Karneval is an interesting show, to say the least. It boasts eye-candy visuals, some sweet action, and a mysterious albeit a bit 'confusing' universe with a lot of supernatural and fantasy elements. It's animated by Manglobe, most notable for doing shows like Ergo Proxy, the World God only Knows, and Michiko and Hatchin.
First off I'll start by saying that visually Karneval looks great.
It's bright, colorful and really stands out, though it does share many eerie similarities with a Fall 2012 show titled 'K' - which was also a bright visual feast. (The notable similarities being that it shares a similar art style to K, as well as a few similar character designs and supernatural elements.)
As for the animation it is fluid and well animated. I'm a fan of bright and colorful shows (probably why that despite K's many big flaws I had fun watching it in clear 720p.) So I like some good eye-candy. Who doesn't?
I just hope the quality doesn't lower as the show goes on. This happened in the case of K - it was a very expensive show to make, and in the second half of the series the 'budget' started to show itself. It may or may not happen to Karneval - it depends on how they planned and budgeted the series.
Okay, moving on, how does the first episode hold up by itself. So Karneval is based off the manga by Touya Mikanagi - a manga I have never even read or heard of until watching Karneval's first episode.
For starters, the plot. Karneval is a bit hard to talk about in this area - it left me rather intrigued and confused at the same time. I do want to know more about this universe and the people in i.
Karneval wastes no time in throwing you into its universe of fantasy, action and supernatural. Fast-paced, the anime wastes no time in jumping right into it. No build-up, no character introductions, no exposition, nothing to really explain the plot - these may seem like negatives but you know what?
For Karneval it worked well, and ended up making an enjoyable start to the series. There's a lot of fun to be had in this first episode - there's bright, flashy action scenes, colorful visuals, a strange but innocent and
adorable main character...It has the potential to be a highly enjoyable anime this season. The first episode has a rather mysterious atmosphere, and while I was confused as to what the hell was going on my confusion was more of a 'curiosity' rather than a negative view. It feels as though to Karneval there is something more going on, something the creators are dangling right in front of our noses to pique our curiosity.
As a result I can safely say that yes, the show was rather confusing at parts for me, more in a general sense than anything - but I'm not so confused that I've no desire to watch the rest of it. It more or less has a 'mysterious' feel to it, and that leaves me intrigued to see more of this world. Whether my questions will be answered is an entirely different story, and one only time will tell.
The story follows a boy named Nae, searching for someone very important to him, his only clue being an abandoned bracelet he wears. And Nae...well...he's adorable. There isn't much else to say other than he has a very innocent personality, with a rather limited vocabulary. The way he speaks is just so cute and innocent that you can't help not liking him. He's soon paired with a thief named Gareki, who picks pockets to get by day to day. The two meet in a strange mansion where they are set-up, and soon become
wanted criminals by military security operative.
In a hopeless predicament the two encounter the country's defense organization that goes by the name of 'Karneval.'
Does it sound rather cheesy? Yeah. Silly? Sure. But even if Karneval goes the messy convoluted route similar to K, it could still make for a potentially highly enjoyable anime this season.
Nae is a very adorable character, at least to me. From his simple speech pattern courtesy of his limited vocabulary, to just his young and foolish appearance in general. It's hard not to like him; he's a bit of a 'head in the clouds' type of character without being too annoying or airheaded. His design is similar to that of Shiro's from K and watching him go around on screen that's who I was most reminded of. His backstory is a mystery as of now - all we know is that he lived with some strange man named Karoku in the woods, whom one day disappeared into the ocean with only a trail of blood (or 'red water' as Nae innocently calls it) left behind, and that Nae is looking for him.
Gareki is interesting too. No doubt he'll be a fan favorite among all the girls (they just love their characters arrogant, cold, and badass outlaws who beneath their cool exterior actually care deeply - and of course the artstyle alone gives away this series' main demographic.) I'm interested to see his backstory and more of him too - though who am I kidding. More Nai please. Lots more Nai.
4/5
As for the animation it is fluid and well animated. I'm a fan of bright and colorful shows (probably why that despite K's many big flaws I had fun watching it in clear 720p.) So I like some good eye-candy. Who doesn't?
I just hope the quality doesn't lower as the show goes on. This happened in the case of K - it was a very expensive show to make, and in the second half of the series the 'budget' started to show itself. It may or may not happen to Karneval - it depends on how they planned and budgeted the series.
Okay, moving on, how does the first episode hold up by itself. So Karneval is based off the manga by Touya Mikanagi - a manga I have never even read or heard of until watching Karneval's first episode.
For starters, the plot. Karneval is a bit hard to talk about in this area - it left me rather intrigued and confused at the same time. I do want to know more about this universe and the people in i.
Karneval wastes no time in throwing you into its universe of fantasy, action and supernatural. Fast-paced, the anime wastes no time in jumping right into it. No build-up, no character introductions, no exposition, nothing to really explain the plot - these may seem like negatives but you know what?
For Karneval it worked well, and ended up making an enjoyable start to the series. There's a lot of fun to be had in this first episode - there's bright, flashy action scenes, colorful visuals, a strange but innocent and
adorable main character...It has the potential to be a highly enjoyable anime this season. The first episode has a rather mysterious atmosphere, and while I was confused as to what the hell was going on my confusion was more of a 'curiosity' rather than a negative view. It feels as though to Karneval there is something more going on, something the creators are dangling right in front of our noses to pique our curiosity.
As a result I can safely say that yes, the show was rather confusing at parts for me, more in a general sense than anything - but I'm not so confused that I've no desire to watch the rest of it. It more or less has a 'mysterious' feel to it, and that leaves me intrigued to see more of this world. Whether my questions will be answered is an entirely different story, and one only time will tell.
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| Nae is adorable<3 |
In a hopeless predicament the two encounter the country's defense organization that goes by the name of 'Karneval.'
Does it sound rather cheesy? Yeah. Silly? Sure. But even if Karneval goes the messy convoluted route similar to K, it could still make for a potentially highly enjoyable anime this season.
 |
Gareki is interesting too. No doubt he'll be a fan favorite among all the girls (they just love their characters arrogant, cold, and badass outlaws who beneath their cool exterior actually care deeply - and of course the artstyle alone gives away this series' main demographic.) I'm interested to see his backstory and more of him too - though who am I kidding. More Nai please. Lots more Nai.
So in the end Karneval's first episode was a lot of fun. It's plot sounds quite silly; it's visuals are some nice eye-candy; there's flashy action scenes, likeable characters, and fast-paced entertainment that really works well for an anime like this. Depending on later episodes Karneval could be a highly entertaining anime this season, and if it continues to have more Nai then I'm in for the ride already.
Entertaining; might become a convoluted pretty boy show in the future; will still hopefully be really enjoyable
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