Princess Resurrection

Many little kids wish they were royalty. Some even believe they are of royal blood, whom their “ordinary” parents adopted. To others, they will someday join a royal family and become a Prince or Princess. Either way, the life of royalty is often coveted, even by adults. Anime shows us that there can be so many different kinds of Crown members, most of which don’t live up to the typical fairytale tropes of perfection and majesty.

They bear heavy burdens and live quite complicated lives until they find their “Happily Ever After.” At times, this happy ending never even existed, to begin with…..

“Princess Resurrection,” also known as “Kaibutsu Ohjo” or “Monster Princess,” is a 25-episode TV anime series that aired from the 13th of April 13 until the 28th of September in Spring 2007. It was produced by Imagin, Lantis, Index, and Universal Pictures Japan, licensed by ADV Films and Sentai Filmworks, and brought to life by Studio Madhouse.

The primary staff behind it includes Sakoi Masayuki as Director, Takahashi Takeo as Episode Director, on Storyboard and Setting, Takakuwa Hajime as Sound Director, Usui Fumiaki also as Episode Director. It features Action, Comedy, Horror, and Supernatural genres alongside a Vampire theme. Targeted at the Shonen demographic, it received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.

Princess Resurrection originates from the source Manga of the same title. Serialized in Shonen Sirius, it featured the other genre of Fantasy and was the work of Author and Artist Mitsunaga Yasunori. This Manga spanned 20 Volumes since its publication on the 25th of June 2005 until the 26th of February 2013.

The series was later partially published in English by Del Rey, where the first seven volumes were released between May 2007 and November 2009 before going defunct. Afterward, Kodansha Comics USA took up the license and began the digital publication of the series from July 2016 until November 2017. Studio Tatsunoko Production brought this R - 17+ series to life-based on the Manga.

An Alternative Version to the Anime was released in 03 OVA episodes from the 9th of December 2010 until the 7th of October 2011. A sequel titled “Kaibutsu Oujo: Konsui Oujo” (Kaibutsu Oujo: Sleeping Princess) was also released as a single Special episode on the 14th of February 2008. The 26th episode of the Anime series was included in the 9th DVD volume.

The series is built around the male protagonist Hiro Hiyorimi, who attempts to save a beautiful young woman from the cruel grasps of death. Unfortunately for him, he becomes a dead hero in the process. It is not all bad, though, as the drop-dead gorgeous girl happens to be “Hime,” the very daughter of the King of the Monsters.

His actions entitle him to the "reward" of returning as a not-very-alive soldier within her Honor Guard of horror! What does this mean for the young hero? He must now aid the battle against an army of supernatural monstrosities that Hime's siblings unleashed upon her as part of their scheme to move up the glorious ladder of succession.

Dealing with vampires and zombies is only the tip of the iceberg because nearly nothing can prepare him for the super weird monsters like were-sharks, scary pandas, and killer dumplings. This certainly isn’t the afterlife Hiro had hoped for, but what makes things worse is that Hime is the “good girl” in this fiasco. The bad news? Well, she is as close to good as one can get when they're on the wrong side of the gates of hell!

The Story aspect of Princess Resurrection is pretty disappointing. The plot and premise are nothing unique nor imposing, just mildly bearable. The main issue is the repetitiveness; the show repeatedly recycles the same typical trope of “New monster/character! What’s their story?” until the finale.

Initially, viewers will notice the existence of a fragmented plot in the background, but these hopes are shattered soon enough. The plot magically re-emerges before the final episode, but this leads to another big letdown: the final boss is abruptly introduced and then swiftly defeated with ease. So yes, do not expect a good story here; it merely exists to chain the show along.

The Characters of Princess Resurrection are worse than the story itself. The male characters, including Hiro, are not exciting or engaging; they all lack significant traits and can even become annoying. The antagonists are let-downs, too, because they just appear once and then disappear, never to be seen again without really accomplishing anything of significance.

At best, they may serve a pointless fodder role for another few moments upon their return. On the other hand, protagonist Hiro can be highly annoying and useless. All he ever does is throw himself out in front of attacks to shield Hime, proceed to die, attempt to fight off their foes with a broom, scream or display cowardice.

The only redeeming character is Hime herself, who showed some true personality. But other than that, she can’t really do much other than granting half-immortality, and it's a miracle she survived in their world, to begin with. All the supporting characters feel like a total waste with no actual purposes or likable traits. Overall, they all lack depth and any development whatsoever.

The Art and Animation of Princess Resurrection are mediocre to decent at best. It was nothing outstanding, but it barely did its part for the show's visual aspects. The character designs are mainly bland, with Hime the only exception, thanks to her eyes. She is the only one who at least looks slightly interesting.

The backgrounds feel flat, lifeless, and uninspired. The color palette is all over the place and seems washed up. There is nothing to be said about the Animation either, other than the fact that it wasn’t terrible.

The Sounds and Music of Princess Resurrection are mediocre as well. The OSTs had a grand total of one or two scores that were fitting for the show and mildly reflected its atmosphere. The Creepy/Mysterious OST was outstanding and memorable, though. The remaining OSTs were hardly noticeable, but they weren’t terrible and did a reasonably okay job.

The Opening theme is "BLOOD QUEEN" by Aki Misato, and the Ending theme is "Hizamazuite Ashi o Oname (Kneel down and Lick my Feet)" by ALI PROJECT, both of which are decent. This department did the show no harm, but it wasn’t groundbreaking either.

Overall, the only redeeming features of Princess Resurrection are Hime herself, one episode in the middle, and one OST. It is unfortunate because this series had the potential to reach much greater heights but fell flat on its face. It honestly feels like the creators didn’t care much for this series and made it just to make it.

Even if you start watching this Anime with low expectations, you’ll still be disappointed. Almost every department is a flop, which causes this show to be quite bad. This series is really not recommended, and you’ll have a much better time watching something else. Unless you have an unyielding urge to watch it for some reason, steer clear of this one.