Year of Release: 2003
Status: Complete
Story: Ichiro Sakaki
Art: Nakayohi Mogudan
I've decided to try out a uniform template for reviews. Please feel free to provide feedback.
Scrapped Princess is a 24 episode anime series (based off the manga of the same title, of course) produced in 2003 by Bones. It follows the story of Pacifica Casull (the "Scrapped Princess"), her older brother Shannon Casull, and her older sister Raquel Casull as they travel around the country. Please keep in mind that this is a review of the anime, and not the manga.
ART SECTION: 7/10
General Artwork & Backgrounds 2/4: I'm not overly picky with my animation styles, but I will be giving this a 2/4 because the artwork isn't anything spectacular, and the backgrounds don't stand out quite as much as I'd like to see them. I see a nice blending of colours by the artists, but nothing extraordinarily detailed and nothing that really captures your attention in the same way that other many other series' can. I will note, however, that I am one of those people that prefer story over art.
Character Figures 2/2: I must say, the characters are my second favourite part of the series, which is why this gets a 2/2 rating. They've been developed quite well (I did not say endowed, but developed, hentais), but there's something a little off about them. There isn't anything super-detailed about their clothing, and aside from the occasional character with a unique characteristic, I got several characters mixed up during multiple instances while watching through it the first time because there are 3 male characters that all look the same. Literally. Even Pacifica, the main character, calls two of them by the wrong names because she's confused by it. I did note that the artist spent a considerable amount of time ensuring that the characters had incredibly intricate hair[styles] and the stereotypical anime eyes.
Watchability (Flow) 3/4: I'm giving this a 3/4 rating because the fight scenes are well animated and seem to flow almost seamlessly in with the non-action sequences. I'd like to give you more information, but I can't without spoilers, which are against my policy for reviews.
STORY SECTION: 8/10
General Scenario 2/2: Set in an almost medieval time period where there is magic, robots, AI, aliens, gods, royalty, and quite a few people brandishing swords throughout, it definitely keeps you entertained. The story is well written and I have very few complaints about the series' written aspects. Good fucking job.
Pacing 1/2: It could have had a bit of a faster pace, but I suppose that's part of the allure of the series. As mentioned previously, the fight scenes are quite well done, but they move quite a bit more rapidly than the rest of the story. It also makes me a little sad that they use comedic relief so many times to keep the lighthearted feeling you get in the beginning of the series going until the end. This isn't really a drama anime (but has many elements of one), so I guess the comedy is acceptable, but my overall impression is that this is a fantasy/future-action genre anime, and I find that keeping comedy out of it usually makes it work a little better (eg. Karas has literally no comedy, is very well done, and is in the same genre). 1/2 rating for the abuse of comedic relief.
Side Stories 2/2: The side stories are quite well written. Each character has a backstory that is told at an appropriate time, and each fact presented to the watcher has significant relevance to the main storyline. Unlike a series similar to Ghost Slayers Ayashi, which devote approximately 4 episodes to each character in their own arc/backstory, Scrapped Princess makes you really think about the characters, where they are heading on their journey, and whether or not they'll each accomplish their individual goals. 2/2 rating.
Plausibility 1/2: Everything within the storyline is completely plausible. With exception to the aliens and gods. 1/2 because of aliens and gods.
Conclusion 2/2: Predictable ending, but the method of reaching the conclusion is a bit of a surprise. Acceptable in my eyes as a suitable ending, although they ended it with comedy after a HUGE battle that likely resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocents. Way to play it off like nothing, guys... 2/2 because fuck you, people die everyday. That's why.
VALUE & ENJOYMENT SECTION: 8/10
As I'm sure I've mentioned before in other posts or reviews, I'm a huge fan of anime that makes you really think about... anything, really. It's always nice to find a series that makes you question everything. The series carries heavy themes surrounding destiny, duty, stigma, trust, religion, and belief in general. I'm giving this 8/10 because I rather enjoyed having the series make me stop and think, then say "no, that's not right..." in much the same way Witch Hunter Robin did.
VERDICT: 23/30
Could have been better, but could also have been much worse. I believe that if you are into action anime, robots, and random humor, you would likely enjoy it. It is a little difficult to get into, as the first few episodes are *snore* but it gets better after that point, I promise.
SUGGESTION LIST
Tsubasa: The Reservior Chronicles
Ghost Slayers Ayashi
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Samurai 7
Jing King of Bandits
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