24 minSeason 1 • Episode 36
LatestFaceless refuses Masaru’s plea for the Zonapha cure. Diamantina destroys Francine automata but is dismantled. Faceless helps redirect the crashing station, revealing Éléonore’s singing cures Zonapha. Masaru escapes, and humanity is saved. Six years later, Narumi and Éléonore’s circus brings joy to war-torn areas, and Masaru saves children in a bear suit.
Narumi Katou is a middle-aged man who suffers from the bizarre ZONAPHA Syndrome: a rare and inexplicable disease that causes its victims to endure severe seizures at random, with the only cure being to watch someone laugh. One day, during Narumi's part time job, a young boy with a giant suitcase fleeing from three adults runs into him. The boy introduces himself as Masaru Saiga, the new owner of the famous Saiga Enterprises following his father's recent death. However, other members of his family are trying to assassinate him and claim the fortune for themselves.
Practical Effects
Hand-drawn puppet fights that put CG to absolute shame
Acting
Megumi Hayashibara's dual performance will destroy you
Direction
Adapts 43 manga volumes without mercy or filler
Creator
Kazuhiro Fujita
Chihiro Ueda
Masaru Saiga
Rikiya Koyama
Narumi Katou
Megumi Hayashibara
Shirogane Saigazaki
Romi Park
Lucille Berneuil
Masahiko Tanaka
Shōji Saiga
Akio Otsuka
Zenji Saiga
Takahiro Sakurai
Akira Ashika
Nozomu Sasaki
Christophe Guy Lesch
Tomoyo Kurosawa
Talanda Liselotte Tachibana
Marina Inoue
Vilma Thorne
Hisao Egawa
Shinobu Nakamachi
Ryota Iwasaki
Noriyuki Nakamachi
Kaito Ishikawa
Hiroo Nakamachi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kazuhiro Fujita's original manga ran from 1997-2006, making this a passion-project adaptation decades in the making.
The puppet combat choreography was inspired by actual bunraku theater techniques, with animators studying traditional puppeteers.
JP
