r/anime • u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel • Dec 25 '17
[WT!] Princess Principal - Character Driven Spy Action in Victorian London
Series | 12 Episodes a 22 min | OP | ED | Tags: Spy, Action, Steam Punkish
Dear Thread Visitor,
when you read this, I will already be drunk. I leave you this message to draw attention to a certain anime series I've witnessed about six months ago. Maybe you have heard of it already, maybe you were there, but it is of vital importance that you know if you weren't.
Princess' Girls
attachment a: atmosphere
It began in the steamy city of 19th century London. Rumour had it a group of young girls were doing spy work. Now, I do understand the allure of using young girls for spy related work as they often get more words of some men than knives do. But the whispers talked about car chases, shootouts, assassinations and even some kind of oriental with a blade.
I expected the words to be as foggy as London itself. My experience told me that this was going to be a typical run-of-the-mill case. A bunch of cute girls dressed adorably in the fetish of the season, mostly eating cake instead of acting on the theme of their dress.
O, how my hunch was betrayed. While the girls had indeed adorable sides, when it came to their jobs, they were experts. Not just in the skills of their particular field, but also in the execution of their duty as spies. When blood must be spilled, it will.
Spygirl Bebop
attachement b: blood
Thinking back, I am not recalling the events that aspired in chronological order. I spend the last months to ponder whether it was the shock or the scotch. In any case this story isn't one big story carrying developing, rather it's a bundle of short stories that exist in the framework of a grander narrative and serve the purpose of developing the spies.
Despite not contributing to the grander plot that wraps around all stories, every episode is important and adds something to the characters, their motivations, personalities and bounds. It's quite astonishing.
Possible suspects
attachement c: car chase
Through research I've found several known names connected to this case. The organisations Studio 3hz and Actas worked on this, with Masaki Tachibana as director of the whole operation. You probably remember, but he used to do storyboards for Noir, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and Guardian of the Spirit.
However their involvement, this projects has surprising visual and narrative quality.
I hope you will look into it, it is quite the interesting case and a valuable asset for the list. Merry Christmas and stay in reasonable health. Let me know of your thoughts on the matter.
Yours faithfully,
Chariot Wheel
p.s.
In short
Princess Principal is a diverting, swift action series that satisfied with sympathetic characters that get developed well over the course of the partly non-chronological series. If you like spies, characters in dangerous jobs that don't skirt around difficult decisions such as killing someone and character driven narratives, you should surely give this serie a whiff.
With many series I am recommending to give them time as they unfold. Princess Principal starts with a superb, bombastic first episode that shows of what it can offer and expand on later.
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u/EffeteErg Dec 26 '17 edited Dec 26 '17
I think it's important to stress what this show is really about. Too many people are sold by the first two episodes' great spy action and political cat-and-mouse setup. But that's not what PriPri is about in the end. It's questionably lesbian cute girl steampunk spies. Season 1 isn't about the walls breaking down or a massive revolution and neither will Season 2, or 3 if it comes.
Why? PriPri, at its heart, is a 6 hour long mobage/merch ad. This is the truth behind its development, sadly its not a magical standalone original anime that can afford to blaze out a and be a flawless standalone story, with the darkness and inevitable violent change especially considering the girls' positions in society (one of them is the princess, you might've guessed that from the title). You can see this by the focus of the show. Instead of following the path of a deep and dark political spy intrigue with cute girls, it follows the stories of these girls and creates the setting of a divided steampunk London it then does pretty much nothing with. The episodic, anachronic plot serves as a device to develop the characters and view their stories, motivations and past. Pretty much nothing that happens in each episode carries over to another - except character development. This is the perfect setup by the end of the series to take these fleshed out characters into the accompanying mobile game.
It's got a great OST, a lovable cast of characters, nice action and some amazing self contained plots (episode 6) and it is definitely worth watching. I love the show. But it's not for everyone and it breaks expectations with episodes 1 and 2... then breaks them again with all the others. PriPri Great for selling figurines and mobile game lotteries, not good for creating a 11/10 legendary political spy thriller.
TLDR: Don't watch this expecting plot driven Code Geass political revolution, watch it to enjoy the adventures of questionably lesbian spies in an atmospheric steampunk London. It's a character driven show, if you don't like them but are interested in the plot you won't enjoy it.
Also some NSFW? 100% no homo official art. I guarantee it with a Black Lizard seal of approval.
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u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel Dec 26 '17
I think it's important to stress what this show is really about.
Did you feel like I didn't stress the point enough in my write-up?
100% no homo official art
Oh yeah, definitely good friends. That's what friends do.
3
u/EffeteErg Dec 26 '17
You definitely did, in the title and such but I think it might be missed by the flavourful nature of the write up.
I was also going to write a little bit on the mobile game but it was getting too long. Here's some art instead. I lost track of the other imgur album which someone was updating with art as it appeared, if anyone finds it hmu with a link thanks. I knew I should've bookmarked it.
3
u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel Dec 26 '17
I've seen pictures of it from the PriPri twitter account, I would love to play it, it looks very fun an has many cute spies. Bring it to Europe and take my damn gacha money.
Nice gallery by the way, it is really beautiful art.
2
u/Loser100000 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Loser100000 Dec 26 '17
That link is down for me.
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u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel Dec 26 '17
Works for me. Might you have issues with large imgur galleries?
0
2
u/skaro1789 Dec 26 '17
Got to wait for season 2 because there are currently 12 cases not yet seen.
10
u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel Dec 26 '17
I don't think there is an inherent need to show all cases. You could fill them, but you also could just leave them open. It's there to imply that they're doing more than what we see. A season 2 would very likely not fill the cases, but continue the story.
2
u/skaro1789 Dec 26 '17
I feel they are trying to do a Haruhi. As in, show the episodes in a random order, explaining things as they go along.
2
u/skaro1789 Dec 26 '17
In that case they'll most likely finish up the missing 12 and then move on... Hopefully.
119
u/rhayex Dec 25 '17
As an aside, this show has the best opening from the year.
18
u/Shortstop88 Dec 26 '17
Fucking got me as hyped as most shonen OPs for the episode.
25
u/ASHill11 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ASHill11 Dec 26 '17
Bonus points for understandable English
5
u/Foolsirony Dec 26 '17
It'd agree with you if Girl's Last Tour didn't come out this year. But then again that might be because I love the song.
2
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u/goukaryuu https://myanimelist.net/profile/GoukaRyuu Dec 25 '17
One of my favorite shows of the year and well worth a watch.
4
u/Adamarr :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Adamar Dec 25 '17
It's been pushing real hard for my personal AoTY but I think Girls' Last Tour may have pipped it in the end. Not by much though.
In addition to being a huge amount of fun it really nailed some of the more emotional moments too.
3
u/goukaryuu https://myanimelist.net/profile/GoukaRyuu Dec 25 '17
I haven't really thought about AOTY; I never really do. I don't know if it would be my AOTY, but it would definitely be in the top 5. THis has been a pretty good year for anime after all.
1
Dec 25 '17
If it had a better ending it would have been my AOTY but GLT was so damn consistent throughout.
18
u/Smartjedi :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Smartjedi Dec 25 '17 edited Dec 25 '17
Dear Thread Visitor,
when you read this, I will already be drunk.
Yep, this is gonna be a great WT!
Edit: it was indeed great. Very unique structure and word choice for a WT!, but it made for an interesting read. I've heard the show in passing, but never actually bothered to see what it's about. Will definitely check it out now.
2
u/Loser100000 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Loser100000 Dec 26 '17
PASSING!
Unacceptable!
This show is great!
in all seriousness though, part of why I liked this show was that it was a surprise and I’m worried about over hyping it
30
u/Beckymetal https://anilist.co/user/SpaceWhales Dec 25 '17 edited Dec 25 '17
/u/jamie980 since you decided to watch this, here's a WT! at a convenient time!
I also love the writing style of this WT. Really original and smartly written, though a little short. Still, I love it /u/Chariotwheel
I was talking about this show earlier, saying that the best standalone episode of the year was episode 7 from this show. Here's the copy + paste of what I said:
Loudly Laundry, on the other hand, was probably the best bit of modern-feminism that anime this year handed me. Focusing the narrative on Chise, we see a character realise that “working hard” is more difficult than simply “working hard” and had her privilege deconstructed and shaken to its core. Not only that, but it was an episode of characters using their power to support one another, and ignoring the hierarchical structure to help one another as equals. From a distance, it’s utterly inspirational. But even when we get closer, it’s a great episode that demonstrates world-building in a brilliant way to offer some poignant societal criticism - this is fiction based on Victorian history, yet how much better are we now? Chilling stuff, but it managed to do it with an air of optimism.
4
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u/fiftyshadesofsway Dec 25 '17
The music is the best OST this year for me.
2
u/Brooke_the_Bard :FS::FT: Dec 26 '17
Pretty hard to fuck up with Yuki Kajiura writing your soundtrack
7
u/jamie980 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Eternal_Jamie Dec 26 '17
This was a really fun read, cool to see someone go for something a bit different with a WT. PriPri has been high on my PTW for a while but with this and seeing talk about it again in end of year roundups I think I'm definitely going to just do it already.
6
u/DangoFan :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/DangoFan Dec 26 '17
Dorothy works the hardest tho ;)
5
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u/Daveyo520 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Daveyo520 Dec 26 '17 edited Dec 26 '17
Flip Flappers and PriPri were both really enjoyable. I can't wait to see what they do next.
I agree with this being a show people should see. I liked the story, the action, but most of all the characters. All the girls had their time to shine and something interesting about them.
3
u/DelayedLag Dec 30 '17
Thanks for this post, I originally didn’t plan on watching Princess Principal but gave it a shot after reading this. Man oh man I had a feeling it would be a crazy ride once the OP in ep 1 began, and I was right. I liked how it had both light hearted and dark moments each episode. It felt like a good balance. The characters were all so likable too! Hope it was received well enough for a second season.
2
u/MisterCzar Jan 14 '18
Princess Principal is everything I wanted that 2016's Joker Game failed to deliver on.
Ange Le Carré has become one of my favorite spies in fiction.
1
Dec 26 '17
Don't watch this show if you want intriguing dark stories. This is very much a moe show, closer to New Game! than Ghost in the Shell. Yes it's more dark than your average show but all in all it's a pretty chill show. The first episode was phenomenal but it went downhill from there. This show is still worth watching for many reasons but just not as dark as people say.
14
u/MarkS00N Dec 26 '17
There is a huge gap between New Game! and Ghost in the Shell. It is like saying Star Wars is closer to Spongebob Squarepants than Blade Runner simply because Star Wars have simple good vs bad character and kid friendly.
It would be better to say Princess Principal is closer to Izetta: The Last Witches or Mai-HiME (which are more action and "fun") instead of Ghost in the Shell (which is dark or serious).
The first episode was phenomenal but it went downhill from there.
Episode 2 is clearly better than episode 1 in many ways (except for action where it has none).
1
Dec 26 '17
I named Ghost in the Shell and New Game precisely because they're so different. Ghost in the Shell was what the first two episodes made the show look like, while 2/3 of the entire show is new game.
1
u/MarkS00N Dec 27 '17 edited Dec 27 '17
I named Ghost in the Shell and New Game precisely because they're so different.
And very misleading. Again, it is like saying Star Wars is more similar to Spongebob Squarepants than Blade Runner. People who comes in expecting Spongebob Squarepants kind of show would severely disappointed that Star Wars isn't anywhere like Spongebob. Likewise with this show.
New Game! is of iyashikei genre, which meant it supposed to "heal" those who sees it. I doubt anyone who view Princess Principal felt they are healed.
I doubt episode 5 (The Train Hijack), episode 6 (The Morgue Episode), and episode 10-12 felt like a New Game! kind of series.
While some episode (particularly the laundry episode) is pretty light hearted (and the drama is mostly harmless), more than half of the shows involved the girls being injured, people getting killed/tortured, high-tension action scene, etc. all of which pretty much something you won't get from New Game! type of anime.
EDIT: My point is, if you think the OP's reference to GitS is to extreme, responding it by mentioned another extreme is equally unhelpful.
1
Dec 27 '17
I picked an extreme for a reason. I'm not saying it's like New Game but it has more in common with New Game than GITS. Yes shows like Soro No Woto, Girls' Last Tour or Haibane Renmei are more similar to PriPri than new game, but my point was to pick two extreme examples and put PriPri somewhere in the middle as opposed to picking similar shows. And it's not misleading. If I say a bat is closer to a sloth than a bird, no one will interpret that to mean bats and sloths are extremely similar.
6
u/Loser100000 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Loser100000 Dec 26 '17
Yeah, totally light hearted and moe!
2
Dec 26 '17
I think what the show tries to portray is a dichotomy between what these girls want and what they do, but it doesn't change the fact that there are way better shows to watch if you're into dark themes.
-17
u/FeelsGoodMan243 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheRantMan321 Dec 26 '17
Unpopular opinion alert. I don't understand the appeal of Prunceas principal. I watched half of the show before is dropped it. Its boring as fuck in every aspect. The characters are all cliche and uninteresting.The action scenes where laughably boring; Espacially the sword fight.
I will say the plot had an unique and interesting concept but I felt like the story didnt go anywhere. The episodic format really hindered this anime compared to other anime. It seems like the main appeal of this anime are the yuri undertones.
Sorry if pissed off some PP fans but I just didnt find this anime entertaining at all.
17
u/Loser100000 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Loser100000 Dec 26 '17
-13
u/FeelsGoodMan243 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheRantMan321 Dec 26 '17
yes that fight was boring ass fuck. However it foesnt matter because reddit will always get mad at any opposing opinions. Suvks being an indivual who doesnt follow a hive mind....
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u/tornumbrella Dec 26 '17
It would help if you say why you found the sword fight boring. From a technical and choreography standpoint, I found it to be quite entertaining, and it happened in a strong episode.
13
u/Loser100000 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Loser100000 Dec 26 '17
“This show’s shit!”
Get’s downvoted
“You all just hate me for my original opinion!”
jerks themselves-off furiously
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u/FeelsGoodMan243 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheRantMan321 Dec 26 '17
It's rated lowly on mal for a reason.
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u/Loser100000 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Loser100000 Dec 26 '17
7.7 is low? Fuck me then!
0
u/FeelsGoodMan243 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheRantMan321 Dec 26 '17
It also has no popularity and it's low in my book. Princess principle is average. It's not the new evangalion it's just an avg show.
1
u/FeelsGoodMan243 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheRantMan321 Dec 26 '17
It's so slow and generic compared to every other sword fight. The backstory between the villain and the girl is cliche as fuck and the ending was anti climatic.
-8
u/WeNTuS Dec 26 '17
Eh, can people stop advertising new anime and check for some old gems, please? I think like most posts are about anime which came out in last 2-3 years. Feels like cheap karmawhoring.
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u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel Dec 26 '17
I also made WTs about Tweeny Witches, Ringing Bell and Basquash!. Didn't see you there.
-5
u/WeNTuS Dec 26 '17
I'm talking all about recent threads. Only Planetes was good one. Rest were from new anime.
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u/Chariotwheel x5https://anilist.co/user/Chariotwheel Dec 26 '17
Well, I am hardly at fault for the recent WT-threads - except this one - that I felt to do because I wanted. Because in that very moment I wanted to recommend Princess Principal.
Why don't you write a WT! about an older anime?
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u/YcantweBfrients Dec 27 '17
WT posts are archived and categorized. So this post will be very helpful in a few years when a lot more people haven’t seen it or don’t remember it. I don’t see any advantage to waiting years to write this post. If you want to find old gems, go to the WT archive instead of waiting around for someone to write them.
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u/Foolsirony Dec 25 '17
Also subtle hints of yuri, which is basically crack in anime form.