The Essentials
Name: Murder Princess
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy
Episodes: 6
Released: March 28, 2007 - August 29, 2007
Based On: Murder Princess manga by Sekihiko Inui
Director: Tomoyuki Kurokawa
Produced By: Bee Train, Marvelous Entertainment
US Distribution By: Funimation
Major Japanese Cast
Falis (real): Romi Paku
Alita Forland (real): Ami Koshimizu
Dominikov: Kazuki Yao
Pete Armstrong: Akimitsu Takase
Jodu Entolasia: Takkou Ishimori
Ana / Yuna: Chiwa Saito
Akamashi: Hiroshi Tsuchida
Cecilia: Megumi Toyoguchi
Dark Knight: Daisuke Namikawa
Major English Cast
N/A
Scores
Animation: 9/10 (x 4 = 36 pts)
Story: 8/10 (x 4 = 32 pts)
Music: 8/10 (x 4 = 32 pts)
Coherence/Story Arc: N/A
English Dubs: N/A
Gut Score: 8/10 (x 5 = 40 pts)
Total: 140/170 (82.4%)
Review
Murder Princess is about Princess Alita Forland, who is sent into exile by her family so that she can escape a coup d’etat attempt against the royal family by a former scientist of the government, who has used his knowledge to create futuristic weapons.
Alita escapes, but is soon chased through a nearby forest by the forest’s guardian beast and runs into the bounty hunter Falis, sending them both off a cliff. They both survive, but due to the near-death experience, their souls have exchanged bodies. Impressed with Falis’ fighting ability, Alita-as-Falis begs Falis-as-Alita, and her two sidekicks Dominikov and Pete Armstrong, to help defend the kingdom until Alita’s brother comes back from a foreign trip. Falis ultimatley agrees, taking on the role of Princess. However, this doesn’t stop her from personally fighting enemies of the state, earning her the name Murder Princess.
I thought for a short series like this, it was written an executed very well. One problem with short series can sometimes be a thin plot or the tendency to move either really fast or really slow, but I think Murder Princess finds the right balance all around.
The primary basis for this series is definitely action, as Falis and Alita have to fight off all of their foes - and it does have some pretty good action scenes. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lack of comedy, mostly centered around the very unrefined Falis having to learn how to behave like a princess.
Perhaps the only real negative with the series is that the ultimate plot point - the switching of Alita and Falis’ bodies - is never resolved, though I wouldn’t be shocked at all if this ended up getting a sequel at some point. Also, I should note that this series may not be for the blood-shy.
Most of the technical aspects appeared to be pretty good for this series, but I’m not sure there is anything particularly notable either.
Overall, if you’re looking for a good action series with a good mix of comedy in it, then Murder Princess may be a good, short series that you can check out.
First Watched: July 2008
Do I Own: No
Do I Recommend: Yes
