5 minute anime review:Â âKarakuri Circusâ
What itâs about? Tough one to summarise but on the face of it, this starts off as story about a boy who is trying to get away from people who are trying to either kidnap or kill him. As he makes his escape, he encounters a man handing out fliers to the circus and asks for his help. Unable to stand by and watch the kid try to deal with these shady characters who are trying to abduct him, the man gets involved and tries to help the kid out. The two of them seek out and eventually meet up with a puppet master that the boy was told to find should be ever encounter any trouble. This marks the start of a rather long and complicated story revolving around the task of trying to eliminate an organisation known as the Midnight Circus who are responsible for spreading a disease which threatens to kill all human life on earth.
What I liked? When I say that itâs a rather long and complicated story, Iâm not kidding however I must commend the way that all these various arcs/mini-arcs were handled and woven into the story. While there is a LOT of information to take in, it actually isnât difficult to remember all the connections and the backstories when you need to, using minimal brainpower to do so, making it entertaining to watch and allowing you to get invested with the characters. And the reason that itâs able to do this is because it has 37 episodes in which to tell all the stories, meaning that thereâs no real need to rush through it. It has decent pace and while you do have to go through some backstory episodes, it isnât too much of a chore and does have relevance to the story. The characters are pretty well defined with 3 main characters and we get to follow their respective stories and development as they go on their various âadventuresâ. There is a rather big host of supporting characters but each of them is likeable (or unlikeable if theyâre meant to be) Â in their own ways and nothing is ever completely black and white as loyalties and sentiments change. There are also romantic undertones thrown in, but itâs an unavoidable part of the story so if youâre not one for romance, just take it with a pinch of salt. It is a action fantasy type show so you will be expected to suspend your disbelief, e.g. donât try to think too hard about how you would realistically control elaborate fighter puppets with only 10 fingers or you may hurt yourself, but it stays within the realm of entertaining. All in all, itâs a entertaining story that has a beginning, middle and end and which deals us plenty of action and feels for a pretty satisfying watch.
What I liked a little less? While I clearly enjoyed the show as a whole, there are some things which Iâm sure might be considered detractors here and there. For one, after the first arc, there is a distinct change in direction with the 3 main character being separated from each other along the way. This results in a split of not only the stories, but also the focus with one mc taking the lead for a fair bit since their story relates more directly to the crux of the show. I found myself missing the other 2 from time to time. Also, depending on how you feel about the story development, you might have mixed feelings about how some things play out near the end and how it ultimately ends (I know I did). On another note, the backstory, while necessary, could feel like filler if youâre the type that would rather have it told in exposition than episodes. There were also some moments where the coincidences felt contrived, e.g. fighting against an unknown enemy that turns out to be someone you know/knew/have a vendetta against. And some of the characters may have felt a bit underutilised, even though they seemed to be important - whether to the story or an mc.
Could, should or wouldnât watch? I would say that this is a strong âcould watchâ. Itâs a unique and entertaining story with lots of twists and turns, ins and outs, which hearken to the past as well as the present, all set against the backdrop of the theatrics that is the circus and the art of puppetry. It was pretty captivating and at one point I was even likening it to Jojoâs Bizarre Adventures, since they do go on rather interesting adventures, with the exception being that when they fight they use puppets instead of stands. So if you have a fair amount of time (because it is longer than the average anime with 3 cours to go through) then I would definitely recommend watching this one.
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