Anime Hajime Review: Princess Jellyfish

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Princess Jellyfish. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Tsukimi Kurashita (voiced by Kana Hanazawa) has always had a deep love for jellyfish. Having moved to Tokyo, Tsukimi is the newest tenant of the Amamizukan apartments.

And the other residents, Tsukimi is socially awkward. The entire household is so awful with any type of human interaction. Particularly with fashionable people and even worse with men.

One night, Tsukimi meets a beautiful woman named Kuranosuke Koibuchi (voiced by Mitsuki Saiga). Because of circumstance, Tsukimi is forced into letting Kuranosuke stay the night.

The next morning, Tsukimi discovers that Kuranosuke’s long luxurious hair is, in fact, a wig. A discovery rendered insignificant upon Kuranosuke’s other big revelation. Kuranosuke is actually a man. Needless to say, Tsukimi is beside herself.

Since men are not allowed in the Amamizukan, Tsukimi tries to keep Kuranosuke’s gender a secret. However, this proves difficult since Kuranosuke takes a strong liking to the place.

Series Positives

I didn’t care for Princess Jellyfish. Like at all.

There were plenty of moments that were, well, bad. But to be fair, none of them were awful. The biggest thing going against this show, it was boring.

Tsukimi

Tsukimi and Kuranosuke

The leads were fine. Not fantastic, but fine.

Kuranosuke

Tsukimi was average at best, forgettable at worse. Her best feature, she wasn:t as obnoxious as the rest of the Amamizukan. Oh, she has her moments. Yet there were times where she was cute, silly, and dare I say entertaining. Then again, these moments were rare and they had to be shared with Kuranosuke.

Speaking of Kuranosuke, he was the best thing about this show. Granted, many of the underlying flaws of the series were present in his character. Except he managed to mitigate some of their prevalence.

What made Kuranosuke work was his level-headedness. Sure, he was pushy, energetic, and flamboyant. But he appeared to have a handle on what was going on and was able to keep everything on track. He was the one character that I would’ve liked to know more about.

Throughout the series, Kuranosuke displayed feelings of fondness towards Tsukimi. Near the end, those feelings grew closer towards affection. But nothing came of this. While the prospect of a future relationship between the two was intriguing, I can’t be bothered to care enough.

Series Negatives

This wasn’t a rage inducing show. Which, in itself, is a positive. I guess.

Princess Jellyfish didn't make me angry. Unlike certain abominations that will remain nameless... ... ...Onegai Teacher.

As I said, the show’s greatest flaw was that it was boring. It failed across the board to get you interested in the story, the characters, etc.

The Story (Spoilers)

There were two dilemmas in this show. First, the Amamizukan was at risk of being torn down. Second, Tsukimi had a huge crush on Kuranosuke’s older brother.

I’m calling these "dilemmas" and not "problems" because problems have the potential of failure. There was none of that. Even calling these dilemmas is a little too generous. These were inconveniences because by the end they turn out to be nothing.

The Amamizukan was never in any danger of closing. The owner never had any intention of selling. Tsukimi ends up moving on with her life and forgot all about Kuranosuke's brother. Long story short, the main obstacles of the Princess Jellyfish were pointless.

There was one plot point that did have some merit though. Kuranosuke got the idea to make a dress based off a jellyfish. The whole process of making and showcasing the dress was what the series should’ve focused on. It was the best use of every character. And it demonstrated the most growth between Kuranosuke and Tsukimi.

Don’t be fooled though. This was also a massive waste of time. The whole idea behind the dress was to earn money and buy the Amamizukan outright. The dress was a huge hit. But it didn't receive a single penny. The series couldn't even get that right.

Side Characters

Tsukimi and Kuranosuke may have been the best characters in the show. But that’s not saying much. I can’t stand anyone else. Particularly the other residences of the Amamizukan.

These women were annoying. As well as awkward. Also, a tad mean-spirited, obnoxious, and other non-flattering adjectives. They made no sense. They constantly went against their base characteristic of clamming up in social gatherings. In a single scene, they could go from petrified to no reservations about making complete asses of themselves.

And they would not stop screaming. Oh my God, nobody in this show would stop screaming.

I wanted them to lose their home so badly because I could not have cared any less about their problems.

Final Thoughts

I will not and cannot recommend Princess Jellyfish.

The story was pointless. The characters were annoying. There was nothing interesting about this one.

It’s way too forgettable. There’s nothing going for it. The only positive thing I can say is its short. So, if you do decide for whatever reason to give this show a try, it’s not going to take you long.

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