In the early 20th century, the discovery of the substance Cavorite allowed the production of advanced military technology and steered the country toward conflict. London is now divided by a wall, and the Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Albion battle a silent war where espionage is the only weapon that can destabilize the enemy. A group of girls from the prestigious Queen's Mayfaire school work as undercover spies for the Commonwealth.
Led by Dorothy, an experienced driver with a striking personality, their group includes the talents of Ange le Carré, a cold-blooded liar and expert sharpshooter; Chise, a proficient samurai; and Beatrice, a voice-mimicking specialist. They use their unique individual skills for the Commonwealth to survive in a dark world filled with conspiracy, mystery, and infiltration. In the shadow of the war, they have only one goal in mind: completing their mission.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Pipe
Princess Principal a title that could mislead any viewer. First, you could think that the show is about a school and girls. Then you could start considering any slice of life plot and girls related storytelling and few moments about spying. I must say, it is wrong. Story: 8/10 Princess Principal has a very creative plot with an impressive storytelling that could surprise a lot of spectators. The story deals with espionage in a divided nation, nothing to do with a slice of life plot. The spies are young girls that use their student status as a cover. During the day, they are typical students andwhen the duty calls they transform into dangerous and very skilled spies with particular abilities.
One of the possible issues found in the forums and some reviews is the lack of a plot sequence that changes between some episodes. I want to say that the storytelling focuses on "file cases" so each episode is a different mission and the principal idea (espionage) remains. This method helps with the pacing because the story is always advancing and changing. Also, the show doesn't need a sequence to connect the story. Furthermore, each episode keeps adding information to the main arc, and the characters background. I consider that constant additions a plus.
Art: 9/10
The art is "steampunk." It is stunning and formidable that goes well with the color palette, the mechanical design, and the character's concept. You can notice that some areas don't have the standard lighting because they like to create a dark ambient. Also, the art helps a lot with the storytelling, timeline, and the possible fantastic ideas such us the use of the mineral "Cavorite." For experience, someone could find the steampunk art weird or not attractive. However, it isn't a reason to drop the anime.
Sound: 8/10
The sound is great. They elaborated a complex sound mix with a delightful soundtrack. The sound of each action sequence adds emotion to the plot and is played at the right time. The songs are good. For me, the OP is excellent, and the ED isn't bad.
Character: 8/10
We have five main characters. I decided to give them nicknames. Dorothy "The face," Agne "The liar," Beatrice "The voice," Chise "The stranger," and Princess "The usurper." With that original nickname, you can start guessing about their background.
In more detail, Dorothy is the leader of the group but is the one that enjoys the freedom; she is more the "sempai" of all them.
Agne. We don't know when she is lying or telling the truth but is a character that will give up everything for someone or the mission. She has some hidden secrets.
Chise has high values for her tradition and displays her unsatisfaction when she isn't considered as a useful part of the group.
Beatrice is the most insecure member of the team, but her skills are convenient on every mission.
Finally the Princess, she is more an actress but with a defined goal.
For me, each character is different and not generic. These girls have their problems, a painful past, they have secrets, and they take their own decisions to complete an objective. In other words, the characters have a spy profile that works with the plot.
Something I enjoyed is the extra background information given. On each episode, we could have more details about each character. I know that some of the outcomes could be predictable but not all them. Additionally, the characters emotions evolve during the story, and we could see unexpected decisions that indicate a proper background build.
Enjoyment: 9/10
In summary, I have few negative aspects about this anime and are insignificant for this review. Each episode left me a good sensation and entertained a lot. I enjoyed this animation. The pacing, the storytelling, the art, the sound blended well and created a show that deserves to be watched and repeated in the future.
Overall: 9/10
Finally, the character design is stunning. We can't find this art quality (steampunk) in the recent original animations. The sound mix complements each episode. The story isn't weird and doesn't need a complicated plot to capture our attention. I consider this anime very attractive and unique. For example, the character backgrounds and the file cases weren't repetitive, and the extra additions to background keep the viewers hooked all the time. You should give the first episode a try. You won't be disappointed. Actas and Studio 3Hz did a splendid job.
3xTripple
From James Bond to the Bourne Identity and John Wick, there is always a point in one's life when we've been intrigued by the mysterious, meticulous, and romantic nature of the cinematic spy. However, anime writers always have a way of answering the questions that nobody ever asks--- “What if spies, like James Bond, were replaced with… lolis?” "Thrilling." In an unusual twist, they created this interesting anime, where a wide array of political spying and assassinating ends up being left in the hands of a group of young schoolgirls (most of whom, actually have legitimate spy training.) If you were expecting a kiddy girl slice oflife drama, you will not find that here. This is a rather well-thought-out spy series that happens to have young girls as the protagonists.
Story: 7/10
One of the great things about this story is how unusual it is for the anime genre. Princess Principal take you on a journey with unusual young girls as they conduct espionage, all types of spy work, and even engage in assassinations. Under the guise of being students, these young spies are given orders by their superiors that must be completed at all costs, including one’s own life. It features a wide array of character personalities, most of whom are unique. The political climate is unique at this point of the story, as it is a sci-fi enhanced version of 19th-century England. In this setting, steam and coal often powered various mechanical devices. The queen of the nation, who is also a loli and a friend of the spies, is more of a figurehead than a person with actual power and various factions are in the process of deciding whether to either help or dispose of her.
How will the girls carry out these difficult missions?
What, if anything, will happen to the queen?
Which factions will align themselves with who?
What would happen if they are given an order that they can’t or don’t want to complete?
Find out by watching the show~
The story initially presents itself as episodic, as most anime spy shows do. The pacing is pretty good, but there is nothing that really felt profound about this series. The storytelling is very good, but it is still relatively bland and lacking profound qualities. Overall I think the story is pretty good and deserves a 7/10.
Characters: 7/10
Overall, the characters are unique, but not too unique. They loosely fit some of the popular archetypes in anime. Their background stories were relatively interesting but they weren’t characters that were extremely memorable for any particular reason. I feel if the series had another 12 episodes, they may have been able to create a more memorable series through the characters.
The most interesting character in this series is undoubtedly Ange, and she is the character that the anime mainly follows. She’s a weird girl who talks in a monotone but likes to tell jokes and lies. For example, her most told joke/lie is “I’m from the Black Lizard Planet”. She’s a very skilled spy and performs amazing feats.
Chise is a girl skilled at various ways of fighting and swordsmanship. Her personality is very samurai-like.
The Queen is a typical queen. She knows many things and is skilled at being nobility, but she also has quite the daring side to her as well.
There is also the young adult, who uses her charms to seduce men and the queen’s assistant.
Art: 8/10
The art fits and enhanced the setting very well. The characters were designed well, the animation was fluid, special effects were great as well. I think they did a pretty good job overall and have no complaints in this category. The backgrounds aren’t as detailed as some more ridiculously detailed series, but they are still great backgrounds overall. There is also nothing particularly unique about the art.
Sound: 8/10
The background OSTs come from the legendary Yuki Kajiura, my favorite composer. She’s known in the anime community for her works on the music of SAO, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, .hack, Tsubasa Reservoir and many other popular titles. I’ve never heard her do Jazz before, but the music is really good. Voice acting is great, special effects are all great.
Entertainment: 7.5/10
I was very entertained by the uniqueness of the series and the fact that there were young girls doing espionage and spy work LOL. I’ve never seen anything like this and it was a worthwhile experience. I can’t say that I was very excited for each additional episode, but it was pretty interesting.
Overall: 7.5/10
This series was definitely something that I could see myself recommending to some people. The good art and story kept my interest the entire series. There wasn’t anything that particularly stood out to me or was extremely memorable, but it was still something that I don’t regret watching.
Should you watch it?
If you’re interested in young girls being spies, like action, young girls, spies, 19th-century London, I would give it a shot.
If you’re looking for a slice of life or yuri series, you’re in the wrong place.
Hope this helps you make your decision, let me know if you agree by clicking “helpful~” thanks~
themegamancave
“This just isn’t a cover anymore, we’re real friends now...” The spy. An archetype explored an incalculable amount of times, spanning across all forms of media. Whether it’s the dark and methodical approach of a John la Carre’ novel, or the more mainstream and charismatic James Bond film, each entity produces something that ensnares the senses and transports you into the action. I’ve always been a fan of secret agents and spies in cinema, so it’s no question that this affinity would translate into other mediums such as anime. The 2016 release of Joker Game helped affirm this assumption by offering a unique mix of action,stealth and wit. Now, almost exactly one year later I was introduced to Princess Principal by a dear friend, an original anime directed by Masaki Tachibana (Barakamon, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0)... naturally I was intrigued. Through 12 episodes, PP dazzles with copious amounts of combat, deceit and supernatural elements. It may occasionally come across as muddled and has its fair share of negatives, but it doesn’t disappoint and may go down as one of the most overlooked anime of the year. Spoilers ahead.
From the beginning, PP may end up losing much of its target audience from the cast itself. Understandably I had trouble conceptualizing the idea of teenage moe girls acting as spies in 1800’s London (speaking Japanese no doubt), as it’s just not something I would list as believable. It's similar to the feeling I got from watching the dubbed version of Monster, as Tenma is a Japanese man living in Germany that just so happens to speak fluent English. What a total mindfuck. Aside from the acquired taste of the character models, the setting is quite immersive. The anime takes place in an alternative steampunk London, where weapons are rusty and mechanized, and airships rule the skies. In this parallel universe, a wall exists dividing the Albion Kingdom between the lavish capital and the dilapidated, unruly Commonwealth. This in itself pays homage to the Berlin wall, as in PP it can be difficult to discern which side is morally correct. Through the ensuing 12 episodes we follow the story of five female spies, from their relationships, to their loyalty to duty and underlying secrets.
One important point to note is that Princess Principal’s timeline can render the casual viewer confused. It’s not readily apparent that the anime’s story is told out of order. The writers seem to pen the script in a way that can come across as disjointed because of very minor details here or there that are easily missed. To better explain this, I’ve comprised a chronological ordering of each episode (stolen from MAL forums):
Episode 2 -> Case 1
Episode 3 -> Case 2
Episode 5 -> Case 7
Episode 4 -> Case 9
Episode 9 -> Case 11
Episode 1 -> Case 13
Episode 7 -> Case 16
Episode 6 -> Case 18
Episode 8 -> Case 20
Episode 10 -> Case 22
Episode 11 -> Case 23
Episode 12 -> Case 24 and beyond
When done right (which I wouldn’t necessarily say is the case here), non-linear narratives can be effective at showcasing certain qualities of a character or details to enhance the main story. Such is the case in Kurt Vonnegut’s Salughterhouse-Five or the cult classic Memento, one of my favorite films of all time. The main problem in PP is that the characters aren’t developed far enough to extract much from this method. What results is a plot that appears to jump around simply just to do so. I will say the aspect that benefitted the most from this was the relationship of Ange and the Princess, which for obvious spoiler reasons I won’t divulge any further on. Ideally, this method can also be used to better illustrate interactions between the main characters, and I believe that was the intent here. It just didn’t capitalize as well as it could have. An assumption by the writers is also made with regard to the gravity-altering Cavorite material used primarily by Ange throughout the anime. The only reason I even knew what it was, is because of an H.G. Wells novel (The First Men in the Moon) I read some years back. To someone unfamiliar with this sci-fi homage, the supernatural substance can appear as a gaping plot hole that’s never really filled.
Another point I feel necessary to address is the dramatic change of tone throughout the anime, both with the overall atmosphere and with the characters. From the first episode, I was captivated by the “cloak and dagger” approach the writers utilized with the spies. Ange as a main protagonist was ruthless and cold, sporting a succinct knack for taking out her foes. She also came across as a compulsive liar, assumingly normal for the trope of a spy. However, at certain points in the story her personality can shift from scene to scene and catch viewers off guard. It’s not extremely off-putting, but it’s there. While mostly well paced and envisioned, there are times where the writers spend an entire episode divulging a character’s backstory, and others only a few seconds of a flashback. Some episodes are actioned packed, like the first episode or the train episode while others serve to be endearing and relationship building like the laundromat anecdote. I think this change of tone, juxtaposed with the jumping timeline can make PP seem less cohesive than it really is. Overall it’s a smart show, and often has you sympathizing with the jobs these girls have to take.
The characters are the absolute best part of the anime. The squad’s unsung leader Ange is relentlessly devoted to duty, and relishes in the secrecy and importance of each mission. She is incredibly diverse with her emotions depending on who she’s addressing. Her relationship with the Princess is undoubtedly the focal point of the entire series, and her backstory is full of heartache and depression. She often quotes herself as being a former member of the fictitious “Black Lizard Planet”, in order to explain the reason for her peculiar behavior. Ange is an expert of her craft, and is the strongest and most consistent member of the group. The Princess has her fair share of secrets, and often plays the role of messenger or spokesperson for the group. In retrospect, I do wish more time had been given to fully expound upon her past, given the fact it plays such an important role in the show.
Dorothy, my favorite character of the entire series, is the oldest of the group and she’s often reminded of that fact. She also probably receives the most backstory, with the writers devoting almost an entire episode to her relationship with her father. She occasionally gets drunk or uses her body to help advance the situation (boobs=imperative to success as a spy), but also internalizes and many of the missions the girls partake in. She's like the mom of the group. Chise, the token Japanese ninja, is actually my least favorite character, though probably for selfish reasons . She undergoes a supreme transformation over the course of the anime and begins to learn the Western culture and the importance of friendship. Last but not least is Beatrice, the meek and often soft spoken friend of the Princess. Her demeanor is jittery, but her backstory (though short) is incredibly sad. Out of the entire main cast, I was impressed by the level of depth and detail put in place for each character.
If you told me that the same director as Barakamon and Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 also led Princess Principal, I’d be hard pressed to call you a liar. I guess this a concrete indicator of Tachibana’s ability as an anime director, and certainly one that deserves more work. The somber, ominous environment PP exudes, coupled with the uplifting comradery of the main cast crafts a definingly unique atmosphere all around. The art is well visioned, and although the female characters are younger, they are evenly proportioned and attractive. I can’t recall any slip ups with framing during the action heavy scenes and even the still, dialogue heavy moments never seemed to come across as stale. While it may not technically be the best animation, its consistency is something to applaud in today’s anime world, where series are being pumped out left and right. The cinematography is some of the best I've seen in a long time, despite focusing less on atmosphere than other equivalent specimens. The way some of the scenes are constructed, either through POV animation or still impact shots. It also has the benefit of omitting the “unfaithful to the source material” argument so many disgruntled manga fans hurl around with each new adaptation. It’s a refreshing artsyle, contradictory to most of the bright and colorful anime in today’s world.
If I can make one recommendation, it would be to watch Princess Principal with headphones on. The sound is purely exceptional. The balance of sound effects and their position through the speakers is perfect, and helps add to the realism during some of the missions undergone by the girls. The background music is also fitting of the time period, as nothing is saturated with electronic tones and no chipper techno beats flood your ears. The OP (despite that fugly logo) is one that grew on me, but now exists as one of my favorites for the season. The strong female vocals in conjunction with the smooth animation sequences is pleasing to the eye, and it’s one I don’t think I ended up skipping once. The ending is a strong contrast from the OP, but helps remind the viewers of the minor points of maturity these female characters lack. It’s playful and fun. There aren’t any stand out seiyuu performances in the anime, but certainly nothing hitting below the mark.
Overall, I would suggest not judging a book by its cover and jump into Princess Principal with no preconceived notions. It's certainly not what I expected, and although makes some mistakes it is a worthwhile watch. Compared to most of the shows out nowadays, the script is actually given some thought and the characters are developed substantially for their short screen time. I think the show would have benefited significantly if it was doubled in length or had a second season. This would give ample time to fix the timeline issue and also fully explore Ange and Princess’ relationship. The series is plenty exciting, whether with raw action sequences or suspenseful moments of stealth. This is an easy anime to recommend, so if you're looking for something new and exciting, or we're a fan of series like Joker Game I would give it a try. It certainly surprised me and many others, and I look forward to more developments from Tachibana in the future. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check out some of my other reviews from the season!
Story-5
Art-6.5
Sound-8
Character-8
Enjoyment-7
Overall-6.85
LIQfilms
As a child, I’ve always held a fascination with spies. This is most likely due to the fact that I grew up in a family that exposed me to James Bond at a young age. Cool, suave, and sophisticated, capable of carrying off any mission or any feat, James Bond was the type of guy I always wanted to be as a kid, and, as I grew older and into adolescence, Bond’s luck with women only enhanced this idea. Of course, much to the dismay of my eight-year-old self, I grew up to be anything but sophisticated and cool and instead decides to write reviewson anime. So, when I had learned of the content surrounding the recently aired Princess Principal, visions of my childhood flashed in my mind, and I was genuinely excited for the show, as it seemed to be essentially James Bond, but with all the characters being replaced by lolis. Yes, a dumb idea, but anime has frequently surprised me in the past with its use of strange narratives and concepts to make genuinely good shows. However, PeePee (yes, it’s immature to refer to the show as such, but I’m going to be doing it from here on out) is perhaps the biggest disappointment I’ve had all year with anime. I really wanted to love this show, I really did, especially since it has so much going for it in regards to what appeals to me personally from a visual standpoint. The great character designs, wonderful setting, and world as well as the smooth soundtrack. Unfortunately, PeePee is bogged down by an ultimately weak cast of characters, an aimless narrative, and, for the most part, a lot of wasted potentials.
PeePee’s narrative is set in a fictional 19th-century steampunk London in which the West and the East are separated by a massive wall (insert overused Donald Trump joke here), in which five young girls from a prestigious academy are actually spies! The series follows these girls on various spy missions in an episodic narrative structure, as we learn more about their pasts and their relationships with each other, and that’s pretty much it as a whole. On paper, this mode of storytelling doesn’t sound bad, but the main problem I have with PeePee’s narrative is just how aimless it is. The story feels as if it doesn’t really know what it wants to do in regards to its story and characters, and instead just relies on ultimately inconsequential episodic spy missions that feel more like they exist solely for padding out the run time of the series. It proves frustrating to watch since I constantly kept expecting the story to do something, or to go somewhere, and I would be more forgiving of the show if its episodic nature actually had any bearing on the world as a whole, or if they were more engaging. This is made worse since the narrative is nonlinear and it often undercuts its own episodes by carving out any semblance of pacing.
Nowhere is this idea more evident than in episodes nine and seven of the show, in which we don’t learn anything about any of the characters or the world we’re presented with. Episode seven is essentially an episode in which the girls join laundry cleaners, as they have to find a specific uniform to identify someone in the army who has been using mustard gas. As they work in this place, they eventually transform and rebuild the work system, so everyone can work more efficiently and earn more money, and eventually apprehend the villain of the episode; that’s it. While there is some commentary about the working class of the people living in the Victorian era in London during the 1800s, it’s an ultimately pointless episode and even has many jarring moments that simply make no sense or just feel...odd. Like when all the men happily throw off their clothes to give to some cute underage girls for them to clean, or a scene where one of the spies, whom is fighting off against the villain of the episode, defeats him, and drops a knife to the floor, whereupon another lady who notices it, and walks away, which, I’m guessing, is in shame…? Or maybe she is scared? Does she want to turn her back in respect for the privacy of the spy girl? I don’t know! The anime doesn’t make it clear and the lady’s actions doesn’t make any sense and feels more so jarring than anything else, resulting in one of the many examples in the show where the in-the-moment logic is shoehorned in to create forced and unneeded drama in situations where it doesn’t make any sense. When the lady walks away it clearly hurts little miss loli spy, and it feels unnatural that the woman would do so, considering that the loli spy has just apprehended a man with a knife, whom could have killed one of your workers! This may seem like a redundant thing to talk about, but little things like this that drag me out of the narrative and prove to be distracting, and there are plenty of examples of this.
The other pointless episode, even more so than the one I just described, is episode nine, in which we see Chise, a Japanese girl trying to adapt to British society, as she recaps her time spent as a spy and basically tells us her relationships and thoughts of the other girls. This is pointless as we already understand at this point the dynamics between each of our characters and repeating it so, is redundant. Not only that, but the episode is also a good case study into another problem with the show and that is that each villain, or any person who belongs to any higher social class, is a complete asshole, one dimensional prick! In this case, we have a rich guy who kills a butterfly, just because he is so EVIL! This forced dynamic between the higher upper-class as being horrible people, while the lower-class is presented as being kind and considerate, having to work hard to prosper in life is representative of the context of the society in which the show is based on, sure, but people are not this black and white, and it feels silly to present this as such. It doesn’t help either when the show takes to victimisation in a cheap and pathetic attempt to make us feel bad for the characters, with each adult, again, being represented as one dimensional pricks, beating down on our cute and innocent little girls. It’s the same problem I had with Elfen Lied, which also used similar cheap writing to evoke this emotion from us through manipulation, and while PeePee is nowhere near as bad as that show, it still feels lazy. While I do appreciate that the show does attempt to show us the character’s backstories, which does add some more depth onto them, it’s not something you haven’t seen before, nor is it really that effective since the characters are rather dry and boring. It’s hard to care for them on any emotional level and are more akin to cardboard cutouts.
There is an attempt here at introducing a plot twist into the narrative, but I feel as if it is introduced far too late to do anything substantial with this idea, and not only that, it also felt incredibly predictable too boot. The show constantly hints at greater things in the narrative, but then utilizes the most bare-bones and predictable storytelling to deliver upon these hints, making the entire show feel incredibly uninspired. There are a few attempts at theme exploration, and politics, all of which is never given enough time to breath or develop, and feels more so as afterthought, rather than an intrical part of the story and world. Every theme presented feels like a child’s interpretation of a morally gray world. The show also utilises exposition as well in order to communicate to the audience the state of the world, such as in the first episode where the narrator essentially just tells us everything instead of letting the audience be immersed into the world and setting ourselves, especially since the information we do learn, regarding a wall that divides the East and West, is not really explored all too much in the show, aside from the finale, but, even then, it’s nothing too remarkable. While on the topic of the finale, while I would say it is more engaging than the rest of the show, since things of actual significance and consequence are occurring, it ultimately feels rather anti-climatic and just ends abruptly!
To be perfectly fair, there was a couple of things in the show’s narrative that I kind of liked. For starters, there is a variety of different missions, which helps to break up the monotony of the story, and various locations and settings which helped to expand the world and make it feel grander. I also liked some of the spy training stuff too, and helped add on this layer of realism to the setting and the world, from seeing the girls learning how to unpick locks, or them performing practices involving tailing someone without their presence being known. Some of the technology used in the show too was pretty fun to see as well, such as a ball that allows the holder to fly, which allowed for more creative scenarios to ensue. In addition, there was a few episodes that could actually be fun, or somewhat emotional in a few places. The best example of this is an episode devoted to Dorothy, and her backstory, and while it too does utilise victimisation too, the episode is fairly emotional, mainly because Dorothy was the only character I found to be somewhat likeable, being that she was easily the most relatable, and her world outlook on life just seemed to be the most admirable amongst the cast. The one thing that ruins the episode however, is that Dorothy’s father, whom after learning does actually care for his daughter, is killed off and is never mentioned ever again! Not even a single passing remark or comment!
As for the rest of the cast, they’re pretty mediocre character archetypes. Chise’s involvement in the narrative is pretty minimal, and while we do understand her reason for coming to London, all the way from Japan, in a fight between her and her father which carried some narrative weight and emotion, she doesn’t really change or grow much throughout the narrative and her relationships that form between her and the other girls just feels superficial, as if the only reason they exist was because the script dictated it so. She had some charming scenes however, most notably her lack of knowledge surrounding western customs, although some moments felt rather trite, especially the one with the lady in the laundry house I mentioned before. Beatrice also doesn’t have much involvement in the plot either and serves little purpose as a whole. I’m guessing her role is the straight man, in the sense that she is the most normal of the group, having been trained very little in the art of spies, so I guess we’re supposed to latch onto her, but I found her more so annoying than anything else. Undoubtedly the crux of the show, and what most of the emotional weight depends on, is the relationship between Ange, a spy who has essentially cut off all her emotions for her job, and the Princess. Their relationship does actually feel genuine and sweet at times, especially since Ange actually exhibits emotions around her, giving her character some more depth and personality than what we were lead to believe at first, suggesting some personal history and connection between the two. While this relationship is still nothing remarkable, and is as cookie-cutter as they come, the scenes in which they fight, actually have some emotional weight behind it. While I won’t get too much into the plot twist between their relationship (even though it is obvious that even Stevie Wonder could see this coming!) the struggles behind the Princess's life was actually kind of interesting, and one of the few moments I cared for any of these characters.
Now, one positive thing I can say about the characters is that they all have good chemistry between them, and their back-and-fourths as they complete missions can actually be pretty funny and charming sometimes too, especially the scenes in which they are driving in their car, as Beatrice freaks out and screams hysterically, Ange turns off her voice changer (which was installed onto her by her evil father because every adult in this is a one dimmensional ass-hat) and is a clever way of adding some comedy into the show. While the character interactions are good in many regards, it is not enough to salvage the show unfortunately.
In regards to animation and music, PeePee, handles this the best. The opening is fantastic, and I can’t get enough of it! It captures the spirit the show is aiming for perfectly, and the same thing can be said for the design of the world and the character designs too. The city is mechanic, lifeless, and bleak, and each character design is pretty good, albeit it can be kind of silly looking at times. The soundtrack is also comprised of smooth jazz, adding some suave to the show, and the animation, for the most part, is pretty consistent with some cool looking action sequences. However, CGI is used in some parts of the show, with a jarring use of it in the second episode, where a group of people are dancing with the same posture and fluidity of two robots trying to emulate human movement; it feels really jarring, and many of the backgrounds in the show are comprised of CG models that never fail to look awful and drag me out of the scene.
In conclusion, PeePee was just a mediocre show with no remarkable attributes and it felt like the writers were holding back and, as I said, kept playing it safe with predictable and tireing stories that have been done a thousands times before to much better effect. It’s a show that is more interested in cinematography and action then it is in having actual characters the audience can feel for, and the strange pacing, as well as the narrative structure makes the show frustrating to watch since it feels as if it is going nowhere and just remaining stagnant. On some level, yes, I did enjoy myself during some moments of the show, but much of that was overpowered by a strong, unyielding feeling of boredom which makes it incredibly hard to recommend as there are so many other shows that are actually worth your time. Don’t bother with this show. Like someone you passed on the street today, you’ll forget the memory of them as soon as you take your eyes away...
Stark700
There’s something just really dangerously exciting about Princess Principal. Mixing genres of mystery thriller with some bits of science fiction and steampunk, this is a show that proves original anime can still work well with the right talent and creativity. Original anime these days tend to be risky to make despite not falling under adaptation pitfalls. Princess Principal has its risks when it assembles a cast of cute high school girls together in a spy thriller. I have to admit, this show got my adrenaline pumping a bit from the first few episodes. My first impression of this anime started with the setting. It’s innovativeand takes place in a time era of the 19th century in England. A major conflict in the story is about the civil war that separates the Kingdom of Albion into two nations: The Commonwealth and the Kingdom. The female characters consists of high school students working The Commonwealth as undercover spies. In essence, this show is be easily recognizable as a spy thriller fiction.
Accepting the principle cast didn’t take me long but it wasn’t easy to understand them. Remember, they are spies so not everything about them is honest. Not to mention, we don’t get background stories about them in the beginning. However, the show does make time to amplify their personalities. The idea of spies in this show combines elements of espionage, deception, trickery, and even some femme fatale. To be clear, it really brings out what the characters can do as we see how they function as spies. For me personally, I think this anime does a neat job at characterizing the characters’ skill set. The most noticeable spy is Ange with her ability to manipulate others while hiding her true intentions. She’s also adept at changing her personality depending on the situation and highly unpredictable. To be quite honest, she’s pretty much the mastermind of spycraft in this show. Her leadership skills play important roles on missions and I must say, this anime really brings out the most of those abilities.
The other main characters shouldn’t be underestimated. Dorothy has the feminine charms, firearm skills, and driving talent to carry out her missions. She’s the symbol of the femme fatale and brings out her seductive skills the most. Princess Charlotte serves as the brain of the cast as she is smart and easy to get along with others. Her close friend is Beatrice has the skill to mimic other people’s voices so she should definitely not be underestimated. Finally, Chise serves as the show’s primary fighter with her swordsmanship skills and melee combat abilities. A show with these diverse characters will take the viewers some times to accept as many will find some more likable than others. However, I think the character cast stands out not just by their personalities but also their character relationships. For instance, Ange and Charlotte has a unique relationship that is explored throughout the series. Beatrice’s relationship with the other spies evolves as each episode progresses. By the end of the show, I actually felt like she became a likeable character despite my initial annoyance at her presence. Chise’s relationship is less straightforward with others as she often finds having difficulty expressing herself to others. Despite that, I think the show does a neat job at bringing her character to life by having her work as a spy with Dorothy and Ange. On the other hand, the show’s antagonist roster could really do for some improvement. Hardly any of those are memorable and it feels like the main female grossly overshadow them.
Crafting a show about intelligence activity is no easy task as episode needs to be carefully organized for the story to flow. The show doesn’t take long to get into the mood as it’s eerie and suspenseful. It cleverly tells its background stories for some characters and believe me, they possess a lot of human emotions; some more tragic than others. However, I do have some problems with the pacing on occasions and story structure. It feels out of order at times and some resolutions doesn’t feel as impactful as others. There’s even one episode that I personally thought didn’t develop the story at all around the mid-show. Also, while I like the surprises this anime throws at the audience, it still falls under pitfalls with some generic mystery elements at times. Still, if you toss those drawbacks aside, Princess Principal really stands out as a show that dazzles with what it establishes.
On the cover, it seems this anime may be misrepresented by the character designs. They look like cute girls so one might wonder how an anime like this can make it into a convincing spy thriller. Make no mistake, this show’s risks pays off with the character designs it works with. From Chise’s assassin style characteristics to the seductive femme fatale of Dorothy, it really does make these characters stand out. It even capitalizes on the characters facial expressions and body language as those are important skill assets for spies. My only problem is with Beatrice as her character look like an immature kid compared to the others. As a spy thriller, also do expect violence to break out although it’s never farfetched to rely shock value to attract the audience. The action has smooth camera angles to showcase what spies can really accomplish. Fan service is minimal with some occasional bath scenes, Dorothy’s feminine charms, and the girls dressing up as spies. Honestly, it’s not distracting. The biggest payoff of the show’s visuals lies with its setting. The steampunk setting of an alternative history really shows creativity from the architectures, vehicles, and innovations.
Anyone who is familiar with Yuki Kajiura will easily recognize her talent in this show with its killer soundtrack. It’s entrancing and hard to ignore by the ears with its every beat. The theme songs has attitude that’s tough and catchy with eerie choreography. The OST relies on its jazz-style and smooth choreography. Finally, I can confess that the main characters’ voice performance is exceptional. Spies are perhaps some of the most difficult characters to portray yet the voice acting all sounds convincing. The ability to change voice tone from one moment instantly to another really bedazzled me.
Princess Principal ended up as an anime that I surprisingly grew fond of. It took me a little time to accept what it is but it didn’t take long to really get engaged to what it had to offer. Directed by Kazuya Nomura (having previously worked on another spy thriller known as Joker Games), it’s really a show that got me invested time into with its stylish storytelling and psychology. While I admit that not everything flowed perfectly, it didn’t make mistakes that would cause the show to collapse. I can’t say this anime is recommendable for anyone because of what it is. However, it’s definitely an anime to give a chance as it can end up being irresistible.
SunlitSonata
Spy and Espionage media has always been a very popular topic in the West. Besides the ongoing popularity of the James Bond franchse, and the allure of heist movies like the Oceans' series, they've been around enough to be parodied for decades, represented by films like Austin Powers and more recently Kingsmen The Secret Service. Even cartoons like Archer have taken a crack at Spy shows. In the world of anime, consumed by magic high schools, video game worlds, and Moe appeal, spy shows haven't been very common. The most notable example as of late would be last year's Joker Game, which ultimately became acritical flop with its episodic structure and blandly undistinguishable leads.
Which leads us to today's topic. Studio 3Hz, responsible for last year's cute girl filled yet ambitious Flip Flappers, made this ambitious project, a spy show starring cute girls in a steampunk driven English setting as they embark on a variety of missions for the sake of their government. Did it succeed? Well let's find out.
The story begins with the setup of a proposed "London Revolution", splitting England into two sides, the Kingdom and the Commonwealth, neither of which get fleshed out or distinguished. Our protagonists, the cute girl spies, work for one of these sides on a variety of missions that make up our story. These missions range from infiltration, rooting out traitors, train battles, disguise exploits, heists, retrieving secret codes and many more, in addition to backstory episodes for some of the character relationships in the present.
In general, these episodes are quite fun to see, with a good amount of Tactical Espionage Action (thumbs up if you get that reference) in almost all of them. While some may accuse the show of more or less pushing the cute girl appeal, from a logical standpoint, having young girls do the spywork would put them away from a lot of suspicion, because the very idea would seem silly to most of the adults and guards around their areas and be unsuspected. One could argue that the silliness bleeds into its own script as well and while that is true, the concept isn't horrible in itself and on their own, most of the episodes are good fun, if including a few logical fallacies and repeated events here and there (the seductive role of Dorothy for instance).
That said though, there is one thing that prevents these episodes from reaching their full potential, the plot structure.
You see, the way the show structures itself is quite non-linear. This non-linear plotting has been done in anime like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Baccano, but Haruhi was a meta comedy and Baccano used it to accommodate for way more characters and to keep the pace consistent the whole way through rather than having separate climaxes. Both also had source material already. With PP, it attempts to use different adventures that in many ways feel disconnected from each other to do all the worldbuilding and plotting from scratch, as an original property within 12 episodes. One particular character relationship gets the opportunity to develop and shine but...little else.
Questions about the world's ideas still remain incredibly open, many episodes lack overall relevance to the worldbuilding or plot lines to jack down the pacing, and while the characters' backgrounds are touched on, most are either done only briefly or takes unneeded time from other elements, looking at you Episode 9.
In many ways the show, while cool in short bursts, feels less like an overall elaborate story and more like a series of fun ideas the writer wanted to accomplish in this steampunk spy world he created, regardless of care or progression. Two notable examples are Episode 7, in which a laundry exploit exists to reveal backstory but not add any contribution to the overall plot, and ESPECIALLY Episode 9, an awkwardly placed backstory episode that kills the previous episode's pacing for a character who matters nothing in the grand scheme of thing and does nothing in what remains.
Even despite this, Episode 8 is actually great, being a really nicely appreciated look into the intertwining lives of two of the characters and adding a great amount of context. It's a case where an episode actually felt like it was put in a place where it should be, and it was by far the peak of the series.
Other episodes vary between "fun adventure with a small bit of insight" or, rushed plot episodes, more specifically at the end of it. The final episodes have very sudden plot revelations to throw the spy unit into apparent disarray, and the Ange/Princess relationship does benefit a lot from their character confrontations around this part, but it still feels like it does little with the world, only introducing a possible antagonist on par with the protagonists at the very end and ending on a sequel hook. Yes, a sequel hook, in an original story. Such a thing shouldn't happen, and if the show had keep more of a focus on its world and kept things consistent rather than trying to be stylistic with a timeline, it might've been able to accomplish far more than its ambitions seemed to imply. It might also have been possible to explain Ange's C-ball. While the substance is, according to a friend, based on a book, it lacks the proper limitations, so they can apparently Magic the characters out of situations without too much thought for how.
In a sense that's kind of reflective of the plot itself. As I mentioned the action scenes and specific scenarios were often entertaining itself, but the Rule of Cool moves it away from plausibility unfortunately.
On the plus side, the production is mostly up to par. While the character designs are sadly very typical of light novels, the general look of the world, costumes and action scenes is really well put together. The different uniforms, steampunk architecture around the world, action scenes and car chases all look the part, and made the show incredibly inviting at first as a new and unique show from the same studio as Flip Flappers. Actual animation was good for the most part. In terms of sound, Yuki Kajira made another fairly unique soundtrack similar to her work on ERASED, fitting the vibe of the setting and often being in the right times. The OP is badass, and the ED, while catchy is a pace breaker from the more intense endings.
The characters range from nicely handled to skimmed over to non-existent. Relatively early on at the start have Ange as the confident serious superspy and Princess as the royal figure wanting to create a revolution and cause a positive change to her nation. This goal isn't original in itself, but following a certain plot twist, it becomes more of a somber reflection that actually works for the plot in the end. Ange's role on her end is nice too as the most competent superspy. The other three of the main group, Chise, Dorothy, and Beatrice get far less. To the show's credit, each of them gets a particular moment when we learn of their basic backstories, followed by having a cool moment in an action scene, not necessarily fleshed out but present and accounted for, while the skills each of them DO feel like necessary pieces to form a competent unit in the spy missions in their own wat. That said, a few of their episodes tend to make the plot go off track. Chise, for instance has her own episode 9 feel incredibly disconnected and pointless in the main scheme of things aside from finding a way to justify in the Token Japanese girl. Other supporting characters are either people to be fooled by the spy group, higher ups who's main role is being higher ups or generally episodic characters who....sadly don't leave much. There is a suitable rival for the group but again, she appears at the very end, once most of the conflict is out of the way.
In general, the main characters are nicely handled where it counts with some nice character development scenes at certain points, but the show's sidetracking pace and incomplete nature hold them back behind simpleness.
Conclusion
In a few ways, the show reminds me of the writer's previous effort Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. That was also a 12 episode story that tried to create a world and characters with great production values, and while that show's premise was far less interesting and the faults in that show far more irritating, it kept a coherent story handle and tried to more or less conclude its whole idea in the end. He tried to do more than he could, and while Princess Principal is far from a total bust by virtue of its slick production and generally impressive standalone sequences, it went from a train wreck to a train veering off course only to return yet not reach its destination.
As far as being a spy show, it mostly succeeds, if not having enough opportunities to turn fate against the young girls. If you're looking for a general rule of cool show with moments of brilliance and fun action atmosphere starring cute girls, you'll get it. However, if you're looking for a well structured narrative with a well realized and fully fleshed out ensemble, you may have to look elsewhere.
Overall: 5.5/10
While I did enjoy Princess Principal and it definitely had its high points, it could been so much more if certain decisions didn't break its walls from the inside
TakaCode
I remember looking at the summer 17 seasonal charts searching for anime to add on my watch list and the summer 17 seasons itself had a lot of worthwhile anime such as Made in Abyss, Welcome To the Ballroom, Magical Circle Guruguru, Tsurezure Children and Princess Principal. Being a fan of spy genre thanks to the lacks of James Bond, Jason Bourne and other spy anime like Read or Die and of me decided to check out Princess Principal and while I did like the series on my first watch I thought the series wasn't all that special outside of the fight scenes. However, when SentaiFilmworks decided to dub this show a year later I decided to re-watch Princess Principal twice dubbed. One of the re-watches being the chronological order and after re-watching, the show I went from liking the series to loving it to a point where looking back at the summer 17 seasons for anime Princess Principal was my favourite anime of that season.
With the discovery of a mysterious substance called "Cavorite", Albion was able to construct a fleet of airships that made Albion the dominant power in the world. However, after the London Revolution, the country was split between the Kingdom and Commonwealth of Albion. The story of Princess Principal follows five girls (Ange, Beatrice, Chise Charlotte and Dorothy) in 19th century London, a city within the Albion Kingdom divided into east and west by a large wall. The girls serve as undercover spies working for the Commonwealth who are enrolled as students at the prestigious Queen's Mayfair school. The girls make use of their individual abilities to remain active in the underground world of disguise, espionage, infiltration, and car chases.
I found the story of Princess Principal to be very fascinating for the most part.
For starters, the show goes a great job presenting its episodic structure where the first 8 episodes each of the girls would take on cases where either had to defeat set group or steal an important item from set organisation/group. I found all of the case adventures to be all intrusting because not only the series is very intelligent of how the girls deal with the cases but they are all extremely well paced and addicting to watch.
I also really liked how the series was not afraid to into dark territory because some of the cases do not have a happy ending for everyone.
The one thing that Princess Principal does compare to most modern anime is it has a non-chronological narrative, and the execution was let's just say it was a double-edged sword. While almost all of the problems of Princess Principal get negatived if you watch the show in chronological which I did when watching the dub but if you watched the show when it was airing like most seasonal anime watchers you will start to see the sadly inconsistent directing of the series. One of the many problems that you will encounter when watching the show is episode transitioning where one episode would be balls off the wall action while the next episode it's a full-on slice of life.
This doesn't there many story elements in Princess Principal as a result ended up being very confusing as the show doesn't do a great job at connecting certain scenes of the series that were very important to the narrative. This is not to say the non-chronological order is all bad though as there's a lot of mystery that plays along with the show narrative and it does pretty nicely for the most part, however, if you're like me who wants to see a consistent narrative I would go with the chronological order. Yes, the non-chronological order may be a fun watch the first time around but it should not be your definitive watch of the series.
For anyone who is interested in watching the chronological order here's the order in case order.
Episode 2 > Case 1
Episode 3 > Case 2
Episode 5 > Case 7
Episode 4 > Case 9
Episode 9 > Case 11
Episode 1 > Case 13
Episode 7 > Case 16
Episode 6 > Case 18
Episode 8 > Case 20
Episode 10 > Case 22
Episode 11 > Case 23
Episode 12 > Case 24
The only negative thing I can say about Princess Principal outside the double edge sword non-chronological narrative was the ending. Yes, season 2 is coming this year and all but I felt like the show ended in a weak way where it's literally screamed squeal bait.
Overall I really had a blast with Princess Principal Story. Yes, the ending was left to desired as well non-chronological storytelling at times (if you actually decided to watch the show in that order) but other than those shortcomings the story was nicely crafted.
When it comes to the characters for Princess Principal, I thought they were all great and memorable.
Ange who despite being mostly emotionless isn't afraid to sacrifice herself just to complete her mission.
Dorothy is the most playful and relatable one who uses her feminine charm to get everything that she wants. Also, she is great at driving gateway cars in missions.
Charlotte is the most oddball of the 5 where she uses her powerful connection to get the job done.
Beatrice is the most incontinent out of the bunch and despite her struggling to keep up she has a unique power that allows her to copy anyone voice with her mechanical throat.
Lastly, we have Chise who is a strong Japanese sword woman where she is unstoppable as long she has a sword.
Despite the five main girls being clichéd at first, they are actually great characters who not only developed well but all had the chance to shine on screen. Not to mention the characters interactions with each other was great especially Charlotte and Ange. If I had a favourite out of the five girls, it would be Dorothy as she was the most likeable and relatable character thanks to her fun personality and an intriguing backstory.
As for the villains, I thought they were enjoyable. Yes, some of them were one-note but the one that showed up near the end of the series was pretty interesting.
Overall the characters in Princess Principal are great, and they are easily the main highlight of this anime.
Visually Princess Principal is great in all areas.
It does a great job at presenting its world from the far-off Visually where stretches of light contrast with the ever-present darkness that generated a distinctive atmosphere, the old time European designs of roads, buildings, decor, machines to the surprisingly smooth animation that fits well the world that is presented. The charters designs for each of the girls are unique and very appealing to the eye especially the outfits and dresses that they were in the series.
The animation itself is surprisingly outstanding. The action scenes are well animated, character movement is smooth and the amount of attention to detail thought the series animation is amazing. The series also has some of the best use of CGI as it perfectly fits with the traditional 2D environments.
Great job Studio 3Hz.
The soundtrack for Princess Principal is pretty great and memorable.
Yuki Kajiura once again did a great job with the soundtrack and all of the tracks fit very well the overall Victorian setting of the show.
The opening theme The Other Side of the Wall by Void Chords feat MARU where despite being fully in English kickass song that perfectly the setting and tone of the series. Plus it's was sung in full English which was awesome.
The ending theme A Page of My Story sung by the five main girls of the show is a beautiful ending theme that perfectly closes off the episode of Princess Principal.
The sub verison is pretty good for what it was that is filled with good Seiyuu performances all across the board however the reason why I didn't release this review back in 2017 is that I wanted to watch/review this show dubbed and I have to now say. Princess Principal is not only the best dubbed from Sentai Filmworks but is also one of the best English Dub I have ever seen. Sentai Filmworks really brought they S game here as every single dub actor was actually British person and they all did a fantastic job with roles that were given especially the five main girls. My favourite dub performance was Elizabeth Bunch as Dorothy. She nailed Dorothy more than the sub counterpart as she actually more Charisma to an already awesome character. Honestly, God bless this dub.
Despite the lack of a real ending least as of right now, Princess Principal is a very enjoyable and memorable ride that I enjoyed from start to finish. The story was great and well told, the Victorian London was beautiful, the characters were great and fun to watch and the visuals as well the music was awesome. If you’re looking for a great spy anime that has likeable characters and an engaging story then I strongly recommend Princess Principal.
It is a fantastic spy anime that no one should miss.
CodeBlazeFate
“When you create a web of lies, you'll inevitably trap yourself and become everyone's meal instead”- someone, somewhere, sometime Princess Principal is an unorthodox title to be sure. Steampunk, non-linear storytelling, and rule of cool. Sounds like it should've been a winner, but it was a case doomed to fail as soon as it set out, exposing itself rather quickly as a fraud and a disaster. It's stupid, it's uncool, and most of all, it's insulting. It tried desperately to confuse you and come off as smart and then it tries to patronize you. Princess Principal is the condescending and obnoxious dreck from the same teamthat gave us one of last year’s most crushing disappointments, Izetta the Last Witch. As blasphemous as this sounds, that show was still better than this one in every single way. Keep in mind, Izetta was sort of a train wreck and plenty were hurt by its unkept promises despite the setting and premise. However, it's like this show decided to do it one worse yet still be seen as better. Let the truth be heard, let this series be exposed for its lies, and let it be cannibalized and demonized for ruining my hopes and dreams of having a better Izetta, just like with Youjo Senki only half a year prior! Let me, the man it deceived the cruelest, have my vengeance, for the lies end here!
Case ST 2
When a narrative starts out on such an awful foot as to have narrator exposition of the past as the opening scene and then have a bunch of asspull revelations and stupid moments (few of which ever come to make sense later), then your narrative needs to do a lot to make a recovery. It never does. In fact, those asspull revelations are occasionally present, like the ballerina revelation in episode 1. It tries to play itself as smart by creating information (that it claims that we missed) out of thin air; that obviously not smart. It does this a few times and it's annoying every time. The technology doesn't make any sense either and is poorly explained. Apparently, there is this C-ball that the main character has and at one point they try to steal the prototype that was just finished, except they already have the original so that officially makes no sense. Lastly, the factions are insanely difficult to keep up with thanks to how the executed their non-linear storytelling, and we don't even k is which side between the commonwealth and the royals is the east or west side.
As stated earlier, this show treats you like an idiot. The asspull revelations that never add up aren't the only example of this. Hell, they're not even the most egregious. What’s more egregious is the fact that this show constantly beats you over the head. Every single episode, the show constantly drives home the fact that spies lie and that they're not good people, as well as that everyone always lies. More than 5% of the total dialogue is centered around these three things. The dialogue is so condescending and terrible overall, and with all this thrown in the pot, it's just an especially big insult to the audience's intelligence. “Did you know that spies are liars?” Gee, I sure did, hell, so did everyone watching. You don't have to remind us constantly. Anywhere between 3 and 25 times an episode, especially in the early episodes. Not everyone knows when they're being mocked or patronized but when you realize that it's happening to you, it's aggravating, so a show shouldn't ever do that to the viewer, who is maybe trying to use this as an escape from reality. Instead, Princess Principal, how about you instead focus on telling a coherent story and SHUT THE FUCK U-
Lying is bad
That being said, there are times where you can see a glimmer of hope in the narrative. As predictable as episode 6 is, the finale and tragic irony of the song to the situation at hand is brilliant, almost reminiscent of some of the other works this writer has worked on, specifically the final scene of the 23rd episode of Code Geass, a personal favorite. This series, especially in the second half, starts actually trying to elicit emotion, but it's not always effective at it. Sure there are good moments like episode 7 which was the only really solid episode of the show barring some of 6, but then we get episode 8 which while that did provide context to some scenes from earlier, it actually reveals another problem and missed opportunity in episode 2, one of the worst of the series; this isn't even speaking of the embarrassingly bad and mind-numbingly stereotypical episode 9 which feels like it would normally be a sappy kids show episode that also patronizes the audience. In a way, it's almost trying to be the reverse Izetta where instead of starting off decently and turning to complete shit later on, it starts off horrendously and gets better later, except it stumbles as that hallways through the second half anyway and ends up back where it started. Too little too late comes to mind. Besides, the finale is a sequel bait disaster anyway and anytime the show takes a step forward, it takes a stab back as well.
Case C 2
With the exception of Ange and Charlotte, none of the characters have any semblance of chemistry. Hell, none of the are memorable. Their personalities are beyond basic and not-fleshed out or progressed at all. There is no one worth giving a damn about, for they are so lifeless and static. If this show I supposed to be a rule of cool series, why does only one character try for this angle (the girl with the tits), and why isn't it one of the more prominent characters? They're so plain and tired, and one of them, names Beatrice, starts out especially bad and hypocritical. She’s the typical “princess loli bodyguard” trope except more annoying, and then she becomes a mod benign version of this exact same trope with little to no progression. Hell, all of these people are little more than tropes! The two “best” characters are Ange and Dorothy. Dorothy because she tries at rule of cool and she’s hot (and she actually has an explored past), and Ange because she has this weird thing about the Black Lizard Planet she keeps lying about nonchalantly. Oh, and she and this princess kinda sorta love each other...I suppose. Reasonings loosely related to it are dumb though. Regardless fact that such straws need to be grasped just to say something interesting about these characters is proof of their failure as a cast. This isn't even speaking of the other characters that come later, since they're not worth mentioning and they exacerbate this issue.
Case A 4
The show’s visuals do not fare much better. Studios Actas and 3Hz did a joint effort for this project, and if nothing else, they were consistent...ly bad.The Light Novel default artstyle aggravates and does not look appealing in the slightest, and the designs range from mediocre to abysmal, with the worst being Chise’s design. The rest of the art looks decent and occasionally pretty detailed, like with the C-ball, and that's the only praise I'll give the visuals. The animation is ok at best, though the fights are pretty badly choreographed. The CGI ranges from mediocre (for the cars) to abysmal (for the people) and there is even a moment with a CGI room for the foreground and background and it causes a long 7 seconds of bad slowdown (what is it with anime that have CGI and slowdown and why are all of them always shitty anime?). When we see rads backgrounds in situations of motion, or any time for that matter, they look terrible, and so does the photorealistic backgrounds of the school garden, which you will see from time to time. Shame since the steampunk-esque setting is an interesting one in terms of potential visuals yet these don't warrant much merit.
Case SO 6
One of the most renowned composers in the industry, Yuki Kajiura did the music for this anime. This is honestly one of the weaker OSTs I've experinced from her to date. The songs are mostly pretty reserved and thus aren't very memorable, and the few that are more blaring and interesting aren't nearly of the same quality of some of the best tracks of her other works, like the SAO and Fate/Zero OSTs. The tracks are repeated quite often too to make matters worse. The OP, "The Other Side of the Wall" by Void_Chords feat.MARU, is easily one of the best of the season. It emphasizes rule of cool and is filled with the frantic energy that makes you pumped to watch each episode of the show, as awful as this show is; it is the only real good thing I could find in this show, which is unfortunate. The ED, "A Page of My Story" by Ange (Ayaka Imamura), Princess (Akira Sekine), Dorothy (You Taichi), Beatrice (Akari Kageyama), Chise (Nozomi Furuki), fares nowhere near as well, as contrarian as this apparently sounds. It is an ok enough track on its own but intro in particular gives me major mood whiplash every time I finish an episode. Overall, it was a decent enough repertoire of music but little was special and it was honestly underwhelming on the whole.
Case E 3
This show was very difficult to enjoy. The action wasn't even that competent, the characters were unbelievably dull and bad, the plot was wrecked beyond belief, and the show treats the audience like a dunce. The most enjoyment I got out of it was listening to the OP theme by you can do that as well as engage in the full version without having to see the show anyway. Not to say that the experience was heinous but it was continually frustrating and I am left bitter for it.
Case O 3
With that, the case is closed. Princess Principal is hereby found guilty of lying about being a good show, treating its audience like an imbecile, being caught so far up a web of lies and lack of proper establishing that everything is convoluted, and all around being a massive disappointment. For a rule of cool show, this didn't even try that hard in any aspect, even visually or musically, and for a show of emotion, it shot itself in the foot almost every time it tried. It's off to the cellar, Princess Principal; good riddance.
Agent_Redacted
Packed with actions and thrills and the finest of turmoils. This is the story about a spy organization consisting of hot girls. Carrying out tasks in order to revolutionize a country. Princess Principal. An anime that may appear to be bland at first, but will swiftly show its true nature and unveil all of its many unique concepts which'll put every watchers dumbfounded. The mindset and piece of advice you need if you are planning to start this show and really to enjoy it : - There is no Yuri. Just signs of Yuri. - As you advance through the show you may notice thatthe episodes do not feel like it's in the right order. However, rest assured. It’s supposed to be that way at the beginning!
- You may not comprehend a few things while watching this show due to the fact that the mysteries are quite an annoying one.
- Expect a great deal of action and mysteries.
[ Do not read further unless you want to be spoiled. You have been warned. ]
The story's all about a spy group completing tasks set by their boss. The story is essentially covered by all the actions and mysteries. Hence making the story's absence of significance acceptable ( in my opinion ). When I think about it Princess Principal actually has quite a generic story. Be that as it may, but as I said before. It's still acceptable for me at least. Why?
I began this show not anticipating much. Honestly, I was actually intending to drop this show. But not until I heard the incredibly catchy opening which later on forced me to dance every time it played ( I'm not kidding ). As I kept watching, I felt as though my brain doesn't work when I’m watching this anime. But it was still fun nevertheless. I haven't seen something like this for so long. Princess Principal brought back the nostalgic feelings of mystery, history and actions which I've lost since the time I watched Gosick.
The art and quality of this anime was acceptable too. Expected nothing less from a joint venture between Actas and Studio 3Hz. In spite of the fact that I don't generally have a lot of connection with their work. I recognize them and how incredibly good some of them are. Princess Principal's art was done well and done right. My most favorite part regarding the quality and art was presumably the katana duel. Though it's not the best out there, I felt the hype as the blades conflicted with one another. It was an astonishing sight to see.
With respect to the characters... It's seriously a hard one to get my head around. The character development had a few mysteries appended to it which caused my brain to malfunction. Well, not like I didn’t understand anything at all. But I had a slight feeling of disapproval towards specific characters like Ange and Charlotte. These two characters are incredible and I love Ange. But I simply don't generally like the plot twist of Ange really being the princess and Charlotte being the normal girl who Ange met. It destroyed Ange's character development before the plot was uncovered. She used to be cold, edgy, deceptive, similar to a professional assassin. Unfortunatey after the reveal the anime made it so that she slowly became more delicate and kind. As an edgelord this disturbs me a little. But other than that, that is all I have to say regarding the characters.
Princess Principal was fun. I didn't expect to get so much joy from this show. It's actually been inside my list for probably around 1 year now. I'm so glad I got rid of it.
If you want something action & mystery-based with many cute girls. This anime might just be for you.
NoizyFrog
Princess Principal is a serviceable show; not a msterpiece, but not a total failure either. Disappointing would be the most accurate description, because the show introduces tempting setting, interesting characters and unconventional story telling while doing nothing with those ideas. Another aspect not working at all (for me), is conjunction of moe elements and mature themes. STORY:What story? Plot of Princess Principal is told out of order, not chronologically. There are shows, which utilized this structure to craft compelling and intriguing stories. PriPri is not one of them. Almost all episodes are stand alone events and are hardly connected by overarching plotlines. A simple case ofthe week show. Furthermore, the show has no mystery elements, the biggest plot twist is spoilered in ep. 2.
Pacing is also all over the place. Ep. 6 tried to introduce/develope one protagonist with backstory and interaction with another charakter, ending on an emotional high note. However, this relationship felt rushed and the ending forced. Events like this need more screentime to create an impact, since the themes of Princes Principal are rather dark and mature. On the other hand ep. 7 was a boring sitting with convoluted B-plot.
Despite being a show about spies, there is surprisingly little actual spying going on, like political intrigues. PriPri cannot create moments of genuine urgency or danger, due to strong episodic structure and subpar writing. The last 2 episodes try to create a dramatical finale but fail in a spectacular fashion, because the "evil" comes out of nowherer. Looking back, the overall plot did not move a step, if you compare the reall first episode and the last one. The reason for zero plot progression is severe focus on character development.
CHARACTERS: Interessting but underused.
5 main characters are interesting, diverse and have more than one quirk going for them. In general a well balanced cast that is fun to watch. Chise takes the first spot in authenticity, followed by Dorothy. Well, those two got the most interesting arcs. However, those are not spies, but cute girls in a hard world, victimized for the sake of the plot.
ARTWORK & ANIMATION: Expensive rag rug.
Charakter models and backgrounds are detailed; animation, especially in all hand to hand combat scenes, is great. Unfortunatelly, the artwork itself, while detailed, is a Frankenstein's monster. ALL women, most notably the main cast, look like charakters from a moe slice of life show, while all men look menacing and grim. And all spy outfits appear rather cutesy than practical. This moe look does not mash well with dark and mature themes of the show and can lower the impact of emotional scenes. As if the artwork is the only way to underline injustice.
SOUND: Good.
Memorable OP and solid voice act are speaking in favor of the show.
SanaeK10
On the surface, Princess Principal ticks all the boxes for elements I like in anime, Victorian Steampunk, dark gritty environments, intrigue and mystery with a dash of light-heartedness on the side. With Studio 3Hz on board as one of the main studios, how could I pass this up? 3Hz also made my favorite anime of all time, Flip Flappers. So how does it compare? Some minor spoilers follow. Well, the more keened eye amongst you may notice that Okouchi is head of the writing staff. The guy infamous for his trainwrecks both lovely and grand such as Code Geass or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Ithought that even if the overall story wasn't any good, I'd still be in for a smashing good time. Sadly (or thankfully) the team seemed to have sedated him or placed him under heavy medication, as Princess Principal ended up having a competent story throughout.
Notice that I used the word "Competent", not "Interesting". I admit, perhaps it was a bit naive of me to enter this with high hopes of it replacing Flip Flappers as my favorite anime, but Princess Principal felted mostly like wasted potential. To elaborate further, while the first two episodes may hint at a series focusing on espionage and drama, Princess Principal is a largely Slice-Of-Life series where cute spy girls do cute spy things. Sure, some episodes may feature slightly more dire stakes than the previous episodes, but this is negated by the fact that Princess Principal, uniquely I may add, jumbles up its episode order for a majority of episodes (with the last two episodes being the major exceptions).
It's as if the team wanted to make a 24-episode anime but due to whatever reasons, budgetary or creative, they settled with 12 but the individual case episode encompass the range of 1 to 24, exemplified by how the first episode is Case 13 while the second episode is the true starting point chronologically. In spite of (or maybe even due to) this unique way of working around restrictions in episode count, the pacing of the series is greatly crippled. An action-packed episode may follow a slow slice-of-life episode for instance. Adding to the episodic nature of the series, the loose thread connecting the episodes with each other just simply isn't prevalent enough, and you'd be forgiven if you lost the direction the plot is heading into. Worse is how interesting elements unique to the Princess Principal universe (such as cavorite poisoning, The British Empire being split in half, Normandy belonging to Britain instead of France) don't play any significant role in the plot. The series ends hinting at a continuation in the future, which would sting if the series never gets an extension. If you thought the Cavorite jungle shown in the opening was ever going to make an appearance, you'd be sorely mistaken. And remember the Duke of Normandy? He’s going to appear in a pop quiz at the end of the review. So be prepared!
Speaking of characters, the main cast is quite likable, although Ange’s “Black Lizard” schtick and Chise’s “Fresh off the Boat” gag do get old. One complaint I have is with regards to the antagonists throughout the series. The Duke of Normandy for instance, despite being labelled as a major antagonist on the show’s website, he’s mostly a no-show for most episodes, and it’s not like his devious schemes are of any relevance to the show. He’s just some old guy with glasses. A rival character with abilities rivalling Ange is introduced extremely late into the story, with her appearance essentially being sequel-bait material. She’s by far the most interesting character outside the main cast due to her appearing for over 10 minutes, but her presence is too little too late to elevate the cast of characters to anything special.
The director once mentioned the focus of the series was on the relationship/romance between Ange and Princess. Ange and Princess are embroiled in a Prince-and-the-Pauper scenario, further intensified after the London Revolution. While I do applaud the writing team at moments for a select choice of scenes starring the two (most notably episode 8), their relationship doesn't come to the forefront that often, and their relationship isn't any more meaningful beyond Princess being a slightly more competent damsel-in-distress.
And there's that word again. Competent. Competent is also how I'd describe the writing throughout the series as well. It's generally good and will leave you interested (most of the time), but nothing special. There are also some glaring moments where they want you to feel a certain emotion but regrettably don't have the talents to make such a scene pop. The example I'm using is that dreadful Chise scene in episode 5. Her "Pain Pain Go Away" line to that lone orphan feels tacked on just for this episode, so you just know it’s going to be cruelly twisted at the end . When the plot twist comes and Chise is tearing up, I felt nothing but my head tilting down in shame. And this incident is completely forgotten in subsequent episodes. Classy. A slightly better way to remedy this is to have the line be part of her characterisation and introduce it in an earlier episode. It's not an elegant solution, but it's better than what we have. That is not to say there aren't moments that elicited a reaction from me, the ending to episode 6, while predictable, left me in goosebumps thanks to its brilliant direction and execution.
I've been complaining a lot about this series, so you might be wondering : Why even bother? Well, Princess Principal is still fairly entertaining as a whole. The animation vividly captures the action and the audio mixing is superb. And as I said earlier, the direction in general is a cut above average and the execution of the scenes ultimately leaves one enthralled. In addition, I do appreciate how the series portrays the Victorian Era as not entirely cog sunshines and metal rainbows, depicting aspects such as poverty and the prevalence of child labor in London, something most media set in this period generally gloss over. It’s not even window dressing either, the themes of wealth disparity even comes into play for a few of the episodes and I do appreciate them for at least trying to depict this otherwise commonplace setting a little differently.
In the end however, Princess Principal is simply a competent anime. It’s good but not spectacular. If this ever gets a second season, I’d highly recommend you check it out. However, since the survival of this series is still uncertain, it’s difficult to recommend this show on a whim. The series simply doesn’t do anything substantial or unique to warrant a viewing.
6/10
Above Average, not worth going out of your way to watch.
Now then, remember the Duke of Normandy? You don’t? Me neither. I don’t even remember the question I was about to ask! But I don’t blame you, I didn’t think he was that important anyway.
dadnaya
HEAR ME, I SAY, CROSS THE WALL! Catchy OP? Check Amazing ED? Check Likeable cast? Check Interesting story? CheckRandom filler episode? Check
Princess Principal is my Anime of the Season. When I first heard about it, I didn't come with high expectations. I thought it'll be some generic action/magic anime or a "Cute Girls Doing Cute Things" anime.
Oh, I was wrong. Princess Principal DOES have only female characters as main characters, and yes, they are pretty cute, but the last thing you'll say about them is that they're doing cute things. (Well, that is of course if you do not consider killing people "cute things")
Princess Principal is an episodic anime, each episode isn't related to the one before, and aren't released chronologically. Some of them show history and background of the characters. Most of the anime is like that, but at some point it airs a few episodes in a row which are also chronologically connected.
I wouldn't want to spoil, but there's some kind of twist we see early on which makes the show a bit more confusing, but a lot more interesting.
One of the things that amazed is the setting.
The steampunk setting is presented well. The world, the buildings, the poverty vs the rich, the clothes, the soldiers, the weapons, the cars. All of it looked faithful to the 19th century.
The characters don't fall into the normal anime tropes. We don't have the "tsundere" for example who is just a "tsundere" without any traits.
All of the characters are interesting, likeable and different. All of them are spies (as said in the synopsis) but each has her own fighting style, the way she acts, handles the tasks or her friends and such.
Talking about the art- If you saw screenshots or action sequences you could see that it's a beauty. Looks really good, pleasing to the eye and pretty detailed.
Lastly, the music. One of thr stronger aspects of the show. The Opening song is my favorite from this season, and is a good contender for the best Opening song of the year for me. The ED is pretty good as well, soothing after a tense episode.
The soundtrack (OST) is on point, adds a lot to the viewing experience.
I'm still not sure on my score, I want to give it either 9 or 10. For this review I'll go with 9.5 .
I recommend Princess Principal.
TL;DR Amazing anime, my AOTS. Interesting story, amazing action, music and art. Recommended.
MediaDabbler
Imma keep this straight and short. This anime is super underrated, I mean the genre of Steampunk itself is on the lower end of Sci-Fi genres. I found this anime of the fact that it was yet another piece of work from Okouchi and When I saw how it was a spy/steampunk with girls I thought it would be some simple and nice story but boy did it blow past my expectations. Princess Principal is a episodic spy steampunk with non linear story structure that is brilliantly executed in its core. Each episode is a new mission and new plotline while still undergoing with one mainstoryline in the background and you never forget that which is a good thing because sometimes with episodic shows, it tends to lose its value and purpose through such issues. It also helps of how well paced the story is especially within the narrative events of each episodes. The cast is brimmed with interesting characters who all have their own personalities and quirks and none of them feel pointless to have around, they handle the tropes they were given excellently and of course they will have tropes/archetypes as every character & story has tropes/archetypes. However, Princess Principal exceeds past its tropes by utilizing the world building as well as plots conditions of being a spy and victorian Era which the story takes place within. It gives sense of plausibility within the quirks and gadgets the characters use too and doesn’t go beyond the realms of possibility, which helps to keep immersion and humane sense of the humaneness of the cast. Each of the 5 main characters in the cast are 3 dimensional characters with solid backstory, serving layered depth and complexity as well as motives towards their actions within the story.
I also appreciate how you can connect each of the episodes to one another as they are happening around almost the same time and really makes the audience pay attention and use their concentration to make them understand and make sense of the story.
I over all enjoyed and was entertained by the story and also appreciated the balance between the writing style of it.
Overall: 8.7-9/10
Recommend to anyone if they have free time and nothing in mind to watch.
_hazy_
First off, I think this show is one of the hidden gems I have encountered this season. And secondly, I binged watched this in one go, so my experience may differ from the few scathing reviews of this show. This is a spoiler-free review. (i hope) This anime knows what switch to flip for a binge watcher like me. While the episodes are not in chronological order (episode 1's title is called case 13, 'nuff said), this helps the audience piece together the story behind the girls. That is why the scathing reviews make no sense to me whatsoever. Each episode provides a little nugget of thegirls' day-to-day activities, and each mission the team does, paints an image and offers a deeper understanding on the many aspects of the conflict between the Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
The episodes are enjoyable - heartwarming even, while others keep one at the edge of suspense, amazement, and awe of the individual character's personalities (loved the end of episode 1).
While there are some predictable twists, I do not think that they should affect one's enjoyment of a show. What I seek was character driven plot, and I felt that Princess Principle did it very well.
The art was very well done too, the background were very captivating and immersive. The girls had nice designs, and were drawn consistently. The show is just simply pleasing to look at.
The sound is a 10/10 for me. The opening is catchy, and the ending helps to wind the day down. The soundtracks used complements the action in the screen, and really adds to the enjoyment.
Also, the OST is by Yuki Kajiura, make what you have to with this information.
Overall, Princess Principle is one of the hidden gems of the summer season, and one that I enjoyed thoroughly. However, the story is incomplete, and I hope for a second season.
MasterHavik
Cute girls show that actually takes itself seriously? Well....anything works I guess? Who would have thought this show would work so well? This is easily one of the most surprising anime of the year! This show was a joint project between studios Studio 3Hz and Actas. This series is directed by Masaki Tachibana who is best known as the director of Barakamon. He has also worked on shows such as Flip Flappers and Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and 2nd Gig. This is his second director gig. The writing for the series is handled by Ichirō Ōkouchi who is best known for hiswork on the Code Geass series.
Princess Principal is one of the few CGDT shows to get something right that many of the shows of this genre don't do. What is that? Well to put it simply, its the characters and writing.
Before I jump into the meat of this review, I just wanted to explain my main complaint with CGDT (Cute Girls Doing Things) shows. My main problem with shows like these is how the characters lack depth, and there is no clear end goal. It just feels like 12 or 24 episodes of them checking off a list of anime tropes and clichés. There is no attempt to make the characters stand out besides being a whatever anime archetype they are.
Thankfully, Princess Principal is one of the few shows to get this right. A show like Princess Principal doesn't need to be just cute for their concept to work. What it does do is show you, that giving a character an episode to flush them out can pay off in the long run. We start to like the character for who she is and not because she is cute. Cute can be an aspect of liking a character, but when it is pretty much their whole character. There is nothing.
Now, let's get onto the review. I know that is what you have been waiting for. I'm happy to give you what you want. We are going to Black Lizard Planet.
Story (8 out of 10): Our story takes place in the fictional world of Albion, England. During the 20th century of the Kingdom of Albion has control and monopolized this mysterious substance. This has led to unrest among the citizens of Albion. So, a couple of years later, the Commonwealth launches an operation known as Changeling in an attempt to replace the current ruling class in power with a small group of girls. A girl that looks like the princess catches wind of their plan and offers to help them with their plans if the Commonwealth promises her that she can become Queen of the Kingdom.
The story of Princess Principal isn't an overarching plot but more so episodic plots that end up connecting later. They make sure each character gets their moments in the spotlight to shine. Mr. Ōkouchi really makes sure every character is flushed out to the best of his abilities. But he doesn't do the same for the villains of the show as they are barely around. He does a good job framing them as a threat, but they rarely cross paths with our main heroines making them seem like wasted potential.
Besides that, it also can be unfocused sometimes with focusing on things that are not important to the plot. For example, in episode 7, it feels like more of a side mission in an open world game than an actual meaningful episode to advance the plot and characters. The same can be said for some missions they go on. I am always asking myself, "What does this have to do with the plot?" Like there is one mission at the end of the series that felt out of place to me.
Overall, the story is good but lacks a good villain to oppose our girls. So, you're left with cute, interesting girls beating up grown men. I really like the beginning of the series as it serves as a good introduction to our cast. I also like the direction they went with the ending leaving it open for a season two since a season two is the only way they are going to fully realize their vision for what they want to do.
Art (9 out of 10): As stated before Studio 3Hz and Actas did the animation for this project. They both really come out swinging this time around. Actas doesn't always have the best animation, but they really surprised me here with this show. I can tell Studio 3Hz handle majority of the action scenes as each one is unique and different. I think Actas handled the big booming perspective shots. All of them were exciting and intense. So, they knew what they were doing in that department.
The character designs were done by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. Who I know from his illustration work from Kino's Journey. First off, I would like to tip my cap to Mr. Kuroboshi for his unique designs for all the female characters. He really makes every girl in the show look different. You can tell who is the oldest and youngest among our five main girls. He really gives them expressions through their clothes, that can really tell who they are as a character. He also makes sure their eyes are designed. When you look at the girls you can tell how each of them looks different. Ange’s eyes have a sharper and darker look while Beatrice’s eyes are a lighter color.
Though, I feel this is lacking when it comes to the male character designs. Every guy in the show looks bland and boring. No one really stands out even the boss of the girl has a mediocre design. The same goes for our villain. I can say overall, he really nails the 20th century Victorian London style. I think my favorite designs of the show are Ange, Dorothy, and Gazelle. So, overall, I think the artwork and animation were really good.
Characters (10 out of 10): Now onto my favorite part of this show. This show is really driven by its amazing characters. The characters of this show are nothing less than fantastic. I am talking about the main characters of course. Let's down the line and talk about how effective each of them is.
Ange: The queen of Black Lizard Planet. Ange is just a lot of fun. One of her main concepts and calling cards is her ability to lie and tell when someone is lying. She also has the ability to change her personality depending on the situation. You can never tell when she is being honest unless it involves one of the other major characters in the show. She is very laid back and is very aware of her surrounds. Ange never tells you who she is unless she uses the cover of "Black Lizard Planet" to tell someone about herself. Yes, she can use the anti-gravity machine she carries, but I feel her power to outsmart everyone around her is even better. She is the all-around member of the group if you ask me.
Beatrice: She joins the team later. She is the younger member of the group but has a very dark backstory that involves her father using her as an experiment. So, she now has a voice box. With this voice box, she is able to change her voice to match any voices she hears. This is very helpful when they’re on missions. It's a really unique ability. She isn't the best fighter of the team, but combat isn't her focus. She plays more of the role of gathering intel. I love her expression and how she really keeps herself calm when on these missions since she is the most likely to die. Great character, and really has her heart in the right place. She only joins because the person serves joins. So, she is very loyal.
Chise: Up next is the only Japanese member of the group. Oh, I forgot to mention everyone is British in this show. Anyway, Chise is the samurai of the group. She is the main the hand to hand fighter of the group. So, she takes care of any bad guys that get close. Her character reminds of a rule 63 loli Goemon. That doesn't mean she is bad. Her backstory in her first episode it was okay. The other episode she got was really cool. I do wish they went more into the reckless side of her. Overall, she is just a solid character being the typical samurai. Her costume is really cool.
Dorothy: Now time to talk about my favorite character of the show! Dorothy is the femme fatale of the group while also being the leader. She is the most level-headed of the girls and is cool under pressure. Dorothy never really does enough to much of a whore. She knows how to use her body right. She really plays the role of the femme fatale. Dorothy is very sexy and a very strong female character. She always knows what to do. Her backstory is not a bad angle with her being abused by her father either. IT tells you Dorothy never always had it figure out. Her real name is Daisy. She changed it to Dorothy. In her episode, you really got to see how she became the strong and powerful woman she is today. It's very well done.
Princess: The last member of this group and one of the most interesting. She is the public figure of the group. Princess is also the only reason Beatrice joined the team. She is the only one that can freely move around without having to hide her image. Princess is the most inexperienced in being a spy (same goes for Beatrice) but she proves to be very clever. She isn't one for combat, so just like Beatrice and a little bit of Ange. Her best ability is to be able to outsmart her foes. Now there is a huge plot twist involving her and Ange that I won't spoil, but I will say it was amazing and really will make you like Princess and Ange even more.
Lastly, I want to talk about Gazelle. I really wanted to see more of her because I felt she could have been a good foe for the girls. When she is on the screen she is really making her presence known. She is evil and very brutal. Episode six is one of the best examples of her being outright brutal to someone. She along with the other guy really needed more screen time. I hope they get more in a second season. I do think she has a great design though.
Sound (9 out of 10: The opening theme is solid getting that spy theme perfect, but I feel the ED really nails the moe factor with a cute upbeat song with some really good animation. I also felt the voice acting all over was solid. I felt the voice actors really did a good job of being the characters than just being an archetype. I think the strongest performances of the show were Ange and Dorothy if you ask me. Lastly, I felt the sound effects for the guns and explosions were nice and didn't feel stock. So, I feel the show has some good sound design.
Overall (9 out of 10): Princess Principal is easily one of the most underrated shows of the year. This show was such a treat to watch. I really like how they made the character the center focus, and we could take what they're doing seriously. This wasn't cute girls playing Kickball. These young girls working deep undercover as spies and acting like spies. I highly recommend shows for anyone who is a huge Lupin the Third fan and those that have wanted more depth when it comes to moe shows.
Shingster
Please note this review assumes that you have already finished watching Princess Principal and though care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there will be some spoilers in character analysis. In a hidden war between spies four young girls defy an empire with their impressive skills in combat, intel gathering and lying and proves that with teamwork and friendship anything is possible. These four are the true spy kids of legend. Every anime season there is a very high chance that you would encounter an anime that brings to the table something that is completely new and unknown but rather thanbeing something that is already in existence as a source it’s completely original and not tied to existing source material. In this season, this is princess principal the newest and perhaps the best spy anime I seen for some time.
As premises go the one that Princess Principal has is probably one of the most unique ones that I seen for some time. Set in alternate reality in the early 19th century in a heavily fictionalized version of the United Kingdom where the discovery of a new unknown substance Cavorite has revolutionized the Albion empire that has allowed it to introduce a new means of imposing its will on the world not with warships or vast naval fleets but with the next best thing a fleet of airships. This new development however is not without its disadvantages however as existing disagreements and differences that existed long before its discovery only deepened and resulted in a revolution that created a division of the kingdom with it now split between the Albion kingdom and the more democratic Albion Commonwealth. The newly formed Albion Commonwealth inferior to the kingdom in everything from military power to technology prowess compensates by making use of highly trained female operatives trained in everything from seduction, hazardous driving, combat and voice impersonation, disguise and infiltration that even the odds that are arrayed against them.
The overall story for Princess Principal follows the life and activities of four young girls each with unique talents and skills that they combine as they work as a team in missions against the Albion kingdom and in a war of shadows that no one but themselves and their commanders know about. In a ruthless and fierce battle waged in the shadows the girls can only count on their skills and their friends as they try to accomplish a variety of missions that range from escort to infiltration where sometimes simply obeying objectives and denying your feelings may not be the best way forward.
Ange
Ange played by veteran seiyuu Ayaka Imamura of Hundred fame is one of the main characters of the series and serves as one of the central characters of the series. A young teenage girl that like the rest of the team attends the prestigious Queens may fair school Ange is someone that can be seen as the ideal spy on account of her skill at lying to others and concealing her identity and mission even from her allies. A calm, logical and professional person that can be rather cold and unforgiving to others Ange can be considered by many to be the ideal spy as she is shown to excel in not just all the skills that a spy is expected to know being particularly adept at assuming different persona’s and disguises that her mission requires while also remaining focused on the mission objectives. While on the surface Ange may be quiet and generally unapproachable Ange can be surprisingly chatty at times and able to respond with sarcasm and smart retorts when pressed by people which is something that I find surprising about her character. As a spy Ange is not used to working with large groups of people preferring instead to work alone or be paired with other experienced agents like Dorothy and as such it can be hard for her to work with people that are unknown to her. This aspect of her personality meant that she had a bit of a difficulty when learning to work with new members such as Beatrice or Chise.
As the series progresses Ange’s personality changes quite a bit as she encounters more and more allies and in the process forge bonds and friendship with many of them something that would have been rare had she stayed in her old personality. While still remaining, quiet and preferring to offer her opinion only when called for Ange noticeably becomes more proactive and willing to provide advice to others when she sees them in trouble even when it would have been better to leave them alone. Ange also become more understanding and kind as the series went on willing to help those that are not able to take care of themselves normally with the best example in her helping out a street orphan who had resorted to pick pocketing to survive on the streets. In the beginning of the series Ange’s quiet and cryptic manner of behavior made her very difficult to get to know by the newer members of the team such as Beatrice and Chise which was made worst by the fact that Ange did not think highly of them as well. However, as the series went on and after seeing their worth on the field it can be seen that Ange’s behavior regarding them as a result of them defying her initial assessments. While still loyal to the mission itself Ange is shown to also become very loyal to both her team and its members taking great care to teach them and ensure that they are protected from harm when on missions. Ange’s most prominent trait is without a doubt her ability to assume any form of disguise and mannerisms that go with it as easily as it is in throwing a switch something that I feel is essential for a spy.
Beatrice
Beatrice voiced by new seiyuu Akari Kageyama is one of the main characters of the show and is one of Ange’s main allies and fellow team member of the teenage spy squad. Initially Beatrice was the handmaiden of Princess and acted as both her assistant and maid and accompanied her whenever she went. After Princess decided to work with the commonwealth to achieve her plan Beatrice decided to follow due to her loyalty to her. A teenager like the rest of the spy team Beatrice is a positive, kind, sweet and dutiful person whose most prominent trait is her loyalty first to the princess and then to the team itself. In the beginning of the series Beatrice while very loyal to her princess behaved more like a rookie in the beginning due to not having as many skills in spy craft as Ange did or the close combat skills that Chise had and as a result was mostly relegated to support roles. However, as the series goes on Beatrice through her diligence and determination to be of help to her liege the princess starts to mature both in terms of skills and in terms of personality. In terms of personality Beatrice as the series goes on noticeably becomes braver as the series goes on willing to put her life on the line to ensure that missions go smoothly. A key part of Beatrice’s personality development was her acceptance of her enhanced voice that was put in by her father a mechanical genius that in the beginning caused her a great grief and shame. Though at first reluctant and scared to make use of it Beatrice eventually mustered the courage to accept it and use it as it allowed her to not just have her own unique skill but also allow her to help her friends and her princess in the missions that they do.
In the beginning of the series Beatrice as a result of her quiet and meek personality had great trouble in making friends with her only friend being the princess. In the beginning of the series Beatrice also had a noticeably dislike of Ange and the world of spies as she felt that the spy world had no real friends and that everyone that worked in the world was a liar. Her dislike of Ange at first was also a result of the loyalty that she has towards princess where truthfulness is seen as the quality that maids such as she should exhibit. However, as the series goes on and she got to see how Ange and the others worked in the world this opinion of hers began to change as she came to trust the team which caused her to eventually try and form friendships with them. In this the manner of how Ange and Beatrice formed their friendships I felt was cute. As a result of being a maid that serves royalty Beatrice is shown to be someone that is observant of protocol and as such she gets angry rather easily when people notably Ange ignores them a fact that I find quite amusing to see. Without a doubt, the most prominent trait of Beatrice is her loyalty to not just her team mates but also to princess herself. The manner of how Beatrice met princess and how they eventually become such great friends that ensured Beatrice’s loyalty to her I felt was really sweet and really put in perspective in understanding why Beatrice is so dedicated to both her welfare and safety. As a character, I felt that Beatrice was a really interesting character that while cute and innocent at first proved that with hard work and a will to be of service to someone dear to you really can become an asset to them. Akari Kageyama I felt really did an excellent job portraying Beatrice in one of the first main roles that I seen her in and I wish her continued success in the future.
Chise
Chise voiced by veteran seiyuu Nozomi Furuki of High School Fleet fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the main members of the teenage spy squad. Unlike the rest of the team Chise herself is not actually from Albion and rather she originates from the island country of Japan which makes her rather unique when considering the other members of the team. A teenage girl like the rest of the spy squad Chise is a quiet, calm and composed person that initially was even more quiet than Ange was on the outset. Similar to Ange Chise is someone that does not trust people that easily even when they appear to be allies but once she does she is shown to immensely loyal to them. A unique aspect of Chise’s personality is the fact that she is very loyal to the warrior culture of Japan which considering the time period does indicate that she’s very loyal to the samurai code Bushido. In her personality, this manifests in the form of how strict she is about herself regarding to the way of the sword which also creates frustration for her when she can’t use it in missions. As the series goes on Chise’s closed off personality starts to gradually unravel as she gets used to her duties as not just as a member of the teenage spy squad but also as a person as well showing that beneath that composed and strict persona that she makes use of Chise is also an observant person and has shown to also have very good deduction skills and able to tell what someone’s personality is like by a glance. Chise is also shown to be a very kind person at heart and is shown to show sympathy towards people that she feels did not deserve their fate such as the kids that she encounters on the streets.
Due in part to Chise being deployed in a country that is unknown to her both in terms of language and culture a large part of her story arc is spent on her getting to grips with it. This particular arc which while simple was actually quite interesting as we get to see her get confused with the simplest of things like the fact that in Albion the pencil is sued to write instead of the ink brush and that when someone offers to teach you swordplay you accept rather than throw a vegetable at them. Of this arc, arguably the most interesting part was the dual between some bullies which despite the advantage lying with her opponents Chise was able to gracefully win with the most unorthodox dual I ever seen. As a character Chise actually was more of an outsider than Beatrice and Princess was and though She and Ange and Dorothy did not have the best of first encounters I felt that her gradual acceptance of her role both as an observer and as a member of the team was well done. Chise’s attempts to try and understand the culture of Albion better with the help of Beatrice I felt was also quite hilarious. I felt that her seiyuu Nozomi Furuki really did a great job in portraying her.
Dorothy
Dorothy voiced by veteran seiyuu You Taichi of Tsugumomo fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the overall leader of the teenage spy squad that the girls are part off. Unlike the rest of the spy squad that she commands Dorothy is actually an adult already that due to the fact that she looks younger than what her true age suggests is able to still pull off a convincing disguise as a teenage girl. An old classmate of Ange that graduated from the same training class back in the past Dorothy at first was the only person that Ange actually had complete trust and faith in. A responsible, calm and intelligent person Dorothy acts as the overall leader of the spy team and as a result is well versed in a number of field crafts that spies would know. When out on the field Dorothy is someone that is professional and serious though no less focused on their missions that Ange is. However, while Ange has a habit of being overly focused on the mission Dorothy is someone that is the opposite in that she will only do the best that she and the rest of her team can while taking care not to push them too hard. In this we can see that Dorothy also includes as an aspect of her personality the older sister type personality in that she cares a great deal about her juniors and tries to protect them the best that she can. As a result of this personality Dorothy is able to easily bond with people and connect with them far more easily than Ange can.
In addition to having excellent leadership and driving skills Dorothy has been noted to make use of the drunk maiden trick as her main method of distraction a lot in the series which I felt considering her looks is actually a great use of her charm. This manner of approach for her I felt was interesting and I was surprised at how often that actually works. Outside of missions however it can be seen that Dorothy is a rather playful person that loves to drink and joke with others something that I felt contrasts well with her more serious personality that she uses out on the field. Given the black and white nature of the world that they fight in being able to allow your team to unwind is something that I think is quite important for that morale. As a character, I felt that Dorothy was a great character that did a great job of keeping the individual team members on track with their missions while also allowing a certain level of flexibility to them. The fact that she cares a great deal about her friends and allies as a result of her older sister like personality I felt was something that was well suited to her character. I felt that her seiyuu You Taichi really did a great job portraying her.
Princess
Princess voiced by new seiyuu Akira Sekine is one of the main characters of the series and is a member of the teenage spy squad. Despite the nickname Princess is actually a real-life princess of the Albion kingdom that has decided for reasons of her own to help the squad in their missions. A teenage girl like the rest of the team’s members Princess is a kind, caring and gentle person that has all the base traits that a princess should have. However, princess in addition to being kind is also a cunning and crafty person skills that she learned after years of interacting with politicians and relatives that seek to use her due to her status as a princess of the kingdom. In the beginning of the series princess’s position within the team was somewhat of an enigma as she was both part of the team but also a person that the team protected. In these first days Princess’s initial personality as can be expected was one that was guarded and defensive but even in these unusual circumstances she retained her positive and cheerful nature. As the series progresses and Princess’s personality is gradually developed we can see that while she’s kind and compassionate princess is also someone that is hardworking and determined to achieve her overall goal which hints at her true ambition in the story as well. As shown in her first encounter with Ange and Dorothy Princess is also shown to be a very intelligent and crafty person that oddly enough also likes to gamble hinting at the fact that her perception skills are not something that’s to be underestimated either. Though she was wary of the members of the spy team at first which in turn was felt by the members of the teams themselves Princess gradually came to trust them and become fast friends with them much to both of their surprises. As the series progresses Princess though still an important person within the team gradually takes on a much larger and more active role within the team playing an active part in their missions demonstrating both her bravery and a willingness to take a more direct role in actions that leads to fulfillment of her dream and ambition. Of princess’s personality, I believe the more prominent trait about her is her ambition which rather than coming from her desire to become queen from selfish reasons like it’s her birth right or something actually stems from both what she has seen in the kingdom and what she herself has experienced in the past. Unlike most princesses that are shown in media Princess is someone that due to her compassionate and kind nature is able to sympathize with many different people and understand the things that they go through as they try to stake out an existence in the often-harsh poorer areas of the kingdom. Seeing both this and the grief and pain that the infamous wall has created for this serves as the primary reason for Princess’s ambition something that I find myself quite in agreement with.
As a character, I felt that princess was a character that was pretty well designed as though a princess she was someone that didn’t behave like a typical royal being both compassionate, kind and not looking down at people lower in status than her unlike others. This meant that as a character it was far easier to bond with and connect with her which is something that I liked. Her most prominent trait which was her ambition was also something that I liked as rather than having a selfish reason for being so her reasons were a result of her own experiences and beliefs that she developed from seeing things first hand which in my book made her a hero already. Overall I felt that her seiyuu Akira Sekine really did a great job for one of her first main roles and I wish her well in the future.
Arts and animation
In terms of arts I felt that the character designs for each of the main characters were pretty well done and each of the girls while also looking pretty also fit the part of someone that lived in 19th century London. The scenery for each of the locations that the main cast visit and explore in the series I felt was also well designed and varied and you can tell that they really put a lot of thought into putting in the different types of areas that 19th century London would have that range from rich noble mansions to laundry mills in the slums. In terms of animation I felt that it was smooth and clear with the combat animation and the fights that make use of them being amazing. The contrast in colors that are used to show a more subtle difference as the cast move through different class areas is something that I thought was well designed as it showed an obvious cue that the cast were in different social areas within the kingdom.
Music
In terms of music Princess principal made use of two pieces of major music which included an opening theme which in this case was The Other Side of the Wall by Void_Chords feat Maru and an ending theme which was A Page of My Story which was sung by the seiyuu’s of the four main characters. The opening theme for the series I felt was interesting as it helped convey a sense of racing for freedom on the other side which resonated well with the overall theme of the series of working to eliminate the barriers that divide a country. The opening theme also did a great job of drumming a sense of anticipation into mind as well as if each episode will feature an important mission for the team. The ending theme for the series I felt was quite cute and had a really relaxing feel to it which was helped greatly by the visuals that it made use of. This ending when used in conjunction with the usually heavy episodes actually helped in making the viewer relax after going through such heavy events in the episode. The scene music for the series was another thing that I thought was well done especially the dramatic effect that plays when the girls are executing the mission over the heads of their enemies.
Voice acting
The voice acting for the series I felt were relatively strong with particular praise going to Ayaka Imamura who portrayed Ange, You Taichi who portrayed Dorothy, Nozomi Furuki who portrayed Chise, Akari Kageyama who portrayed Beatrice and Akira Sekine who portrayed Princess. Each of these five characters despite being relatively new to voice acting I felt really did an excellent job in portraying their respective characters.
Overall conclusion
In overall Princess Principal was a really strong anime that thanks to its unique setting and premise ensured that among this anime season it will be regarded as one of the best animes that had premiered. Princess Principals main strong points that made it such an enjoyable anime in my view was its unique premise, a well thought out story, interesting characters, unique take on missions and excellent voice acting and the bond of friendship and unity that the members forged with each other. The music for the series I felt was also one of its strong points. Within the anime industry anime’s that make use of the spy theme are very rare and indeed the only one that stands to mind on the time of writing was Joker game an anime that premiered during the second anime period of last year. The reason for this is because it’s very hard to create a setting where spies can be seen as something that is necessary when for example someone with a sword might be more useful and flashier. This has the effect of making this type of anime even harder to get right as countless things need to be tweaked to ensure that they all work correctly. The theme and setting that Princess Principal chose to use as a result is one setting that I thought was well conceived as 19th century London that was divided by a wall after a revolution split the country sounded perfect for a place where spies would operate as each side needs to know what the other is doing. The commonwealth widely seen as weaker than the kingdom in both tech and manpower can also be seen as the underdog that needs to maintain its strength continuously by stealing ideas and rescuing people from the other side. These reasons help in justifying why the setting and premise was unique and why it gave a setting where spies from both sides could operate in their little shadow war.
The overall story for the series of featuring a spy squad of mostly teenage girls who despite their age have abilities that are on par with veteran adults was something thought outlandish at first was something that I soon saw the merit of after seeing their first missions. Who in their right mind I ask would think that the pretty teenage girl that you saw two minutes ago ducking into your alley was a highly trained spy that can take you out in two minutes flat without batting an eye lid. The combination of surprise and unexpected opponents ensured that the teams opponents are surprised every time something that tells of how good of an idea the teenage spy squad turned out to be. Each of the missions that make up the overall plot line I thought were all unique and well-designed that in addition to showing creative uses of mission types for the girls also allowed them to showcase the developments that they had in their character and personality. The act of tying in princess’s character and her motivation and growth and ultimately her ambition in with the main plot line was something that I felt was an excellent move as it helped instill a more personal side on the story which is helped greatly by perhaps by one of the greatest twists in an anime that I seen so far.
Overall Princess Principal was an anime that I really enjoyed and one that brought a lot of fresh air to both the spy genre but also to anime in general thanks to its take on a unique setting that was married with an excellent storyline and well-designed characters that were played by new but highly capable seiyuu’s. In overall for final score I can easily give Princess Principal a 10/10 a score that I think it easily deserves.
Nevaran
An amazingly styled animation, steampunk era anime. It also brings a nice amount of action and unrealistic but fun to watch spy business. The story is progressing in a good pace, has depth, and makes you cry when it wants to. Storyline has a great amount of twists and unexpected turns. Characters are deep and you can cling on them very hard a lot of the times. Each of them have(or will have) an explanation and backstory as to how they came to this point, further enhancing the depth of them. This is the subbed version im reviewing, I dont know if there is a dubbed one, but watching bothversions might be more beneficial than just one of them.
Cannot wait for the next season.
A must watch, especially if you like steampunk and story-heavy anime with a moderate scoop of action
FoolishVirtual
For starters I believe this anime is strongly underrated and that it deserves a worth audience that will praise it. If you are a fan of steampunk, a Sherlock Holmes, detective, spy-like kind of show, you'll enjoy this anime trust me. Story: The Kingdom of Albion is brought back into another original anime. This isn't the first anime I've seen mentioning this domain. It's the 19th century and what makes the case for this story known is the wall that divides the East and West of the capital of Albion. Five high school girls, who enroll in the prestigious Queens May Fair School are involved inheavily activities that is considered spy work. Disguise, infiltration, car chase, and more. What happens next is how the girls use that advantage in this kind of world to fly high.
To me, this story plot left me confused the first 6 EP's. To put it blunt, I didn't think strongly of the anime at first. The unchronological story telling. It would focus one week on the story and the next EP would tell how it came to be. Now this indeed would make most think that's how it's post to be. But aren't you post to tell a story in order instead of all over the place? I was unsure of myself if I'd even get through this. I am even stated soon on Twitter. Once I got by EP 6 though I accepted what the studio was trying to do. This original may require patience for some. Others will be snatched on the very first EP. I got the feeling when reading comments about the series from my pals on twitter which led me to speak up, "Why". Anyway, the story is quite entertaining with the dividing of two sides. The Commonwealth and of course, the kingdom itself. I was never a big fan of Spying or being stealthy because it's my weakest link when playing video games that way or trying to steal something when hungry. *sighs*. You have to admire the way the anime plays this all out and how it treats the characters. As rough it may be, so is life. Ouch. I give the story a 7/10.
Next up is Art: An 8/10 for me. Just like mecha. I'm a big fan of steam punk or unique setting like the 18th or 19th century like this anime has. I was amazed. It felt realistic. Watching the anime kind of reminded me heavily of Sherlock Holmes/London type setting. That's how heavy the art impacted me. The design for the characters was real classy. The way it should. Watch for yourself, you may get a different feel than I did.
Sound: I want dive into this section much. lol. I was too focus on enjoying than listening in on sound. I'll give it an 8 for well timed sound organization. Not to mention for making my ears ring at times.
Character/Characters: An 8 here but let me tell why.
Ange: The most cold hearted character out of the 5 girls. At least at first. She acts strongly on being a spy. Liars have their part it feels like coming from her. She's emotionless. Her face will not show it due to her past. She's good at what she does. Could she be a better example? Yes, I believe she can if the show ever receives more. Doubt it.
Princess: Obviously it shows that she and Ange have a past together. A cruel one. Panned out to turn this plot/story into a real ride down memory lane. Painful or not. The princess over the 10 year period really learns to love the country she's in. Wants to rid the walls that divide the land of Albion. I admire a leader like that. Young even. However, problems can't be solved easily. She'll learn this over the course of the 12 EP's. Watch this series and you'll find out what I mean.
Chise: Don't we always love our Japanese girls? Ha, ha. Well, Chise I really felt was a strange girl. Obviously has a past like the other 4 girls in the group and doesn't wish to talk about it unless it's the right moment. Most do. Her lord from the land of East Japan commands her to go to Queens May to learn about the operation/and decide what to do going further. Chise has skills that she learned from her dad and I respect her for doing what she does in this series. Just being there despite the outsider tag slapped on her. I will go into this no more. Try to watch this anime for yourself. I feel they could've done more with her if the series was longer than 12 EP's.
Dorothy: I believe she was the oldest. Anyway, she acts more like an older sister 3/4 of the time. Very mature. I could easy respect her if I was listening in on taking advise. However, like the other girls her past plays a part too. It certainly does hold her back for a time until she learns to overcome it. I think Dorothy ended up being my favorite character at the end of this anime for her encouraging words she relayed to Ange. Dorothy learns it the hard way like the rest of the group does. Watch, find out for yourself if you enjoy Dorothy's presence or not. I sure did.
Beatrice: I am not even going to bring up the ridiculous word we call loli. That would be cruel to her. I like how she's very loyal to the princess in the start and is weary of Ange especially. Can't blame her with Ange's way of expressing things. Difficult. When finding out she has a mechanical implant that affects her vocal cords, I could do nothing but shake my head. This is the only thing I will reveal that's strongly impacts her influence for this group of 5 wonderfully strong girls. She doesn't give in though. Please watch for yourself and enjoy. She too was great to behold.
Princess Principal had a strong batch of characters. I feel a war could break out on who to love, like or trust more.
Enjoyment: I am pleased to give this an 8. For a very underrated anime and one that I asked myself, would it be worth it? It surely was. I had a blast watching this. Spy work is the most dangerous road but an interesting one to learn and share. I loved the atmosphere in this show. Very intense.
Overall: 8/10. Not an anime to overlook at all anymore. Still not well known yet. I really do hope whoever reads this tries this series for themselves.
Gundroog
Princess Principal is a good example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, at least for me. While the spy war sounds interesting the visuals and main cast kinda made me feel that it’s not aiming to deliver on the premise. I didn’t really care for this show until my trustworthy friend with good taste pitched it as “Hitman but with cute anime girls” and was he ever on point. For the most part Princess Principal focuses on episodic plots that have something to do with all sorts of spy related activities you could think of. Assassination, stealing blueprints or technology, infiltration, sabotage,cracking double agents, it’s all here and it’s fun as hell.
Princess Principal heavily leans on the romanticized view of spies. They’re athletic, observant, smart and are always two or three steps ahead of everything that’s going on. This might sound boring because normally the interesting part is watching characters struggle to overcome difficulties but what PP lacks in that department it compensates for with a lot very varied and interesting scenarios. One of the episodes for example is a train on train battle with samurai, which fits into a show set in steampunk 20th century england way better than you’d think. Not all episodes are this pompous however, every now and then show switches between bombastic to more character focused plots that do a decent job of adding some humanity to an otherwise pretty basic cast.
The main group we spend time with can’t boast complexity or depth but there’s still more than meets the eye to most of them. Ange is very cold and distant but as the show goes on you learn that the spy thing is just a very strong front she had to adapt and her deadpan humor makes her stand out on top of that. Similarly Charlotte is appears as very optimistic, diplomatic and gentle character yet you quickly learn that’s also a facade her life forced on her. Dorothy is the oldest one on the crew and generally acts as an extroverted seductress yet part of her is frustrated with the lack of real personal connections and honesty within the group because sharing personal information goes against the principles of being a spy. Beatrice and Chise are relatively simple even to others but they have a good chemistry with the rest of the crew and their interaction is one of the appealing parts of the show. That’s not to say they don’t get any attention but their backstories are very inconsequential and don’t add that much to their character.
What adds to Princess Principle on top of all this is a great production. The show is damn good looking and it does a great job of selling you on the setting. The visuals are a combination of Victorian era england with a healthy dose of steampunk mixed in. The London streets are densely packed, grimy and covered in fog. The factories are densely packed with exaggerated machinery and higher class establishments are usually very intricate and grand.
The show also utilizes some 3D assistance for very cool and dynamic camera shots that let you get a good feel for the environments characters are. I can’t say that CG elements always blend in perfectly but for a TV show it’s used very tastefully and adds more than it detracts.
Animation department is not slacking either, I think pretty much every episode has some really good looking sakuga moments. They don’t stick out too much but that’s a compliment to overall quality of show more than anything. The only complaint I can leverage against it is that choreography is not always up to snuff but most of that is centered around episode 5 which features quite a bit of swordplay. It might be just my hangup cause I have a problem with quite a few swordfights in media in general but it does this dumb thing of supposedly masterful swordmen just hitting each other’s sword a bunch in attacks that are either clearly going to miss even if they weren’t blocked or would obviously be blocked to begin with. However most of action either features gunplay or hand to hand combat where this problem is non-existent and those usually look pretty damn good.
Unfortunately same can’t be said about the music. While the visuals and scenarios are fairly creative the music is competent but very generic. Think of some music you associate with spy fiction or a certain British detective and I’m sure your imagination will be in line with what you’ll hear in this show. A lot of it is the same old orchestral tunes, some chorus and on occasion a bit of jazz. It’s not bad per se but hardly noteworthy.
Now this is all quite good but there’s one thing that keeps this from being a genuinely good show. That’s story. It doesn’t play that big of a part in the show outside of brief flashbacks and short segments that attempt to tie episodic plots into overall narrative which is fine but when the focus shifts to it the show kind falls apart.
To really care about what happens in the last two episodes you need to get a good feel for the world and the main characters. One of them wants to become a Queen and remove the wall that separated her and many others from her loved ones and caused nothing but trouble for the people of England. Almost all episodic plots tie into this theme of people’s lives being ruined due to separation caused by the revolution and political conflict but it all culminates in a revolution that wasn’t built up whatsoever, introduces characters that have nothing to them and is resolved by the end of episode 12 in a very anticlimactic way with no repercussions whatsoever. On top of that development being rendered pointless there’s the problem of the show never doing a good job to establish to two sides of conflict. You got Kingdom and Commonwealth but there’s little discernible difference between them. You never learn about the characters in Control which is a group of people that gives out cases to our protagonists and you never learn about “general” who takes over at the end of episode 10 I think and there’s a duke of Normandy and his spies which try to do something and it’s never properly fleshed out. It’s not at all a satisfying conclusion and in the end it doesn’t even conclude the overarching plot.
So, while the story part of the show is poor, everything that surrounds it is quite well done. If you’re interested in cute girls doing over the top spy things then I think you’ll enjoy this. It’s worth noting that there are 6 movies coming next year so if you like it, there’s more to come.
