Karumaruka＊Circle カルマルカ＊サークル OPムービー

Synopsis:

“You’re the master of this world!” With those words, Kaito was invited by his energetic turtle-toting kouhai Nicole to Seikai Gakuen’s student council room to join the star-crossing circle. All of the girls in that group are peculiar in their own way. Once every year, on the night of Tanabata, they gather to try to access ‘Karumaruka’. If they are successful, then they would be freed from their curses and their fear of the future.

 OP Song:

Natsuki (True) Route OP

 


That was awesome! It truly lived up to it's hype. At first, I was really scared how things are going to play out. I mean, the writer of the story is different. Basically, you won't find a touching story like Hatsuyuki Sakura. So if you came in expecting another Hatsuyuki Sakura, then you're not going to find it here.

Overall, I'm really satisfied. It didn't disappoint, and I'm happy. This just shows that Saga Planets can make such an awesome story even without the writer of Hatsuyuki Sakura.

Similar to Hatsuyuki Sakura, there's the whole mysterious fantasy happening concept. In this case, seven people being stuck with curses in relation to the seven deadly sins. It causes them to have certain quirks. They suddenly want to own and desire something, they suddenly want to eat so much food, they can suddenly fall asleep, and they can lose control and overheat. You get the gist of it.

They want to get rid of it and in order to do so, they must first solve the origin of their curse or “Ma-ka”. Then they find out that it involves performing a ceremony during the Tanabata Festival, and access to “Karumaruka”.

Our protagonist, Mikage Kaito was an anti-social guy who prefers to stay away from groups. Everything changed when one day his kouhai, Otone Nicole suddenly calls him “You're the Master of this World!” With those words, he was dragged to the student council room to join the Star-Crossing Circle.

At first, Kaito wasn't willing. It's better to say that he's a tsundere, a lucky bastard who refuses to join a club full of harem.

He eventually gave in after hearing the details of this curse. He finds out that his Ma-ka is “Wrath”, and it revolves around him snapping, losing control, and destroying things.

The story follows an episodic-format. After the prologue, you're technically free to follow any heroine routes. With the true route locked, you have to complete all heroine routes and the magic circle. You have Ira right after the prologue. Finishing Natsuki's route unlocks Invidia, Gula for Shin, Luxuria for Nicole, Acedia for Koyomi, and Avaritia for Yukiha. Once you finish all routes, you unlock Superbia and the choices for the true route will be available.

To be blunt, everything feels like a charage at first. I don't know how to say it, I mean there's those sort of stories where there's a plot in the setting but it never really gets anywhere until the true route, and most of it is simply treated as a convenient plot device to trigger developments in the story. In the individual heroine routes, the Ma-ka and Karumaruka just serve as a background setting. You can't say there’s no story because in the heroine routes, there are important factors that stays as a background to build up the true route.

Amagase Natsuki

Natsuki is the “true heroine” of the story. Contrary to the true route, she has her own separate route which focuses on raburabu, character development, Hscenes and the like. I don't know how to say it, but there's those stories that forcibly tries to get the romance out of the way for the PLOT that will come later on. In Natsuki's true route, there's no raburabu and Hscenes, it mainly focuses on it's original setting. There's still romance though.

Natsuki's curse is “Envy”. Every time it triggers, she overheats and feels great hatred for someone, not everyone in particular, but towards Kaito. It usually triggers when Natsuki is with him. At first, I thought it was lust since she blushes red up to her ears whenever she sees Kaito's face and tends to hide her face behind her fan. I guess I was wrong, she ends up yelling “I hate you, I really hate you so much! Don't come near me” and badmouthing him whenever her curse triggers. 

The story in Natsuki's route was really disappointing. If we're talking about raburabu and romance, then it was really well done but when it came to the drama, it can be deemed as completely unnecessary to the story. I know it can't be helped since it's just her separate route. However, Natsuki is cute so all is forgiven. Okay, her route can be more or less forgiven when you think that Natsuki is the “true heroine” and that frankly, things weren't even meant to end in such a fashion.

Asahina Shin

Shin's curse is “Gluttony” obviously. Just hearing the word meal makes her want to eat anything and everything at full throttle. So if you happen to be with her, you'd best hide all your food and snacks or you'll end up with a hungry stomach.

Shin is a man-hater. She hates any guy she sees and she really hates her father in general. Due to some conflict in her family, she ends up living in the tent alone in a deserted area. She supports herself by working in a part time job day and night to the point that she ends up really tired in class and sometimes even skip school because of it.

To be honest, Shin’s route wasn't particularly interesting as it was the same old story of family drama, misunderstandings between father and daughter and so on. That sort of stuff has been played out in eroge too many times really. BUT! there's one important piece in her route that connects to the true route.

Otone Nicole

Nicole is Kaito's one year kouhai who had the best curse which is “Lust”, but there's just one problem... it only attracts the same sex! Oh how I'd love to have her curse, only if it attracts the opposite sex. I could make my own harem by then.

I never liked the energetic types, so I was least interested in her. But her route was really interesting and caught me off guard with the unexpected dark storyline.

I had to admit Nicole's route had the most interesting revelations and drama involved. Nicole is actually an Ojou-sama from another country. So she's frequently targeted by MBIs, secret agents, assassins and her route only gets the spot for the most unexpected twist with the entire war and life and death crisis getting involved in a story that was otherwise peaceful up to that point.

Natsume Koyomi

I tied Koyomi with Natsuki as the cutest heroines in the story. She's also one of the rare heroines that are obsessed with Mathematics. Koyomi is the student council president of Seikai Academy and the leader of Star-Crossing Circle. Koyomi is cursed with “Sloth”. I consider her Ma-ka the most dangerous because at any time and anywhere, so long as her Ma-ka triggers, she falls asleep whether she likes it or not. How about you try to imagine her going downstairs and she suddenly falls asleep, or when she falls asleep in the middle of crossing the road.

Koyomi's route revolves around her story, and not to mention that Koyomi had the best drama (for me). I-It's not biased just because she's c-cute and all but in the near end, her weapon “cuteness is justice!” is what beat the antagonist, so you really can't blame her for getting the best heroine route.

Kosaka Yukiha

Yukiha is the vice-president of the student council and the vice-leader of the Star-Crossing Circle. She's actually a sub heroine. I guess the story needs her route to get Avaritia in order to unlock the true route.

Yukiha's curse is “Greed”. Every time it triggers, she couldn't control herself and goes to buy things she finds cute.

It actually fits her character. I mean, Yukiha is a very rich Ojou-sama. So money isn't a problem for her even if she ends up buying everything.

Her route has the standard sudden appearance of a fiance story. For once I wished the fiance was an arrogant asshole, and Kaito beats the hell out of him to end the story. Although we have one, but it's not the fiance but Yukiha's elder brothers.

Natsuki (True) Route

After building up the plot threads and tying all the pieces of the puzzle, we get the true route that finally solves all of the mysteries surrounding the story.

The true route had the longest route, so I'm not going to summarize everything. I'll mention all the important things though.

We learn of the true identity of Karumaruka. It's actually some kind of library. Let's say that people from long ago discovered a way to access the Akashic records and obtained the ability to rewrite the past and the future. This led to many conflicts and eventually it was decided for it to be protected from people who want to use it for the wrong purpose. 

The incident “7 years ago” was actually the failure of the ceremony. This pretty much connects everything starting from why those people who are involved in the past ceremony lost their memories. They also happen to be the key characters who knew the pieces of the truth in order to solve the mystery.

However, things just don't go well when such great power is involved. There is always someone who attempts to manipulate these students into opening the records for his own greed, in this case the school director.

Then there's his retarded goals. Karumaruka had such great power, and all he ever dream is that?

The heroine route problem was gradually solved by Kaito, and we also learn his past and why he became like that before the start of the story.

Shocking revelations that Ren(green-haired trap) isn't cursed with “Pride”. He's actually just a stand-in for Sasakura Mirai who's the original owner of the Pride Ma-ka. It was really unexpected, I mean looking back, Mirai was acting all arrogant from the start so everything makes sense anyway.

Sasakura Mirai is actually the last remaining piece of the puzzle. In regards to the failure of the ceremony 7 years ago, the blood of Sasakura lineage is needed as a sacrifice in order for the ceremony to work.

While Mirai was supposed to be the sacrifice, she made an awful mistake which led to the capture of Natsuki. It was later revealed that Natsuki's mother, Amagase Sayo was actually a Sasakura. This means that Mirai and Natsuki are cousins whose mother are sisters.

That's not how you tie up a girl right? Though I have to admit this is quite lewd

Kaito mans up and they all decided to save Natsuki. I have to admit the tension here is quite serious. There are deathflags everywhere and I was really afraid that it's going to end up like Hatsuyuki Sakura.

In the end, they all decided that they shouldn't rely on such a power, so they end up sealing it up for good despite how all of them carry their own wishes they want granted and pasts they want to change. The finale was really touching. Manly tears were shed ;_;

This confession scene is the best amongst the best!

I have to admit that Natsuki's confession scene in the true route was a hundred thousand times cuter than her own route.

Karumaruka ＊ Circle really deserves to have an award for it's cuteness.

All of the characters move on from their regrets and the story comes to a happy conclusion, thank god for a happy ending ;_;

Always feels great to read an awesome story. Though it'll be hard to move on.

September titles are far from over. Next up is マジカル マリッジ ルナティクス!! I heard it's quite good to the point that others find a hard time choosing which heroine route to go first. Now that's really tempting.

Natsuki <3

Koyomi <3

She actually fell asleep in the middle of changing. I don't know how she ended up that way though

http://visualnovelspam.blogspot.com/2013/10/karumaruka-circle-thoughts.html