By its title, Princess Principal doesn’t exactly sound like it’s going to be a particularly compelling show. But it turns out that this is actually written by Ichirou Oukochi of the Code Geass fame, which means this show will be fun. And boy is it really!
© Studio 3Hz, Actas, 2017
So here are five reasons why you should watch Princess Principal:
© Studio 3Hz, Actas, 2017
- Solid worldbuilding. The story is largely set in a steampunk-ish world, where there is a secret conflict between the Commonwealth and the Kingdom. The five girls are spies from the Commonwealth who infiltrated the Kingdom, but one of them is a princess from the Kingdom who is seeking to be the queen. Don’t let the lolita designs and the confusing Episode 1 fool you! The show is definitely building up to something interesting.
© Studio 3Hz, Actas, 2017
- (Adorably) likable core cast. None of the five girls are particularly complex, but each of them have distinct personalities and you’re bound to like at least one of them. The true heart of the show, though, is their moments of levity via character interactions. The show has us invested enough to the main characters that the moment something shocking happens to them, we’ll feel it.
© Studio 3Hz, Actas, 2017
- Based Yuki Kajiura. Her soundtracks are great, enough said.
© Studio 3Hz, Actas, 2017
- The Episode 5 action sakuga. 3hz’s and Actas’ overall efforts here is easy on the eyes, and then we have Episode 5, animated almost entirely by a certain Ryouma Ebata. He’s a favorite. He’s chiefly known for his stylish walk animation exhibited in the ending themes of Grisaia no Rakuen and Sora no Method, but he’s been doing more action scenes recently and they look a lot like beautifully-choreographed dances. There’s a lot of both here, and it’s something everyone should see.
© Studio 3Hz, Actas, 2017
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- The rest of the episodes may not have Ebata, but they all have something interesting to offer. The show just wants to have fun, and it shows. Each episodic adventure is geared to be an engaging experience, and the resulting show is exactly that.
The show knows what it’s doing, and that’s what makes it so good to watch.