28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect....One of my top 3 favorite animes, April 19, 2005
This review is from: Scrapped Princess - Family Ties (Vol. 1) (DVD)
Anime, like many other forms of entertainment, is heavily riddled with cliches. Insert huge eyes and sharply shaped figures here, goofy humor there, plot-replacing fight scenes here, and voila! you have an anime series.
Scrapped Princess is one of those series that stands out from the rest. It has charm and a simple elegance that, combined with a reasonably complex plot, beats out just about any other recent fantasy series out there. Personally, I find every component of the series to be perfect.
Story- Scrapped Princess has no filler episodes. Every episode, while some may initially seem unimportant, is a vital piece of the story. The show does a fantastic job of creating a whole bunch of story elements and characters during the first half of the show and then throwing them around in the carnage that is the second half. Part of the reason why the story is so expertly told is that the series is based off of novels rather than manga. I would give a synopsis of the plot, but others here have done that, and I personally recommend watching the show knowing as little as possible.
Animation- The art style in this anime captured my attention before the story even had a chance to unfold. The character design and use of color are quite captivating- no slouch here. I might add that the action scenes, while usually brief until the last few eps, are very crisply animated.
Characters- Another great strength for Scrapped Princess, all of the characters in Scrapped Princess are very likeable- even many of the villains. The emotions, for once, seem very real, and at times, you almost forget you're watching animation. There are a couple of humorous characters, but the humor is clever, kept in check, and very well executed.
Score- The music in Scrapped Princess is fantastic; it's good enough that I often listen to it alone both for its beauty and to remember the anime (good soundtracks often evoke memories of their source material). The music is largely responsible for the epic feeling the series puts forth.
I don't actually buy much anime because it is so expensive, although sometimes I rent licensed stuff I haven't seen. I will make an exception for Scrapped Princess, though. I'm chomping at the bit to get the entire series, box and all. While I wish animes as mature and well-written as this were the norm rather than the exception, I am grateful that such a fantastic show exists at all. Don't miss this one!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Things are not quite as they seem., March 23, 2005
This review is from: Scrapped Princess - Family Ties (Vol. 1) (DVD)
Like Magic Knight Rayearth, Scrapped Princess is a sword and sorcery adventure. Like Ayashi no Ceres, it's the story of twin heir and heiress - one charmed, and one cursed. Pacifica, the central figure, is the cursed "Scrapped Princess". An unflattering title, but accurate, Pacifica is the poison that will destroy the world. Supposedly killed at birth, but now fifteen years old, forces of society and law everywhere are after her to destroy her before her sixteenth birthday. She runs from them and fights against them with two protectors, Shannon and Raquel. So are things presented to us, however things are not as they seem.
The basic premise of the plot isn't something new really, I've seen it used many times before, but what really makes this anime stand out is how the plot is presented. I came into the show without having seen any spoilers, and that is really how it must be done, so I'll be really careful about how much I say about it. Essentially the viewer starts off blind, just like the characters do, and the plot is slowly revealed, so the viewer experiences it the same way that they do. Scrapped Princess is one of the best written anime series that I've seen yet. Besides excellent plot and character development, it's also intelligent and thought provoking about various roles that people have in society and some functions of society itself. I read somewheres that this anime was taken from a large manga work of 12 volumes and that a good amount of material wasn't included in the anime. If this is so, I'll really have to get my hands on this manga to read all of the details for myself. I would highly recommend this series for any serious anime fan.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!, January 21, 2005
This review is from: Scrapped Princess - Family Ties (Vol. 1) (DVD)
I was beginning to think this show would never come out. It came out in Japan at the same time Last Exile did. Anywayz...
Its a show about a girl who is prophecied to bring about the world's destruction on her 16th birthday. She is supposedly executed at birth but is secretly hidden. It is now the eve of her 16th birthday and she has been discovered to be alive! Now the whole country is out to kill her. It is up to her step brother and sister to protect her but they wonder if they are really doing the right thing.
This was an awesome show. Very well thought out, with lots of crazy twists. It is WAY more than a typical fantasy story. Its got lots of humor and touching moments. Lots of action and excitement. Its a good watch and I can't wait to pick it up again!
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