“From Blackout:

The protagonist, Masaru, has just inherited a big fortune after the death of his father. However, people are trying to get their hands on it by any means necessary, even if it means killing him. Narumi helped Masaru from being kidnapped after fighting some weird guys. He found out that they’re not humans but wooden puppets with amazing strength. After a hard fight, Narumi was forced to admit that he’s no opponent for them; and just when he started to think that Masaru would be captured, Shirogane, Masaru’s watcher arrives from France with a weapon, the puppet Arlequin. Here, begins the story of Karakuri Circus.” -Mangafox.com

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At first I read this manga more for the comedy than the action.  The jokes were priceless; I saved most of the funny pages and I still laugh at them.  Notice my use of past tense in, “The jokes were priceless”? Well that is because the manga has a turning point were the the quality of the action and comedy switched.  That isn’t to say that the action before hand was not good.  In fact it was good just not amazing.  Now the action plays a much larger role than the comedy.  It is to say that this is now an action manga with comedy to help move things along rather than a dark comedy with some splashes of action. 

But here comes the twist: It is not the comedy nor the action that makes the manga something special.  It is the themes this manga contends with.  The manga exposes the evil and the good of humans.  Throughout the manga we see elements of human nature personified.  In a way the manga is simply a battle between the good and the evil in humans.  This manga asks, “What makes us humans?”  We are shown battles between dolls who want to be human, they have life but no emotions, and humanity’s defenders who are ageless but lost their emotions over time.  What is so different between them?  Is it our emotions that makes us humans?  If not then what is the difference between emotionless humans and living dolls?

It is important to know that this manga has an invisible line, what I call the turning point, splitting it in two.  Relatively speaking, the first half is slower paced, funnier, and more light hearted.  The second half is darker, fast, and has more action.  Only one character is constant throughout the entire manga.*  And I look forward to seeing how both parts are brought together that is if they even will be connected.  Both parts are good in their own right, which is why I recommend this manga. It is the best of both worlds.  But a fair warning goes out to everyone: Do not let the manga’s art style fool you.  This is a good manga.  It is worth reading even if you don’t like the art.

*F.Y.I. Referring to the summary, Masaru is not really the protagonist, he is just introduced before the main character.

Available here

GO Rating: 4.5/5

Sources: [Mangafox.com] [flickr.com] [manga-news.com]