Carnival Phantasm

Okay. So, we have two quite serious franchises most well known for their Visual Novels, Anime... One of them having an anime, and strangely their Fighting Games too. What could we do with them next?

Make a spin-off? Okay... Give it to a freshman company that could ruin it all? Alright...
The result?

...

TAKE MY MONEY!

Carnival Phantasm is an OVA Comedy Sketch Anime based on the Manga called Take-MOON which was written by Type-MOON's Eri Takenashi to celebrate Type-MOON's 10th Anniversary.

I originally heard about this anime back in 2010 but I never had the chance to watch it. So I decided to watch it last year; and this has became my number one favourite of all time.

Story: 10/10
There really isn't a major story and I'm A-OK with that! The anime follows the many plots the Manga has and revolves around the cast from Melty Blood, Fate/stay night and Tsukihime. Each one having a comedic plot; and the hosts of this anime being the Neco-Arcs from the Melty Blood franchise. There really isn't much to say as there are multiple plots hanging, but they are pulled off so well I cannot help but laugh.

Art: 8/10
The art is great but it can be very noticeable that some things were missing or re-drawn. One example of an error is during the OP; one of the schoolgirls on the far right will vanish just before she leaves the screen. While these are a few errors, I still like the art direction, it feels very close to the original artwork of the VN and Fighting Games. The OP always brings a smile to my face whenever I see it; the ED is great to see too. This anime is very pretty to look at if you ignore some of the errors.

Sound: 10/10
The sound in this anime is just... how can I put it?... SO HAPPY!
The OP Super Affection by Minami Kuribayashi, Miyuki Hashimoto, Faylan, Aki Misato, yozuca* and rino always puts a huge smile on my face with how upbeat it sounds. The ED Fellows by Masaaki Endoh is a huge treat to listen to as well. The rest of the sound effects are very nice to hear to aswell.

Character: 10/10
The characters we know and love from Fate/stay, Melty Blood and Tsukihime have all kept their original personalities but upped the ante with a sprinkle of humour added into their personality. There are alot of characters so I will only go through a few. One of the most popular characters in this anime being Lancer (voiced by Nobutoshi Canna) is the biggest bit of Slapstick Humour in this anime and recurring gag. As he is always dying. Satsuki Yumizuka (voiced by Omi Minami) is a member of a stand up group called "Back-Alley Alliance" as she tries to do unfunny stand up comedy.

All the other characters are a treat to see. Even those with minor appearances are a great enjoyment to watch.

Enjoyment: 10/10
If this rating system could go any higher. I'd give it a twelve; but the enjoyment here is absolutely great. The humour in these episodes is hilarious and will always bring a smile to your face, the jokes are great, the recurring gags are hilarious; characters are so memorable and great to see. The OP is just so cheery too. It feels like the right recipe that can be watched again and again, with the comedy never running dry.

Overall: 10/10
This anime to me is just amazing. I had my doubts about it at first, but I'm glad I got to see it; its my favourite of all time and I enjoyed it. Fans of Type-MOON's Visual Novels, Fighting Games and Fate/stay night anime franchises will love this.

SEA-SON FOUR! SEA-SON FOUR!

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As a gigantic Type-Moon fan, I recognize that this review may be a bit biased. Indeed, if you aren't familiar with any of the characters in Fate stay/night or Tsukihime, or the universe both stories take place in (aptly named the "Nasuverse" by fans after the author, Kinoko Nasu), then don't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. On the other hand, if you are familiar with anything Type-Moon, then prepare for the best parody series in recent memory. In short, your knowledge of Type-Moon lore is directly proportional to the amount of enjoyment you will get out of this series. And for me, it's a perfect 10.

As I understand, this anime is based off the Take-Moon manga created by Eri Takanashi, whom you may know best as the creator of the relatively popular series Kannagi. If you've been introduced to Kannagi and its offbeat brand of humor, then you might know what to expect...or do you? The fact is, Carnival Phantasm's humor is way more polished and wacky than Kannagi, and that's coming from someone who considers himself a fan of both. It's clear just by viewing one episode that Takanashi is passionate about the Nasuverse, bringing in even the most obscure relics and fan favorites such as Neco-Arc Chaos, Sion, and Caren. Even the denizens of Melty Blood are present!

Going into all the individual segments, easter eggs, and recurring gags would make this a very, very long review, so I'll just leave all those for you to watch for yourself. But some of my personal favorite segments are the Grail-kun, Afterschool Alleyway Alliance, The 5th Seihai Grand Prix, Berserker's First Errand, and of course the omnipresent Seihai-kun. The Badump! Date Plan segment gets an honorable mention simply for being exactly what it sounds like: the protagonists of Fate and Tsukihime trying to create their own respective harems. If you know why that might pose many, many problems and you can realize how absolutely, ridiculously absurd that would be, then this series is definitely for you. Things even get serious in typical Nasu fashion with the episode "Final Dead Lancer". At its core, it is nothing more than a love letter to the Type-Moon universe, and I wouldn't ask for anything more.

Carnival Phantasm is beautifully animated and has one of the catchiest OPs in recent memory. The ED pales in comparison, but still serves as a nice dramatis personae to the Nasuverse. The Tiger Dojo segments are the stuff of legend--you won't believe how good they are till you see them.

You won't find any mollusks or postmodern, unconventional, often maddening writing styles in this series, but this is without a doubt the best and most hilarious take on the Nasuverse since "Platonic Magician H" or "Kaleido Prism Illya". I highly recommend it to anyone.

SEA-SON FOUR! SEA-SON FOUR!

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Carnival Phantasm - THE GREATEST THING EVER CREATED BY THE HUMAN RACE

Story- This don't need no story, its basically a whole bunch of comedic skits, so the presence of story is neither needed nor wanted

Art - It is an ONA so art isn't really gonna be that good considering the budget ONA's get, but the use of simplistic art favors the humor, in fact it wouldn't have been as good if the art was high budget.

Sound - Best Opening ever made, in all of creation.

Characters - All the Type Moon Characters, made brilliantly hilarious. Best Type Moon Fan service ever

Enjoyment - This represents that maximum amount of enjoyment a human being can ever have.

Overall - You need to have watched and be familiar with the other Type Moon Anime: Fate, Tsukihime. But if you liked those.... this will be a better present then anything anyone has given you...... Even a car.

If you haven't watched it, and you've seen other type moon anime, watch it now. It is pretty much the best comedy you can get.

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This is perhaps the best fanservice anime I've seen to date. You may think...Fanservice? But how can it be fanservice if there are no well endowed, scantily clad female characters in there? Well lets just say that's the beauty of this show. Carnival Phantasm is literally servicing the loyal Type-Moon fans that have been following their works over the last 12 years. With that being said, this show is not for everyone. If you do not have an extensive knowledge of Nasuverse from playing Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night(The anime for these two sucked therefore you have to play the games), Fate/Hollow Ataraxia (Fate/Zero novels optional with the anime as a worthy substitute) and Melty Blood, you will not get even a fraction of enjoyment out of this show as opposed to the viewers who have played through all these games.

Carnival Phantasm utilizes a ton of inside jokes that, like I mentioned before, will not make sense if you have not played the games listed above. The show also assumes that you are familiar with all the characters and takes on a rather slice of life approach with little connections between episodes. The animation may seem ordinary but it is certainly refreshing to see the Tsukihime cast no longer suffering from the "male face syndrome" and the Fate cast being relieved from the "same face disorder".

Even though this anime is niche, it serves its purpose well and does exactly what it was intended to do: satisfying Type-Moon fans. For that reason, Carnival Phantasm definitely deserves a nine out of ten from me.

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