Anime Hajime Review: Murder Princess

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

Series Synopsis

The Forland Kingdom is facing a crisis. A coup d’etat threatens to destroy the royal family and cast the country into chaos. Before the castle could fall, Forland’s princess, Altia (voiced by Ami Koshimizu) managed to escape.

While pursued, the princess runs into the infamous bounty hunter Falis (voiced by Romi Park). In the confusion Falis and Altia experience a simultaneous near-death experience. In that instant, their lives become forever linked.

Fails and Altia's souls switch bodies. The formidable warrior stuck inside the heir to the throne. And the honorable princess trapped inside the seasoned fighter.

Shaken, but undeterred Altia, now Falis, pleads with Falis, now Altia, to save her kingdom. After some convincing, Falis agrees. To do so, Falis must take up the title as Forland’s princess. Remaining at her side, Altia assumes the role of handmaid. Taking the name Milano.

The new Altia quickly earns the fear and respect of her enemies. She is soon known across the land as the one and only, Murder Princess.

Series Positives

Falis as Altia

Before we do anything, we need to set some ground rules. Otherwise, this could get real confusing real quick. From this point on, I’ll be referring to our leads by their names after their switch. So, when I say, Alita, I mean the original Falis. And when I say, Milano, I mean the original Princess Altia.

We good? Good. On with the review.

Murder Princess, it was a lot of fun. Why it was released as a six episode OVA is beyond me. It could’ve easily been, and as we’ll see should’ve been a full-length series. But yeah, this one was pretty good.

The Characters

Altia a.k.a. Milano as Falis

With some characters, I do have a few issues. But none of those issues are about the characters themselves. I have more of a problem with how they got used in the story. We’ll get to that though. Otherwise, this was a fine cast.

Pete and Dominikov

To start, hands down, the best thing about this series was the Murder Princess herself, Altia. What a great lead character. Of all the things this show did well, she managed to make them that much better. Here was someone who knew what they were doing and who was good at what they were doing. Not the whole being the princess thing. Rather the warrior aspect of her.

Altia could be rash. She could be impulsive. Yet she was an experienced fighter. She never needed to prove anything. She was one of the strongest bounty hunters and she knew it. She didn’t need to convince others. Those who doubted her learned their lesson.

Plus, Altia had an amazing team. Dominikov (voiced by Kazuki Yao) and Pete (voiced by Akimitsu Takase) weren’t her bumbling sidekicks. They never needed saving. They weren't incompetent. Whenever they said, “We’ve got this,” they meant it. They had Altia’s back so that she could focus on what she needed to do. They were formidable opponents in their own right.

There was something else about Altia. Over the course of the series, she grew to recognize something. In terms of strength and skill, there were few who could compare to her. Yet willpower and conviction aren’t exclusive to the battlefield. There was more to a partner than being able to throw a punch. Would someone stand firm or would they run away?

This was where Milano came in. Though raised in a castle her whole life, Milano could think for herself. She had a strong sense of justice and would not compromise where she couldn’t. She wasn’t a soldier. She didn’t know how to fight. When things turned violent, her best place was off to the side, not getting in the way. But she would also be the first to take a hit in order to protect someone.

Milano always had the bigger picture in mind. She was the princess of her country and she had responsibilities to fulfill. She recognized this and took them to heart. Switching bodies with Altia may have been a shock, but an opportunity to save her people arose. So, she took it. Milano didn’t put herself first is what I’m trying to say.

The establishment of our main group happened in six episodes. Some series can’t do that in twelve. And some can’t even do it in twenty.

The Fights

Murder Princess was a solid action series. Fights were frequent. Fights were awesome.

This show knew how to set up a satisfying brawl. Altia went up against overconfident opponents all the time. It felt great whenever she smacked them down. And she would smack them down hard.

This series also didn’t do that thing where people wouldn’t give reactions. Sometimes a story will have this one jerk you want to punch in the face. They carry themselves with a false sense of superiority. And when that long-awaited beatdown does come, it’s way too quick.

Murder Princess showed these types of characters how insignificant they were. You could see it in their faces. Them trying to comprehend something that in their head shouldn’t be happening. Am I the only one who gets a huge kick out of this?

Also, the music to this series was outstanding. I won’t deny how huge a role it played in these fight. Add it to the list of soundtracks I needed to pick up.

Series Negatives

This has been bugging me. Why was Milano so comfortable in the role of handmaid? I don’t have a problem with her accepting the situation. But she was competent at it. Like, she had been doing it forever.

Milano was a princess. Her whole life she had been waited on. Small daily tasks weren’t things she had to do. Yet her she was doing them without making a single mistake. Could she have gotten better over the course of the series? Yes. Except that wasn’t what happened. The sudden shift in lifestyle had zero affect on her. That was so weird to me.

Odyssey, this is all nitpicky, isn’t it

One hundred percent. But it does play into the larger issue at hand.

I like Milano as a character. Who she was and who she became worked for the story. Too bad the story didn’t show that transition. It was just something that was.

Another example of this was with Altia. If pushed too far, she could enter a berserk state. While in this state, her already impressive strength increases tenfold. As does her murderous intent. She becomes uncontrollable. Why does this happen? I don’t know.

It only happened twice. And the first time it happened the story implied that this could be a problem. It never was. So, what was the point of it? Where did it come from? Why did it happen? Again, I don’t know.

This is part of the issue I mentioned in the beginning.

Length of Series

Murder Princess wasn’t long enough. It was too short. Everything that should’ve happened couldn’t happen in six episodes. Why wasn’t this a full-length series?

Had Murder Princess been twice as long, the issues surrounding Milano and Altia could’ve been addressed. The story would’ve had more time to explore its characters. Think about the possibilities. Look at what this series managed to do in the short of time it had. It was great.

And this was only part of the problem. The story suffered in other ways due to the short run time.

For one, it was predictable. There were no surprises in Murder Princess. Who’s that mysterious black knight? Who could they be considering there’s this other character who’s always mentioned but we’ve not seen once? It’s mystery.

There were also a few too many conveniences. Oh hey, three of the series’ most prominent villains are in attendance at this grand party. After they just attempted a coup. It sure is amazing how no one in a room filled with high society and guards would recognize them. Three of the country's most wanted. Alright then.

Then there was the already mentioned lack of explanation. While I don’t know some key traits of our main leads, I do know why magic and fantasy existed in this world. Which, by the way, should’ve been delved in a little deeper in itself. Because the explanation given was kind of stupid.

It hurts to think what Murder Princess could’ve been if it were given a full chance.

Final Thoughts

In spite of what could’ve been, what Murder Princess turn out to be was more than fine.

Here was a show with characters you want to follow. Two leads that grew into better versions of themselves. Fights which were fast and entertaining. All surrounded in a soundtrack that’s worth picking up on its own.

Yeah, Murder Princess could've been a lot worse. I recommend checking it out.

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