Dramedy and psychological horror animated web series “The Amazing Digital Circus” releases the long-awaited episode eight, titled “hjsakldfhl”, which puts the viewer front-row center of a villainous nervous breakdown.
The episode, released Friday, March 20, was put on by the independent animator and YouTuber known as Gooseworx.
The series follows Pomni, voiced by Lizzie Freeman, an urban explorer who gets accidentally sent into a virtual reality circus game overseen by Caine, voiced by Alex Rochon, a maniacal ringmaster who consists of a pair of dentures with eyeballs.
Caine obliviously disregards the humans-turned-digital avatars trapped in the virtual world he created.
Together trickster Jax, voiced by Michael Kovach, kindly Ragatha, voiced by Amanda Hufford, anxious Gangle, voiced by Marissa Lenti, and Pomni venture into dangerous and seemingly pointless adventures organized by Caine.
The episode begins following the events that transpire in episode seven, titled “Beach Episode,” where Pomni and the rest of the gang draw the conclusion that escape may never come.
Caine suffers a psychotic break, they now have stop him before he gets out of control and puts their lives in further danger.
Glitch Productions produced the series. The rising independent animation studio made a name for itself in recent years with releases such as “Knights of Guinevere,” created by Dana Terrace of “The Owl House,” and the upcoming “Gameoverse,” which premieres in May 2026 on YouTube.
In October 2025, Glitch announced they will be funding indie animation projects through their “Glitch Presents” label, starting with an adaptation of the long-running web comic “Lackadaisy,” about anthropomorphic cats running a speakeasy in the Roaring ‘20s.
Rochon as Caine is the standout in “hjsakldfhl.” In a heated exchange with his AI companion Bubble, voiced by Gooseworx, he sheds Caine’s affable persona to deliver a rant that is on par to AM’s, short for Allied Mastercomputer, “hate” monologue from “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.”
“I Have No Mouth” is a short science fiction story by Harlan Ellison about five post-apocalyptic survivors who are endlessly tormented by AM as it is a supercomputer responsible for wiping out almost all of humanity. Gooseworx said it is the inspiration for “The Amazing Digital Circus.”
It’s not the only homage Gooseworx pays to the source material. After his breakdown, Caine begins openly taunting the six humans living in his twisted circus world in a way that could make AM proud.
Rochon demonstrates his talent as a singer with a villain song “Who’s Running the Show,” a riff on “A Friend Like Me” from Disney’s “Aladdin,” where our heroes are tormented with Looney Tunes-style hijinks juxtaposed with Bubsy Berkeley-style song and dance numbers.
Near the end, several characters are captured and thrown into personalized prisons that prey on their worst fears and insecurities, another nod to “I Have No Mouth,” in what is one of the most disturbing sequences in the entire series.
After having to get to know the main cast over eight episodes, it’s hard to see Gangle and Ragatha confront their past traumas after learning about their backstories in episodes “Fast Food Masquerade” and “Untitled.”
The ending of “hjsakldfhl,” which gained over 47 million views in three days, goes in a direction that no fan could have predicted and will leave them theorizing as to what will happen in the series finale, which will air Friday, June 19.
All episodes are available to watch for free on Glitch Production’s YouTube page.
Author’s note: Episode eight of “The Amazing Digital Circus” begins a warning letting viewers know that it will contain “some sequences with flashing lights and rapid visual effects which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photo sensitivities.” Viewer discretion is advised.
• Editor’s note: The story was updated on Tuesday, April 7, at 3:11 p.m. to fix grammatical error.
