Karakuri Circus
Katou Narumi has Zonapha Syndrome—a condition that literally stops him from breathing unless he makes people laugh. He gave up his training in Chinese martial arts to return to Japan and work as a clown, though he's terrible at it. Everything changes when he meets Saiga Masaru, a newly wealthy kid whose laugh finally gives Narumi some relief. But Masaru's got problems: assassins are after him, except they don't use guns or blades. They fight with massive, unsettling puppets instead. Then a woman named Shirogane shows up with her own puppet, claiming she was sent from France by Masaru's dead grandfather to keep him safe. From there, things get weird and complicated. The story splits into two sides—Karakuri and Circus—each following puppets and performers, tears and laughter. There's a traveling circus spreading Zonapha Syndrome, mysterious human puppets called the Shirogane, and puppet masters fueled by some deep, unresolved grudge. All of it's building toward something.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
Karakuri Circus
426ch • 43vol
1997
Synopsis
Katou Narumi has Zonapha Syndrome—a condition that literally stops him from breathing unless he makes people laugh. He gave up his training in Chinese martial arts to return to Japan and work as a clown, though he's terrible at it. Everything changes when he meets Saiga Masaru, a newly wealthy kid whose laugh finally gives Narumi some relief. But Masaru's got problems: assassins are after him, except they don't use guns or blades. They fight with massive, unsettling puppets instead. Then a woman named Shirogane shows up with her own puppet, claiming she was sent from France by Masaru's dead grandfather to keep him safe. From there, things get weird and complicated. The story splits into two sides—Karakuri and Circus—each following puppets and performers, tears and laughter. There's a traveling circus spreading Zonapha Syndrome, mysterious human puppets called the Shirogane, and puppet masters fueled by some deep, unresolved grudge. All of it's building toward something.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
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Karakuri Circus
Katou Narumi has Zonapha Syndrome—a condition that literally stops him from breathing unless he makes people laugh. He gave up his training in Chinese martial arts to return to Japan and work as a clown, though he's terrible at it. Everything changes when he meets Saiga Masaru, a newly wealthy kid whose laugh finally gives Narumi some relief. But Masaru's got problems: assassins are after him, except they don't use guns or blades. They fight with massive, unsettling puppets instead. Then a woman named Shirogane shows up with her own puppet, claiming she was sent from France by Masaru's dead grandfather to keep him safe. From there, things get weird and complicated. The story splits into two sides—Karakuri and Circus—each following puppets and performers, tears and laughter. There's a traveling circus spreading Zonapha Syndrome, mysterious human puppets called the Shirogane, and puppet masters fueled by some deep, unresolved grudge. All of it's building toward something.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
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Alternative Titles
Karakuri Circus
からくりサーカス
Clockwork Circus