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 theyve 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. Its apparent in their fighting style the manipulation of puppets. With the issues they confront the shirogane insist on an approach thats not only unreliable but is also more or less outdated.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 were introduced to Masaru Saiga a timid soul with a big heart a photographic memory and a lofty inheritance alongside his companions Narumi and Eleonore. Loyalty is established and romance blossoms as they voyage through a comingofage 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 shiroganes struggles against the automata. Heres where the magic unfolds. Masarus journey may be this shows backbone but its 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 hes the brains behind the soundtracks for Haikyuu and My Hero Academia. Its 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 its mesmerizing to watch the automata crumble piece by piece under grey ooze and hissing steam. Fight scenes are this shows pride and joy. However whats said during these fight scenes isnt always as inspiring. As far as dialogue is concerned there are certain areas I enjoy the oneliners here are very much appreciated and the soulstirring speeches are genuine highlights especially in the final six episodes. On the other hand this show is held back by a hamfisted sreenplay 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 longwinded explanations of how they work. It features personality traits like Eleonores weaknesses or a hospital patients 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 mangas overall storyline. Looking to comply with the 36episode 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 arent too severe. To be clear the editing process and the end result are by no means perfect but they dont detract from the overall experience. By holding onto the originals ideas and themes Karakuri Circus remains true to Fujitas vision. Its a mess. The table is cluttered with mess its 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. Arent 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 hes making. After doing this a voice intones For Fujitasan if hes 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 mangakas journey in creating their material its 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 Manbens host and Fujita convene to examine the footage. While doing so they discuss a variety of mangarelated topics. Naturally the conversation shifts to detailing the early stages of Fujitas 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 magazines 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 Ishinomoris Kamen Rider Go Nagais Devilman and Ken Ishikawas Getter Robo. However out of all his childhood influences there was one that towered above the rest: Rumiko Takahashis 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 Mangas 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 fairytale denizens in Moonlight Act and sentient haunted houses in Souboutei Kowasubeshi. With Karakuri Circus its the automata that adopt this role. However theres a crucial difference between this show and the rest of Fujitas works. Beneath the speeches the references to Chinese culture and the slapstick comedy lies Karakuri Circuss 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 ageold 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 isnt as detailed. Theres a backstory here but its a strange one almost impossible to make sense of. Regardless this show succeeds in providing both sides a cause worth fighting for. Its 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 theres 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 arent nearby theyll resort to removing womens clothing and gloating about it afterward. The automata are caricatures plain and simple theyre cardcarrying villains cruel for crueltys sake cackling at the chaos theyve created. And theyre not the only ones like this. In Karakuri Circus almost every antagonist is written the same way. From Zenji Saiga Masarus uncle to episode 16s suicidal samurai and even the main villain himself theyre all reduced to stereotype burdened with bloated egos and creepy facial expressions. This blackandwhite worldview cripples the shows storytelling. Its also an issue thats appeared in Fujitas 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 twodimensional villains and references to Chinese culture hes 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. Its apparent in his writing style. With the stories he creates Fujita insists on an approach thats 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 brightred line between good and evil. Theres 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 theyre constrained by cliches Ill always remember these tales of personal growth especially the ones I least expected.