Nai is searching for someone important to him, with only an abandoned bracelet as a clue. Gareki steals and pick-pockets to get by from day to day. The two meet in a strange mansion where they are set-up, and soon become wanted criminals by military security operatives. When Nai and Gareki find themselves back into a corner from which there seems to be no escape, they encounter the country's most powerful defense organization, Circus... A comparison struck me while I was watching this episode, and Hirato will forever be One Hell of a Butler in my mind as a result. This did have a very Black Butler feel to it, which is not a good comparison to make - I didn't like Black Butler, and Karneval followed in its footsteps by almost completely failing to grab me. We even had a bomb disposal scene that managed to carry no tension whatsoever, which just isn't right. However, I'm nothing if not susceptible to some of the shallowest of anime lures, and once Tsukumo kicked into her all-too-brief action scene, my interest perked up immensely. She single-handedly moved the series from the 'one-and-done' pile onto the 'three episode rule' list, although I'm still not too hopeful that the series will manage to pull enough out of Hirato's hat to really get me interested. And it's a bit hat. THE GOOD: Tsukumo. General visuals, which are bright and detailed, at some good action scenes. THE BAD: No suspense or tension whatsoever. Nai's explanation of what happened to Karoku makes this sound almost like a Reginald Perrin spinoff (showing my age there...). We'll see how it goes, but I'm not holding my breath. Karneval is streamed by FUNimation (North America only).
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