Murder Princess

Wanted a short, sweet Action series to keep you entertained from start to finish? There’s no point in leaving a cliffhanger ending or missing a sequel. We want a series that ends its business within its runtime, leaving us with no questions. There aren’t many recommendable titles. Below is one of the few chosen candidates ??

Murder Princess, also known as Mada Purinsesu, is a 6 episode ONA series that aired from the 28th of March until the 29th of August in 2007. It was produced by Marvelous, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio Bee Train.

The primary staff behind it included Cook Justin as Producer, Takakuwa Hajime as Sound Director, Kurokawa Tomoyuki as Director, Episode Director and on Storyboard, and Abe Shuuhei as Sound Director.

It featured the genres of Action, Adventure, and Fantasy and received a Rating of R - 17+ for its violence and profanity, already heavily implied in the title itself. It is adapted from the source Manga of the same title.

This Manga spanned two volumes from the 27th of September 2005 until 2007, featuring the genres of Adventure and Fantasy. It was the work of Author and Artist Inui Sekihiko, serialized in Comic Dengeki Teioh. The series was also published in English by Broccoli Books on the 25th of April 2004 and on the 10th of November 2007.

The story is set in the kingdom of Forland, where a terrible coup d'etat takes place and leads to the untimely death of its King. During the very last moments of his dwindling lifeforce, the King decides to send away his second child, Princess Alita Forland, to escape with her life.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned because as she is attempting to flee, a life and death situation occurs between her and the bloodthirsty bounty hunter, Falis.

This incident causes the two of them to switch bodies somehow, and now everything goes haywire. Alita is desperate for the safety of her home Kingdom, and she begs Falis to return there to protect the Kingdom, going so far as to offer herself up as collateral.

What follows is a swift and bloody beating of the Kingdom’s rebel forces at the hands of Falis, who had accepted the offer. She then resumes the title of the Princess of Forland, leading up to the birth of the most savage and relentless princess in all the land, dubbed the one and only "Murder Princess."

Murder Princess is a series rife with great action and a straight-to-the-point storyline. Even though this Anime isn’t classified as a Shoujo-ai, there is a decent amount of it thrown into the mix of this fun action series, but not overdone or forced.

Do not judge this one by the title; this is not a story about a renegade princess. Instead, this is about a warrior princess. She isn’t necessarily a bad person, and the storyline proves otherwise. There aren’t any excessive details or world-building; instead, it uses a “this is how it is, so just deal with it” approach.

Despite this, the show isn’t dull and is guaranteed to deliver what it promises. The focuses are fighting and drama, rather than exposition and common sense.

The storyline itself and plot twists are pretty simple, standard, and easily predictable, so don’t expect much from these aspects. Regardless, they make a decent attempt at tying up loose ends within the minimal number of episodes, and that's what makes this Anime so entertaining, fulfilling, and enjoyable.

The Characters of Murder Princess are a unique mix who definitely won’t bore you, considering the show’s specific setting and plotline. There are no particular reasons why they're here, but they all contribute to a more satisfying viewing experience.

Most of them have generic Anime personalities, but it will take some time to figure these weird characters out. None of them are memorable or possess any real depth to them, except the Princess herself, the primary source of drama.

Falis starts as a cold-hearted girl who only cares about money and rewards, while Alita starts as a damsel in distress. Falis’s sidekicks keep up a “sharp guy” and “quiet guy” dynamic, open to helping people. Do not expect much character development either, but they can keep the audience entertained.

The Art and Animation of Murder Princess aren’t that great, so don’t expect high-quality visuals. The Art itself is done well, but it is drawn with average quality throughout the series. The artwork isn’t very detailed or profound, but it’s all fine overall. A notable weakness is that they sometimes leave out so much of the thrilling action scenes.

There is also a lack of originality in these fight scenes, using too many black swipes, blurry techniques, and brief background transitions. Be prepared for many standard and cheap action techniques, accompanied by an above-average bloodiness.

This is an excellent example of cheap but graphic violence done right! Limbs will fly, blood will splatter everywhere, and organs will be on display on occasion. The backgrounds follow a “historical kingdom” vibe and showcase some exciting content. Overall, this department is nothing to write home about but isn’t bad either.

The Music and Sounds of Murder Princess are those of your typical action series, featuring a smashing guitar rift medley of the Rock genre.

The Opening theme is "Hikari Sasuhou" by BACK-ON, and the Ending theme is "Naked Flower" by Romi Paku, which sounds like tracks out of a video game but fits this Anime perfectly. A neat detail is how each guitar instrumental OST is different every time it’s played, instead of using the same track on repeat.

The Voice Actors need some getting used to, but they successfully grow on audiences while delivering great and fitting performances. Special mention to Yuna’s voice actress for stealing the show, though! This department is quite enjoyable, especially for audiences that like electric guitars.

Overall, Murder Princess is a show with many fights, blood, and predictable plot twists, but it is still super enjoyable. It goes without saying that if you don’t like gory battles, this isn’t the anime for you! Despite being so short, it is pretty good and entertaining.

The Sounds and Action are its best aspects, blended into a relatively simple Story with generic Characters and decent Visuals. Highly recommended for Action fans, this show will not bore you!