Karneval: The Complete Series

Two young boys are at the center of this 13-part anime series: Nai, who is of mysterious origin and possesses a special bracelet with important powers, and Gareki, a miscreant who comes across as an iteration of Dickens' Artful Dodger. Somehow or other, the pair are scooped up by Circus, a security force with a vague affiliation to the government (the agency's name refers to its strange way of apologizing to communities that it disrupts: namely by putting on a circus-style show in order to make amends). Circus is apparently trying to protect Nai from Kafka, a dark organization engaged in illegal genetic testing (the Kafka team has created Varugas, monsters that were once human). Also thrown into the mix is a teenager named Karoku, who's imprisoned by Kafka but communicates telepathically with Nai. The storyline incorporates a chaotic swirl of monsters, robots, conspiracies, mad science, traps, betrayals, and violent fights, but moves so quickly that viewers don't have much time to ponder the weird shenanigans. Fortunately, the animation is colorful and inventive enough to almost distract from shortcomings in the plot. Compiling all 13 episodes from 2013 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and audio commentaries. A strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)