Anime Recommendation : SHAMANIC PRINCESS | Animate Film x Triangle Staff
- Where to watch it : Amazon (must purchase as of today)
- Genre : Fantasy
- Release Date : 1997
- 2 OVAs
OVERVIEW:
Tiara and her familiar, the weasel creature Jappolo, are sent to earth from the Guardian World to retrieve a painting stolen by Neutralizer, Kagetsu. This painting is called the Throne of Yorde and is most crucial and vital as it is the magic source of their world. When Tiara arrives, she discovers that another party has already been sent on this mission, and she soon discovers that all is not as it seems when she catches up to Kagetsu.
WHY I LIKE IT:
While this show features magical girls, this is not your standard magical girl anime story. Do not let the character designs fool you as it is more mature, though I wouldn’t say it’s dark. This show is 6 episodes long, the first 4 episodes are part of the main story arc, and the last 2 are set before the story starts. You will be watching this backward in terms of event timeline. On a side note, this was created by a group of people from different companies as a creative project so there doesn’t seem to be one main creator for this.
There’s a definite mood to the setting, an old world charm that was different and unique because you don’t really see this – at least in my opinion. It feels like the early age of the industrial revolution, maybe? Visually it’s definitely 90s, but that doesn’t stop it from being well animated. The plot was good and not what I had expected at all. I sure was surprised by it as it had some good twists and it kept me guessing til the end. I did have to rewatch the last episode or two to understand what had happened, but it was still a strong plot overall. The characters were also good and well rounded for an OVA, and I surprisingly found myself relating to Tiara at some levels. I would have probably done as she did…
The magic system I really loved, especially after watching the second part of the OVA which shows how Tiara obtained her powers. While I wish they had further showcased what the magic could do (especially during fight scenes for more intense action), it suits the tone of the anime. As a shoujo anime, I guess you can’t go too hard on that stuff.
If you want a break from your twirling cutesy named attack magical girl, follow Tiara down her own dark rabbit hole and see if she makes it out of wonderland.
