After a sudden coup d'etat by the court scientist Dr. Akamashi results in the king's death, Princess Alita Castilia Arago Forland is forced to flee the capital. During her mad dash for survival deep into the forest, Alita collides with the brutal and temperamental bounty hunter Falis, which causes the two women to magically switch bodies.
Using her original body as collateral, Alita convinces Falis—and her henchmen Dominikov and Pete—to help take back the capital from the treasonous scientist by pretending to be the real princess. However, while the plan was initially successful, the only diplomacy Falis knows is with her sword. Alita must now work hard to make sure the kingdom is not trading one royal scandal for another, all while the two displaced women look for a way to return to their original bodies.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
MrGaz
For a short series with non-stop action and an adventure with a twist, there is no need to look further than Murder Princess. Personally, when I heard about the title, I was thrilled because the idea of a killer princess is something new and different when its brought upon a series. No doubt, instantly I knew it was gonna be a good series just from the title itself. What was your thought when you first heard about it? Anyway, in moving along, as summaries in the synopsis, Princess Arita just witnessed the death of her king and now fleeing from unknown assassins, she accidentallyran into Falis, a famous bounty hunter and with a twist of fate, they switched souls making Alita the maid and Falis, the princess instead.
As the series moves on, you get to see how Falis adjust her new life in being the princess of Foreland as well as savagely slashing her enemies away with her great bounty hunter skills in order to protect the land and the citizens of Foreland, a promised made with Alita. In additional, there are many mysteries throughout the storyline to keep you entertained other than just slashing and shooting throughout the series like for example the mystery of the dark knight and the past of Princess Falis as known as Alita into why she became a bounty hunter. Ideas like these makes the storyline more captivating.
In regards to the OP theme, beginning it with heavy metal rock music gets you into the mood at the beginning of each episode. It's like, you know you will get to see some action and they just want you to gear up for it. Ideas like these just makes the series more enjoyable in my opinion.
Overall, a short, fast, action pace series full of adventures and thrills. As specified by the title, it does deliver a 'killer' good series.
Ranivus
Murder Princess is a 6 episode OVA that offers great action and a straight to the point story line. I noticed the genre tab didn't include shoujo-ai but I believe there is a decent dose of that thrown in with all the fun action. Regardless, when I first heard of the title I thought it was going to be about a renegade princess more than a warrior princess, as murder is typically associated with bad people. The show's storyline would actually tell otherwise. Being an OVA, the show spares you from the "unecessary" details and goes with a "this is how this universe works sodeal with it for now approach." It focuses more on the fighting and drama more than details and common sense. Although they do try to tie up some loose ends with what small time frame they have. But that's what makes this show so entertaining and fun. For you seasoned veteran anime watchers, the story line and plot twists are very standard and you'll most likely be able to predict what happens next fairly easily. Fortunately, that doesn't mean that this show is boring at all.
As for the characters, they are a very unique bunch considering the setting of the anime. But in typical anime fashion, there is no reason why they're there but definitely make for a fun viewing experience. It'll take a minute to figure out what most of the wierd characters are but they're of pretty generic types. None of them are very memorable. Theres no real depth to any of the cast with the exception of the princess and her companion, the only source of drama in the show.
When somone thinks of music in an action flick, you generally would assume a smashing guitar rift medley of the hard rock kind. That is exactly what you get from this show. The interesting thing I noticed was that each 'guitar intrumental' was different everytime they played it, as opposed to using the same song over and over and over again. The OP and intrumentals all sound like something that should belong in a video game, but somehow they fit this show perfectly. Another strong point is the character seiyus. All though it took me a few episodes to accept Romi Paku's (Hitsugaya Toushirou from Bleach) rough voice as the princess, but like Hitsugaya, she grows on you as well (especially since the princess is pretty hot). But in my opinon, Chiwa Saito, steals the show. Pay attention to Yuna to find out why.
With so many high quality anime being released in rapid succession, it's hard to say that the art and animation of this show looks great. For what it's worth, the art is done very well, but like most of the show it's drawn with average quality. No real high depth and detail to any of the artwork but its all just fine at best. I would also have scored this show a little higher in the art and animation department if they didn't skimp (leave out) so much on the action scenes. Theres alot of cookie cutter techniques in the fight scenes, like the famous "blade swipe in the black," or the "blurry punch" technique, and even the "jump to lightspeed" background. Is all used here. Of course they're all standard cheap action techniques, but the fight scenes do have an above average blood content. Limbs fly off, blood spatter flies everywhere, and even organs occasionally get exposed. The violence may be cheap but at least its graphic.
Overall, this is pretty much another average anime to add to your "completed" list. If you don't mind lack of depth in your story and just want a pretty fun action experience give this one a shot. If that doesn't sound like your thing WATCH IT ANYWAY. It's 6 episodes long and this show does bring a fun experience. Watching an anime about an ass-kicking princess doesn't come very often.
Arilayna
I felt this series could have been much better. There was a lot of potential to have good character development and an interesting story, but six episodes just didn't do it. The synopsis of the series sounded compelling, but the "magical accident" is little more than a one-line myth designed to explain away something the writers clearly couldn't think of a better reason for. The same with the story between Cesilia and Falis. The connection between the two is weak and cliche...which is something I found myself saying about the plot in general as well. It was very predictable.By half-way through episode two I felt it was pretty clear what would happen and it wasn't exactly an innovative plot hook. Other than the first episode, the fight scenes were repetitious and really left something to be desired. The princess who seemed so strong in the first episode really stop being a strong fighting character pretty quickly as she is swatted around numerous times and spends a lot of time (for a 6 episode series) on her back.
While my review may sound a touch harsh, I didn't find the series completely terrible. It just wasn't great, either. I thought the music was good and really helped moved scenes along. The idea of a killer princess is kind of misleading in this series and has been done better elsewhere. Murder Princess is ok for a one-shot, but really, it could have been better.
Linkark07
For being a short OVA of six episodes Murder Princess is an anime that will keep you entertained. Of course, don't expect a mindblowing anime with the best story, best characters and all of that. Story: Quite simple; the Kingdom of Forland is under attack by monsters and they plan to kill the royal family. Princess Alita escape from the castle and on the way for escape she finds an infamous bounty hunter called Falis. For some reason, when they fall thanks to Alita pushing her by fear after being attacked by a monster, they exchange body and Falis now becomes the princess of thekingdom with all her skills of being a bounty hunter. Alita convinces Falis to protect her kingdom. As I said, the story is simple so don't expect major things to happen.
Art: Quite good, nothing spectacular but it isn't ugly neither. The anime usually revolves in the past where the kings were ruling the kingdoms so you may have an idea of how the art is. It also shows some interesting stuff that look good.
Sound: Perhaps one of the strongest point of the anime; well, if you like electric guitar. The opening, Hikari Sasuhou, is great and the music that the show puts is also with electric guitar. Now for the seiyuus, the only ones I knew were Falis (Toushiro Hitsugaya) and the two robot girls (Hitagi Senjogahara) and I must say they did a good job with this anime. The other seiyuus also did a good job. In that area, the studio did a good job.
Characters: Not boring but also they aren't memorable. Falis is your cold girl that only cares for money and rewards at the beginning. Alita is the girl that tends to be the damsel in stress. This show also has the sidekicks of Falis; one of them is a sharp guy and the other one a quiet guy that helps people like Alita. There isn't alot of character development but at least they aren't boring at all.
Enjoyment: Alot of fights, blood and some plot twists but predictable; it really is enjoying. Of course, if you don't like blood or fights then this anime isn't for you.
Overall: A big seven. The anime is quite good for being a short OVA of six episodes. The sound and enjoyment are the best things that this anime gives meanwhile the story is quite predictable; the characters and art aren't memorable but at least it is good. As long as you only mind the action then you should check this anime, you won't regret it.
ErioMondial
when i first heard this series i became interesrted because when i her picture she is strong not only in looks but also in power the series is short but quite action pack you still enjoy the Murder Princess is the Strongest there will ever be .Alita Forland the Murder Princess No,1
ktulu007
Murder Princess is a two volume manga written by Inui Sekihiko. During that tail end of the manga's run, it was adapted into a six episode OVA. Which was produced by Marvelous Entertainment, a company primarily know for video games, and animated by Bee Train, the company behind a good chunk of the .Hack anime franchise. This is one you may or may not have heard of since it's not obscure but not really well known either. So, is it worth looking into? Story: Our story opens with a coup. In the kingdom of Forland, a scientist under the monarchy's employ decides that it's time totake things over for reasons that are a spoiler and I shan't get into. During the coup, the king sends his daughter, the Princess Alita, out through a hidden passage to safety. She and her escort are attacked by monsters in the forest and she barely manages to escape and meet the bounty hunter, Falis. The two fall from a cliff which causes their souls to swap bodies because... magic. Alita entreats Falis to save her kingdom, offering herself as collateral. Admiring her determination, Falis agrees, not completely realising what she's getting herself into.
On the positive side, the narrative is compelling. It keeps several mysteries throughout the main story that keep your interest and the eventual payoff for them is pretty good. This is also one of those rare series that manages to combine sci-fi and fantasy elements in a sensical way that adds to the world instead of having the world suffer from the clash between the two as is often the case when you combine advanced technology and magic. The pacing is very close to perfect with the plot moving very smoothly and steadily. It's never rushed or slowed to a crawl. The ending is great with some real emotional substance.
Now, to the problems with the series. The main problem is with the body switch. There are some good story reasons for it, but they don't do much with it. Falis has no trouble adjusting to fighting in Alita's body, which is apparently as well trained as her body was contrary to all logic. Neither one has much trouble adjusting to their new role either. Alita easily falls into a subservient role for the “princess” and Falis only has minor troubles adjusting to aristocratic comportment. It also bothers me that everyone consistently refers to Falis, in Alita's body, as “princess” when she does act as the queen for a time. It's, admittedly, a minor issue but it's annoying to me when a work of media calls the land's ruler “princess” when she's doing the duties of a queen and it happens all the time. Whether it's the Mushroom Kingdom, Mobius, Equestria or the Moon Kingdom.
Characters:
The primary characters in this, Alita and Falis, are really well developed and fleshed out characters. They also get some great interactions both with each other and with the secondary characters. The supporting characters vary a lot more. Dominikov and Pete are pretty good characters, Dominikov especially. But a lot of the other secondary characters are not very interesting. The antagonists have incredibly flimsy motivations. Then we have the characters who are there more to serve a function than to actually act as characters; Jodo, Ana and Yuna being prime examples.
Art:
The art is pretty spectacular. The character designs are all pretty creative and interesting. The action sequences flow well, in spite of the occasional motion lines scene, and have a very dynamic feel to them. The details are very nicely done in terms of backgrounds, background objects and the like. I also like that the series is pretty subdued about showing violence. It shows what it needs to, but keeps the more graphic parts off-screen. The only criticism I really have for the art is that some of the designs do look a bit cheesy.
Sound:
Our main protagonists are voiced by the impeccable Paku Romi, in one of her rare roles as a female character instead of a young man, and the talented Koshimizu Ami, who also played Kallen in Code Geass and Claes in Gunslinger Girl. They also got some really talented people in secondary roles like Namikawa Daisuke, Toyoguchi Megumi and Saito Chiwa. The music used throughout the series is really strong.
Ho-yay:
There is certainly some les-yay in this series between our two main characters. Which is odd given that they've swapped bodies. Although, to be fair, the scenes that show chemistry between Alita and Falis focus on the emotional connection between them and how they're drawn to one another on an emotional level rather than a physical one. Which does help their relationship not seem narcissistic. And the dynamic between them is quite adorable. The ho-yay factor is going to be a 7/10.
Final Thoughts:
There are a lot of things to recommend Murder Princess. The narrative is compelling with a lot of unique facets. The main characters are really well written. The art and acting are both superb. It is held back somewhat by weak antagonists and some issues with the story telling, but it is a good watch if you're looking for a good action adventure series. My final rating is going to be an 8/10. Next week, Chokotan.
ParisainGoldfish
There is something eerily satisfying about seeing someone as symbolic of eloquent beauty as a princess soaked in blood. That said, Murder Princess is an extremely fun OVA that went directly from a boredom viewing to being one of the most fun series I've seen since Black Lagoon. Story; 9. Body transfer isn't entirely new to the anime world, but you definitely see it a lot less than you do ninja clans or warring robot factions. The balance of action and story is perfect, with much more action to start and substance to follow. The plot itself also carried a decently cool twist, however it wasadmittedly on the slightly cheesy side. But aside of this one fact, the story flowed just seamlessly for what this was, and kept me genuinely interested from start to finish. And speaking of finish, the ending for this is PERFECT. I was a bit worried, but they wound up wrapping it up exactly like I hoped they would, I can't stress enough how great the ending was.
Art; 9. While there is no particularly new or breathtaking artistry, Murder Princess had clean and fluid animation not only most of the time, but all of the time. I cannot recall one hideously drawn scene, which is delightful, because even the best series seem to have at least one hastily frame that sticks out in memory. The colors were vibrant, and character models were a lot of fun. Quality art, even if nothing new, is always helpful.
Sound; 9. If you were asked to soundtrack a show who's general premise was a bloodthirsty princess, what would you pick? Well, heavy metal of course. The opening (while vocally agitating) is supercharged, as are the battle themes. The slashing guitars went perfectly with the flawless fight animations, giving this show a great kick.
Character; 9. Falis is the coolest damn princess ever. Gone is the stereotypical Zelda who requires rescue upon rescue from a strong male lead. A powerful, angry female isn't necessarily the newest idea ever, but an aggressive and hot tempered princess definitely is. Alita was very kind, and her relationship with Falis developed stunningly well in a mere six episodes. Dominikov and Pete had some pretty sick character models, and Dominikov specifically was just a very "cool" character in general. The character models didn't all look like they all belonged in the same show, but it somehow just worked; it gave the princess tale an edge besides the murder part, which only served to make it even more awesome an entry to the sea of endless fairytale princesses.
Enjoyment/Overall; 9. This is a must for fantasy fans, a must for action fans, and a must for anyone else who loves aggresive female leads. There is enough action here to sate the swords of even the most hardcore action fanatics, yet also enough substance to keep those looking for more than guts and glory a reason to stick around. Quality art, quality characters, and quality storytelling; I think the final word on Murder Princess should just be quality, because that is what this OVA is. Fun, quality anime.
Omfgakitten
For a 6 series OVA I didn't expect much from this series really gave me an enjoyable surprise! Story - 7/10. Although the premise of the story is not a new one (Body swap + fighting to protect something) Murder Princess managed to keep its head above water for the entire duration. It didn't lose track of the direction it was taking or what it wanted to portray to the viewer. I, as is my preference, enjoyed that it wasn't fanservice-centric. In fact, there was little to none. Although not a massively original story, the delivery is excellent, and I didn't find myself getting bored of itat any point. The plot twists and small mysteries add a lot to the series too, though the actual plot is simple it has little nuances which make it deeper.
Art - 8/10.
Fights and action scenes are well animated and nice to look at - I found the art style slightly dated (in some of the characters' expressions especially) but that did not detract from my overall experience. Character designs were pretty standard for the most part - the blonde, long-haired, beautiful princess and the dark, short-haired bounty hunter were the two main characters, pretty stereotypical designs there. However the side characters had some pretty unique designs (Pete and Dominikov). The only designs I didn't really like were the loli androids, but at the same time their design was sort of fitting for them.
Sound - 8/10.
The OP to this OVA got you straight in the mood for some epic action. I didn't really notice much background sound as I was so focused on what was actually happening, though I didn't notice anything wrong with it when it was used. The characters' voices are fitting too - the sheltered young princess and the more rough-and-ready bounty huntress were portrayed well.
Character - 7/10.
Character suffered slightly due to the length of the anime, a mere 6 episodes, however despite this the development of the relationship between hime-sama and the bounty hunter is done pretty well - to start off with, the bounty hunter dislikes and resents the princess for the body swap, and throughout the series this develops into deeply caring about the princess (verging on falling for her, or at least that is how it is depicted). Their characters are, generally, pretty stereotypical for their roles, though.The prince is also worth a mention, though he rarely appears - he is still quite mysterious, even after the anime finishes - we learn of his motives, but he obviously still loves his sister.
Enjoyment - 8/10.
Clearly I enjoyed this anime highly - it is pretty gripping for being only 6 episodes long, and it deals with the issues it presents to the viewer well. I was disappointed that it ended so soon and I would have been intrigued to see more of a developed plot with the characters and relationships presented to us.
So all-in-all a very worthwhile anime to watch, exciting fights, a beautiful murderous princess and a plot that is deeper than it looks at face value.
ShadowBlazer3000
Murder Princess is a rip-roaring kick-ass good time you'll have in any anime of the genere! If your looking for a Shakesperian esque tragedy, insane killer lolis well this isn't it. Murder Princess is fairly generic and fairly predictable yes. Why am I raving about it? Because it's just a boat load of fun. This truly works very well as a short OAV series as opposed to a longer TV series as you don't feel overwhelmed nor do you have to waste time with pointless fluff and nonsense found in some other action series. Basically Murder Princesscould be likened to a two-hour-Hollywood summer film that you go buy pocorn and just kick back and enjoy. And you will enjoy it.
The non-stop bloody action makes this Bee Trains most enthralling and adrenalin pushing yet also with out a doubt a well budgeted one with Marvelous Entertainment producing. The adaption from the manga is spot on (though there are a few things I wish they had done) and the music while a bit atypical metal fits so well for this. Even in the rash bash head baning metal you feel a lot of heart in the musical score and it only enhances the film further. Though despite the hectic pace of the plot it's still very easy to continue following the story. Compared to Bee Train insanely sporadic adaptation of Blade of the Immortal, Murder retains the charm of an intelligible but easy to understand plot but throwing you on a roller coaster compared to the slower moving series like my personal favs .hack//SIGN, and MADLAX. And it still takes a little time out for the audience to catch their breath.
The animation being the best yet I've seen, beautiful designs, great effects pointless bloody mesh maybe yet not laid on as thick as Blade's violence or a senin violence would normally be. Granted this is probably aimed at Teens more so than Adults like with Blade or others in that genre. A very nice color pallet but seemed heavy rather than the lovely color pallet by Studio Road in Tsubasa Chronicle and .hack//SIGN. Or maybe it's just my imagination, but regardless the beautiful color pallet takes you into the fantasy world of Foreland along with the overall art direction and composition.
Acting for the dub was unique and amazing from a FUNi all star cast including Monica Rial and Caitlin Glass alternating between umm...well themselves? Well anyway the dub made a clever move by retaining internal thought with the character's personality. Okay I'm sure that made no sense, well the commentary makes so much sense so watch that if I lost you.
Not much I can say about the Japanese as I haven't seen it in Japanese though with talents like Romi Paku I'm sure it's brilliant.
If you ask me Murder Princess is a hidden gem. Not just a hidden gem among Bee Train's arsenal of shows but among many action anime out there. It's a fun two-hour OAV adventure with non-stop action and is great to kick back with a bowl of popcorn or bag of chips or whatever your snack of choice be, and just enjoy.
Luquillo
Murder Princess is a six episode fantasy-action anime, with sci-fi elements thrown in that follows Falis in her attempt to reclaim the kingdom of Forland and eventually defend it from its enemies. The anime really isn't much different from others of its type, and it really doesn't try to deviate from its main goal which is delivering an over the top action romp. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is solely up to the viewer. Fortunately though, it does pretty well in the action department and fans searching only for that will more than likely be satisfied. Murder Princess is produced by BeeTrain whose other works consist of Noir and Madlax, so despite being an OVA, I can imagine an anime fan familiar with the company coming into this expecting some nice visuals, and they won't be disappointed either because the anime does look nice. The artwork can be very good with some nice character designs at times. Falis has a cool, yet sinister look when her white dress is drenched in blood during battle, along with her fiery red eyes and long blonde hair. One of the main antagonist, which happens to be a man wearing jet black armor has a nice appeal to him as well. Some of the monsters on the other hand are lacking some variety, and I do feel that the choice of two cute, chibi characters kind of hurts the look of the show, no matter how dangerous they can be. In any case, these gripes aren't very big since the anime never takes itself seriously.
There are also some stunning backgrounds, blanketed with beautiful shades of blue during the night time, and the use of lighting during these segments brings out the best in the scenes. Now for the action scenes, despite the occasional sword swipes and static backgrounds; the action has moments of coolness with decent choreography here and there along with some bloody moments, plus there are some good sword exchanges. Murder Princess also boasts a pretty good soundtrack, it's nothing I would consider to be ground breaking, but the guitar riffs complements the style of the anime. Even though it kind of feels silly with the fantasy setting made up of knights, peasants, and maids.
Although it's very linear, and eveyrthing in regards to the plot can be seen light years away. The plot is fairly good with some nice pacing and there are traces of character development. Falis and Alita are likable characters who break their molds at some point and I feel their relationship was well developed. The rest of the cast are fairly decent and fill their roles for the most part. At first, the sci-fi elements which mainly involves androids, cyborgs, and advanced technology will feel pretty awkward in this setting. I recommend being patient to those who may feel this is just way too out of place, because this story element is all tied up by the end.
Besides predictability, there are several things that take place in the plot that really needed some explaining. At least one plot device concerning Falis really needed some background, because it feels way too tacked on, and this will prove to be an issue for those who prefer air tight stories. The mystery concerning this change in behaviour just doesn't work at all, especially since it plays too heavy of a role in certain scenes. In addition to this, the explanation involving the initial story is silly at best.
In closing, Murder Princess is a decent action romp that ties up quite a bit. Those who are heavily sold on the main characters will probably be hoping for a sequel. Personally, I had a bit of fun with the title, and it's nice to binge on those simple shonen anime once in awhile. Recommended only to those whom are not looking for high art.
Highs: Cool action scenes and visuals
Lows: A few plot issues here and there
angelsreview
Um, this show is a bit awkward in that it’s about a princess and a swords woman switching bodies. It’s somewhat funny seeing a sweet and loveable princess is turned into a warrior maniac though. The true princess is actually rather strong in some aspects, as she had to see her father and her best friend die. Throughout the show, I had a great feeling of Yuri coming from the relationship of Alita and Falis. It’s really a strong feeling because Alita’s always looks up to Falis a lot for her strength and power. Though one big question I have is that how can Falishave enough strength and agility within Alita’s body. Alita’s body isn’t made for fighting but it was able to not get a broken bone in her body when smashed into the wall.
I do have a little problem with the ‘kawaii’ little characters being the bad guy robots. Dr. Akamashi must have had some sort of fetish for little girls because I have no idea what other reason he would do that to them. It doesn’t help that his head looks like an onion but he seems to have the brains of one for a moment. And not to mention that one girl is the cute innocent personality and the other is a rather dark and mean spirited personality.
There is a strange base to the time period in time where rockets are old technology. It’s strange because most of this is set within a more medieval period with the addition to magic. To have technology over all makes things a bit odd. I’m a fan of some of these shows but not when the technology is so far advanced that it feels out of wack. They do give us a strange reason for it, but I still don’t get why we need the kawaii kids though.
Animation is nicely done though it seems that some of Pete Armstrong, the purple person, his scar seems to move around a bit around his mouth. The demons seem a bit interesting in their design but I seriously think that they don’t ALL need horns. Almost every demon I saw had horns of some kind on there body. I’m not really bothered by the fact that Dominikov doesn’t really move his mouth when he talks, because he doesn’t seem to hinder the anime in any way.
Oh my god the English voices! The little robot girl’s voices sound like they had been smoking a million packs a day! For crying out loud, why does there voice have to be so gravel-ly? Some others are a little high pitched but overall it seems alright. I don’t think we really need the stupid narrator though. It tries to make it more epic then it actually is.
In the end, I guess it was pretty good and I have to say I give it props for a anime that you will not guess how it ends. Seriously, you would probably not be able to guess.
HybridMedia
I got a feeling with anime that involves princesses, the people behind the shows and/or movies want to use their princess characters for more than just to look pretty, useless, or a damsel in distress….then again that might happen only once or twice around in anime as far as I know. However, this one I’m reviewing today is not like most princess stories or anything involving the word, “Princess”. In the land of Foreland a coup d’état has occurred and the princess, after witnessing the death of the King, is on the run. She meets with battle-hungry bounty hunter Falis, and with a twist of fatethey both switch souls, making Alita the maid of the now princess Falis. Named for her bravery in confronting the enemy as ‘Murder Princess’, Falis must continue to be the princess as well as confronting any new opponent that comes to her way.
To me, this is what happens when you mix in “The Prince and the Pauper”, only you would replace prince with princess and it has the look and feel of an low-budget action flick plus the basic style of any Bee Train produced (or inspired) girls-with-guns/assassins show (i.e., foreign land or settings, two main female leads, mild yuri undertones) and yet this is the show that would appeal to me and I ended up liking it and the OAV coming in total at 150 minutes does manage to not waste any time with unnecessary backstories or characters that you wouldn’t bother to remember or give a shit about.
For characters, I felt like it had some decent likable characters thrown into the mix but along with some minor annoyances. The relationship between Falis/Alita & Alita/Milano was decently developed with how the one looks up to the other for protection, although if they switch bodies, did they switch brains or abilities and also some things you ought to expect when you trade places with a princess and a maid. Then you have the sidekick characters of Dominikov & Pete Armstrong, who worked with Falis and they were OK, basic sidekick characters to one of the main characters and then there is Ana & Yuna, robotic bodyguards to Dr. Akamashi and they are the “moe” characters with weapons and they really nerve no purpose aside from being all “kawaii” and crazy, in other words, I guess the doctor must like little girls…..and now it’s pretty damn creepy.
BEE TRAIN!!!! Yeah, after I mentioned them many times in this review, yes, they did the animation for this and it was good. It was a bit more like El Cazador de la Bruja and a bit of Noir but thankfully less like .hack//sign & Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom as there was plenty of action animation to not be missed but it doesn’t overshadow most of the plot. Musically, it almost felt a misplaced with the opening theme as well as I enjoyed it a bit, it really doesn’t fit within some of the tone of the series, although the ending was nicely done.
And last but not least, The FUNimation dub was an enjoyable dub to say the least with great performances by the two leads Colleen Clinkenbeard (she’s the one who voiced Yoko in XXXHolic) and Monica Rial although for a negative, as much as I don’t mind Carrie Savage’s voice and her as a voice actress, hers was specifically annoying voicing the two androids. For the rest of the cast, they handled their roles very competently and the dub overall was adapted well from the original Japanese version.
FINAL VERDICT: Out of all the Bee Train shows that I have watch so far that they made, this is definitely one OAV that actually deliver what they got in a short amount of time and it’s also something that really appeals to me and my taste in anime and yes, this is an anime that has a taste that appeals to me. In other words, if you like this kind of anime, get it and watch it.
RoarkTenjouin
What would you get if you took a medieval fantasy anime and made the focus balls-to-the-wall action? You would get Murder Princess! Story - 5/10 The story starts off with a coup d'etat against the royal family of Forland, and in the process, the king is killed. During the chaos, however, he has his only daughter (he has a son who is away), Princess Alita Forland, escape. During Alita's escape, she runs into a bounty hunter named Falis. A series of events causes them to switch bodies. Alita, now in the body of Falis, begs Falis to save the kingdom. At first,Falis (who is in the body of Alita) refuses, but after Alita offers to be her servant and let Falis take the throne, she changes her mind. They then storm the palace and take back the throne.
The story isn't exactly a stand-out one - it's not terrible, but it's not great, either. Besides, when you're watching something like Murder Princess, you're not watching it for a deep and complex story - you're watching it for balls-to-the-wall action.
Art - 7/10
The animation was done by Bee Train, whose other notable works include Noir, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, and .hack//Sign (I cannot comment on those works, since as of writing this review, I have not seen them), and it's actually rather visually pleasing - it's not the best animation I've seen, but it is good for what it is. It's also rather colorful - in fact, watching this has actually made me want to watch other Bee Train works.
Sound - 8/10
This is a case where it's just easier to hear it for yourself instead of to have someone describe it for you. The OST fits the mood perfectly, and it's one of those things where I can't really think of the OST without thinking of the scenes that accompanied a track. The dub is also very good, with Colleen Clinkenbeard (Rin Asogi, Monkey D. Luffy, Nice Holystone, Ran Mouri) playing Falis, and Monica Rial (Haruka Shitow, Shiro, Chane Laforet, Stocking Anarchy) playing Alita.
Character - 7/10
While Falis and Alita are somewhat typical for their roles (Falis is a basic hot-blooded bounty hunter, and Alita's personality is similar to Princess Peach), they do manage to come across as likable - they aren't played to complete stereotypes, and we do get to see their characters get fleshed out a bit. Plus, Alita undergoes a lot more character development then you would imagine.
Enjoyment - 10/10
I love action anime. I was not disappointed after I finished this show. I wouldn't exactly call this a guilty pleasure. This is one that I would say that you should watch at some point (the next time you feel in the mood for a short action-heavy show, consider watching this).
Overall - 9/10
This is easily one of my favorite OVAs, and I'll definitely be rewatching this in the future.
RIYL: Black Lagoon, Scrapped Princess, Needless
Jersie
The only thing I didn't like about this anime was... It was too short! For what Murder Princess was, it was good. Unfortunately, it was adapted from a 2 volume manga series so you obviously can't expect a long series from that, but I genuinely think if this anime had more episodes it would be really good! (Wish Corpse Party had more episodes too XD) But anyway, yeah, for 6 episodes, pretty good. I like to think of Murder Princess as, a short, but epic fairy tail that escalated quickly and made the legend of the, 'Murder Princess' I don't know if Murder Princess was the most realistic portrayal, but itdoes show, how one person's dedication/ambition can move other people, (I'm looking at you Satsuki Kiryuin! XD)
Better art and animation would've been nice, but I think the art and animation it has is fine, (I mean it was made in 2007 so...) The OP was plain, but I think the ED is peaceful.
Overall, c'mon 6 episodes with a great little adventure packed inside, why not?
Go watch it, see what you think!
Thanks for reading!
TSX
O SHIT IT'S BLOODY FREAKING MURDER!!!! wait what? A PRINCESS MURDERED SUM1 OOOOO SNAPZ!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok So i found murder princess one day while browsing down the Anilinkz.com anime list and the title struck me, murder and princess don't mix and i was currious at first. i'm glad i watched it. great anime overall. STORY-WARNING CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS- ok so pretty much the story is, a coup d'etat takes place in the kingdom of Forland, the princess escapes and runs into a Bounty Hunter and -Insert Major Plot Device Here- the two then team up along with The bounty hunter's team to take back and defendthe Kingdom.
i like it since it's new -Insert Plot Device Here- part of the story in the first episode is what got me hooked. started to finish it off then.
Art: The Art's Crisp. although i watched the shows in medium tier quality, i could see that the amount of quality in the art was good
Sound: 5 words. Back-On is Seriously Back. The opening- if your into jrock and a huge Back On fan like me, then listen to the full version of the opening song- was a hooker to the anime. they used-i'm not sure it they used the FK Metal Ver or Survive Ver- 2 of the other verisons of Hikari Sasuhou-not the one in New World pretty much- here's the link on Youtube to the opening -tv ver it's not hyperlinked. just copy and paste- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppXyifEGsyU
Characters: Loved the 2 people traveling with the bounty hunter, they art pretty cool. and the bounty hunter after-insert plot device here- since she's sooo cute.
Enjoyment: Loved it. i liked all the aspects of the story, sound and characters
Overall:I would recommend Murder Princess for any1 that's looking for a good actiony anime with some sort of comedy, plus it's only 6 episodes, a quick 2hr-2hr 30 minute watch.
Have Fun!
jinneverland
I watched Murder Princess when I was first getting into anime. So you would think that I would been ignorant to its shortcomings and enjoyed it. Wrong. Even as a rookie anime viewer, this anime left me beyond pissed and haunted me for a good month. Why was I pissed? Short story: Murder Princess gives you false hope and then crushes it. Story: 3 With only 6 episodes, it is a rather short story. Therefore, I can cut it a little slack. But since it is still a story, Murder Princess needed to have been a comprehensive and complete unit - much like a movie ora fairy tail. I'll elaborate on that later. Concept wise, there is nothing original. This is not necessarily a bad thing as long as those concepts are either dealt with differently or executed in an effective storytelling manner. What got me interested in Murder Princess to begin with was the body-switching and a royal trying to defend his/her homeland tropes. These two tropes complemented each other, especially with the contrasting personalities of the two main characters, and were the best part of the show. You wanted to see the characters overcome these obstacles. Now here lies Murder Princess's greatest sin - most of the obstacles are not resolved by the "ending." The "ending" feels more like the end of a story arc than an ending to an independent story. Sadly, even the manga ends there so this cheating the audience was intentional. Other than the gaping ending, other problems with the story include: sloppily introduced and uninteresting sci-fi elements, painfully predictable plot points, weak ideas, and plot holes.
Art: 5
It was nice enough, but average. It didn't hamper or boost the anime.
Sound: 7
The OP is excellent. The rock style, heavier guitars, and fluid rapping supporting vocals created a great effect. The ED is also pleasant. As for the OST and voice acting, neither stands out to me as excellent of bad.
Character: 6
Overall the characters are stereotypical and bland. Most of the supporting characters could have been cut from the story all together and it wouldn't have impacted the story at all. You have your evil with scant motives villain, the brainwashed sidekick, the gruff warriors, etc. I did like the relationship between the bounty hunter and princess though. Although the princess was rather plain and devoid of a strong personality, she contrasted with the bounty hunter's stronger personality to make their interactions at least interesting to watch. The bounty hunter was the best character in the story because of her stubborn, driven, and yet secretly sympathetic demeanor. Watching her have to live a princess life and then proceed to trample all over its customs was rather entertaining.
Enjoyment: 2
Despite my fondness for the main characters and certain tropes, the clumsy and unnecessary story elements and bland supporting characters inhibited my enjoyment of Murder Princess. However, these things would have just made me rank it as average. The nail in the coffin for Murder Princess is its lazy and empty ending. I've watched 170+ anime since this one, but Murder Princess's ending is still in my top 10 worst anime endings.
tentacle_raep
Let's say you're a princess driven away from your palace by a bloody coup and through a life and death encounter swap bodies with a bounty hunter who then takes over your body and more or less becomes a badass--despite the fact that your dainty princess physique would likely make that impossible. Screw it. This is one of those anime. Just an entertaining 6 ep OAV run of what would happen in such a scenario, complete with a medieaval-esque world overshadowed by "old technology." Not much to say. Princess Alita's brother wants to control superweapon of the forgotten old technology, enlists hot sorceress chick, there's an evil doctorand some moe girls. So Alita swaps bodies with Pharis, a bounty hunter with two cyborg/demon pals, and Pharis deals with all of these things in a typically brutish way--characters aren't what/who they seem tho in the usual predictable plot twists.
Simple anime. Simple outcome. It's fun, as advertised so therefore nothing to dislike about it.
Alita is cute and Pharis is typically tomboyish. Not really rocket science.
More like Aperture science.
Scarlett2
'You can not run from fate - it is something that you must face head-on!' The setting of Murder Princess takes place in the kingdom of Forland. We join in to witness a Coup d'Etat and the death of Forland's dear King. In other words, the kingdom is violently taken over by an insider, Dr. Akamashi, one of the kingdom's scientists. Because of this the kingdoms' princess, Alita Forland, is sent out to search for the heir - prince Kaito. During princess Alita's escape into the forest she is attacked by the forest guardian. As she is running for her life she runs intoa beautiful and skilled bounty hunter named Falis. Through a shared near death experience the two young women switch souls. Falis is now the humble princess while Alita becomes her chambermaid, Mirano Entolasia. Mirano pleads with Alita to protect the kingdom at all costs which binds the women together through this very short series. Alita, unable to restrain her thirst for battle gains the title "Murder Princess" due to her bravery.
The story does not have a strong plot which causes the characters to be believable up to a certain point. Due to the shortness of the series we unfortunately are unable to get a real close look at the characters. This aggravated me a bit during the climax of the series.
A lot of time you see shows where it looks as if the character design and execution were rushed. This is not the case with Murder Princess. Yoshimitsu Yamashita and team do an awesome job with the character design. Falis's two henchemen Pete Armstrong and Dominikov are nicely put together. My two favorite characters, as far as character design, were the androids Ana and Yuna. They were cute without overdoing it. The series does not blind you with an overuse of color. The colors and animation flow wonderfully throughout the series and helps push the storyline along somewhat. The design teams style of animation does a wonderful job adding to the realness value of the series. It's done in a way that does not draw away from the characters. But actually draws you, the viewer, to them.
The voice acting was right on target. I was not forced to listen to high-pitched female voices! One of my favorite actresses, Romi Paku does an excellent job as Falis/Alita while Ami Koshimizu is spot on as Alita/Mirano. Although the timing seemed a bit off at times; overall the quality was good. I also found some of the side characters hard to understand at times. But this may be due to my habit of drowning out idle chatter. The music used during the climatic scenes are a pretty good fit. Not too annoying - just enough so you know something is about to go down.
Back-On provide us with a very catchy opening song, Hikari Sasuhuo; The Lights Shinin' My Rhyme So Tight. Even though I am not a huge fan of rap mixed with pop this song grew on me. Romi Paku also lends her voice to the closing song titled Naked Flower. Her voice is beautiful and soothing.
If you are looking for an in-depth story then pass this one over. The show is only six episodes long and is very cut and dry. This is the situation and this is how it gets taken care of. I felt that more could have been done with the storyline. There were times during the series when I found myself asking about backgrounds of the different characters. For me it was a great way to pass the time away while on a short vacation from school. I recommend this to anyone who is between shows and looking for something decent to watch on a Saturday afternoon.
Brunk
Murder Princess is a very fine anime. There's nothing really great about it, but there isn't anything really bad about it either. The plot twists have all the twists of a ruler, the characters aren't stagnant (but then again don't have enough time to grow stagnant), and there's nothing wrong with any of the animations or art. The music isn't stand-out save for some heavy guitar work, but it isn't distracting. Overall, for a six-episode OVA series, it's worth a watch. You can kill an unfilled afternoon with this show. I give it a six since I feel like it's better than mediocre but somiddle-of-the-line that I can't give it a 7.
