Amazing. A sincere 15/10. This is truly a carnival phantasm.
Honestly, I have to admit that I’m not familiar with a lot of the characters that this anime parodies. I haven’t watched or read Tsukihime, and I know nothing about Fate Grand Order. And as for the cats that show up in every episode? I’m clueless. Despite all that, I have to say that watching this anime was an absolute delight.
The first episode was particularly outstanding. It not only gave me a clear idea of what the show was going to be about, but it also set the tone and expectations for the rest of the series. Type-moon really outdid themselves with that first episode. In fact, you don’t even need the usual three-episode rule with this anime - if the first episode doesn’t hook you, then nothing will. That’s how well it established the show’s themes and overall direction.
I have to admit, the silliness of it all caught me off-guard. Considering the original source material is filled with intense violence and emotional turmoil, turning it into a comedic parody seemed like an odd choice. But the show exceeded my expectations in every way. It didn’t feel like it was parodying the original just for the sake of it - it had its own unique twists and turns that made it stand out. It never felt like it was mocking the original just for the sake of it. The writers put a lot of effort into creating an alternate version of the characters, building up their own comedic context and even going so far as to give them, Carnival Phantasm-centric character arcs.
You can really feel the passion that went into creating this show. It’s experimental, it’s humane, and it’s incredibly creative. Though some source-based jokes went completely over my head, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying every episode. The level of effort put into the writing and character development was truly impressive, especially considering they could have just used the existing characters in a comedic context. Instead, they took the extra step and crafted their own unique version of these characters and it shows. I have a lot of respect for the effort that they put into this project, and it really paid off.