Fujita Kazuhiro has always been of the “go big or go home” persuasion as a mangaka, I don’t think there can be any doubt of that.  But boy, so far with Karakuri Circus he’s making Ushio and Tora look like My Dinner With Andre.  It’s one thing to hit the ground running, but we really haven’t had a second to breathe in the first four episodes – and neither have the protagonists. I don’t know if it’s going to be like this for three cours – we’re talking about 43 manga volumes in 36 episodes here – but that would be really, really hard to pull off.  Even UshiTora (a shorter manga though still too long for three cours, even 13-episode ones) took time for some quiet relationship-building among the characters.

It’s too early to bemoan something that may or may not happen, so we focus on what’s already in the can of course.  Last week’s ep was the best of the run so far, and I would argue the most measured in terms of pacing (though that’s certainly a relative term).  This one was pretty much non-stop shock and awe from the first frame to the last (I know which of those two descriptions I’d use for the latter).  And to the extent it was possible to focus on what the characters were doing, we did see the seeds planted last time bear fruit, especially with Masaru.  One might argue it was a seed growing into a full grown fruit tree in a few minutes, but again – if you’re watching Karakuri Circus for photo-realism…

“Limbs” may not have been an intended theme here, but funnily enough that seems to take up most of the notes on my scratchpad.  “Leg”, for the one (Uncle Zenji’s) that Masaru broke after being betrayed.  “Arm” for the one Shirogane tells Narumi she used to see outside the walls of her little prison cell as a child, operating a puppet (Shirogane’s whole childhood is ridiculously creepy in a very effective way).  “Legs” for the ones Shirogane breaks in the non-stop carnage at the mansion, leaving her unable to fight.  And I think the last one will be obvious, but I’ll get to that shortly.

While Masaru has managed to convince Eiryou to back him, things don’t get any easier with Shirogane and Narumi captured.  And it took some convincing – Eiryou is clearly impressed with his target, but insists his clan can’t go back on an oath.  Masaru’s decision to show him the journal he found while hiding is a good one – that’s valuable information he’s giving away for free, but in the moment he needs allies more than leverage, and that book effectively squashes any pretense Eiryou would have to be loyal to his old boss.

I guess Masaru’s talent shouldn’t be that much of a shock, given his genes, but boy does he blossom quickly – and Eiryou definitely takes notice.  Masaru is a keen observer and quick learner, and his decision to pursue self-determination certainly wasn’t half-hearted.  That’s why even in the end, as Narumi and Shirogane are screaming at him to run as a bomb (who was it planted by, again?) under the mention ticks down, Masaru declines.  For better or worse his running days are over, which leaves us an interesting situation with two (still, presumably) bound and determined to take care of a boy who doesn’t want to be protected.

As to that ending, well – I tried to be detached about it, but the moment speaks for itself.  Loudly.  That lonely arm still clasping Masaru in the scorched ruins of the pagoda (do Masaru and Narumi not have to breathe?) was definitely not the sight I was expecting to see.  And I still don’t know what the make of it – I mean, the logistics don’t even make sense (where’s all the blood?) for starters.  But more crucially, can this really be it for Narumi only 10% of the way through the story?  No, no way that’s happening – one way or another we’re being trolled here, but it’s not the first time Fujita-sensei has done that and it won’t be the last.