Karakuri Odette

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Karakuri Odette is a Shojo Slice of Life manga by Julietta Suzuki about the life of Odette, a Robot Girl who wants to know what it's like to be human. In order to pursue her little philosophical quest, she decides to go to high-school. There she meets Asao Kurose, a punk who is known for being a holy terror, and Yoko Morino, a kind girl who quickly becoems her best friend.

Karakuri Odette is of no relation to either Karakuri Circus or Karakuridouji Ultimo.

Tropes used in Karakuri Odette include:
  • Bromantic Foil: Iwasaki, for the few times we see him, is like this for Aaao.
  • Couldn't Find a Pen: See Dying Clue below.
  • Dying Clue: Parodied by one of the people Asao beats up, who attempts to write his name on the ground with his finger as Asao is attempting to cover his own ass after being seen by Yoko.
  • Delinquent: Asao and his friends. Yukimura is already attempting to drop this reputation upon his introduction.
  • Do Androids Dream?: The manga makes its stance in this issue clear from the very first chapter.
  • The Doll Episode: A unique variant in chapter 4, with the robot Asia. Odette is initially envious of Asia, who she perceives as more human due to her bubbly personality. The "horror" aspect does play out until the end, when the narrative shows the readers just how wrong Odette is when Asia cuddles the corpse of a stray cat, lacking any understanding or awareness of life and death.
  • The Empath: Shirayuki Ringozaka. Debatable, as the first display of her power appears to treat it as Telepathy with Shirayuki hearing exactly what the other person is thinking, but the narrative treats it as empathy in the rest of the series throughout by describing it as "hearing people's hearts." As the series ends, her powers begin to fade as she gradually starts interacting with society.
  • Flanderization: Asao's more Jerkass and abrasive personality traits become more apparent as the series goes on.
  • Fun Size: Alice, the child-like robot-body that Odette inhabits for one chapter that looks like a younger version of her.
  • Implied Love Interest: Asao is this for Odette. The possibility is only really brought up when Odette's understanding of love comes into question, when Yukimura enters the Picture. After his story arc, the idea of love between Asao and Odette is teased till the end of the series. While Yoko points out Odette's feelings for Asao as love, the clear extent of his feelings for Odette is a mystery that's neither resolved or addressed.
  • Incurable Cough of Death: Subverted. Yoko has a chronic illness that results in episodes of severe breathing problems, but after the first chapter, this aspect of her character is only addressed once in a minor instance.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Asao.
  • A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read: Shirayuki's initial conflict.
  • No Waterproofing in the Future: Odette is a highly advanced robot in a presumably modern setting that at least has a more developed field of robotics than in Real Life. Yet she has never received waterproofing from the Professor, which causes her problems several times in the story.
  • No Romantic Resolution: To the chagrin of the readers who focused on that particular aspect of the manga.
  • Pinocchio Syndrome: The first chapter. It starts off with her request to attend a human school, to modifying her body so its capable of "eating," until it culminates into a request to adjust her strength to that of a normal human's. This backfires on her during a crucial moment where she needs to save Yoko due to her lack of medicine. After the ordeal is done with, she learns the value of the traits inherent to her as a robot and requests most of the changes to be reverted, while discovering that she's more human than she thinks she is.
  • Ridiculously-Human Robots: Odette and Chris. And Travis.
  • Robot Girl: Odette.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Yukimura. Mika lampshades the "stalker" part mercilessly.
  • Super Strength: Odette.
  • Those Two Girls: Yoko and Miwako gradually fall into this role as the cast becomes larger.
  • What Is This Thing You Call Love?: This dilemma is brought up midway through the series when an underclassman of Odette, Yukimura, begins showing an interest in her. She has not developed an understanding of romantic love at the point and even later confesses to Yukimura that she's not sure that she ever will. Whether or not she's capable of feeling it is a lingering question throughout the series.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Cute?: Likely the reason for Odette's initial shock of being called the "gorilla" of her class upon finding out what a gorilla actually is.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Professor Owen attempts to hire Asao to attack Odette with a gun tailored to shut her down so Asao can bring her to him without any resistance. When Asao refuses the job, Owen questions why, as kidnapping a robot, to him, is not the same as kidnapping a human. Asao responds by saying that he does not see her a robot, but as a "hopelessly annoying woman." The underlying meaning of the statement is clear.