Forum - View topicKarakuri Circus (TV).
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Harleyquin
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#31
Last week's was Guy's big finale from the series, so this week continues the trend of killing off the remaining cast members who aren't playing a part to the end of the adaptation. This time it's Vilma's turn, so it looks like Ashihana isn't going to be tagging along as her husband. Besides Vilma, there's a long overdue showcase of the circus "twins". Turns out they're not blood-related and were picked up by the Nakamachi troupe when it was still a viable enterprise. Sad thing about Mrs. Nakamachi, but despite her dedication to the craft of showmanship there's little doubt her accident would have been a major contributor to the troupe losing audiences and members over the long run. Vilma's big finale (with help from Masaru) isn't as grand as Guy's was last week, but she's done her part in keeping the train running. She gets some satisfaction at least for personally destroying the automaton who was primarily responsible for her brother's death, so it's not all in vain. If the trend from last week continues, it would not surprise me if the primary trio are the only survivors from the train ride and subsequent journey to space. That would make the beast tamer the only survivor of the troupe, which would be a little depressing. Hopefully that doesn't come to pass. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2842 |
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#32
After all the bloodshed from the last two episodes, a bit of a breather this week. It wasn't obvious when she was first introduced, but somehow the deceased member of the Nakamachi Circus was converted to an automaton after her supposedly fatal fall. If it comes down to a simple duel, her former family members have no chance so they're gambling everything they have on a brilliant circus performance to force her to drop her guard. Hopefully Fou wasn't fooling the old man, otherwise they'll lose their lives and what's left of the train will be trashed. Masaru will be taking on one of the executive automatons in an aerial contest, so it's down to the skill of the animators to determine how exciting it is as a spectacle. Arlequino will get a rematch against the automaton who nearly killed him at Mont St Michel, while Pantolino will take on the white clown serving Faceless. They're outgunned in sheer hardware specifications, so they'll probably go down fighting but making sure their opponents join them in the scrap heap. Not long to go now, if all of the duels are satisfactorily resolved it's just the space shuttle and Faceless remaining. Narumi has completely turned against Eleonore, so if she's going to get the happy end she longs for something drastic will have to take place to change his mind. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2842 |
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#33
Pyrrhic victories are a common occurrence in this series. Each and every victory for the humans against the automata usually involves the victor taking the opponent out in a glorious death. The Nakamachi trio eventually pull off an unlikely victory, although it costs them everything in doing so. For automata vs. automata battles, it's usually decided between the specifications of each combatant. Usually the weaker one loses badly, as was the case with Pantalone. Before getting his head smashed in, he seems to have had the epiphany he was looking for. Arlequino lost the battle of the hidden trump cards, but he's probably come closest of the resurrected Francine dolls to actually pulling off an upset victory. Time for Eleonore to get to work. Not long before the adaptation comes to a close, so I'm not sure how much faster the pacing can get. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2842 |
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#34
Three duels and a big action set piece at the end, but this time the momentum shifts slightly towards the humans. Eleonore fends off the clown automaton and will most likely finish her duel next episode. Narumi and Masaru are hard pressed for most of the duels but somehow turn it round (Masaru's face for most of this episode looks really off kilter). The automaton's revelation on the reason behind his defeat is an interesting one; turns out Arlequino's loss last week wasn't in vain since the use of the missile probably signified a weakening of resolve, and with it the tenacity to finish things as intended. Narumi despite his enhancements never lost sight of what he trained so hard for, so there's that aspect to serve as a contrast. Masaru pulled his win out of the fire, but most of the time his face looks like it deformed itself while he tried so hard to emulate his idol. He distinguishes between "history" as a tragic hangover and "tradition" as something borne from the hearts of humans, not that I'd agree with him but it certainly overpowers the automaton with the fake pedigree. The final set piece is cool as Masaru finally gets to fight together with Kato Narumi as equal partners. Not sure why the photo was taken at the end, perhaps to keep Narumi concentrating on the task at hand without any further distractions. Not much more airtime left, so how the denouement between Faceless and the rest of humanity plays out should be finished in the remaining episodes. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2842 |
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#35
It's been a long ride, but the end is now in sight. It was probably coming, but Masaru has taken Narumi's place in the space shuttle and will deal with the rejuvenated Bai Jin in space. Narumi finally drops his tough guy act and hooks up with Eleonore, which finally gets her to smile naturally. The two surviving automata get to see their long-held desire fulfilled, which combined with the damage to their frames essentially ends their existence. Ashihana had one last job to do, and he's done it with some style. As always, human combatants taking on automata tend to take their opponents down with them and Ashihana is no exception. The surprise is seeing all of the original Nakamachi circus members survive to the end, somehow the old man and the two siblings didn't get crushed in the deep pit. I don't know what Masaru is thinking when he's going on his knees begging Bai Jin for the cure. Granted, he's got memories of the two brothers who started it all in his head as Fou suspected, but he's almost certainly got to fight him at some point and get Bai Jin to spill his guts. On top of that, even if he does succeed he'll have to find a way to get back to Earth safely to keep the promise he made to his new girlfriend. It's come this far, now to see what kind of ending this series is going to present to viewers who've followed it for 9 months. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2842 |
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#36
The final duel, but it was never a contest to begin with. A beat-up and exhausted Masaru wouldn't stand a chance against a well-rested mastermind with centuries of experience in manipulating puppets. So to even things out, it takes a real Deux Ex Machina featuring the last of Yin's personal bodyguard to even the odds. Masaru pushing the right emotional buttons in Yin's messed-up head did the rest. However, it seems forced the way Yin decided to let Masaru know what he came to space for, even more surprising being Eleonore's singing being the key to retuning the bugs. Given how insane and capricious Yin was at this point, it could have gone either way. Even if it is plot armour keeping Masaru alive to the end, Yin did something decent in his last hours. It won't bring him to Heaven after all he'd done, but the remaining humans he'd freed from his designer disease would be ungrateful otherwise. The post ending scenes show everyone getting along with their lives. Masaru completely apes Kato Narumi in going around as a mascot, and finds himself in a very similar situation to his younger self right at the death. The final curtain call scene isn't really necessary, but it is KARAKURI CIRCUS after all. So a curtain call featuring the huge ensemble cast is a fitting way to close. Cramming years worth of Shonen Manga into a 36-episode series was always a big ask. Rocket pacing and uneven narrative aside, I've watched this for the automaton vs. Puppet action and haven't been disappointed in what Studio Revolution have come up with. If they get another chance to do an action-oriented series, I'm curious to see what lessons they learnt from this series to further their craft. |
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