Review of Scrapped Princess: the anime

02.12.2004 As a hardcore fantasy lover, I have no idea why I never noticed Scrapped Princess a little sooner. It appeared to me to be a typical medieval anime about a girl trying to escape her own destiny and having the power to save the world. Guess what? It IS that, but the execution of it is so well done, it's a sleeper hit! The first thing that delighted me was the clean and clear artwork which keeps the characters and scenes proportional throughout the series. Too many a time have I seen an anime character's body drawn in a hurry to look like sticks or the face distorted thinking the audience wouldn't notice in a zoomed-out shot. The animation isn't choppy and the action sequences were fluid. I particularly like the way a spell is being cast. SP is a feast for the eyes, even if there are a few flaws that appear once in a while (keep track of Forcis and Seness). The voice acting for all the characters is great and gives each of them a particular personality and depth. Without their well-suited voice acting, I would not be able to feel for the characters. The music, however, is less applaudable. The opening and ending theme may do the series justice, but the background music is easily forgotten or diminished by the strong voices and sound effects. The story starts with Pacifica and her two siblings travelling the countryside to run from her pursuers, both bounty hunters and Purgers of the church. Pacifica just wants to fight against destiny, but she did not realize that she would be fighting against God. As new characters are introduced and events unfold, we come nearer to the truth behind the Scrapped Princess prophecy. I must admit, during the first few episodes where characters are introduced and established, I found the story rather stagnant. Romance is kept to a minimum. Later I understood that this was to develop the mood and prepare the audience for a completely different theme altogether. Minor characters reappeared in the later episodes to serve the plot well. What seemed like a medieval fantasy actually involved sci-fi and loads of drama. So if you were expecting old school fantasy like Record of Lodoss War, you're in for a surprise. The turn in plot and the following episodes really got me going, but some may find the twist hard to absorb at first. Just when I thought the series was becoming alive, it ended. That is probably the only flaw in this 24-episodes series. The epilogue could have been better executed as well :( The characters for this show are mostly likable, but there's room for more development. I did not mind the few shallow supporting characters, but I did mind that they didn't give one of the three main characters more showtime and depth. She was just...there, there for the sake of making the number 3. Nonetheless, some of the characters will slowly grow on you and you get to understand them realistically, which will help explain the unexplained at the end. The first few episodes would probably not be very worthy of rewatching, but the other 15 or so episodes will maintain its freshness during the second watch, as you will probably absorb the twist better. For fantasy lovers, this is a must-have. Indeed, this show has been overrated too many times everywhere, but in truth, it is a show not to be missed, unless you do not like this genre. While this may not be the best fantasy anime out there, it sure surpassed many and won't disappoint you if you're looking for an enjoyable watch.

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