Anime Scrapped Princess

[Dagger]

With my newfound abundance of free time, I've finally gotten around to watching Scrapped Princess (as of now I've seen the first eleven episodes). I like it well enough, but I don't understand why people call this series the greatest fantasy anime ever made.

Scrapped Princess focuses on the adventures of Pacifica Casull--a cute blonde girl who is supposed to destroy the world when she turns sixteen--and her two foster siblings, Shannon and Raquel. All three of these characters are incredibly likeable and sympathetic. In my opinion, that's one of the show's biggest advantages... so far only a few minor members of the cast have succeeded in annoying me.

The battle scenes are few and far between, but they tend to be fluid and exciting. I can't say I care for the artwork, however, especially when it comes to hair and women's breasts. Although this obviously isn't enough to deter me from buying Scrapped Princess (assuming that it's licensed sometime in the near future), I'm not yet convinced that I want to spend money on it.

Hopefully the last few episodes will be good, as I've heard they're something of a let-down. Of course, that assertion might originate from the same group of people who thought that R.O.D the TV and Peacemaker Kurogane ended poorly, so I'll just wait until I see them for myself.

~Dagger~

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]You're just getting to the good part. From here on in, Skippedry, old chum, Scrapped Princess goes crazy. Crazy wonderful, I mean.

My favourite character, Seineth Lulu Giatt, starts to become a huge part of the storyline (she's very similar to Kushana, aside from the crazy screaming, no?), and the relationships between all of the characters start criss-crossing and becoming more and more interesting.
Truth be told, I wouldn't care for the art-style if I just saw a few screen-shots, but I think it gives the show an interesting mood. Then again, I love art-styles that contradict what one woudl expect: and in this case, I think it's done amazingly well.

The character designs and characters, overall, (especially my favourite Leopold^.^) are extremely cool and utterly likeable. And they're even believable! : O

I think the reason people tend not to like the last few episodes is because they become highly philosophical. Also, the feeble-minded might get just a tad confused. XD

Anyway, I'm glad to see you're getting into the Scrapped Princess bit: it's great stuff, it is. I love the clothing! Especially the robes that Shannon and Raquelle wear!!^^[/FONT][/COLOR]

[terra]

Indeed, my friend.

I don't know if I would call Scrapped Princess the greatest fantasy anime ever made, mostly since I haven't seen all that many fantasy animes, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear other people had called it that.

On the character designs, I think what both of you have said are right -- that they're a little odd, but that they give the anime a very tangibly unique feel. Females' chests are really weird in this one, but it certainly didn't bother me in view of everything else positive about the series. On a related note, I thought the quality of the animation stayed very high throughout the series -- everything looks remarkably crisp and clean.

The main reason I liked this anime so much was because of the plotline. First of all, it makes sense. I highly dislike anime that doesn't really make sense. Secondly, though it's fantasy, it's not quite as far-fetched and completely random as some of the other anime I've seen. Also, I found it remained genuinely interesting to me throughout, and that every time I finished an episode I wanted to see the next one just to see what would happen, not just to get to the more interesting part. Well, that was me at least. I also thought parts of it were hysterical, and that the show was able to mix comedy and serious issues with a skill that I found impressive.

The characters in the series are another of its strong points. Many of them didn't get developed as fully as I'd wished, but they were all interesting people that I wanted to see more about. More of them start popping up later in the series, too, so there are still interesting things to come.

Ah, okay, I have to go now, and that wasn't very well-formulated -- sorry. But it does surprise me a little that you're not entirely impressed. I was tentatively excited after the first few episodes, and by the time I got to the 11th episode I was probably pretty hooked.

[Dagger]

[quote name='terra']I also thought parts of it were hysterical, and that the show was able to mix comedy and serious issues with a skill that I found impressive.[/quote]

I don't mind the comedy, but it doesn't really do anything for me. *shrugs* I'm sort of a Scrooge when it comes to anime humor in general, and only lately have I been discovering shows that consistently make me laugh (as opposed to grumble like an old curmudgeon and turn off my computer). I found FLCL so astonishingly unamusing that it made me want to jump out the nearest window. Just watching the Happy Lesson and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi trailers was a painful, potentially traumautizing experience. Thankfully, Scrapped Princess's comedy is less intrusive and more subdued. Shannon's expressions are usually pretty funny. ^_^


[quote]Ah, okay, I have to go now, and that wasn't very well-formulated -- sorry. But it does surprise me a little that you're not entirely impressed. I was tentatively excited after the first few episodes, and by the time I got to the 11th episode I was probably pretty hooked.[/QUOTE]

I think I expected it to be more like Twelve Kingdoms (a really serious, dramatic fantasy anime whose main themes are vaguely similiar to Scrapped Princess's). Scrapped Princess is a pretty high-quality series, but I don't feel a rabid desire to continue watching it once I finish each episode. At this point I just want to see more of Pacifica (so cute!) and Shannon (amazingly cool).

Is it excessively weird of me to be rooting for them to become a couple? They're not [I]actually[/I] siblings. Still, I'm tempted to wonder whether I've been watching too much Koi Kaze (a highly incestuous anime). ^_^;

~Dagger~

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]It'd never happen. It'd be like you wanting your non-existant older-brother.

Just because they're not really siblings, it doesn't mean they weren't raised like it. Stop being a pervert, Skippedry! You're turning into an outright Ero-sen'nin! *smack*

I think my favourite aspect (or one of my favourites, at least) of SP is how [Spoiler]"God" is portrayed as an angsty lady with silver hair. It makes me chuckle.[/FONT][/Spoiler][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]My favourite character, Seineth Lulu Giatt, starts to become a huge part of the storyline...[FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

*laughs nervously* It's funny you should mention Seness, because I really cannot stand her. Before I watched episode 16, I was about to drop Scrapped Princess. I don't like to finish series via fansub and then not buy them on R1 DVD (with a show this good, licensing is pretty much a given). However, Seness becomes significantly more likeable during the scenes in which her roles is, well, less significant. Her terrible attitude is tolerable when played for laughs, but immensely aggravating when used to create dramatic tension.

So far, I think Scrapped Princess's plot has been executed very well, although some of the underlying concepts are quite cliched. The whole [spoiler]"Wow! They had awesome technology thousands of years ago!"[/spoiler] thing can be found in a huge array of novels and video games.

I guess it's good that originality is (in my opinion) highly overrated. Having learned that [spoiler]the world in which the cast lives is a construct created by non-human beings for the purpose of controlling the human populace,[/spoiler] I can now see many parallels between Scrapped Princess and The Melody of Oblivion--another fantastic show.

I admire how the scriptwriters handled the subplots involving Leo, Winia, Chris, Bergens and Kidaf. I absolutely love all of these characters (even though Kidaf's voice sounds pretty funky), and it's nice to see that they're still relevant to the main storyline.

Honestly, episode 16 was what finally got me hooked. [spoiler]Pacifica losing her memory is the best thing that's happened to this show since her twin brother first appeared. I started cheering when the supporting case began to re-emerge, and Fulle [i]instantly[/i] became my favorite character by an enormous margin. Okay, it's vaguely creepy that he looks so much like Shannon, but now I can safely let my romantic imagination go wild (sorry, Leo!). ^_^

Anyway, Fulle is very cool on a whole variety of levels. I particularly enjoyed watching him turn a fork into a weapon. It doesn't hurt that I'm a fan of his seiyuu, who also played Garcia in Avenger and Shin in Gokusen.[/spoiler]

The artwork may actually be starting to improve, weirdly enough. Scrapped Princess's backgrounds have always been gorgeous, but now they look [i]amazing[/i]. I'm a big BONES fan--after all, they're the company responsible not only for this show, but also for Kenran Butousai, RahXephon and Wolf's Rain. I have to give them a lot of credit for keeping Scrapped Princess's characters perfectly on-model.

In any event, I'm looking forward to seeing more of [spoiler]Fulle[/spoiler] and his earrings. I'm very happy I didn't dismiss Scrapped Princess prematurely. As long as the ending doesn't totally crap out, I'm sure I'll continue to love it. ^_^

~Dagger~

[stormy001_m1a2]

The ending sucks, because the [spoiler]enemy died too easily[/spoiler] which makes me wonder what is so much fuss and struggle in the first place. The company could have go straight at them and pervail.

[Dagger]

I took the liberty of spoiler-tagging your post, stormy. Although you were careful not to reveal anything terribly important, I think it's probably better to be safe than sorry. ^_~

Anyway, I just watched episode 18. *sobs*

[spoiler]On the one hand, I'm sad that my favorite character is only featured in three and a half episodes. On the other hand, fans of Kaworu (from Neon Genesis Evangelion) have it much, much worse, and Fulle's death scene is so incredibly good that I really can't bring myself to feel angry about his demise.

I'm not against the killing off of likeable or important characters, so long as their final moments are executed (har, har) well. When playing Final Fantasy VII, I was devastated by Aeris's death, but at the same time it made me love and feel emotionally connected to the game. Unfortunately, I was totally furious when I finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, since J. K. Rowling chose to dispose of Sirius with little dignity or fanfare. It took me several chapters to even realize that he'd died.

However, Scrapped Princess gave Fulle the ending he deserved (and the chance for me to see him kicking some serious ***). Ironically enough, that's what it took to remove my remaining doubts about the show. Any anime which can make me cry for half an hour and not feel bitter or dissatisfied [i]must[/i] have something going for it, ne? I don't cry very easily, I promise.[/spoiler]

I think I'd still rather see Leo with Winia (or Winia with Pacifica--hey, it could be an interesting scenario). Chris just doesn't seem very well-suited to staying in a relationship... and besides, he's still kind of young. ^_^;;

~Dagger~

[densuke]

I thought this show had plenty going for it. I only really took it to be sort of a confused space opera like Trigun or something, but on that level it does pretty well. I [i]can't[/i] dislike a show with Masami Okui singing on the OP and Masumi Itou singing on the ED...

Out of whatever there was to watch at the time this came out, I would guess this is the show I remember most. The fact that they play for keeps in this series makes Suppy-kun or the bath scenes a lot easier to take.

I didn't find the ending to ring false at all. A lot had to happen for things to turn out the way they did, and Pacifica and her family needed the help of allies they didn't have at the outset of the series.

[terra]

I think whatever feeble effort the anime makes at pairing off the characters into romantic couples ends up as pretty pathetic, really. It's not the focus of the story (obviously), but I still think they could've made the audience feel a little better about it.

Heh, interesting, I found the episodes where [spoiler]Pacifica had lost her memory[/spoiler] pretty darn annoying. And while [spoiler]Fulle was really cool, I also really disliked how short his appearance was. He was around just long enough to fulfill the good-looking, gruff-but-loving-at-heart stereotype and then he got killed; I didn't really find his entrance into the anime necessary at all.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

I guess like it when series try to shake things up. ^_^; The thing I appreciated most about [spoiler]Pacifica losing her memory was the fact that she became separated from Shannon and Raquel. I was accustomed to seeing them interact, and although Scrapped Princess's plot is pretty linear, by the halfway point certain aspects of the show had started to become repetitive. Seeing Pacifica without her proper name, her siblings and even her identity served to demonstrate that she'd be the same wonderfully loveable person under any circumstances. I also enjoyed watching Shannon and Raquel strike out on their own.[/spoiler]

On a more frivolous note, I think Steyr's hair is definitely the coolest in the entire show. The character designs have grown on me simply because they're so sharp and well-colored--Scrapped Princess really has amazing production values.

~Dagger~

[Harry]

I actually watched this since I had nothing better to do and I got really tired of it. I think I was up to episode 14 and it was just getting harder and harder to care what happened to Pacifica and her little posse. Does it really get better afterwards?

[Dagger]

I do think that Scrapped Princess improves in later episodes. The plot begins to gather steam and overall the series feels more exciting and urgent. However, if you always had trouble liking the main characters or just didn't care for the show in general, I don't see any reason for you to bother finishing it. The ending is solid and satisfying, but watching it wasn't exactly a life-changing experience.

[spoiler]Haha, I'd never have predicted that Scrapped Princess's last few episodes would feature some of the coolest mecha battles that I've seen in recent months. That was a pretty nice treat, all things considered.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[terra]

Seriously, the nearly random appearance of [spoiler]mecha[/spoiler] made my boyfriend start really paying attention. Like a typical guy, he loved that. Actually, he was enjoying the show as it was, but they just really clinched it for him. Personally, I was kind of like, "... Where did that come from?" but it still worked pretty well.

[adempton]

I enjoyed all of this series while holding onto the idea that if it were made, it would be one of my favorite RPG's of all time. The magic concept in this one seemed great, and I would have liked if they delved into it a little more.

[quote name='Dagger IX1]The whole [spoiler]"Wow! They had awesome technology thousands of years ago!"[/spoiler'] thing can be found in a huge array of novels and video games. [/quote]
It's interesting that you mention video games here. While this is true, I was thinking of the video game thing ever since I saw how the fighting and magic were executed earlier on. It's kind of funny though because if this were a game before an anime, I would have thought the same thing. I guess you can say this about many different series' but Scrapped Princess just [I]screamed [/I] "video game" to me. Shannon/Raquel/Chris made me feel like "I must control these characters!" And the appearance of [spoiler]mecha[/spoiler] would have added a little spice at the end of the 'game' :)

All in all though, I enjoyed the anime. It wasn't my favorite, but definitely a good watch.

~adempton

[outlawstar69]

(I've looked in the past three pages of threads, and couldn't find one about this. So I'm thinking it's ok.)

Has anyone heard about, or watched this anime? I don't want to give too much away, but the basic premise is:

In a medieval world with knights and magic, 15 years ago there was a child born that fit the description of a prophecy, saying that the child would become a plague to the world, and sould be responsible for bringing about it's destruction. This child was a princess, and was supposedly killed when she was just an infant. Now, it has been found out that she was still alive, and on the run with her adopted brother, a knight and her adopted sister, a magic user.

There are elements in there that remind me of the Matrix, but I can't say too much about that without revealing too many plot points. The series is 24 episodes long, and so far not many people I've talked to have even heard about it. Any thoughts?

[color=navy][size=1]Next time, check the Directory sticky. ^_~

~Dagger~[/size][/color]

Thanks! I've been a member for a while now, and I didn't think to check there. Much appreciated :) .

[Dagger]

I prefer Scrapped Princess to The Matrix--although I've never been a huge fan of the trilogy, so there you have it. But I do really like how [spoiler]the "fake world" revelation completely turns the anime on its head. It's not a cop-out, because Pacifica was the Scrapped Princess in the end. I hate when scriptwriters present a clearly defined situation or dilemma or impending tragedy and then just try to slither out of it. SP's big plot twist, while not unpredictable, at least permitted the show to deliver on its initial promise.

What's also interesting is how it differs from The Matrix... SP slowly builds up to the idea that the world they're living in is a construct. The Matrix, on the other hand, uses the idea as a springboard to explore a whole array of other stuff, to the point that it kind of recedes into the background. And in The Matrix, there is a real world outside the false world (a very Utena-esque conceit, now that I think about it). In Scrapped Princess, the fake world existed in more than just people's minds.[/spoiler]

The first DVD is coming out in April or something. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the dub. ^_^

Oh, outlawstar69, I almost forgot to ask--which characters from Scrapped Princess do you like best? Looking back, the series has a stellar ensemble cast, and I find it pretty interesting to see who different people pick as favorites.

~Dagger~

[outlawstar69]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]

Oh, outlawstar69, I almost forgot to ask--which characters from Scrapped Princess do you like best? Looking back, the series has a stellar ensemble cast, and I find it pretty interesting to see who different people pick as favorites.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

Hmm... I liked Zefris and Raquel more than the other characters, but they all held appeal to me. Raquel was the older of the siblings, and the one who could most keep her head level, more so than Shannon. For Zefris, I rather enjoyed her evolution as a character, from "mysterious floating girl" to who or what she really was, and her motivations behind her actions.

Who were your preferences, that you liked better than the others?

~Taurik

[Dagger]

[quote name='outlawstar69']Who were your preferences, that you liked better than the others?[/quote]
I must admit to really loving Fulle, but he's a second-tier character and a rather deus ex machina one at that. If I did pick a favorite character, it would be him. Of the main cast, I think I felt most connected to Pacifica and Shannon (although he could be incredibly frustrating at times). By extension--as a result of liking Shannon, that is--I ended up becoming fond of Zephiris, or however you spell her name. Chris was also pretty cool, especially in the way he lead his gang. ^_^

~Dagger~

[Magus]

Now that I've seen all the episodes, I'll just give my thoughts on the whole thing.

Storywise, I'm not sure what happened at the end. Pacifica is suppose to be the world's end and everything, but [spoiler]the lady that looked like her was the one to restore everything, was she not? Was she a part of Pacifica[/spoiler] or something?Pacifica didn't do much of anything to show that she was suppose to be the harbinger of death. I don't really count freezing time doing much of anything. Reason I asked was because she was given a choice to choose the world's fate.

Characters were pretty good, although there were a few characters that, while they were shown throughout the series, I don't know much of anything about them. Outside of them being loyal to Christopher. Speaking of Chris, he's my favorite next to Ciz/Siz. (?) That girly is something else. I normally see a lot of guys with that kind of attitude, but seeing it come from a woman is a bit refreshing. Certainly beats out the typical damsel in distress.

The other characters were enjoyable as well. Although the one character that has gotten on my nerves was Leo. The whole "I will/must protect Pacifica" was just too tiring to hear. Especially when [spoiler]Furet (Too bad I couldn't see more of that guy. I would've liked to see him and Shannon cross paths.)[/spoiler] stepped into the picture.

Even though the action was short througout the series I was impressed with it.

[spoiler]I was really shocked to see Pacifica's brother stab her.[/spoiler] I kind of saw it coming but at the same time I was surprised to see it happen. She really is too forgiving lol.

[Desbreko]

[quote name='Magus']Storywise, I'm not sure what happened at the end. Pacifica is suppose to be the world's end and everything, but [spoiler]the lady that looked like her was the one to restore everything, was she not? Was she a part of Pacifica[/spoiler] or something?Pacifica didn't do much of anything to show that she was suppose to be the harbinger of death. I don't really count freezing time doing much of anything. Reason I asked was because she was given a choice to choose the world's fate.[/quote][color=#4B0082]If I'm remembering things right, [spoiler]Pacifica being the harbinger of doom and destruction was just the church's propaganda. She was actually the key to unlocking the world but the church, which was set up by the Peacemakers who sealed the world, was trying to stop that with its prophecies.

The unlocking was supposed to take place upon Pacifica's death but it required that she mature to at least sixteen years old for her power to be great enough to manage it. However, she ended up being killed [i]right[/i] before she turned sixteen, resulting in a sort of limbo where her power and the seal on the world were balanced.

I think the girl that looked like Pacific was the one who put the whole unlocking plan in motion way back when the world was first sealed. Pacifica was sort of her reincarnation.[/spoiler][/color]

[quote name='Magus']Characters were pretty good, although there were a few characters that, while they were shown throughout the series, I don't know much of anything about them. Outside of them being loyal to Christopher. Speaking of Chris, he's my favorite next to Ciz/Siz. (?) That girly is something else. I normally see a lot of guys with that kind of attitude, but seeing it come from a woman is a bit refreshing. Certainly beats out the typical damsel in distress.

The other characters were enjoyable as well. Although the one character that has gotten on my nerves was Leo. The whole "I will/must protect Pacifica" was just too tiring to hear. Especially when [spoiler]Furet (Too bad I couldn't see more of that guy. I would've liked to see him and Shannon cross paths.)[/spoiler] stepped into the picture.[/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Yeah, I agree, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Chris and his followers. I liked most of the characters but there were a number that looked like they could've been really awesome if they had been developed farther.[/color]