The Amazing Digital Circus Manga

by Sakura

The Amazing Digital Circus (TADC) has an official manga adaptation released in Japan, starting serialization in late 2024 in CoroCoro Ichiban! magazine, a collaboration between Glitch Productions and Shogakukan, with the first chapter retelling the pilot episode's events in a 2D comic format, offering extra content for fans while they await new episodes.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Comics

Unknown Binding

About the author

For Japanese mangaka, see Sakura .

Reviews

[Raaven💖 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series and this volume is pretty much just the first episode in manga form. Seeing it again just makes me remember what a jerk Jax was for a while. But I’m interested in redoing the whole show this way!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for this review :)

When I saw this pop up on NetGalley I got really excited because about a month ago I watched The Amazing Digital Circus and really enjoyed it. This comic is basically a beat-by-beat manga adaptation of the first episode. My main point of critique (which is what a lot of other reviewers have also said) is that because of the format some of the chaos and excitement from the story is lost. There are some gags that are hilarious when in animated-colorful form but in a black and white comic style lose some of its fun. (Ex. Jax grabbing the “spare” sign and breaking it over his knee and the entire bowling sequence that happened with Kinger and Gangle.) I also found that some of the texturing work done (I assume to fill in some of the visual gaps that removing color from this story created) threw me off. The dots all over Jax just seemed like too much to me, but I feel like they worked fine with Ragatha. Overall, if you are a fan of TADC this was super cute but honestly I would probably recommend watching the episode over reading this (especially to someone brand new to the series). I hope they adapt the rest of the episodes because I feel like the later episodes would lend really well to the manga style!!

[Noè Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really encapsulates the Pilot of TADC! I first watched the pilot around a month after it was released and have watched all the episodes almost immediately after release and I really like the stylistic choices that Sakura used when adapting this! There is a weird restraining texture on everything except the bonus stories, promos and the title pages which is weird, but I feel that it is also fitting with this story - I can't wait to see what the next installments look like with adaptation and bonuses and would definitely recommend this to anyone in the TADC fandom!

*Thank you NetGalley, Gooseworx, Glitch and VIZ for giving me an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!*

[Sheila Moreno Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es exactamente igual que el primer capítulo de la serie. Que era exactamente lo que quería, así que bien.

[Jodie · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

Having watched TADC and enjoyed it, I thought I'd give the manga adaptation a try. Sadly, I have to say that the manga failed to capture what makes the show fun and interesting.

The manga follows the first episode beat per beat and has tried to copy visually what happens in the show – but many of the visual gags don't carry across or translate well when they aren't animated. The artist could have achieved a much more interesting visual for readers if they leant more into traditional manga styles when drawing the scenes and characters, rather than trying to copy exactly what we see in the show.

One panel that stuck out to me as a good example was Pomni fleeing from abstracted Kaufmo through the circus, but she looked like the artist just cut and pasted her in a running pose onto the panel – there's no sense of motion, speed, or drama at all. My reoccurring thought reading this was "This all looks like the show was paused and it was traced straight from the screen..."

Also, while I'm well versed in the story and know what is happening from the show, I feel if I were new to TADC and was reading the manga first, I would have struggled to understand what was happening in this episode/volume.

Overall, if you are a megafan, then give the manga a try, but I'd probably give this a pass as it doesn't add anything that we already know to the story.

[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.]

[Dwarven Hydra · Rating 3 out of 5]

TL;DR: just watch the show, it’s freely available on YouTube from official channels.

This is by no means a bad adaptation of TADC; if for some reason you just can’t get into the show (say, you have a hard time keeping up with TV but have no problem reading a comic) then this seems a fine enough way to experience it, but if you’ve already seen the show, this just doesn’t bring enough to the table to really justify reading it.

The art is solid, faithful to the original, but at the same time something is lost without much being gained in return. Volume 1 covers the same ground as episode 1. It’s been a while since I’ve watched the first episode, but to my memory, it seems to be a pretty beat-by-beat recreation of the original. It doesn’t feel like an interpretation of the original so much as a direct translation, as if the artist was given the exact same storyboards that were used to make the show and told “make this.”

This one is definitely for (a) the super fans who just want to consume every piece of content TADC has to offer and (b) the people who, for one reason or another, can’t enjoy the show but still want to experience the story. If you’re a more casual fan of the show looking for a new take on the story, this might not be for you.

[Lady Bocwyrm · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Read as an electronic release from NetGalley] This comic is based on the hit web series, The Amazing Digital Circus, by Glitch Productions and Gooseworx. I feel that this will appeal to fans of the show, but it reiterates the same story and doesn’t really add to the world. Now, this is just volume 1, they may run through all episodes of the show and then continue on with new material, which would be great, but unless they do so I believe it would be better to just watch the web series as you lose the visual impact in the printed form. Not all the illustrations are understandable or defined leaving the reader to rely on text and other context clues to understand what is going on (please be aware, this may be a result of the electronic copy I read and may be cleaned up in the printed edition). My overall impression, as one who did not watch the show, is “Meh”, but I do believe it will appeal to the fans. 2/5 – Meh, not my cup of tea, but may be yours. But I wouldn’t actively tell anyone not to read it.

[Katies_bookish_adventure · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Amazing Digital Circus feels like a chaotic fever dream kind of read. It was entertaining but at the same time it felt a bit all over the place. I like the characters but not much is known about any of them or their situation in this particular volume. I’m not too familiar with this series, the tone seems to be trying to be comedic but sometimes dark things occasionally pops and that makes some suspenseful out of pocket kind of moments.

I feel like despite me not really knowing much about the characters previous to my read of volume one that each character in here has a very distinctive personality and voice. I seen very little of the first episode and yet I could picture these characters voices near perfectly with my read. I definitely feel more invested in the series now than I had previously, I’m curious about digital circus world and I can’t wait to take a further peek behind the curtain. Thank you to the publisher for my complimentary review copy.

[Vanessa]

I'm never all that sure where beat for beat, frame for frame adaptations fit in or what their use is for the audience in the original source language, and this one is especially a tough call, since the mini series is so dependent on, well, the digital tricks that can only be done in its original video form. Still, Sakura did really great work translating the tougher bits with some creative panelling and effects, though I really can't shake the "why does this even exist?" question, especially since the JP dub of the show was released pretty early on.

As for the story itself, there's a reason this got so big with the Hazbin Hotel and Homestuck crowd--same kind of XD random, curse-word-as-joke, and "welcome to my twisted mind" flavour to it. If it works for you, it's gonna work great. If not, the concept and visual styling might win you over regardless.

[Beccs Lasky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I am not super familiar with the show or the manga but I have heard of it and was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to read an advanced copy from NetGalley and Viz Media. For the review: being said that I didn't know what exactly I was getting into when I started ADCM, I was pulled in by the characters and the art. It was chaotic and a little disjointed and not having the background for either the main character (Pomni) or the digital circus she was dumped into, I was following along but not quite grasping what was happening. The artwork is fun and I guess with more information on the storyline it would have been more enjoyable but that felt like bunch of sugar-high children under the age of 5 screaming at the same time and trying to tell me what was happening but none of them knew how to speak. Lovely art, could be fun, not sure how I feel about it in the end.

[Abigail Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, let me start this by saying I have never seen the show; I have only heard of it from my students. This was utterly chaotic; nevertheless, I enjoyed it. All the characters are unique and interesting, and I am enticed to continue to explore the world of the Amazing Digital Circus.

I am a sucker for series with an abundance of lore, and I have a feeling this can go much deeper than what’s on the surface.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I found some of the panels hard to make out exactly what was going on due to the chaotic art style, but I am very interested in the premise. I don’t think this will have me jumping into the show, but I will definitely check out the manga sequels when they come.

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not too familiar with The Amazing Digital Circus before requesting the ARC, but it looked to be up my alley and I remember seeing Pomni around the internet somewhere. So I did a bit of immersive reading with this. I put the show audio on while a flipped through the comic and it was awesome. I do think the black and white format though, it gave it more of a creepy/darkness to the story. It’s very contrast to the colorfulness of the show.
Vol. 1 is pretty much a 1:1 to the pilot episode of The Amazing Digital Circus. So, that opens the door for more story eventually which is great.
There was a bit of nostalgic cartoonish vibe to this and I’ll definitely continue on with this series.

🎪🖤Thanks to VIZ Media & NetGalley for my advanced readers copy.

[Anna Frohling · Rating 3 out of 5]

its the first episode shot for shot word for word. The artist is good, but you can tell they dont usually draw toony stuff, as it doesnt really lean into that or show much motion. The simple bright and colorful toy-scape of the animation being rendered in grayscale makes it less eye popping. I think in some panels they just gave up and just took screenshots of come of the cgi rendered food etc. None of the characters really have a chance to stand out very much. I think maybe the specific sense of humor is hard to translate. I think Caine looks good. There is never anything remotely terrible in this adaptation, but you are missing nothing that isnt in the animation. Im wondering how they will adapt the finale.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun graphic novel. Pomni isn’t quite sure what happened to her. She put on a headset and wakes up to find herself surrounded by comical friends who deem themselves part of the Digital Circus. Finding a way out doesn’t seem to be possible, but if there is a will there is a way and Pomni knows she wants out. Yet nothing is quite what it seems in the Digital Circus and those trapped there have their own issues they are dealing with. I really enjoyed this first book in the series and can’t wait to see what happens next.
Thank you so much to VIZ Media and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

[Julia Pika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & VIZ Media for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a solid adaptation! Sakura did a great job in adapting the colorful characters of the circus and condensing the story into a manga. This will be very popular with fans of the show, but it does cover the first episode exactly so even new fans can dive in without knowing anything.

I think the only thing I'm disappointed about is that it's pretty much a 1:1 adaptation and it doesn't really add anything or bring anything new to the table, but that's just me.

[Yessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty shot for shot retelling of the first episode of The Amazing Digital Circus (TADC) show. There was a little difference in the visuals, but it is predominantly the same. I do appreciate the art and the story pacing, but it has no real deviation from the show. It is still a fun read, but it will be interesting to see if this follows the show exactly through its entire run, or if they will take advantage of the time and medium to expand the story. Time will tell, but this volume was a good start and introduction.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga adaptation of the first episode of The Amazing Digital Circus is functional as an adaptation, but is missing the show's dynamic visuals and movements. I will be ordering this for my library since so many of my students are hard core TADC fans, but as a fan myself, I don't think this adaptation adds anything substantive to the source material (though the bonus comics are fun). I'm not sure if this will appeal to an audience that has never seen the show and win them over, but it's sure to satisfy the obsessive fans.

[Ashley Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

I had a lot of fun with this one and feel it's a great adaptation of the original show. I think fans of the show will really like this one. I will definitely be continuing the series when the next volumes come out. I did notice that some of the panels in my version seemed to be out of order, but could just be a pre-print error.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, VIZ Media, Glitch Productions, Gooseworx for an advanced copy of this manga in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a fan of the show, this did a good job at capturing the pilot! The artwork is excellent, and it was an easy read. I think, as with a lot of media, the show captures the chaos and emotion better than the manga does, but I’d still recommend this to anyone who is a fan (or hasn’t been exposed yet).

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

A girl puts on a vr headset and end up in a crazy digital world with some other peeps on the same boat. The cast of characters seem cute and weird at first but they have a sinister side to them. Basically once you enter, good luck finding the exit.

I had never heard of the anime before reading this but it was super fun and at times a bit creepy. Those folks were no help at al which mad the whole ordeal for the girl very disturbing.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of The Amazing Digital Circus Manga by Sakura.

Whilst this was an enjoyable and readable version of the first episode of the TV show, I just felt like The Digital Circus really didn't come to life without its colour!

A quick and fun read, but a rare moment where I preferred it on screen to on the pages.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was good although the rating came from it being the exact same as the first episode! as enjoyable as the series was, i was expecting a spin off story with the characters but that’s my fault for not reading into it enough. i will still be purchasing the next volume tho as it was a fun read nonetheless!

[Noni?! Dove · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

This book was great! Although I was a little disappointed that it was word for word, if you have read the murder drones book you will see they have a few new characters so I will at least expect maybe a little more dialog or backstory from this. I do have to say that the show is so great that the book is just as wonderful. I would recommend checking it out!

[Rachel · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I've been thinking a lot about The Amazing Digital Circus, so this was perfect for me to read. It's a beat-by-beat portrayal of the first episode. I could hear the characters in my head. Do I prefer it over the show? No, the show is definitely better. Is this good as a manga adaptation? Yes, absolutely.

[SummerRae · Rating 2 out of 5]

What in the fever dream...

I loved the absurdity of this, but the story seemed pretty weak. I did enjoy the art though, it's very well done. Not for me, but I can see this hitting hard for someone give it a try.

[Nancy Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book for anyone that likes the show. It reminded of the first episode of the show. Definitely recommend for the fans.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

rip kaufmo (again) 
this was a fun adaptation of episode 1 but I'm hoping later volumes will introduce bonus content in the actual story and not as uh advertisements for LINE

[Aadya Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is sooo good k love how it’s so accurate to the show

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly straightforward adaptation. I don't think it translated well in this case.

[The Litt Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find the wacky inflatable tube people glitching out over at The Litt Librarian!

I recently became a fan of The Amazing Digital Circus by Glitch Productions and Gooseworx after catching a couple of stitched clips on Instagram. I figured we would get a continuation of what happened after the final episode of the cult series, or at least see some of the background adventures we missed. Alas, volume one of the manga was the exact repeat of the pilot episode.

The Amazing Digital Circus follows a group of gamers who are subconsciously trapped in a virtual reality game with no way out, led by an artificial intelligence ringmaster named Caine, whose erratic behavior starts to go rogue. Any player who puts on the VR headset is transported into the digital circus and immediately forgets their name and pieces of who they are outside the funhouse. To keep them from going crazy with boredom, Caine arranges daily wacky adventures that lead to no real prize. We follow the players as they try to keep their sanity while finding a way out of the circus and back to the real world.

I’m more curious about how Sakura will replicate the visual style on paper and in print. With visual specialties like sudden glitches and abstractions, I’m not sure how well it will translate into comic form.

Check out the full review over at The Litt Librarian now! And try not to abstract doing so