Karakuri Circus

Okay... So since the manga is getting an anime in Fall 2018. I dont see a harm of making a thread of it. So, if you dont know what Karakuri Circus is, its a pretty long manga from the same mangaka of Ushio and Tora, Kazuhiro Fujita. Courtesy of TV Tropes, the story is basically like this:

"Set in relatively modern day Japan, The manga employs an unusual "choice-based" style, where it shows the two decisions a character can make at a pivotal point in a pair of boxes, a fancy arrow pointing to the decision made. The first decision is by Narumi, a sick Kung-Fu champ who decides that his job, passing out circus flyers, is more important than helping a young boy FIND the circus. He changes his mind when a group of well-dressed thugs attempt to kidnap the boy, as he rushes to save the day (still in his bear costume for work).

Then he finds out that the men after the kid, Masaru, are not men...they're dolls. Their masters are the would-be heads of a large financial empire, of which Masaru is the heir. Rescued by a mysterious silver-haired doll user named Shirogane, Masaru goes forth the find out just why the dolls and their users are after him."

Here's the PV in question if you're interested:

https://youtu.be/y0aEZv1_UNE

Are you hyped with this anime or not? Its understandable if you keep your hopes low since the PV isnt that spectacular.

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Sep 20th 2018 at 10:38:42 PM

I had been following the manga for a long time. Seems a bit of an odd choice for it to be getting an anime now, but I'm not complaining. Dunno how well it'll fare, considering the manga is very much a 90s manga.

And considering the Serial Escalation that happens over the course of the series, we're definitely not gonna be getting to the good stuff in one season, so hopes for it to do well enough to warrant a second season, I suppose?

@danime91 Wow I havent seen your reply given the bug that it experienced. Anyways, yeah... While its a bit weird. I think its worth checking out and iirc, It will have 36 episodes or something like that. But given the manga is like more than 40 volumes... Yeah. I can understand that.

Also, a new PV:

https://youtu.be/8hBqiGKWFAU

Okay...Just watched the first episode:

So, our story stars the main character who is a rich kid that got chased by a puppet, a man with a weird sickness and people need to laugh at him and a puppeteer. Not only that, some of the fights took in a train because why not and there's a shady person who controls a puppet and it ends up on a cliffhanger? I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

I think this is the underrated gem of Fall 2018 as for now. Can't wait for the next episode :P

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Oct 12th 2018 at 9:47:43 PM

Episode 2:

The explanation regarding Narumi's disease is explained here. And I like the interactions between both Masaru, Narumi and Shirogane especially the parts where Narumi tries to entertain Masaru by telling him his childhood or Shirogane scolded Narumi because he scares some people. And speaking of Masaru, man...He's rather weak to the point that he got targeted by two assassin at once and their motivations is that Masaru got inherited. I hope he got better soon in the future. Overall, a decent episode. Not as strong as the first but is rather serviceable.

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Oct 20th 2018 at 5:56:44 PM

Episode 3:

Episode is about Narumi and Shirogane tries to infiltrate the Saiga mansion and man, I hate the adoptive uncle of Masaru. He's rather creepy and tries to be nice but when the chips are down, he has no hesitation to beatdown Masaru. Still, I do really like the character development in this episode and needless to say, there are some interesting things going on. In this episode, it was revealed that his father use Masaru as a bait so that he could pitted Kuroga family against each other because puppets are outdated... What a dick. But even then, Masaru then went from full wimp into full badass which is cool and tries to convert the mercenary that tries to kill him to his side. This is also the same episode where Narumi and Shirogane develops their feelings towards each other which is cute and I believe Zonapha Syndrome can be cured as long as the person is happy and man, I feel really bad for Shirogane in her flashback as she was taught to be puppeteer by a strict old-lady that told her to get rid all of the emotions she had. But glad that Narumi tries to cheer her up. All in all, good episode, still hoping the series could get more interesting.

Oh, it'll definitely get more interesting. I dunno how far they'll get in this season, but hopefully it does well enough that they'll adapt more of the manga.

Hmmmm yeah... Lots of Character Developments will happen.

Oh. That just happened.

I guess now I know where Gurren Laggan was cribbing from. Besides Getter Robo, I mean.

Edited by minusmagniaxe on Nov 2nd 2018 at 4:45:45 AM

Huh... I think I agree with you with that.

Anyways, Episode 4:

Man that was a rather intense and tearjerking episode. Now Masaru went into full Berserk now and had a good memories especially on controlling puppets like Arlequin. And the Killing type assassins now join his side ever since they read the book about them will be pitted against each other. In the meantime, there is also more flashbacks of Shirogane and I feel bad for her. And what a surprising end despite having a bit of plothole regarding Masaru getting survived. And I feel bad for Narumi right now.

Anyways, I think I'm going to check the manga to see if there is significant differences (As I heard it was huge given the cuts that VOLN had) but regardless, it was a serviceable episode I guess.

Alright, time to analyze any cuts per episode from the manga itself and what's my reaction to it:

Episode 1: The episode manages to cover 2 chapters per manga in Volume 1. In the first episode, we didn't get to see about the explanation regarding Narumi's sickness a.k.a. Zonapha Syndrome and instead we got it's explanation without the scene in Episode 2. And then there's Narumi POV about the things that he would choose about what would he wanted to do with Masaru and him telling Masaru his real age. And yeah, the flashback regarding Narumi's sickness is replaced by the story in the circus about the Automaton tries to kill everybody as the first scene and Shirogane tries to dress up.

My opinion about the cuts? I don't really mind it and the first episode is still good as it is even without the flashbacks of Narumi's illness given that it will be mentioned at episode 2 later on. And the cut isn't borderline offensive so I think the episode is still serviceable at best. Still, let me see if this anime can fare.

Episode 2 cuts... Hoo boy this is going to be a long one:

Episode 2 covers the rest of the Volume 1 from Chapter 3-8. The cuts in here includes:

• Flashbacks of Masaru being alone or neglected by the rest of the people in Saiga's mansion including his father who is a dick and it was also mentioned by Masaru himself as it is his weaknesses to the point he starts to cry.
• In the manga, it was also revealed that the assassins that tries to kill Masaru are very many compared to the anime which puts Narumi in a good fight beating those assassins and they attacked the clinic before trying to kill Masaru.
• There's also the leader of said assassins, Eiryo Ashihana's, rather creepy relationship with his puppet, Polichinelle such as trying to fix it when it got broken.
• In the manga, there's also the flashbacks of the Doctor's interaction between Narumi's grandfather and it was also revealed that the latter's grandfather also had the same disease with Narumi. But unlike Narumi, he is more talented to make people laugh as evidenced on the Doctor's flashbacks. And then there's the scene where the Doctor witness the fight scene without entering the room first which makes him not surprised about it compared to the anime.
• There's also a funny scene where Masaru gave the doctor his card that looks like a visa or a credit card which made the doctor angry and tries to kick out Masaru. However, it was revealed that he was okay with it and forms a cordial relationship with Shirogane and after one of the neighbors of said doctor called the police to investigate the scene, the Doctor is then fascinated by Masaru especially when you considered Masaru's altruistic reason to help Narumi.
• Funny moments about interactions between Narumi and Shirogane while the latter tries to cook the food for Masaru.
• In the manga, Masaru is a bit more happy in Narumi's house and then there's the scene about the three of them shopping in the supermarket. There are some funny moments regarding Shirogane's language barrier considered that she lives in France before coming to Japan and then there's a funny moments regarding Shirogane accidentally drew something looks like an p—— (if you know what I mean) but fortunately, Masaru knows what it means which makes Narumi embarassed :3
• Speaking of supermarket, there's also a flashback between Masaru and his kind mother shopping in the supermarket and promises Masaru that they will buy a lot of food that could fill the basket. (A rather heartwarming moment on Masaru himself)
• Narumi's collection about clown pictures in the corridor of his house and his remark about his experience on taking baths with his grandfather together. Keep in mind that the house he lives is rather messy compared to the anime. And then there's the moment where Narumi advises Masaru to take a shower instead because he doesn't want to see Masaru's scar getting wet.
• In the manga, there are some flashbacks regarding Masaru being horrifically bullied at school and at one point, one of the kids gave him a burning oil to his leg. And then there's his interaction between the Saiga's daughter who belittled him when he doesn't going to school.
• In the manga, there's also a martial artist fight between one of the Kidnapper Gang members, Masumura, and Shirogane's fight between the puppet Grimaldi before Masaru was put into the truck after he ran away.
• There's also an intense scenes about the assassins who tries to kill Masaru earlier called the Slaughter Gang by stopping the truck with their car which is futile and causing a ruckus in the street.
• Lastly, there's also a dream sequence about Masaru's mom crying at first until it was revealed that it was Masaru who cried as he blames himself for being weak after he got kidnapped by the Kidnapper Gang.

Opinions on the cut: While Episode 2 is rather serviceable as it is and not as strong as the first episode, honestly I kind of prefer the manga version better TBH. As I think the Doctor in there is rather more likable compared to the anime and has a bit more screentime, we also saw Masaru's flashbacks regarding his relationship with his kind mother and him being bullied and also the funny shopping scenes in the manga because of the language barrier and the funny pics Shirogane drew and we even got a pretty intense fight scenes even before Masaru was kidnapped by the Kidnapper gang. And honestly, I kind of prefer these scenes to be at the anime but it's rather understandable due to time. Even if the Episode is serviceable as it is, I still feel the manga is superior compared to this so yeah...

I'll continue tomorrow after this.

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Nov 3rd 2018 at 11:34:46 PM

Alright, here's the list of the cuts of Episode 3. Like Episode 2, it's going to be a long one. Episode 3 covers all of the Volume 2 chapters (Chapter 9-17) of the manga so...:

• In the anime, there are lack of interaction between mother and son regarding the latter fell when Narumi sees him. In the manga however, there is an interaction as the mother asks her son to stand up for himself which makes a bit of sense. Minor but worth to tell about.
• The cut is rather minor and it's okay to cut this part but there is the explanation of how Karuizawa mansion looks like (Which is a mansion that combines the Japanese culture, Chinese culture and Western culture altogether and there is one scene that focuses on the Master Puppeteer from the Slaughter gang that says that the mansion is called the Palace of Thousand traps which makes sense in context. And then there's Eiryo's remark regarding either the Kidnapper team or the Karuizawa Mansion guards will go into sewers to attack them.
• This is also the part which is fine to be cut as it is about Narumi's reasoning on why he strike the gate first as he is the type of the man who isn't afraid of dying considered he is inspired by soldiers actions in extreme situation so yeah...
• This is where the part is waaaay too crucial to be cut as in the anime, it was revealed that Masaru ran away after he finished eating his breakfast. But in the manga? His adoptive uncle, Zenji, tries to show the secret room full of Automatons his father had build considered he is rather passionate about it and then there's the scene about the automaton room being robbed by the Saigas which prompted Zenji to adopt Masaru even if it's for sinister purposes which I'll get into.
• I'm in the middle regarding this cuts. On other hand, I'm fine with it but on the other hand I really fine if this stay in the anime adaptation which it isn't. In the manga, there's a scene where Eiryo shows his leading skills towards the members of Slaughter Group so that he could infiltrate the Gates of Hell (This makes sense in the manga as Eiryo sends his men to attack Masaru and it's actually a lot compared to the anime version). However, most of his men were killed by it and then there's one of the puppeteers from the Kidnapping gang, Takami, explaining the Gates of Hell itself and being smug about it.
• Pertaining to the crucial cut that I said earlier, this part is also crucial to be cut as there's this scene on the automaton room where Zenji orders his men to kill both Narumi and Shirogane which resulted on him easily exposes his wretched nature to Masaru considered that Narumi and Shirogane were way more selfless and altruistic compared to Zenji. This resulted on Masaru running away and as a result, his uncle tries to found and beat the hell of Masaru.
• This part is fine to cut but I'm actually okay if this is on the anime. As this scene is about Eiryo's remark regarding Japanese puppeteers are way too arrogant and ignored his advice on mastering their techniques.
• This part is also too crucial to be cut. While it was shown in the anime, it wasn't shown in full story actually. As in this scene, when Masaru accidentally found a diary of his deceased father, it was revealed that not only he will try to use Masaru as a bait so that the Kuroga clan could be pitted against each other but he is also going to use Shirogane as his personal weapon to destroy all the puppets that Kuroga clan had. This resulted on Masaru got triggered by the flashbacks of his troubled past and as a result, when Zenji tries to hand him to his personal servant, Masaru bites the latter's arm to flee (This was also in the manga that got cut btw.)
• Another crucial part that got cut in the anime but in this scene, Zenji ordered his subordinates in the CCTV room to kill Narumi and Shirogane by flooding the tunnel with water which resulted on an intense sequence in Chapter 15-16 where both Narumi and Shirogane tries to run away from the huge flood but got trapped because of the razorblade like traps that would kill them both. And luckily, both of them survived by using Shirogane's puppet and Arlequino's briefcase.
• This part is rather fine to cut as this is a part where Zenji along with his subordinates try to grab Masaru by a hook when Masaru tries to jump from the tower where the CCTV room is located.
• This part I'm on fence on but I think it's alright to be cut but it won't change the story either for the anime as this is the part where we shown the statistics of how many people are killed in the Slaughter gang and the Kidnapper gang (5/8 on the Slaughter side while 1/6 on Kidnapper side). And then there's Narumi's funny interaction between Shirogane when the latter says that Kidnapper gang need to resists which makes Narumi laugh.
• This part, I'm iffy on it being cut and do want to see this animated but it's not a big loss if it got cut as this is the part where the Intense battle is happening between Eiryo's gang and the puppet, Grimaldi, because they went into the backyard to kidnap Masaru.

Opinions on the cut? I still think Episode 3 is good as it is. But I'm sad that the part where Zenji saw Masaru about the room of Automaton, the additional part regarding Masaru's adoptive father plan which triggers Masaru's berserk mode and the Tunnel flood scene were getting cut as I think these are the part that are crucial to the story and makes sense in context why people on the animes are behaving like that. Still, while Episode 3 is good as it is, I'm sad that these three parts got cut. But ah well... Let me see if I can analyze the fourth episode cuts.

Damn, 9-17 all got crammed into one episode? That's somewhat jarring. I guess they're rushing to try to get the first arc into one cour, but still.

@danime91 Yea... A good friend of mine in Discord said that VOLN will adapt like the most important arcs in 36 episode so its expected some of the scenes in manga got cut which is sad actually but ah well, cant blame em and I can try to respect the animator choices.

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Nov 5th 2018 at 7:07:21 PM

Alright, here are some cut scenes from Episode 4. This episode cover all of the chapters in volume 3 (Chapter 18-26). So without further ado, let's inspect the cuts shall we:

• A minor one but would be nice if this one is kept for preventing plot holes. There's a scene where Masaru was saved by a tree branch during his fall from the tower and thus, his head knocks the person who controls Grimaldi Puppet and resulting on him hiring Eiryo and his hencheman after this.
• This one I'm on fence to be cut as there's this scene where one of the puppet master from the kidnapping team, Yamanaka, fight each other with the slaughter team while the latter put the bomb that cannot be defused no matter one in a warehouse full of flammable stuff. In the anime, we saw the impact and what happened in there so yeah, I'm on fence if the scene should be kept but it's not a great loss either.
• This one is also the same from above as I'm on fence if this needs to be cut as this is the scene where Masaru raided his uncle's, Zenji's, home with Grimaldi along with Eiryo so that he could ask his uncle to stop all the traps. Not gonna miss the cut but I'm cool if this is kept in the anime.
• This one, I'm fine to see letting go of it but I'm cool if this is on the anime proper. There's the scene where Zenji uses Eiryo as a hostage and orders Masaru to stop him so that his friends could be spared which he lies about that and then there's the scene where Yamanaka gloats about Narumi and Shirogane's impending doom in the elevator when he was going to brought Narumi and Shirogane to the top of the pagoda and being a Smug Little Snake about it.
• This one is also fine being cut but I'm cool for this to keep to introduce some characters in it as this is the scene where 3 puppet master from the Kidnapper Gang in the top of the pagoda interact with each other. Speaking of which...
• This scene I'm on fence about it but I felt that it could be nice to be included in the anime as this is the scene where Masaru and Eiryo faces against the puppet master who guarded the elevator while Masaru taunts said puppet master and performs strategic movements to defeat him. Sadly, the character was omitted in the anime so yeah... Oh! And then there's the scene where Eiryo shoot one of Yamanaka's hencheman when both Masaru and Eiryo made it to the elevator so... Don't think it's important but I'm cool with it if this was kept.
• This scene is fine on being cut as this is an additional scene from Shirogane's past traveling to other country to destroy more puppets. But given that the story is serviceable in the anime, I don't think it need that scene.
• Now this scene, I'm on fence about but I kind of lean on being keep as this is the scene where Masaru got tangled by Yamanaka's puppet strings which made Masaru getting more wounds. This made Narumi pisses off. Personally, I kind of understand on why this scene is unnecessary but I think I'm cool if this being kept to clarify a little bit of plotholes.
• Another character omission again and this time is one of the puppetmaster from the Kidnapper gang that got omitted in the anime named Kanai who partners well with his female partner, Kano who fight against both Narumi and Shirogane. You could argue that he could be cut but still, it would be nice if he's in the anime as his puppet is rather interesting and pivotal to one of the parts that got cut that I will bring to you.
• This scene, despite being minor, is a rather crucial one so that it could clarify some of the plotholes. As this is the scene where Masaru himself mentioned that he has a hyper memory which makes sense when he fight using the Arlequin. Even Eiryo mentions this due to his great manipulation of Grimaldi earlier.
• This is also another scene that is pretty crucial as when the Pagoda collapses from the explosion, it crashed with Zenji's mansion and fortunately, the main heroes and Eiryo survived the fall and then there's the scene where Zenji tries to run away from the collapse of his mansion which he ended up tripping due to his wounded leg from the fight against Masaru. Pay attention, this is a rather crucial scene because after the heroes almost survived the collapse of the Pagoda, Narumi met with Zenji and tries to punch him because the thing that the latter had done. However, Masaru easily forgives him and spares him which shows a compassionate being Masaru is despite the horrible things that Zenji had done on Masaru. Because of this, Zenji then joins the heroes side to escape together from the fire in the mansion which fails a bit and Zenji also plays a pivotal role of the heroes escaping the mansion too btw. In the anime however, I think Zenji was presumably deceased so...
• This one I think it's fine to cut as there's a scene where the firefighters were unable to stop the fire in the mansion so yeah... Not much of a purpose here moving on.
• This one is fine being kept in the anime but due to the omission of a certain character, it's not happening. As this scene is about the Puppet Master that got omitted in the anime, Kanai, tells Eiryo about the secrets of his puppet which could be used to escape alongside the heroes. Not only that, he also escaped with the two puppetmaster that fight against Narumi and Shirogane by jumping together outside.
• This is why I also think that Pagoda collapses scene and the heroes met with Zenji is a rather crucial part and as I said before, Zenji plays the pivotal role of the heroes escape as Zenji tells the heroes about the tunnels below the basement where Zenji tries to drown Masaru's friends and the entrance to the tunnel that was blocked by concrete wall where Masaru and with the help of Narumi, tries to smash the wall with his chi-kong technique to escape. This leads to the infamous severed arm scene which is a tearjerker and clarifies the main plothole of Episode 4 in the end.
• This scene is also fine being cut but I'm cool if this was kept as there's the scene where Zenji pleads for help when they tried to escape the mansion especially he gave up about this and he thought he was going to die anyway. But Masaru calls him out about it and tries to motivate his uncle that he should never give up during the hard situation.

Opinions on the cut? While Episode 4 is rather decent and intense at the same time, I'm not going to downplay that it has a bit of a plotholes and some of the omission of the characters. Especially where the crucial parts were cut including those tidbits in Volume 2 about the Water Tunnel scenes so that it would clear the plothole in the end of Episode 4. I would love to see some mention regarding Masaru's hyper memories to clarify on why he is able to use the puppets and Zenji plays a pivotal role on Masaru and his friends escape. Unfortunately, this was cut in the anime and in the anime, Zenji presumably die in the explosion, but can't blame em. Even then, it would be nice to include those very crucial scenes in the anime to clear more plotholes that happened. Also, sad that we didn't saw a character that got omitted because the fight was really decent with that character aboard.

I would have to know how relevant Zenji is to the rest of the series to be able to give out an opinion about cutting his characterization.

@Comun I think you have a good point. While I havent read the next chapters... Think he's a bit important on Masaru and his friend's escape from the collapsing mansion thanks to the explosion. But I don't know if he will return again in the future as spoiler alert, he ended up becoming a paraplegic in the manga

Episode 5:

Shirogane looks nice in school outfit. And glad that Masaru tries to grown up despite the hardship he was put through. There are some funny or interesting moments here and there especially on Masaru and Shirogane interactions on how not to stand out and especially the thought of Shirogane tries to protect Masaru from harm. Also, Shirogane had some nice acrobatic scenes in the gym despite she tries at her best not to stand out and it seems that both Masaru and Shirogane will join the circus because why not :P Also... That ending though. It seems that Narumi is still alive.

Overall, while I do think it's better than Ep. 4, I heard that the adaptation skip like 15 chapters/3 volumes of the manga... Still, a good episode nonetheless but I really need to read the manga and made some analysis regarding the cuts at a later time.

Episode 6:

Alright, so the story now focuses on Narumi's perspective. So, he was saved by a man named Guy Christopher who is also a Shirogane and his companion or mentor Lucille. And currently Narumi was on the hospital located in Illinois, USA or something like that and his arm also got replaced with a prosthetic arm that can revive anytime. First half seems rather cheerful as it was about Narumi building his relationships with other children until it was revealed that both of them had a ZONAPHA attack which the doctors of the USA tries to treat them by forcing them using a drug. While Guy and Lucille put a pressure towards the children, they actually meant well. However, sad to see that ZONAPHA also had its horrors and it came for the Final Stage when some people can die anymore and a cure named Aqua Vitae that can cure children from ZONAPHA syndrome was used for reviving Narumi and I feel bad for those children especially in the ending. And speaking of which, another person tries to attack the ZONAPHA treatment hospital along with his puppet and it was also revealed that ZONAPHA came from an Automata from a Midnight Circus that travels across the world... Oof. And as a result of children dying, Narumi then becomes badass thanks to Lucille giving him a mask of the alchemist who created Aqua Vitae. Overall, a great episode and I can see why manga readers would be disappointed. But even then, I try at my best to be grateful with this adaptation. And I will try to read the manga again to see if anything got cut. Still, the anime adaptation is good on what it is.

Episode 7:

Today's episode featured Masaru and Shirogane again and introduces us to a new character, Vilma Thorne, who is a former knife thrower and also an assassin. Feel sad for her backstory though regarding her brother experiencing ZONAPHA syndrome and accidentally murder her brother by throwing a knife on him. Still though, I can't believe that Vilma's target is Masaru. Still, at the end of the day, Vilma performs a Heel–Face Turn due to Masaru's compassionate heart by sparing her and in the fight against Vilma, seems that she also had the power of Aqua Vitae too. And in the end after Vilma performs a Heel–Face Turn, she then joins the circus and can't wait to see how this is going. In the meantime, Narumi tries at his best to protect the children even if he ended up scaring them but one of them isn't scared. Although at the end of the day, he will join Guy's crew in order to stop the automaton so yeah...

Episode 8:

Now then, Masaru and co are building a circus together and the first scene was cool... Beach contest to build a circus. But the main plot of this episode was Lucille, Narumi and Guy fighting against the evil automaton who hijacked the plan to Shanghai. Man that was intense and brutal especially on breaking the finger scene and because of the fight, the plan are forced to land in order to prevent more casualties and luckily we saw Lucille is able to ride a plane which is a badass thing to do from an old lady like her :P And man that ending though... Seems that both Masaru and Shirogane are reuniting again with Narumi although Shirogane seems to lost her eyes after getting stabbed by an automata. And speaking of Shirogane, feel sad on her relationship with Narumi though. Overall a good episode and Guy in here is not a bad guy despite seemingly had no interest with children getting hurt, he tries to protect them and sacrifice himself but we'll see about him later on I guess.

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Dec 1st 2018 at 10:00:38 PM

I really think Guy and Lucille are still alive.

@Comun Think so... Really need to read the manga despite the cuts. Currently taking a break due to busy with some things

Let's see if there are some chapters that got skipped...

Holy shit! The manga skipped until Volume 12 in Episode 6 and that's a lot of chapters btw. I think I need to stop to make the differences now given this is the manga had a lot things to skip but ah well.

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Dec 2nd 2018 at 7:20:39 PM