According to the revelations of St. Grendel, Pacifica Cassul, the heroine of the fantasy-adventure Scrapped Princess (2003), will cause the end of the world on her 16th birthday. As the fatal day approaches, she's on the lam with her adopted older brother and sister, Shannon and Raquel: They're charged with protecting her from worshippers of the god Mauser, who believe...
Read moreAccording to the revelations of St. Grendel, Pacifica Cassul, the heroine of the fantasy-adventure Scrapped Princess (2003), will cause the end of the world on her 16th birthday. As the fatal day approaches, she's on the lam with her adopted older brother and sister, Shannon and Raquel: They're charged with protecting her from worshippers of the god Mauser, who believe in the prophecy. As they wander from place to place, they make new friends, including would-be knight Leo and innkeeper's helper Winia, and treacherous enemies: Even Pacifica's favorite aunt can't be trusted. Both groups bring clues to the complicated plot that involves the Church of Mauser, its prophecies and its hierarchy; rivalries among feudal kingdoms; three groups of sophisticated cyborg warriors; and the ancient war that pitted humans against powerful aliens. The series ends with a major mecha battle that features interesting rainbow effects, and rather unexciting choreography. At 24 episodes, the story of Scrapped Princess feels both padded and underdeveloped. Instead of exploring the characters in depth or explaining the needlessly convoluted backstory, the screenplay by Atkasuki Yamatora and Reiko Yoshida rambles aimlessly. Secondary characters appear and disappear, only to pop up several episodes later, and the emotional moments sink into bathos. Although the series enjoys an enthusiastic following in the US, Scrapped Princess often feels too silly to work as an adventure, but too dark to work as a comedy. (Rated 13 and older: violence, brief nudity) --Charles Solomon
Brand: BANDAI
