemed off. I liked that they had a philosophy (what it is to be human and what makes a human being), but they didn't present it in a way that was remotely intriguing to me.
I also really had little patience for the villains. In a battle anime where there are supposedly epic fights, we get excited for the fight between good and evil mostly because we know both their stories. Ichigo vs Ulquiorra was a classic fight not simply because it had good animation, it was a good fight because we 'knew' both characters, who they were and what they represented. In Karakuri circus, strong enemies just popped out of nowhere and started spouting philosophy which made no sense to me.
I also didn't care for the romance element. I love a good romance story, but this one sucked. I wasn't even rooting for any of them. Same with some character deaths. Some were pretty unnecessary and added nothing to the story (tbf some did). It ended as well as such an anime could and I guess you could say the antagonist had a realistic reason for being who he was (even tho it was dumb). If you have some weird project to work on, this is the perfect anime to play in the background.
RookieQueenOtaku
It took me a long time to finish this anime, but when I got to the end I felt very satisfied. The story line can be a bit confusing at times, and there was one point that it felt like a lot of random things were being thrown in out of nowhere in the middle of the show. It almost was like throwing in a brand new plot right in the middle of the series, which was somewhat confusing. But it's smoothed out in the end and is othewise a very good anime. It was very sad and just really makes you think about humanitiyand life and stuff like that. The puppets were fascinating, and a really well done part in the show. I cried a lot, there is a lot of sad parts in this show. This show also had very few problems with modesty, swearing, or graphic violence. There was very little graphics, though the show can get pretty violent. There are few immodest dresses, but I have very little to complain about. All together it was a heartbreaking and fascinating show and I reccommend it 100%!
ZB_Blades
Karakuri Circus peeked my interest all the way back in the fall of last year. It was another work from the mangaka behind Ushio to Tora, which while rushed as an anime I still enjoyed. So with Karakuri Circus coming out I knew I had to check it out. The first episode actually blew away my expectations. It looked good, really good. It kind of gave me this Hunter x Hunter vibe which is a high compliment. For the next few episodes the story continued at an appropriate pace and any worries I had for the series were at the back of my mind. All wasgoing well and then they reached a point where they crammed in a completely new story line without any setup or warning. Now, I have not read the manga so I am viewing this series from an anime only perspective, but even I could tell they were leaving quite a bit out. Because of this, the story moves at a break neck pace introducing new story lines and characters so fast you could get whiplash. At some point I just accepted that this is going to be the norm and looked for other things that I could latch onto and enjoy.
One of those things was the characters, which kept me from dropping this series. Over the course of 36 episodes I became invested in their development. The original three as I like to dub it consisting of Narumi, Shirogane, and Masaru were the ones that kept me engaged when the story went out of control. Even as new characters were being thrown in my face without warning, I was still able to find something I liked about them. Without a doubt the characters are one of the saving graces for this series. However, its not the true savior.
Ladies and gentlemen please rise for Bump of Chicken. I've been around anime long enough to know that a good soundtrack can elevate a series. There are some anime out there that are defined solely by their sound. I believe that Karakuri Circus could evolve to be one of those series. Primarily with regards to its first set of OP's and ED's. The opening song to Karakuri Circus is one of the best opening songs of the year and I do not take that statement lightly. The staff of Karakuri Circus even reused the song for their 3rd and final ED, which just proves how good of a song it is. As the series winded down it got to a point where I was watching the episode just so I could listen to Bump of Chicken again. The first ED "Marionette" was also a pleasure to listen to.
As for the art and animation, it wasn't the best but it wasn't bad either. At 36 episodes long its difficult to maintain a high animation quality level so I can understand if some episodes or scenes are not up to snuff. The designs for the characters gave me some strong Hunter x Hunter 2011 vibes. Not sure if they share the same character designer but it would be a nice touch.
Overall, Karakuri Circus moves incredibly fast for a story and will often times leave you scratching your head when they introduce new plot elements and characters without warning. Despite this the staff tries to make the ride as enjoyable as possible by always making sure there is something interesting going on. The characters will come to grow on you and the music will have you coming back for more.
Hatul
I'll start by saying that I think this series is a blast. If you like shonen anime like I do, especially the kind that hit you in the feels and hold no punches, I highly recommend it. Karakuri Circus is an adaptation of a shonen manga from the 90s, coming from the same author of Ushio to Tora. It tells the story of Masaru, a kid raised by a rich family who just inherited a big fortune, since the father of the household died in a car crash. As a result, Masaru is being pursued by two separate groups of puppeteers who control super strong puppetsthat can kill people at the drop of a hat.
I'm not sure I should point this out, but this is a hot blooded, over the top series where some suspension of disbelief is required.
With that out of the way, I'd like to go over both the series' strengths as well as its weaknesses, specifically when it comes to being a condensed, 36 episode adaptation of its 43 volume long manga which might be the reason this anime gained only a so-so reputation (I assure you, it's not as bad as it sounds).
But first, let me gush on the things I love about this show.
--The Characters--
They are vibrant, have strong personalities and leave a lasting impression with each having a compelling character arc. The main trio have a very heartwarming familyesque dynamic (the fact that they're separated a lot of time makes it even more powerful in a way) and specifically Masaru's growth throughout the series ties in very nicely to the progression of the story and the details he keeps uncovering about himself as well as the antagonists of this series.. This also includes a great deal of its secondary characters, which the series is not afraid to kill off and kills off meaningfully, making sure that their deaths are cathartic and tie in to the themes of the series. This also includes some of its villains.
--The Story---
I like how even some of the smallest details from early episodes are reincorporated much later in the series as an important plot point (like the food Elanore made or the blood she let Masaru drink, how Masaru's dad died, etc' etc'), and how all the threads come together in the end. I like the fast but steady pace with new revelations happening every so often and tension staying present for its entire run. Not to mention that it has one of the most satisfying and powerful conclusions I've seen in a while.
--The Themes-- (spoilers)
The circus, puppet and clown motif of this series fit very nicely in to the themes of the story - a story of human emotions, free will and happiness and what they actually mean. The series main antagonist couldn't accept that the love of his life didn't return his feelings. Even his goons (the Automata) were originally created to make that person happy. When that didn't work, he became desperate and manipulated his love's emotions by force. Forcing her to love him back (quite literally) like a puppet. This also ties in to the disease that is spread in the series which has people feeling pain when they can't make others around them laugh (the same pain the antagonist felt), which is the job of a entertainers like the ones in the circus
In contrast Eleonore's character has been forced and trained to have no emotions whatsoever. To never smile, only to have a blank stare. Of course all of that changes once she meets and creates a bond with Narumi and Masaru.
The point is that happiness should not be acquired through any means, human emotions aren't something to be puppeteer-ed. It should come naturally from inter personal relationships as well as positive or negative experiences that will shape them. Which is demonstrated in the series through the strengthening bonds between its main characters.
Those are just the main examples of how this idea is explored. Throughout the series we get an exploration of this theme through various characters with vastly different perspectives on these subjects, depending on their past (and present) experiences, as well as a resolution to it by the end of the series.
--The Visuals--
The series has an old-school and semi-GAR looking art-style which I love, but at the same time it looks very polished, clean and with thin outlines so it won't turn off people who are accustomed to the modern look. The animation is somewhat limited but that's exactly the style it's going for. This show prioritizes good framing instead of movement and it does an excellent job of that. The action, while light on strategy, is very well choreographed and each character fights differently. It puts great emphasis on the decisive blows and body/puppet parts blowing apart in each battle with cool visual effects, making them feel very satisfying to watch. It's directed by the same guy who directed Trigun, Hajime no Ippo and the new Ushio to Tora adaptation, and enhancing limited animation as well as great fighting choreography seems to be his expertise. Plus, the amount of action this series has gives Dragon Ball Z a run for its money. The volume of violence and scary imagery is also quite high for a shonen.
It may look a little stiff in places and it may appear to use its style as an excuse for taking animation shortcuts on occasion. In addition there's some light use of CGI on some of the puppets, but overall the visuals are pretty awesome.
P. S. - I also wanna point out that the female characters are hawwwt beyond description.
--The Audio--
Emotionally powerful voice acting (albeit a little cheesy), great intense rock music mixed with circus themed sounds and bombastic sound effects really compliment this series perfectly and enhances every set piece and emotional beat. The OPs and EDs are solid and range from rock to tencno pop, and I specifically love the 2nd op for its opening and closing guitar bits that really make you pumped to watch the episode and the 1st op for sounding very circus-like and is later used as the final ED.
From here on I'll try to go over the story structure pointing out its highs and lows as an adaptation without going in to any specifics. So if you consider that a spoiler then just skip to the last three paragraphs.
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The series has a very strong start. Its first 4 episodes... hell I'd even say its first seven episodes - are great. They introduce the characters perfectly, all of which work off each other very well. The story progresses at a blazing fast pace at this point but everything is coherent and easy to follow..
Episodes 8 through 14 is where the true weaknesses start to show and honestly I'd say this is where the series is at its weakest.
Trying not to go in to specifics here, but the main characters get separated at this point and the series struggles to tell this story by juggling between two different perspectives which results in it neglecting both. To the point it becomes very obvious that the anime is skipping over material.
Characters are quickly introduced and quickly killed off after they served their purpose.
It's' clear that there are several story beats missing as well, when a character is in one location in one episode, and then in a faraway location in the next episode with some voice over to fill in the gaps. It also tends to just jump ahead and then retroactively show a brief flashback that hastily shows us what we've missed (which happens at least twice). Not to mention huge doses of exposition that are a little too much to process in such a short amount of time.
With that said, this section is still really cool, but it could've been so much better (and it probably is, in the manga).
Episode 15 feels like more of a fresh start with my only gripe being that it didn't seem to segway in to it all that well.
Episodes 16 through 19 is basically a huge info dump through flashbacks. It's a little convoluted and mildly confusing in places but is overall far more satisfying and well handled than some of the previous episodes and by the end of it we get a clear picture with an unraveling of its mystery (not to mention that it's pretty effective emotionally).
Episodes 20 through 29 is a very good mix of action and good storytelling with more revelations and further development of characters that were properly introduced before and didn't simply appear out of thin air. These episodes feel like the climax of the series but is actually only setting up the real climax which is episodes 30 through 36. All of which were handled well in terms of pacing and coherency. The entirety of the latter two thirds o the series are actually even more reasonably paced than the very strong first 7 episodes, which culminates in to a solid and powerful finale.
This part still has some minor hiccups here and there, which may or may not be exclusive to the adaptation. Like a lack of foreshadowing for certain things (*Cough* spaceship *cough*) or Narumi's character arc being a little hard to track for a long period of time and some deaths and new revelations that happen very close to one another.
But this was definitely the high point of the series as it should be.
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So overall the adaptation seems to have rushed through the first third in favor of the latter two thirds. I can imagine that watching this weekly while it was airing must've been more frustrating and harder to follow than watching it at your own pace like I did.
Despite some issues here and there, in my humble opinion Karakuri Circus is one of the best shonen series to come out this decade (alongside Hunter x Hunter and possibly Dr. Stone). It has interesting things to say, the characters are memorable, it's complete (sort of), it's dark but also uplifting, and most importantly - it's very entertaining.
It'll probably become more of a cult classic that will gain a following over the years, but sadly won't break in to the mainstream.
Anime_Spartan
This is the greatest anime if you like series with large casts and how the series works with each individual character. Resolving past trauma, dealing with current issues, and building towards a better future. Every named character in premier cours will come back by the end to have their issues and story resolved. How many other series have that? It's about 3 seasons long so be ready for the long haul, but it concludes everything from start to finish which most anime doesn't get. Please just watch until episode 4, that's the series' biggest filter. To please the filter, many characters improve themselves from thefirst season. Hell, Masaru goes from being a whiny baby to a total badass covered in scars in just 3 episodes. This anime caries a lot of trauma and almost everyone important deals with their own.
The anime gets pretty wild (as far as an circus-themed anime can get) but the heroes never underestimate the threats against them.
NotSoDeadZombie
I genuinely thought this story was pretty okay. It wasn't some God-tier kind of thing, but the concept was more or less unique and the plot was kind of a roller-coaster. That said, it's major flaws was just adding way too much extra stuff. Even for the crazy plot that this has, I'm pretty sure all of the characters had some tragic backstory for some reason and then it was roped in to the story in a way that felt like they did it just because. Not everyone has to have a dead family member or life-threatening disease to be an interesting character, sure somecan but not when the entire cast has one or more of those.
Overall I enjoyed the show, it may not be my favorite but it was interesting to see characters get developed in some way that made them more than just a bad guy or a good guy. Even if some of that was a little overboard.
Daibaka123
This story is about tragedy, friendship overcoming tragedy through love and tragedy, and revenge. Oh! Specially to remind you what happens when you cock-block someone. The character development is amazing and very strong and so is the plot. It has a bunch of mysteries that all get revealed, and through the story there are two full circles that are nicely done through characterization. What do I mean by that? Well by the end of the series you will get why. This is a story heavily involving puppets and circuses and alchemy. What Puppets, revenge, circuses, alchemy and forms of immortality or reincarnation do not interestyou? Then, this is not for you.
The music is great and so is the art and the fights are very good. If you have seen Ushio to Tora, then you would most likely like this one too, since well...its the same author. By the same logic, after you see this series and will like to watch something somewhat similar but not really similar then watch Ushio to Tora ( the newer adaptation). Both of them are after very old mangas which both happen to have very good adaptations.
The only reason I do not give it a 10 is because arc 2, is super duper rushed, so very rushed a lot of people drop it before finishing this series. I love stories where plot is heavily important, characters are connected not just because but because of strong writing. This series embodies that, but get ready because there are so many mysteries, you won't believe there is still more. If you still cannot decide see the first opening of the anime.
Mr_Yaz
✪ Genre: action (gunfights, martial arts, swordplay), drama, mystery, proxy battles, shounen, superpower (human enhancement), with elements of romance (love polygon, unrequited love) ✔Positive Aspects✔ ◧ Character development: by far the most intriguing, and, eventually, satisfying aspect of the series. Even though the series started balls-deep in action, which persists up until the 14th episode, it started, gradually, building the protagonists and antagonists up (even some deuteragonists were included). The series meticulously started filling in their personal histories (some of which were dating 2 centuries back), their current motivations, the intentions behind their actions (at both the situational and the broader level). and their thought processes.Furthermore, the emergence of tensions among the protagonists, and among the antagonists, was commonplace in the series, frequently leading to strained relationships among the former, while causing some of the later to switch sides. In general, most of the characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, were developing up until the final episode because situationally unique constellations of circumstances were forcing them to do so.
◧ Concept: a conceptually unique series, revolving around a centuries-long feud between automata (self-governing puppets) and shirogane (humans; either mechanically enhanced or trained puppeteers) that was the indirect result of an instance of unrequited love.
◧ Soundtrack: throughout the series, various pieces of music (classical, new age, Japanese folk music, J-pop) were used that were neither overly titillating nor disablingly uninteresting. I enjoyed them for the most part, though they could have been more captivating.
◧ Animation: incredibly satisfying, based on highly saturated/highly vibrant colors. The characters' designs were distinctly clear from one another, the designs of puppets and automata were very elaborate and individualized, while the man-made structures and the landscapes were not too shabby either.
◧ Plot: structurally, the series was very alluring due to its very volatile, unpredictable plotline that was usually flirting with 2-3 subplots at any given time. It's a very rare spectacle, in my view, that a shounen series gets to achieve this level of mysteriousness and maintain it for so long. Specifically, it took the series 20 episodes to reveal to the audience the actual antagonist, while his/her own motivations, intentions, and thought processes took a little longer to be depicted adequately.
✘Negative Aspects✘
◧ Plot: enjoyment-wise, the series's unfolding felt formulaic even though it was unusually sophisticated for an action shounen. It tended to rely more on intricate, drawn-out dramatic sequences, which were usually based on flashbacks from different perspectives, than on the characters' violent, but necessary, struggles in order for them to achieve their respective goals.
◧ Action scenes: they tended to escalate and finish up quickly, instead of relying more on the use of slow-motion sequences, which are very well-established in, and absolutely expected of, the shounen genre. Gigantic disappointment.
Overall: The series was technically well-done, but failed to balance out its dramatic parts with its action sequences in terms of quality and depth, leading to well-developed characters who were otherwise conducting warfare in a very unsatisfying fashion.
SuperSegaScrub
Story: 8/10, Art: 8/10, Sound: 7/10, Character: 8/10, Enjoyment: 10/10 Overall Score: 8.5/10 As a whole, Karakuri Circus is an anime full of themes like freeing oneself from the past, creating a better future, and appreciating the current present. Although there were pacing issues throughout the story, the characters and ultimate ending make up for it. I heard from other reviewers that this story line was really rushed, and I do agree with them. A story of this magnitude could’ve been extended to 60 episodes instead of compressed into 36. However, I truly loved the experience ofthe show. Seeing the development of Narumi, Masaru, and Shirogane as the story went on was really satisfying. But, yeah, the pacing issues still felt like an issue for me. If you’re looking for an action anime with the addition of puppets and hate spanning generations, give this show a watch! I’ll still recommend it regardless.
DivinityV12
For an anime not heard of by many I'd class this as a hidden gem of a masterpiece. It has a great story with development to it and the characters which keeps you interested and is very deserving of the 36 episodes it has. The circus theme seemed a bit weird at first but actually played into it really well and gave it's own quality to the action done in the show. It's one of those few which have made it into the top 5 of the hundreds of anime that I've watched so I'd definitely pick it up to watch if you haven't yet.
Duskmaiden_Yuuko
Story(5/10)- The story in Karakuri circus is unique because it involves puppets which are life-size, can speak for their own and each has their own way of battling each other, displaying a variety of emotions.The story development in the first 3 episodes os great but then it takes a down-fall as many episodes only involve going back in past than present. Characters(5/10)- 1. Masaru, is a so called main character of the story which remains in focus for a very short and unsatisfying period of time whereas the side characters are burned out to make them seem 3-d and full of life but it failsreal hard.
Fairly, the character's are highly flawed. The development from weak to strong MC like in Deku or Bakugo in Boku no hero/My hero Academica, you will be disappointed to find that nothing of that sort is here.We go from one place to another without knowing fully about how they developed their skills or how they do it.How the weak can use their skills in such a way so that they could overwhelm the strong
2. Narumi and rest of all cast-
A. Narumi , once again a so-called main character is a superman who would wait for a few hours or so, prancing around and after such a long time, he would suddenly go monkey and break part the bars of the cage or the metal puppets.Basically, it is a trope where the character would show his powers many many time and all the story we would have to watch how he is being saved and how he has the near-death injuries once more.EXAMPLE- He had more than 10 holes drilled through his body yet he was still kept alive, whereas even a vitality of a superhuman would degrade if he has injuries to this point.
B. Shirogane - The puppeteer who is present to protect Masaru is probably the most full and complete character in this series.If you see this series, you would like her story and empathize with her in the 3\4th part of the story but would also slowly grow bore of her.She is gentle, kind , has a strict and devastating past, has a sad back-story tracing up-to her eighteen generation of ancestors.
The part about growing bore is similar to having ALL-MIGHT show his power in season 1 and having him get kidnapped in season-2 and season-3.
The most irritating part is that in the last 5-9 episodes, she completely or partially forgets about his love for Masaru and only sees Narumi as her love whereas in the starting episodes, she is shown blushing heavily when Masaru told her that he really really likes her.THE IRONY IS THAT BOTH PEOLE LOVE HER AND SHE HAS A JOB TO PROTCT HIM BUT SHE SEEMS TO HAVE MEMORY LOSS ABOUT IT IN THE LAST EPISODES WHICH LEAVES ME WITH A GREAT DEAL OF HEADACHE.
OVERALL- The attraction point for this anime are the puppets only and the OPENING AND ENDING SONG'S.Yes, the op and ed are awesome just like the puppet's but not the puppeteers who operate them.
1.The weak to strong trope here is highly flawed and like inly half-cooked, leaving you bored.
2.You would feel cheated at the end of the story when you see shirogane with Narumi as you would definitely like her with Masaru.Also, the puppets fight are monologue and not interesting or exotic.
3.FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THE ANIME-
WHY HAD JIN DONE WRONG THAT HE DID NOT DESERVED SHIROGANE OR FRANCIENE . AND WHAT HIS BROTHER HAS DONE THAT SHE LOVED HIM. ALSO, WHEN JIN TOLD HIS BROTHER THAT HE LOVE'S THE LADY, YIN( THE BROTHER) GOES AND SAY'S I LOVE YOU TO FRANCIENE WHICH IS RIDICULOUS BECAUSE YOU WULD NOT DO THAT IF YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR BROTHER.
4. WHY SHOULD JIN\FACELESS THINK ABOUT HIS OLD BROTHER WAS RIGHT AT THE END OF ANIME .WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION THAT "WHY I CANNOT BE SELFISH FOR MYSELF".WHY WAS NOBODY THERE TO CONSOLE HIM AT THE BETRAYAL OF HIS OLDER BROTHER.WHY CAN HE NOT GET ANGRY AT THIS?????????????????????
5. SHIROGANE FORGETS ABOUT HER LOVE FOR MASARU, LIKE SHE HAD BEEN BRAIN-WASHED THAT NARUMI IS FOR HER LOVE.IT'S LIKE BULLYING MASARU FOR HIM NOT BEING ENOUGH WITH HER AND ABOUT HIS HEIGHT AND AGE THAT ARE NOT MUCH THAT LEADS HIS INABILITY TELL HER ABOUT HOW GOOD SHE IS AND THAT PART WAS SMACKED DOWN ONTO NARUMI AND HE GETS THE GIRL.
Lad20
Karakuri Circus is one of those shows where I can understand how it is scored at a 7 objectively. A lot of the plot points feel like it came out of nowhere, and that makes the show feel contrived at multiple instances. To that end, I would recommend reading the manga. In many regards, this is one of those series that the manga covers a few of the anime's faults. However, for the life of me, I cannot give the series anything lower than a 9 regardless if we are talking about the manga, or the anime. The anime sports a unique ost and artstyle to fit the uncanny and even uneasy nature of the story's premise. I adore this show for its unique premise and just how dark it can get at times. I found enjoyment in most of the cast as well with a minority of them being rather hit or miss. However, it's not without its own flaws. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the huge amount of time the story spends in flashbacks, and the mechanics of Aqua Vita (a sort of super drug in the story that cures any illness) makes sorting who is who a dizzying chore. I'd understand if you'd need a flow chart to keep them all straight. One other problem that's unique to the anime is that for some of the puppet fights, CGI sometimes rears it's ugly head and it's a bit jarring to see it there. Luckily, it's used pretty sparingly. But when there is full 2-D animation in the fights, it varies between acceptable and well done. To conclude, I love this show for it's unique premise about puppets. It helps create an uncanny atmosphere that makes it easy to go from lighthearted sections to darker sections. The animation and ost only serve to make that uncanny atmosphere all the more present. And most of the characters are enjoyable with a few blemishes here and there. Its faults for me mainly come from the occasional CGI, how contrived the anime can come off as at times, the amount of time spent in flashbacks (which the flashbacks themselves aren't bad, you just spend a long time in them as opposed to being in the present storyline), and just how confusing it can be to keep some of the characters straight with the mechanics of Aqua Vita. I want to give it a 10 personally, but the objective flaws in the anime force me to detract a few points. I will never say though that this is a bad show or that it is not one of my personal favorite stories because this was something that I personally really enjoyed despite its objective flaws.
Yedine
When I first heard about Karakuri Circus, I thought of a cheap shonen anime about clowns and circus, and a man fighting other clown or whatever. Well, I didn't take it seriously. And it was a slap ! I really enjoyed this show. The plot twist, the evolution of every characters, the first and second opening, everything was fabulous. A lot of various emotions in sight. I recommend this show to everyone who loves complicated plot. It may be confusing sometimes, but it's not a nonsense. Just a bad point : it's kinda sad that the anime is this short (compared to the manga). I discovered theanime first, but I've seen that there's a lot of parts missing.
(for the review, i'm giving it a 7, but in my list I gave a 9, i tried to take more distance for the review)
vief
(contains spoiler) Having just recently finished Karakuri Circus I've been sitting on a review for the past few days. It took me ages to get through this anime, at first watching it weekly, but it started to become rather frustrating, so I tried to catch up once it was done but I still struggled to even remember things (it wasn't my fault btw, they simply omitted a lot of plot points from the manga so nothing made any sense unless you had previous knowledge, and what was omitted from the manga simply looked like plot holes in the anime both in terms of plot and characterisation).Eventually I rewatched the whole thing and it was somewhat enjoyable when taken as a full story, but still left much to be desired.
Nevertheless, I don't know why they thought to adapt such a massive manga in 36 episodes. Sure, a lot of the manga content could have been cut and condensed, but not to the extent the anime attempted to do. Actions made by one character are given to another, and as such their characterisations are changed. Some of the stuff that was skipped was essential to the story. Some things are never explained.
For instance, why do they never mentioned that the Midnight Circus and the automatas not only spread a deadly disease, but they survive by feeding on the blood of humans and that is why they leave such a destruction on their path? Most of the shirogane have a direct beef with the automatas and that is why they're so determined to fight them, as victims of the disease who lost their towns and families through the attacks. This is only explored briefly in the form of a few characters telling their sad backstory before dying, whereas this fact is pervasive in the manga.
Some of the characters have longer arcs in the manga where you come to care for them, for instance Narumi travels with Lucille and Guy for a long while and their relationship is much more lighthearted in the manga. When Narumi snaps and takes the role of the "demon" they worry for him and try to mentor him. Lucille has such a beautiful and tragic story, she lives with the guilt of what she has done to her daughter so she finds a replacement daughter of sort in Ming-xia and it's quite poignant for both of them, in the anime this is rushed to the point that they share this emotional moment and you wonder where did it even come from.
Some of the story were done justice, Francine and Angelina's for instance. The 3 protagonists all have good arcs. The ending was an absolute mess, but this was true for the manga as well so I can't really fault the anime for that. Overall though they missed the mark on most of the themes explored in the manga.
I don't think the manga was perfect, but it has original ideas and it's quite beautiful and moving in many parts. The anime rushed and compressed the story way too much so it was unsatisfying overall, hopefully one day they can make a proper adaptation.
