Scrapped Princess Episode 1 - My Take

The Japanese satellite network Wowow is approaching its anime offerings this season in a more enthusiastic manner with several new shows and a big splashy revival of the Dolby 5.1 revamp of EVA. One of the new series is 'Scrapped Princess', a 24-part series based upon a Kadokawa manga in Dragon magazine.

'Scrapped Princess' is a sci-fi fantasy story set in an odd world where the background visuals give the impression that there is more than meets the eye to the pastoral setting. Three people are riding in a horse drawn cart along raised roadways dividing up flooded, triangular fields – blond, sometimes grumpy, 16 year old Pacifica, her 20 year old brother Shannon and her 20 year old sister Raquel. Shannon and Raquel both have dark hair in contrast to Pacifica. Pacifica also happens to be a Princess on the run.

Shannon and Raquel are also Pacifica's protectors – Shannon is a skilled swordsman and warrior, and Raquel is skilled in magic, both defensive and offensive. Pacifica needs skilled and loyal protectors because literally everyone wants her dead – she is the incarnation of an ancient curse and will apparently cause the total destruction of their planet. Right off the bat some peasants try to attack them but are driven off by Shannon and Raquel. Then an old, loyal retainer betrays Pacifica to a priest who tries to kill her with magic before Raquel intervenes. And a mysterious warrior and probable wizard called Chris is also trailing them, although he passes up his first easy opportunity to kill Pacifica.

All three travelers are aware of the curse and Pacifica's potential fate. Pacifica doesn't want to die, but she doesn't want to be the cause of the destruction of the world either. At the end of the episode, in a rather poignant scene, Pacifica tells Shannon that if it does come to the point where she will cause the destruction of the world, she wants him to kill her first.

The visuals in this road-trip story are very good, and there are hints that the 'magic' might be a case of Clarke's Law, 'Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic'. The music is inoffensively unmemorable. The voice acting is also quite good and the plotting avoids clichés in the characters. What isn't clear from the first episode is where this story line is going and how and if the mysteries will be explained.

So 'Scrapped Princess' is a series that I will follow for a while to see if the potential in the story is actually realized.

Dave Baranyi

In the subs, there was mention that every third spell Raquel cast would backfire or not go as she planned? I think she did have one of her incantations go awry during the first ep?

Not in a serious way. She is very modest and self-deprecating, but I got the impression that she is very capable.

Dave Baranyi

I wasn't sure if they were going to portray her as the 'ditz' of the group whose magic kept things interesting (and provided comic relief) or not with its unpredictability.