No one could have predicted just how big Gooseworx’s The Amazing Digital Circus would become. Its first episode has racked up 459 million views as of this writing. Merchandise, both official and bootleg, filled stores all across the world. Japan even had pop-up shops and cafes devoted to Pomni, Jax, and the rest of the gang. So it should feel natural that an official manga would claw its way out of the abstracted realm and into the hands of its fans.

First, the good news: artist Sakura has managed to bring The Amazing Digital Circus to the 2D realm with great success. All of the characters and their surroundings have been presented here with great detail and emotion. Caine, the big-mouthed googly-eyed mastermind of the series’s whole world, fits perfectly as a gag manga persona, with their attitude bringing to mind the likes of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Koro-sensei, and Jyushimatsu. Pomni also acts as a great example of a flawed protagonist, whose actions and thought processes aren’t exactly optimistic, but rather grounded by the current situation that she’s in.

Now the bad news: if you were one of the 459 million pairs of eyes that saw the first episode, then you’re not going to be surprised by what you read in the first volume. These 160 pages are practically a panel-to-panel recreation of all of the events in the pilot of The Amazing Digital Circus. Caine begins the theme song, Pomni appears, they start the Gloinks mission, and Kaufmo has been found to be abstracted. There are no twists to the original story, nor is there any added lore to the goings-on of the current mission.

I am hoping that the rest of the series won’t just be a 1:1 reenactment of the original episodes. Although I really enjoyed The Amazing Digital Circus, I don’t just want to read an exact replica when I could easily turn on Glitch’s YouTube page and watch the whole thing again. If Sakura was given some sort of free rein to make her own adventures, or if Gooseworx gave them some notes on how to sneak in some surprises into the original narrative, then it could have the chance of delivering an experience that’s unique in its own right.

For now, I would tread carefully with this adaptation of The Amazing Digital Circus. Sakura’s art style is commendable, and they were able to beautifully draw the characters and the world in a way that feels proper to the original animated series. However, if this is just going to be a paint-by-numbers retelling of the cartoon, then there may be no point in sticking around, especially if you’ve already watched (and rewatched) all nine episodes of the series. Fingers are crossed that Sakura’s able to bring something fresh to the lives of Ragatha, Kinger, and Bubble. Otherwise, The Amazing Digital Circus will have committed the textbook definition of the word “insanity”.

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.