Karakuri Circus

Karakuri Circus
The cover of the first volume of Karakuri Circus
からくりサーカス (Karakuri Sākasu)
Genre	Action, dark fantasy
Manga
Written by	Kazuhiro Fujita
Published by	Shogakukan
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Sunday
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	July 23, 1997 – June 14, 2006
Volumes	43
Anime television series
Directed by	Satoshi Nishimura
Produced by	Twin Engine
Written by	Toshiki Inoue Kazuhiro Fujita
Music by	Yuki Hayashi
Studio	Studio VOLN
Licensed by	Amazon (streaming)
Original network	Tokyo MX, BS11
Original run	October 11, 2018 – present
Episodes	36

Karakuri Circus (からくりサーカス, Karakuri Sākasu) is a manga by Kazuhiro Fujita, also the manga artist of Ushio and Tora. The manga was published in the Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine (1997 No.32–2006 No.26) and compiled in 43 tankōbon volumes.

Although this story is vastly different from Kazuhiro Fujita's previous title, Ushio and Tora, it inherits many themes from his previous work. Themes such as a boy with sense of justice willing to go against great odds to save others, a man chose to become a demon to fight great evil, and as well as a tiger puppet featured in volume 24.

The most recognizable similarity between the two titles is the curse brought by the ultimate weapon against evil. In Ushio and Tora, the wielder of the Spear of the Beast inherits not only a great power, but also the creator's hatred and killing intent. In Karakuri Circus, drinkers of Aqua Vitae obtain eternal life but also a hatred toward the automatons. This leads to the users of these items to spend the rest of their lives carrying on their creators' unfinished agenda.

An anime television series adaptation by Studio VOLN began airing on October 11, 2018.

Setting

The events are tied to reincarnation cycle that began about 200 years ago when the brothers Bai Yin and Bai Jin, travelled from China to Prague to study alchemy and improve their puppetry skills. The brothers encountered the beautiful woman Francine and they both fell in love with her. The younger Jin was devastated when Francine agreed to marry Yin, and he abducted her. Nine years later Yin found them in Quiberon in France, but Francine was imprisoned by the villagers because of a rare disease. Yin worked to perfect Aqua Vitae to cure Francine, but just as he succeeded Francine was killed when the prison was set ablaze.

Twenty Three years later, Jin created an Automaton in her image called Lady Francine and injected it with Aqua Vitae to bring her to life. People injected with Aqua Vitae live are able to recover from serious wounds and have an extended life. He then created automaton clowns to make her laugh, but they failed, so he released the Zonapha (Z.O.N.A.P.H.A.) syndrome into Kuroga village, forcing them to make her laugh or suffer a living death. The Zonapha syndrome is where the body is dominated by the parasympathetic nerves, the trachea contracts, causing breathing difficulties and excruciating pain is felt in every nerve. The symptoms continue unabated until the victim can make someone laugh. Lucille Berneuil was one of the villagers who suffered at the antics of the murderous clowns. Six years later, Yin returned and sacrificed himself to activate the Aqua Vitae with his blood and save the villagers. When Lucille drank the water, she acquired Yin's memories and knowledge along with his puppet Harlequin, and she vowed to crush Jin's automata.

Years later, Shōji Saiga learned swordsmanship at Miura Dojo in Nagasaki while also studying to be a doctor under Dr. Bai Yin. Together they completed a marionette which Shōji named a Shirogane. While treating a sick Mr. Nakayama, Shōji encountered a healing woman who called herself Tohno-dayu, although her real name was Angelina. She held the "Soft Stone" within her body which could produce Aqua Vitia. By accident, she revealed that she had Bai Yin's marionette, Arlequin, which she used to help Shōji escape from a burning building. Later, Shōji tracked down Angelina, where she told him about her past and the vial of Aqua Vitae which was given to her. Shōji had fallen in love with her and he drank the liquid, vowing to spend eternity with her.

Shōji and Angelina began to create their own marionettes. They later adopted the shirogane, Dean Maistre as their son, naming him Sadayoshi. Shōji also encountered the Francine automaton who Jin abandoned because she could not laugh. Shōji adjusted her to make her less powerful, although she wanted to be dismantled because she felt that she was missing a vital gear. Some time later, Angelina became pregnant and gave birth to the baby girl, Éléonore.

The family were attacked by automata searching for the Soft Stone, however the Soft Stone was now inside Éléonore and Angelina entrusted the baby to Francine. Francine fell into a well with Éléonore who automatically turned the water into Aqua Vitae which destroyed Francine although she saved Éléonore. Angelina was mortally wounded by the automata and Shōji decided to keep Éléonore's existence a secret so he sent her to the her to the Quiberon orphanage to be raised by Lucille.

37 years later, Shōji visited the orphanage and found that Éléonore remembered him because of the memories of Francine transferred to her via the Aqua Vitae. Shōji then learned that Sadayoshi has had a son called Masaru whom Shōji raised as his grandson. However Sadayoshi's plan was to leave his fortune to Masaru as bait to cause the destruction of the Kuroga clan. Sadayoshi also planned is to transfer his memories into Masaru and essentially become immortal, but Shōji destroyed the memory data back at Karuizawa and asked Lucille to send Éléonore to protect Masaru and find the soft stone.

Plot

The plot centers around three main characters, Masaru Saiga (才賀 勝, Saiga Masaru), Narumi Katō (加藤 鳴海, Katō Narumi), and Shirogane (Éléonore) (しろがね (エレオノール)) and combines the settings of a circus, alchemy, and karakuri puppets.

The story starts when Masaru's father dies and leaves 18 billion yen of inheritance solely to him. His siblings, from different mothers, and his uncle set out to either kill or abduct Masaru to seize the money. By coincidence, the Zonapha sufferer Narumi Katō rescues Masaru from his uncle's henchmen with help from the Shirogane Éléonore.

As the story progresses, a 200-year-old tragedy is uncovered involving the origin of the Shirogane, Automatons, and the Zonapha syndrome. The people in the Shirogane group and the Karakuri Circus work to save the world and prevent its destruction from the Zonapha syndrome.

After the third volume of manga, the story splits into two separate but related arcs. In the first arc, Narumi Katō joins the other Shirogane to battle against the automatons (auto-mannequins) to cure the world of Zonapha syndrome. In the second arc, Éléonore and Masaru Saiga join the circus and attempt to live a normal life but their fates are still heavily linked to their pre-determined destiny. The events triggered by either the Narumi Katō or Éléonore arcs are mentioned on each other's story, sometimes directly affecting one another. Eventually, during the climax of the story, the two paths intersect.

Characters

Main characters

Masaru Saiga (才賀勝 役, Saiga Masaru)

Voiced by: Chihiro Ueda

A young boy who is the illegitimate son of the C.E.O. of the Saiga corporation and his mistress. His father left him 18 billion yen as part of a plan to use Masaru as bait to trigger the destruction of the Kuroga clan who engaged the Saiga to build their puppets. Masaru is now the target of his father's siblings who hire assassins with puppets to abduct or kill the boy to get his money.

Narumi Katō (加藤 鳴海, Katō Narumi)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama

A tall, strong young man who practices the Chinese martial art Xing Yi Quan but suffers from the Zonapha syndrome. This syndrome causes difficulty in breathing and the only cure is to make someone laugh, however he isn't very funny. He decides to protect Masaru after encountering the boy being attacked in the street.

Shirogane Saiga (才賀 しろがね, Saiga Shirogane)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

She came Japan to protect Masaru and repay the debt to Masaru's grandfather for helping her family. Her real name is Éléonore (エレオノール, Ereonōru), the daughter of Shōji and Angelina Saiga, and she was raised as an orphan in Quiberon, France, where she was callously taught how manipulate puppets. She becomes Masaru's bodyguard/caretaker and controls Harlequin, one of the most powerful puppets in the story.

Saiga Family

Shōji Saiga (才賀 正二, Saiga Shōji)

Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka

Masaru's grandfather and master puppeteer who married Angelina with whom he had their daughter Éléonore.

Sadayoshi Saiga (才賀 貞義, Saiga Sadayoshi)

Masaru's father and C.E.O. of the Saiga corporation. He dies and leaves his fortune to his illegitimate son, Masaru, whom he uses as bait to trigger the destruction of the Kuroga clan who engaged the Saiga to build their puppets. Originally going by the name Dean Meistre, he's the incarnation of Bai Jin who continues on his mad quest to find the Francine Doll to recreate Francine to love him, but then projected his love into Angelina. This failed when Angelina got engaged to Shōji and pregnant of their eventual child, Éléonore. He thus set his sights on Éléonore and devised a new plan, since he lacked the Soft Stone to product Aqua Vitae he would download his memories into Masaru and would continuously manipulate Éléonore (posing as Shōji) into protecting Masaru, thus making her love "him" at last. This plan failed when Shōji not only destroyed his initial equipment for the download process but also interfered with a second attempt, thus preventing Masaru from becoming him. In the confrontation Shōji attempted to dissolve himself and Saiga with acid, however, he survived and hid himself under a new identity, that of the Faceless Commander.

Zenji Saiga (才賀 善治, Saiga Zenji)

Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka

One of Masaru's uncles who kidnaps the boy and tries to adopt him in an effort to inherit his brother's fortune.

Angelina Saiga (才賀 アンジェリーナ, Saiga Anjerīna)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Daughter of Lucille and one of the first Shirogane who held the Soft Stone within her body. She married Shōji Saiga and gave birth to their daughter Éléonore to whom she transferred the Soft Stone.

Éléonore Saiga (才賀 エレオノール, Saiga Ereonōru)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Daughter of Shōji and Angelina Saiga who inherited the Soft Stone from her mother Angelina. See: Shirogane Saiga.

Nakamachi Circus

Shinobu Nakamachi (仲町 信夫, Nakamachi Shinobu)

Voiced by: Hisao Egawa

Head of the Nakamachi Circus.

Noriyuki "Nori" Nakamachi (仲町 紀之, Nakamachi Noriyuki)

Voiced by: Ryōta Iwasaki

The older son of Shinobu Nakamachi and reliable big-brother figure to Hiro.

Hiroo "Hiro" Nakamachi (仲町 浩男, Nakamachi Hiroo)

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa

The younger son of Shinobu Nakamachi.

Talanda "Lise" Liselotte Tachibana (タランダ・リーゼロッテ・橘, Taranda Rīzerotte Tachibana)

Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa

A young girl working in Nakamachi Circus as the animal handler and beast tamer of the lion called Drum. Her family were wild beast tamers in the Great Long Circus and her sister was killed by a tiger named Beast.

Vilma Thorne (ヴィルマ・ソーン, Vuiruma Sōn)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue

She is a master knife-thrower and assassin hired to kill Masaru, but instead joins the Nakamachi Circus. Her brother died from Zonapha syndrome and she harbors a strong hatred for automated puppets due to a past incident.

Midnight Circus

A circus of Automatons led by the four master automatons known as Les Quatre Pionniers (The Four Pioneers) that travel while spreading Zonapha syndrome in hopes of one day fulfilling their late master/makers final wish "to make Francine smile/laugh".

Francine (フランシーヌ, Furanshīnu)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

The queen of the circus. She is a highly complex automaton who was created to be her master's bride of sorts, but no matter what he did she wouldn't smile. He then created four powerful master automatons based on the designs of clowns and jesters with the sole purpose of making her smile . Since his passing, she has assumed the role of leader and has created many other automatons to realize her master's desire of making her laugh. Her solution was to spread the Zonapha syndrome. She hopes to find someone with the soft stone which is the key element in making aqua vitae which is supposed to grant life so she can become "alive".

Arlecchino (アルレッキーノ, Arurekkīno)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

One of the four master automatons, he is the musician of the circus. His clothes are all white and his instrument is a mandolin. He is thoughtful and seems quite proud. His attacks involves the manipulation of fire.

Pantalone (パンタローネ, Pantarōne)

Voiced by: Jouji Nakata

One of the four master automatons, he is the ball walker of the circus. He is quick to anger and is the most irresponsible of the four. His main form of attack is using his arms which possess a very high level of strength making him the physically strongest of the circus.

Dottore (ドットーレ, Dottōre)

Voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo

One of the four master automatons, he is the juggler of the circus. He wants to know what the word "delicious" means. He can extend his arms and uses his hat as a weapon which has a razor sharp brim.

Columbine (コロンビーヌ, Koronbīnu)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki

The only woman among the four master automatons, she is the acrobat/rope walker of the circus and can can jump very high. She wants to live a love story like the ones she's read in books, the only flaw is that she can't feel the sensation of the skin of another person. Her weapons are Les Mains Blanches Immaculeés (Immaculate White Hands).

Shirogane-O

George LaRoche (ジョージ・ラローシュ, Jōji Rarōshu)

Voiced by: Kenji Hamada

Faceless Commander

Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa

A man wearing a stretchable mask who claims to have been separated from his true love by her mistrustful mother who then married her off to an automaton. He became a Shirogane after the automaton killed her, and was saved from the Zonapha syndrome by Lucille. He went on to create the Shirogane-Os, such as Zed, Fatima, Rockenfield, Timbavati, Schwarzes Tor and Malina (Mina), survivors of the Zonapha syndrome and now desiring vengeance against all automatons. In truth he's the newest identity of Saiga Sadayoshi who continues on his quest to force Éléonore to love him, and has created his own circus of automatons to aid him.

Fatima (ファティマ, Fatima)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura

A young female Sirogane-O.

Rockenfield (ロッケンフィールド, Rokkenfīrudo)

Voiced by: Hiromichi Kogami

A middle-aged male Sirogane-O who is involved in the fight against Les Quatre Pionniers. His marionette is called Pentagona Knocker.

Schwarzes Tor (シュヴァルツェス・トーア, Schwarzse Toa)

A male Sirogane-O with long white hair who is involved in the fight against Les Quatre Pionniers. His marionette is also called Schwarzes Tor.

Timbavati (ティンババティ, Timbatty)

An African male Sirogane-O who is involved in the fight against Les Quatre Pionniers. His marionette is called Mamba and it uses its Tower of Venomous Fangs to attack an adversary.

A young female Sirogane-O who is involved in the fight against Les Quatre Pionniers. Her arms and legs can become high-speed drills to attack an adversary.

Other Characters

Lucille Berneuil (ルシール・ベルヌイユ, Rushīru Berunuiyu)

Voiced by: Romi Park

An elderly woman who works with Guy Christoph Resh and helps Narumi search for the Midnight Circus. She is almost 200 years old and a survivor from the village of Quiberon after drinking the Aqua Vitae created by Yin. To keep the Aqua Vitae producing soft stone as a safeguard against the automata, she hid it within her daughter Angelina otherwise it would dissolve within 2 weeks.

Eiryō Ashihana (阿紫花 英良, Ashihana Eiryō)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai

He is a member of the Slaughter Team, hired to kill Masaru and controls the puppet Pulcinella.

Guy Christoph Resh (ギイ・クリストフ・レッシュ, Gī Kurisutofu Resshu)

Voiced by: Nozomu Sasaki

He works at the hospital run by Dr. Banhart which is a research facility and orphanage for children suffering from Zonapha syndrome. He uses the last amount of Aqua Vitae to save Narumi after he is fatally wounded and loses his arm.

Liang Jian-Feng (梁剣峰（リャン・チャンフォン), Hari Kenpō (Ryan Chanfon))

Voiced by: Katsuhisa Houki

He is the Chinese master who taught Narumi Katō martial arts and contracted Zonapha syndrome. His ancestor created Aqua Vitae 200 years earlier.

Liang Ming-Xia (梁明霞（リャン・ミンシア), Ryō Meika (Ryan Minshia))

Voiced by: Yoshino Nanjō

Daughter of Liang Jian-Feng and helps Narumi search for the Midnight Circus.

Historic characters

Bai Yin (白銀)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

Ancestor of Liang Jian-Feng who studied alchemy with his younger brother in Prague, 200 years earlier. His appearance is very similar to that of Narumi Katō. He proposed to Francine and offered to sacrifice his study of alchemy to help feed the poor. He created the ruby-coloured "soft stone" that produces Aqua Vitae, when it is immersed in water which is activated by the addition of a human soul. While traveling the world he encounters a young Shoji whom he takes as his discipline in the arts of medicine, alchemy and puppetry. Bai Yin becomes the effective founder of the Shiroganes (taken after his name when converted into Japanese by Shoji), after he dissolves his essence into Aqua Vitae for Zonapha victims to drink, giving them his memories and his will to destroy the automatons.

Bai Jin (白金)

Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa

Younger brother of Yin who was devastated and filled with anger after Francine accepted Yin's proposal of marriage. He also created Aqua Vitae and used it to animate his mechanical Francine and the automatons of the Midnight Circus, Pantalone, Arlecchino, Dottore and Columbine. He also created and infected the nearby village with Zonapha syndrome in an effort to make his Francine automaton laugh. Since she wouldn't laugh for him, he discarded her and wandered on his own. Late on his life he plotted to create a reincarnation of Francine of his own using Aqua Vitae and a sample of hair from Doll Francine, but he was too old to do the deed so he dissolved himself into Aqua Vitae for another host to drink from it and effectively reincarnate to do the job, now as Saiga Sadayoshi, becoming the central antagonist of the series.

Francine (フランシーヌ, Furanshīnu)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

A beautiful young woman whose appearance is very similar to that of Shirogane Saiga. She escaped from a French slave trader and survived as a poor street seller living in Prague, helping to feed orphans and the poor where she was branded as a thief for stealing and egg to feed a sick boy. She met and befriended the Bai brothers, Yin and Jin, and agree to marry Yin. She was abducted by the insanely jealous Jin and died in a village prison 9 years later when it was set on fire.

Media

Manga

The manga began serialization in issue 1997-32 of Weekly Shōnen Sunday, released on July 23, 1997. It ended in issue 2006-26 of the same magazine, released on June 14, 2006. It spanned 425 chapters, which were compiled in 43 volumes. The manga has been reprinted and collected in multiple editions:

• My First Wide: Collected into 16 volumes, released from 2008 to 2010.
• Wide-ban: Collected into 23 volumes, released from July 2011 to April 2013.
• Bunkoban: Collected into 22 volumes, released from May 2017 to February 2019.
• Kanzenban: Collected into 8+ volumes, released from September 2018 to TBA.

Anime

A 36-episode anime television series adaptation premiered on October 11, 2018 on Tokyo MX and BS11. The series is animated by Studio VOLN and directed by Satoshi Nishimura, with Toshiki Inoue and Kazuhiro Fujita handling series composition, and Takahiro Yoshimatsu designing the characters. Yuki Hayashi is composing the series' music, and Twin Engine is producing the series. Bump of Chicken performed the series' opening theme song "Gekkō", and Lozareena performed the ending theme song "Marionette". The second opening theme song is "Haguruma" performed by KANA-BOON, and the series' second ending theme song "Yūdachi" is performed by Memai Siren. The series is being simulcast exclusively on Amazon Video worldwide.

Episode List

No.	Title	Original release date
1	"The Curtain Rises" Transliteration: "Kaimaku Beru" (Japanese: 開幕ベル)	October 11, 2018 (2018-10-11)
Narumi Katou is dressed in a bear costume, handing out leaflets for the Straw Circus when Masaru Saiga accidentally bumps into him wheeling a large suitcase. Narumi begins to have a Zonapha attack and tries to make any passer-by laugh. Eventually Masaru laughs, saving Narumi, but the boy is abducted by three men in black suits. Narumi goes to his aid, but the men are too strong and he carries Masaru onto a train to escape. Masaru tells Narumi the story of his father’s death and huge inheritance, and that Saiga men have always had an interest in Karakuri clockwork puppets. His grandfather told him to take a special suitcase and seek Shirogane for protection if anything should happen to his father. When more men in black suits ambush them on the train, Narumi realizes that they are puppets when one is destroyed. In desperation, Masaru calls out "Shirogane" and a woman appears wearing a harlequin outfit. She opens Masaru's suitcase and the puppet Harlequin pops out. Shirogane manipulates it to attack and destroy the only remaining black-suited puppet. After explaining who she is, Shirogane accompanies Narumi to a local clinic to treat the unconscious Masaru. Meanwhile, one of those pursuing Masaru sends the puppet Pulcinella after the boy.
2	"Promise" Transliteration: "Yakusoku" (Japanese: 約束)	October 18, 2018 (2018-10-18)
Ashihana directs Pulcinella to attack, and Shirogane counters with Harlequin which is more than a match for Pulcinella and it shreds the other puppet. Meanwhile, Ashihana's gang capture Masaru, but fortunately Narumi is there and rescues the boy, although he begins to have a Zonapha attack. Narumi can't make Shirogane or Masaru laugh and desperately he rushes out to make someone laugh, which is only successful after Shirogane beats him up in a convenience store. Shirogane and Masaru move into Narumi's apartment where they settle into a version of domestic life, however they are being watched from outside. Suddenly, the puppet Grimaldi grabs Masaru through a window and escapes with the boy, leaving Shirogane and Narumi standing in the street. They are approached by Eiryo Ashihana who tells them that he is from the Slaughter Team, hired to kill the boy, whereas Masaru was abducted by the Kidnap Team working for another client and he is being taken to the Saiga villa in Karuizawa. Ashihana offers to take them there, however he warns that the villa is full of the late Saiga's heinous Karakuri puppets and their puppeteers.
3	"Abyss" Transliteration: "Naraku" (Japanese: 奈落)	October 25, 2018 (2018-10-25)
Masaru's uncle Zenji Saiga tells the boy that he is safe with him, but he is suspicious. While the Slaughter Team prepare to attack the Saiga villa, Narumi bursts through the gates with Shirogane in a frontal attack on the Kidnap Team, prompting the Slaughter Team to follow. Shirogane encounters Takami, but Nakata attacks with the Rolling Arms karakuri, however the main door is a trap which destroys the puppet and kills Nakata. Shirogane then releases Harlequin who destroys the door allowing Ashihana and his men inside. Takami then attacks with her karakuri Theogualtier, but Shirogane destroys it with Harlequin. Meanwhile, while hiding from Zenji, Masaru finds notes written by his father saying that Masaru is bait to trigger the destruction of the Kuroga clan who engaged the Saiga to build their puppets. Meanwhile Narumi and Shirogane fall into a trap and Narumi has a Zonapha attack where Shirogane tells him why she cannot laugh and how she became a puppet master. In the tower above, Masaru desperately jumps from a window to escape Zenji, and fortunately lands safely near Ashihana. Masaru then offers to hire Ashihana's Slaughter Team to work for him.
4	"Swirling Tiger" Transliteration: "Koran" (Japanese: コラン)	November 1, 2018 (2018-11-01)
Ashihana refuses Masaru's offer to work for him, but changes his mind when shown a diary detailing that the Slaughter Team were being used as lab rats by the Saiga. Ashihana uses Grimaldi to burst back into the villa, but Yamanaka trapps Narumi and Shirogane in the basement, so Masaru agrees to become Zenji’s son. However, Zenji still plans to kill them, so Masaru savagely attacks him. Meanwhile, as Shirogane tells Narumi about her sad childhood, Masaru and Ashihana use Grimaldi to rescue them. Yamanaka attacks them again, but Narumi and Shirogane cannot defeat him, however Masaru takes control of Harlequin, turning the tide of the battle until suddenly explosives planted in the villa destroy the building. Masaru, Narumi and Shirogane emerge from the wreckage, and Ashihana manages to help Shirogane escape, however Masaru and Narumi remain trapped in the burning building. The next morning, Masaru is alive, but all that remains of Narumi is his left arm.
5	"Circus – Departure" Transliteration: "Sākasu 〜 Shuppatsu" (Japanese: サーカス〜出発)	November 8, 2018 (2018-11-08)
Two months later, Masaru has recovered from his injuries and lives with Shirogane who looks after him. She enrolls in the high school next to his school protect him from bullies. However when the bullies try to antagonize Masaru he shrugs off their actions and shows the scars he received in his encounter while he was away. Elsewhere, Mr. Shinobu Nakamachi is about to be evicted for non-payment of rent while he tries to rebuild a circus. At school, Masaru becomes more accepted, and at high school Shirogane becomes popular because of her many talents, including her acrobatic skills. To cheer up Shirogane, Masaru takes her to see Mr. Nakamachi and convinces her to join his circus with Nori and Hiro and their animal handler Liselotte. Elsewhere, Narumi lays unconscious in intensive care, missing his left arm.
6	"Hell" Transliteration: "Jigoku" (Japanese: 地獄)	November 15, 2018 (2018-11-15)
Narumi awakes in a hospital in Illinois in the United States, with amnesia and a prosthetic left arm. His savior introduces himself as Guy Christophe Resh. Narumi finds that the hospital run by Dr. Banhart is a research facility and houses 2,000 children suffering from Zonapha, but the staff are also suffering to ensure that they are always smiling to prevent the children from having Zonapha attacks. He also learns that in the final stages, the Zonapha sufferer cannot die, and he sees older children lying comatose, caught between life and death. Resh explains that automata are used by the Midnight Circus to spread the Zonapha syndrome and he asks Narumi to become a Shirogane and help him fight them. He tells Narumi that the last amount of Aqua Vitae which was created by an alchemist many years ago was used to heal him. Lucille Verrneuil enters and announces that Paulmann and Anselmus are attacking the school so Resh goes out to confront them. He uses his Karakuri Olympia to attack the automata and then Narumi joins him to effectively finish them off.
7	"Demonic"	November 22, 2018 (2018-11-22)
Paulmann and Anselmus attack Narumi injuring him, but with his rapid healing ability due to the Aqua Vitae, Narumi is able to destroy them both. To protect the children, Narumi accepts Resh's offer to become a Shirogane and fight the automata. Meanwhile, Shirogane is performing as a clown with the Nakamachi Circus and she is approached by Vilma who challenges her to a contest of skills. Vilma befriends her, but later that she night corners Masaru at the circus camp site and prepares to kill him. Vilma is surprised when Shirogane suddenly arrives and intervenes, but Vilma immobilizes her with her throwing knives. However Shirogane's body recovers enough to fight back with Harlequin and defeats Vilma. Later Vilma is so impressed by the loyalty of Shirogane and the resolve of Masaru that she decides to join them in the Nakamachi Circus.
8	"Moment’s Beginning, Moment’s End" Transliteration: "Shun no Hajimari to Owari" (Japanese: 瞬の始まりと終わり)	November 29, 2018 (2018-11-29)
To earn extra money and publicity for the Nakamachi Circus, Shirogane enters a beauty contest at a beach-side fair. As they prepare the circus for opening day, Masaru convinces Lise to perform again and Shirogane reminisces to Vilma about Narumi. Meanwhile, Guy and Lucille fly with Narumi to China to confront the automata, but a group of ten automata hijack the airplane. They challenge Narumi to defeat them without causing them to explode which would kill everyone on board. Narumi defeats them, but then the airplane is attacked by a large number of Mr. Spazza's insectoid automata. Guy exits the plane to deal with Mr. Spazza and the insectoids while Lucille tries to the land the airplane in the bay. Meanwhile, the Nakamachi Circus has its grand opening, however it is interrupted by the airplane crashing into the water nearby, causing everyone to run outside. In the airplane, the automaton Magdalen is still operational and prepares to attack Masaru and others to obtain their blood, but Shirogane intervenes to stop it. Suddenly Magdalen is destroyed and Shirogane and Masaru appear to see Narumi through the flames and smoke.
9	"Memories" Transliteration: "Kioku" (Japanese: 記憶)	December 6, 2018 (2018-12-06)
Following the airplane crash, Shirogane rescues her wounded former teacher Guy, and helps nurse him back to health. She tells Masaru about her past with Guy and how Narumi caused her to become more human instead of just a puppet. Disturbed by dreams about Narumi, Masaru leaves quietly to search for him. Meanwhile, Narumi, Lucille and Ming Xia are deep in the mountains of China searching for the Midnight Circus. They find Ming Xia's father Liang Jian-Feng suffering from Zonapha syndrome at a spring flowing with Aqua Vitae. He tells them about his Bai family ancestors of 200 years earlier, the brothers Yin and Jin, who went to study alchemy in Prague to improve their puppetry skills and Narumi realizes that he knows the story. The brothers encountered the beautiful woman Francine who eventually caused friction between the brothers who both fell in love with her.
10	"Francine" Transliteration: "Furanshīnu" (Japanese: フランシーヌ)	December 13, 2018 (2018-12-13)
Narumi continues the story using Yin's memories within him. Jin was devastated when Francine agreed to marry Yin, and he abducted her and disappeared. Nine years later Yin found Jin in Quiberon, but Francine was imprisoned by the villagers because of a rare disease. Yin worked to perfect Aqua Vitae to cure her, but just as he succeeded, Francine was killed when the prison was set ablaze. Twenty Three years later, Jin created an automaton in her image called Lady Francine and injected it with Aqua Vitae to bring her to life. He then created clowns to make her laugh, but they failed, so he released the Zonapha syndrome into the village, forcing them to make her laugh or suffer a living death. Lucille reveals she was one of the villagers who suffered at the antics of the murderous clowns. Six years later, Yin returned and sacrificed himself to activate the Aqua Vitae and save the villagers. When Lucille drank the water, she acquired Yin's memories and knowledge along with the puppet Harlequin, and vowed to crush Jin's automata. Suddenly Pantalone appears, seeking the Aqua Vitae for Lady Francine's automatons, but Liang Jian-Feng sets off a massive explosion, destroying both himself and the spring.
11	"Fanfare" Transliteration: "Fanfāre" (Japanese: ファンファーレ)	December 20, 2018 (2018-12-20)
In Harvest, Maine, a group of Shirogane-Os prepare to attack the Midnight Circus which they have located in the Sahara Desert of North Africa. Narumi, Lucille and Ming Xia travel to the location. Meanwhile, earlier in Deauville, France, George Laroche, a Shirogane-O, offers the bored Kuroga puppeteer and assassin, Ashihana, an opportunity for action. Outside the Midnight Circus tent in the desert, Narumi's group meet the Faceless Commander and his hoard of Shirogane-Os. Les Quatre Pionniers offer to match their four automatons in one-on-one battles with the best of the Shirogane. Suddenly, the Shirogane-O, Zed, charges into the tent and quickly destroys two automatons, but their greatest hero, Merry-Go-Round Olsen, is chosen to challenge him. Olsen easily dispatches Zed and another Shirogane-O with its spinning blades. Rockenfield suggests that Narumi goes next, and he proceeds to smash the device with his bare hands. The next automaton challengers are the acrobat brothers, Orazio and Pedrolino, who are met by Fatima and Mingxia who is given drops of blood by Lucille to counteract the Zonapha-filled atmosphere. In the ensuing see-saw battle, the Shirogane win, but Dottore opens a trap-door and they fall into a chamber to be confronted by another challenge.
12	"The Faceless Commander" Transliteration: "Kao Nashi" (Japanese: 顔無し)	December 27, 2018 (2018-12-27)
Fatima and Mingxia are deposited into a portable medical capsule for treatment, while the remainder of the group are confronted by two doors which supposedly lead to Lady Francine. Narumi, with the Shirogane Rockenfield, Malina (Lina) and Tor, take one entrance with steps leading downwards in total darkness, while the others pass through the second door. They enter a chamber where they must fight each other to determine the who will pass further. Meanwhile, George and Eiryo travel to the Sahara by helicopter. Below the Midnight Circus complex, Narumi and the Shirogane are confronted by a series of diabolical and deadly traps. The Faceless Commander sacrifices himself to save Narumi who eventually meets up with Tor, Timbavati, Rockenfield and Malina. They now must face Les Quatre Pionniers in a contest before Lady Francine.
13	"Lucille" Transliteration: "Rushīru" (Japanese: ルシール)	January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)
Tor, Timbavati, Rockenfield and Malina unpack their marionettes, and attack the Quatre Pionniers. The badly wounded Narumi tries to reach Doll Francine, but he is too weak. The Pionniers appear to gain the upper hand until Lucille arrives with reinforcements: Fatima, Mingxia, Eiryo and George. Lucille surprises them by unveiling a Francine marionette, Lucille's daughter Angelina, stopping the entire Midnight Circus in their tracks. Lucille convinces Dottore to disavow Francine, causing his synthetic body fluids to drain away, but not before he fatally cuts Lucille with his deadly hat, causing her to crystallize and disintegrate. Meanwhile Tor is badly wounded, and self-destructs to eliminate as many automata as possible, enabling Narumi to be treated in the portable medical capsule. When Timbavati tries to reach Lady Francine, Columbine intercepts him and stabs through his body with her Mains Blanches Immaculeés, however he uses his Mamba's Tower of Venomous Fangs to bite himself and then use his Shirogane blood to neutralize Columbine's synthetic body fluids. Columbine melts away as Tor crystallizes and disintegrates.
14	"By the Sea, in the Dead of Night" Transliteration: "Yofuke no Umi" (Japanese: 夜更けの海)	January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)
Pantalone and Arlecchino manage to move enough to reach and destroy the Francine marionette, and then George when he attacks them. Meanwhile the shirogane doctor sacrifices his life to save Narumi on the operating table. Fatima then attacks Pantalone and Arlecchino with her scorpion-like marionette Spinettina, but she is easily defeated. However, Narumi regains consciousness and immediately attacks and defeats Pantalone with his enhanced body. Arlecchino then shoots jets of flames at Narumi, but Fatima lives long enough to see Narumi cut Arlecchino to pieces. Before Narumi destroys her, Lady Francine reveals that she is only a copy, and the real Francine, the source of Zonapha syndrome, is elsewhere. Later, Narumi tracks down Shirogane, and immediately attacks her, accusing her of being Francine. He says that another survivor of Clogue village in Quiberon, who is now head of Fou Industries, told him that Shirogane was created from Aqua Vitae made by Francine. However, just as Narumi prepares to kill Shirogane, he recalls his early time with her and Masaru, and walks away.
15	"Back to the Starting Point" Transliteration: "Hajimari no Basho e" (Japanese: はじまりの場所へ)	January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)
As Masaru visits the ruins of his family home in Karuizawa, he recalls past; from the time his mother died to the assassination attempts when he met Shirogane and Narumi. He is greeted by the caretaker who gives him a letter and a set of keys to an underground room, left by Sadayoshi Saiga 30 years ago. Masaru opens the room which triggers a recording telling Masaru that the room has been left in case the memory transfer failed and informs Masaru that he is in fact his father reborn. He exits the room and is attacked by puppeteers of Kuroga village with the ninja marionette, Shogetsu, believing him to be Sadayoshi. Masaru retreats, and with the assistance of Gryphon, he activates the massive marionette, Goyellemes and defeats Shogetsu. The Kuroga attack again with another marionette, but Mararu counters with the lighter Captain Nemo and slices it to pieces. Masaru then activate the third marionette and tries to escape, but is captured by the Kuroga and brought before the remains of his grandfather Shōji which appears to be still conscious.
16	"Encounter" Transliteration: "Deai" (Japanese: 出会い)	February 7, 2019 (2019-02-07)
Shōji refuses to believe that Masaru's mind has not been taken over by Sadayoshi and Masaru is forced to drink Shōji's blood which contains his memories. Suddenly, Masaru begins to recall how many years ago, Shōji was learning swordsmanship at Miura Dojo in Nagasaki while also studying to be a doctor under Dr. Bai Yin. Together they completed a marionette which Shōji named a Shirogane. While treating a sick Mr. Nakayama, Shōji encountered a woman who intervened and took over. She was called Tohno-dayu, although her real name was Angelina. By accident, she revealed that she had Bai Yin's marionette, Arlequin, when she enabled Shōji to escape from a burning building. Later, Shōji tracked her down, where she told him about her past and the vial of Aqua Vitae which was given to her. Realizing that he was in love with her, Shōji drank the liquid, vowing to spend eternity with her.
17	"Visitors" Transliteration: "Otozureshi Mono" (Japanese: 訪れし者)	February 14, 2019 (2019-02-14)
Shōji tells Masaru that Sadayoshi was not his son, and that he and Angelina started to create their own marionettes. The shirogane, Dean Maistre arrived to pick up the marionettes for Lucille, and they later adopted Dean as their son, naming him Sadayoshi. However some time later, Angelina became pregnant. Back in the present, Guy arrives at the underground room and tells Masaru the story of how he contracted Zonapha and was abandoned by his mother and how Lucille turned him into a shirogane. Years later, Lucille sent him on a mission to see Angelina at Kuroga village and extract her Soft Stone to convert Zonapha sufferers into shirogane. Angelina refused to give up the stone and used Arlequin to fight Guy's Olympia, defeating him, but then welcomed him into her household. Then, another Shōji memory shows Masaru how Shōji encountered the Francine automaton whose creator abandoned her because she could not laugh. Shōji adjusted her to make her less powerful and took her home to meet Angelina who welcomed her. Shortly thereafter, Angelina gave birth to a baby girl.
18	"A Smile" Transliteration: "Bishō" (Japanese: 微笑)	February 21, 2019 (2019-02-21)
Shōji's memory of the past continues. He named his daughter Éléonore and the birth of the baby caused Guy to be conflicted over whether to remove the Soft Stone from Angelina. Meanwhile, Francine wanted to be dismantled because she could not fulfill her purpose to smile and felt that she was missing a vital gear. She and Guy were both affected by the birth of Éléonore and the happiness she brought. Suddenly, automata surrounded the house searching for the Soft Stone, but when Francine ordered them to leave they did not recognize her and attacked. Angelina revealed that the Soft Stone was now inside Éléonore and she entrusted the baby to Francine who escaped. Francine was chased and heavily damaged by some of the automata. She fell into a well with Éléonore who automatically who turned the water into Aqua Vitae which began to consume Francine. Back at the house, Angelina fought the automata with Shōji and Guy while pretending to have the Soft Stone inside her. However, Angelina was mortally wounded by the automata and being both human and shirogane, she crystallized as she died. Shōji continued to fight while Guy followed Francine and he arrived at the well where he realized that Francine had given her life to save Éléonore.
19	"The Truth Behind the Shadow" Transliteration: "Kage no Shōtai" (Japanese: 影の正体)	February 28, 2019 (2019-02-28)
Following revelations of the past, Guy again asserts that Masaru is Sadayoshi. Masaru denies it and runs off and encounters Éléonore Shirogane, but he is attacked by Guy and falls down a cliff unconscious. Masaru then recalls the memories of Shōji, from the saving of Éléonore and her life in the Quiberon orphanage under the care and training of Lucille. Then the betrayal of Sadayoshi by using his son Masaru as a vehicle for his memories so that he could essentially become immortal. However, Shōji was already prepared and destroyed the memory data back at Karuizawa causing Sadayoshi to try to kill him. Shōji survived but it was announced that he had died to protect him from Sadayoshi. Meanwhile, Sadayoshi sent Éléonore to join a circus to keep her away from Masaru.
20	"Black Sun" Transliteration: "Kuroi Taiyō" (Japanese: 黒い太陽)	March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)

Reception

The manga had over 15 million copies in print as of 2018.

External links

• Anime official website Template:Ja icon
• Karakuri Circus (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia