5 reviews
"Corpse Princess" has surprising depth even in the first few episodes, addressing the "Abyss" issue and how those who fight monsters are themselves monsters of a sort.
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
- Excellent animation for the era.
- Story has good depth.
- Good character growth.
- "Fan Service" is handled in a very amusing way in the 1st season.
Cons:
- Some inconsistencies with the animation.
- 2nd season introduces some silly "Fan Service".
- No "real" ending, final episode (non-OVA) ends in a cliff hanger that would be typically resolved on the next episode.
- dameon_green
- May 27, 2020
- Permalink
In the world of "Corpse Princess" (otherwise known by its original Japanese name "Shikabane hime"), there is very little distinction between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Ordinary people who die with deep regret or any intense obsessions on their soul are resurrected as "shikabane" ("living corpses"), who retain their original appearance and some intelligence but have the ability to transform into monstrous, other-worldly beasts when provoked while also possessing a vast array of supernatural powers.
Aligned against them, are shikabane hime ("corpse princesses"), usually teenage girls dressed in revealing schoolgirl uniforms who as their name would imply are also dead but live to hunt down rogue shikabane with the aid of their "contract monks," Buddhist monks who are their partners when out in the field. The series primarily follows the adventures of Makina Hoshimura, a teenager who was murdered by rogue corpses, was resurrected as a shikabane hime, and has been tasked with having to kill 108 of the creatures in order to enter Heaven. She is also armed with the most awesomely bad-a** pair of MAC-11s I've ever seen. (Also worth noting is the fact that it appears that Makina is not wearing any underwear, and a few choice up-skirt shots are very good at highlighting that fact.)
On the human side of the equation, Ouri Kagami is a normal school kid who has been swept up into this madness because his older brother Keisei is Makina's contract monk, and he witnessed him reviving her after a particularly harrowing encounter with one of her quarry. He also has a habit of just being in the wrong place at the right time. Eventually, he sides with Makina and other members of the Kougon Sect, an anti-corpse task force who are dedicated to eradicating the world of any rogue demons they come across.
"Corpse Princess," adapted from the Manga by Yoshiichi Akihito, is a really cool Anime' (Japanese animation, for the uninformed). While not especially deep or thematic in any real way, it is a pretty fast-paced thrill-ride with plenty of cool and likable characters and bloody princess/demon showdowns. Even though this Anime' is a hybrid of horror and fantasy (and it can be a particularly dark Anime' at that), there is also a lot of light-hearted humor present that goes so far as being slapstick in its presentation at times. Much of the humor arises from the fun-loving, unorthodox character of Keisei, who likes to adorn Ouri's room with racy posters of pin-up girls as a practical joke. (Indeed later on in the series, some of the other female characters on the show are also seen fully nude, though most of the time their most private of privates are obscured by steam, fog, or some very carefully-placed objects in the foreground.)
One thing that particularly struck me about this Anime' was how well-developed and sympathetic the characters are. All the human and corpse princesses are really likable. But they are also somewhat tragic, due to their present circumstances. They are particularly sympathetic because of how they've been denied entrance into a suitable afterlife due to some deep regret or obsession that has followed them into death, and likewise they spend their immortality trying to fix those mistakes that have followed them. Likewise, the rogue demons that they hunt are not the purely evil monsters we are initially led to believe they are at the beginning of the series; like the corpse princesses that hunt them, they were once real flesh & blood people who have been transformed into horrible monsters as a result of the same deep regret and obsession that haunts their hunters.
So even when I say that "Corpse Princess" does appear devoid of anything especially deep or thematic, there is still some added emotional weight to keep the series from being just another dumb, run-of-the-mill horror/fantasy Anime'.
"Corpse Princess" is a great piece of Japanese animation, all right - no more, no less.
8/10
Aligned against them, are shikabane hime ("corpse princesses"), usually teenage girls dressed in revealing schoolgirl uniforms who as their name would imply are also dead but live to hunt down rogue shikabane with the aid of their "contract monks," Buddhist monks who are their partners when out in the field. The series primarily follows the adventures of Makina Hoshimura, a teenager who was murdered by rogue corpses, was resurrected as a shikabane hime, and has been tasked with having to kill 108 of the creatures in order to enter Heaven. She is also armed with the most awesomely bad-a** pair of MAC-11s I've ever seen. (Also worth noting is the fact that it appears that Makina is not wearing any underwear, and a few choice up-skirt shots are very good at highlighting that fact.)
On the human side of the equation, Ouri Kagami is a normal school kid who has been swept up into this madness because his older brother Keisei is Makina's contract monk, and he witnessed him reviving her after a particularly harrowing encounter with one of her quarry. He also has a habit of just being in the wrong place at the right time. Eventually, he sides with Makina and other members of the Kougon Sect, an anti-corpse task force who are dedicated to eradicating the world of any rogue demons they come across.
"Corpse Princess," adapted from the Manga by Yoshiichi Akihito, is a really cool Anime' (Japanese animation, for the uninformed). While not especially deep or thematic in any real way, it is a pretty fast-paced thrill-ride with plenty of cool and likable characters and bloody princess/demon showdowns. Even though this Anime' is a hybrid of horror and fantasy (and it can be a particularly dark Anime' at that), there is also a lot of light-hearted humor present that goes so far as being slapstick in its presentation at times. Much of the humor arises from the fun-loving, unorthodox character of Keisei, who likes to adorn Ouri's room with racy posters of pin-up girls as a practical joke. (Indeed later on in the series, some of the other female characters on the show are also seen fully nude, though most of the time their most private of privates are obscured by steam, fog, or some very carefully-placed objects in the foreground.)
One thing that particularly struck me about this Anime' was how well-developed and sympathetic the characters are. All the human and corpse princesses are really likable. But they are also somewhat tragic, due to their present circumstances. They are particularly sympathetic because of how they've been denied entrance into a suitable afterlife due to some deep regret or obsession that has followed them into death, and likewise they spend their immortality trying to fix those mistakes that have followed them. Likewise, the rogue demons that they hunt are not the purely evil monsters we are initially led to believe they are at the beginning of the series; like the corpse princesses that hunt them, they were once real flesh & blood people who have been transformed into horrible monsters as a result of the same deep regret and obsession that haunts their hunters.
So even when I say that "Corpse Princess" does appear devoid of anything especially deep or thematic, there is still some added emotional weight to keep the series from being just another dumb, run-of-the-mill horror/fantasy Anime'.
"Corpse Princess" is a great piece of Japanese animation, all right - no more, no less.
8/10
Ratings for all 13 episodes,
Ep 1 ~ 6/10; Ep 2 ~ 7/10; Ep 3 ~ 8/10; Ep 4 ~ 8/10; Ep 5 ~ 7/10; Ep 6 ~ 6/10; Ep 7 ~ 6/10; Ep 8 ~ 7/10; Ep 9 ~ 7/10; Ep10 ~ 7/10; Ep11 ~ 7/10; Ep12 ~ 7/10; Ep13 ~ 7/10
The basic premise isn't blindingly original; schoolgirl warrior takes on undead monsters. Only, in this case said schoolgirl (named 'Makina') is undead herself. And instead of the usual katana, she's armed with twin MAC-11 submachine guns - which a) need reloading just once over the entire 13 episodes, and b) she seems able to produce from nowhere when she needs them. We soon learn Makina isn't the only undead schoolgirl in town; there's a whole unit of them, working for a secret group of monks called the 'Kougon Sect'. Each girl can pass on to Heaven once she's destroyed 108 undead (or, 'Shikabane'). Easier said than done. The Shikabane might appear human, but can take on monstrous, immensely powerful forms.
I watched this with subs, but the Japanese voice cast seem a good fit for the characters. The artwork - characters and backdrops - is really nice and the animation is smooth. The mythology of the Kougon Sect/girl assassins, the Shikabane, and the Seven Stars (a group of seven Shikabane, working together to oppose the Kougon sect) is explored well. The tone of the series veers between horror and fantasy. There are some great horror ideas (J-pop singer refusing to accept her own death without having ever performed in concert; young children killed in a traffic accident coming back to life; students exploring a haunted building) which have incredibly eerie setups. Unfortunately, almost inevitably the undead morph into more monstrous forms, and it goes from seriously creepy to ridiculous-at-times 'creature feature'. It's frustrating. But the action is well done. And the soundtrack is great (titles and incidental). Given that this is anime featuring schoolgirls, it's no surprise that there's a ton of fan-service. No nudity, but plenty of big breasts, ass-shots, and upskirt.
The series reaches a bona fide conclusion, but also sets up the follow-on series (Shikabane Hime: Kuro, aka Corpse Princess: Black, which I've yet to see). Consistently entertaining, and well worth a look. Overall rating, 7/10.
Ep 1 ~ 6/10; Ep 2 ~ 7/10; Ep 3 ~ 8/10; Ep 4 ~ 8/10; Ep 5 ~ 7/10; Ep 6 ~ 6/10; Ep 7 ~ 6/10; Ep 8 ~ 7/10; Ep 9 ~ 7/10; Ep10 ~ 7/10; Ep11 ~ 7/10; Ep12 ~ 7/10; Ep13 ~ 7/10
The basic premise isn't blindingly original; schoolgirl warrior takes on undead monsters. Only, in this case said schoolgirl (named 'Makina') is undead herself. And instead of the usual katana, she's armed with twin MAC-11 submachine guns - which a) need reloading just once over the entire 13 episodes, and b) she seems able to produce from nowhere when she needs them. We soon learn Makina isn't the only undead schoolgirl in town; there's a whole unit of them, working for a secret group of monks called the 'Kougon Sect'. Each girl can pass on to Heaven once she's destroyed 108 undead (or, 'Shikabane'). Easier said than done. The Shikabane might appear human, but can take on monstrous, immensely powerful forms.
I watched this with subs, but the Japanese voice cast seem a good fit for the characters. The artwork - characters and backdrops - is really nice and the animation is smooth. The mythology of the Kougon Sect/girl assassins, the Shikabane, and the Seven Stars (a group of seven Shikabane, working together to oppose the Kougon sect) is explored well. The tone of the series veers between horror and fantasy. There are some great horror ideas (J-pop singer refusing to accept her own death without having ever performed in concert; young children killed in a traffic accident coming back to life; students exploring a haunted building) which have incredibly eerie setups. Unfortunately, almost inevitably the undead morph into more monstrous forms, and it goes from seriously creepy to ridiculous-at-times 'creature feature'. It's frustrating. But the action is well done. And the soundtrack is great (titles and incidental). Given that this is anime featuring schoolgirls, it's no surprise that there's a ton of fan-service. No nudity, but plenty of big breasts, ass-shots, and upskirt.
The series reaches a bona fide conclusion, but also sets up the follow-on series (Shikabane Hime: Kuro, aka Corpse Princess: Black, which I've yet to see). Consistently entertaining, and well worth a look. Overall rating, 7/10.
- Milk_Tray_Guy
- Jun 7, 2022
- Permalink
I didn't think a anime of a reincarnation girl would flatter me at all because there was absoulely nothing to back it up properly to make it more interesting! Ok so her goal was to go to heaven and be helped by Buddist Monks. That's all fine and well but it just needed more action and more contribution for me to actually watch the entire anime with joy. Instead episode one just made me feel uneasy and made me uncomfortable by the way this anime was introduced.
Seeing as it does have such good reviews on here, it was a pity that this anime didn't work for me but there ya go. I still would recommend it if you like reincarnation stuff..
Seeing as it does have such good reviews on here, it was a pity that this anime didn't work for me but there ya go. I still would recommend it if you like reincarnation stuff..
- Irishchatter
- Oct 2, 2018
- Permalink