Well, my break is almost over, and it went by way too fast. (More on that in the next post.) I wanted to watch a little more anime, but I didn't have time for some of the longer series that I've been considering. So, I decided on this one. Just 24 episodes, and a perfect fit for the time I had left. Scrapped Princess is a series I'd heard of before, and I picked it up out of the recent holiday sale at
RightStuf.
I was a little surprised by the music. Neither of the themes is quite what I'd expected, though they are pretty. And the instrumentals used in the series are a bit old time-y, which is a bit different, though I suppose it does fit the setting. I really like the art in this one. The style is pretty, and there are lots of bright colors. It just feels like a decently budgeted series, in this respect.
As for the characters, I suppose I mostly liked everyone. Though, I feel like a lot of them could have used a bit more backstory, or fleshing out, or something. I was a little 'meh' on Pacifica herself. I mean, she's a sweet girl. But I kinda agreed with Senes...she should have done more for herself, rather than just sitting around and expecting everyone else to protect her. Honestly, that's one thing that bugged me. Did Shannon or Raquel ever try to teach her any sort of self defense? Magic or weaponry, either one? It was never mentioned, so we can't know either way. Maybe they tried, and she was just so inept that they gave up. But that doesn't really fly with me. If you've got someone who the entire world wants dead, why on Earth wouldn't you make her learn at least a little fighting? Seriously! I'm not saying she needs to be as good a swordsman as Shannon or as good a mage as Raquel, but come on. She should know something to protect herself with.
As for the story, I kind of liked how they mixed in some sci-fi elements with the medieval setting. It's not something I've seen much, so it was interesting. Although, truthfully...the ending felt kind of anti-climactic. All the fights and people trying to kill her, and she ends up just sitting in spirit form with this lady, who asks her to choose. She does, and that's the end. Maybe if we'd seen more of the aftermath, how the world changed, what happened and how the population at large reacted...maybe that would have helped. It just felt like nothing really happened. I mean, yeah, I know it did. Their world opened up and all. But it feels almost...abstract, in a way. I wasn't impressed.
I also wasn't a fan of the whole amnesia bit. I dislike amnesia plots as a rule, and I don't feel that this one really added anything to the story. Plus, I'm a little pissed that when she finally got to meet her birth mother, who is arguably the only family member who truly loved and wanted her, she has no idea who she is. And then after she gets her memory back, she forgets everything that happened while she had amnesia. So she has no idea that meeting ever happened. Argh!
Final verdict? So-so. It's not a bad series, by any means. But I expected more. The plot could have been handled better, and the characters could have been fleshed out more.