Score 11 – “Ice Cream Parade”

You know, I don’t think I’ll get tired of seeing Yogi. He’s such a refreshing and funny character, and his cheerfulness is super infectious. On their day off, he takes Gareki and Nai to the Nyanperona merchandise store. It turns out that Circus’s mascot is a big deal where they’re from (like Mickey Mouse but more charismatic). Of course, leave it to Gareki to crush the dreams of little kids by saying that Nyanperona actually has a person inside of it. Though, Yogi is so much of a dramatic character that that might not even be a bad thing. I also love his mushroom phones.

Almost every episode so far has had the ideals of innocence and corruption at odds with each other, with Nai at the crossroads. There are a lot examples in this episode like Yogi’s idea of what a child’s role model should be like (i.e. Nyanperona), which is opposed by the attacker disguised in the squirrel costume. Then we have Yanari, a boy who fears that his future down the path of corruption has already been written for him because of the actions of his father. But all it takes is a welcoming hand to change everything. Like how Yogi, and even Gareki, reached out to Nai, Nai reaches out to Yanari.

From corruption can spring forth redemption. Gareki admits that he had been using Nai in the hopes of getting money, but he doesn’t feel this way anymore. Because of these mixed emotions, he’s unsure of whether to accept Hirato’s invitation to join Circus. However, he’s adamant about helping Nai save Karoku, who is still shrouded in complete mystery for me. He tells Nai that Kafka plans to kill him, but is he really so helpless against him? And why does he always have bandages?

It’s hard to believe that there are only two more episodes left for this series because there are so many questions that need to be answered. I think Karneval could have easily filled up 25 episodes. There are so many interesting characters, yet so little screen time. It’s possible that they want to give more time for the manga to get further along, and I can definitely see this getting another season in the future.

B.W.