Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Karakuri Circus - Complete Collection (2018-2019)

It’s a magnificent story and I love action anime series that managed to incorporate and balance its action elements with a captivating storyline, along with cool characters (even if there are many) that enhance the series. I highly, highly recommend “Karakuri Circus – Complete Collection”!

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon

TITLE: Karakuri Circus – Complete Collection

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 2018-2019

DURATION: Episode 1-36 (600 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV MA VL

Release Date: May 18, 2021

Original Creator: Fujita Kazuhiro

Directed by Nishimura Satoshi

Series Composition by Fujita Kazuhiro, Inoue Toshiki

Music by Hayashi Yuki

Character Design by Yoshimatsu Takahiro

Art: Inoue Kazuhiro, Yokomatsu Norihiko

Chief Animation Director: Yoshimatsu Takahiro

Anime Production: Studio VOLN

Featuring the following voice talent:

Ueda Chihiro as Masaru Saiga

Hayashibar Megumi a as Shirogane Saiga

Koyama Rikiya as Narumi Kato

Yūki Aoi as Colombine

Egawa Hisao as Shinobu Nakamachi

Nakata Jouji as Pantalone

Fukuyama Jun as Arlequino

Ishikawa Kaito as Hiroo ‘Hiro” Nakamachi

Inoue Marina as Vilma Thorne

Tanaka Masahiko as Shōji Saiga

Hayashibara Megumi as Francine

Nagasawa Nao as Guripon

Sasaki Nozomu as Guy Christophe Rech

Park Romi as Lucille Verneuil

Iwasaki Ryōta as Noriyuki “Nori” Nakamachi

Sakurai Takahiro as Eiryo Ashihana

Seki Tomokazu as Bai Yin

Kurosawa Tomoyo as Talanda “Lise” Liselotte Tachibana

Furukawa Toshio as Bai Jin/Faceless

Nanjō Yoshino as Liang Mingxia

When Narumi Kato, a martial artist afflicted with the bizarre condition known as Zonapha syndrome, attempts to rescue a young boy from incredibly powerful attackers, he is stunned to discover that his opponents aren’t even human!

Pulled into a conflict pitting users of puppets and the self-aware Automatons against each other, Narumi finds himself rescued by an unusual young woman named Shirogane, who has her own puppet, Arlequin, and together they must form an alliance to protect the boy, Masaru, who has recently inherited an incredible fortune. But who is trying to kill Masaru and what is the origin of these incredible animated creations? How is it tied in with Narumi’s own affliction? The truth surrounding a 200 year old shadow war unfolds as Narumi, Shirogane, and Masaru battle to survive!

From 1997 to June 2006, Fujita Kazuhiro’s popular manga series “Karakuri Circus” was serialized in Shogakukan’s “Weekly Shonen Sunday” and was collected in 43 tankobon volumes.

The manga series would receive a 36-episode anime adaptation in 2018-2019 courtesy of Studio VOLN. And now the complete collection is available on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

The series begins with a young boy named Saiga Masaru being chased down after he had stop to see a performer on the street in a bear suit.

The performer happens to be Kato Narumi, a tall and strong individual who suffers from Zonapha Syndrome, a syndrome in which he can’t breathe unless he sees someone smile and laugh. And because Masaru smiled and laugh during his performance, Narumi wants to protect these Masaru from these men who are chasing him.

But to his surprise, these men happen to be some sort of machines and they really want to hurt Masaru.

Masaru tends to bring a luggage case with him and his grandfather told him if he is ever in trouble, to call out for Shirogane. And sure enough Shirogane appears and inside the luggage case is a puppet she controls, known as Harlequin.

And together Narumi and Shirogane try to protect Masaru who have deadly puppet controllers and puppets after him known as Automatons.

But why are they after Masaru? And can Narumi and Shirogane actually protect him?

VIDEO:

“Karakuri Circus – Complete Collection” is presented in 1080p High Definition. Animation is very good, detailed and vibrant. From many location scenes and varying backgrounds, the background art is great. Character designs and animation from Studio VOLN is actually very good and I was quite impressed by the overall animation of the series.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Karakuri Circus – Complete Collection” is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio. Dialogue is crystal clear and the overall stereo soundtrack is very good. Granted, it’s not 5.1 but for the most part, I was quite pleased.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Karakuri Circus – Complete Collection” comes with the following special features:

Episode 11.5
Clean Opening and Ending Songs

When I started “Karakuri Circus”, I have to admit that I was expecting a goofy anime series about a crazy guy with an unusual disease and a circus performer who controls a killer puppet while protecting a young boy.

And was I wrong!

The anime series turned out to be much more and I was truly captivated by beginning and end.

Before I continue, just a warning about possible spoilers for episodes 1-4.

OK, as mentioned, I thought this was going to be a goofy story about a boy who is weak and his two protectors by his side.

Well, they are his protectors until you get to episode 4, where the story ramps up to become two different stories. With episode 4, both try to protect Masaru but with the help of a money loving assassin named Asahina, with fire engulfing the villa after multiple explosions, Narumi was able to rescue Shirogane who was badly wounded, while Narumi protected Masaru and by the time we see the fire out, Masaru is alive and thinking Narumi protected him and saved his life while holding him, we see that it’s Narumi’s arm holding on to Masaru and Narumi now gone.

Narumi is thought to be dead, but he has been rescued buy Guy Christophe Resh. And wakes up in a research facility where 2,000 children suffering from Zonapha are kept. Narumi’s story then goes in one direction, and we learn the history of the Automatons and the story of two brothers Yin and Jin Bai. Two alchemists and puppeteers who both loved a woman named Francine. And because of jealousy, it would lead to one brother becoming a side of good, while the other brother being a side of evil and the reason why the evil puppets were created.

Meanwhile, Narumi has no recollection of him with Masaru and Shirogane and in essence by being kept alive, he would become the human killing machine to fight against the Automatons.

The other storyline then focuses on Masaru and Shirogane, and how both would join the circus. For Masaru, he would follow Narumi’s words of positivity and to not cry and be weak but become stronger and smile.

And while both stories go in different directions, they are somewhat connected as Masaru’s and even Shiroganie’s bloodline does connect to the past, with the Bai brothers.

And I’ll keep it at that because from episode 4 and on, the series is action-packed with a lot of surprises in store for viewers.

And because the two storylines diverge, Masaru and Shirogane continue to live their lives thinking Narumi’s dead, while Narumi’s storyline, he has no memory of the two and you wonder what happens if these three were able to come together again?

Nevertheless, from beginning to end, what I thought would be a goofy anime series, turned out to be an action anime series with a deep storyline in which the present is connected to the past and the terrible things which happened in the past have now come full circle.

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon

Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Karakuri Circus – Complete Collection (2018-2019)

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