Episode 13 – “Karneval”

And thus ends the spinning carousel known as Karneval. It was an exciting ride to be sure, but sadly the ending left a lot of loose ends and mysteries just begging to be solved. Depending on the popularity of the anime and manga, a second season could be in store sometime in the future, but it’s hard to say without getting anyone’s hopes up. Still, with such a diverse cast of characters, there’s plenty of material to work off of. Maybe we could get a slice of life OVA showing Gareki’s everyday school life.

Despite all of the explosions that occurred this episode, there was only little notable action. I’m also surprised that everyone survived said explosions. Karneval also had some fairly good plot twists, too. The two instances that stick in my head are Azana’s act of treason against Circus, and this week’s episode when we discover that Karoku, on the brink of death, has an evil doppelganger that’s been luring Nai to him.

Some unanswered questions I have are: will Kafka’s reign of terror ever be stopped? Where did Azana run off to? What will Nai do now that Karoku’s awake? Does Karoku have his memories intact? What kind of credentials is Gareki hoping to get by going to school? I don’t believe they ever specified in the anime, at least. What happened to Karoku’s evil twin, and perhaps more importantly, who is he? What about Erisyuka? From how closely she’s in contact with the series’s main antagonists, she must be an important character.

For the first time, we get a brief glimpse into the past of a Circus member. Like Gareki, Yogi has no family record. More specifically, Yogi’s was altered when he joined Circus in order to protect both his family and himself. Though, the details are never thoroughly explained, it’s a step forward in learning more about the people we’ve been seeing for 13 weeks. Maybe there will be more? Maybe one day…

B.W.