Princess Principal

Pipe★ 9

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★ 8

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~