But instead of having a male lead character that all the female characters fawn over and desire to be with, the “Koihime Musou” anime forgoes this classical harem and omits the male lead character from the eroge. The anime focuses more on Kan'u Unchou and the many other girls she encounters and befriends on her journey to bring peace throughout the war torn and crime infested lands.
A nice change from the many harem series out there and with its all-female cast “Koihime Musou” pulls the card of comedy and suggested shouju-ai or yuri relationships. Though most of the yuri related scenes are either humoristic in nature or pure fanservice, at no time are serious bonds or relationships really thoroughly explored save for the bond of sisterhood that forms between Kan'u and Chouhi.
From the yuri related scenes, Kan'u is the appealing victim of most, whether she's being teased by Chouun, embarrassed by Chouhi or openly pursued by Sousou. As the series progresses, the viewer can't help but wonder who will try to go after Kan'u next or which yuri joke will befall her.
That being said, “Koihime Musou” still focuses mainly on the humour and situations the characters find themselves in. While there is a certain amount of action it's primarily used for the overarching plot of Kan'u trying to bring more peace to the people and as such does not play a pivotal role.
“Koihime Musou” is really all about cute girls sharing laughs on their journey together.
As such, the series is also mostly episodic with each episode telling a tale of how Kan'u and her travelling party befriend someone new, defeat a foe encountered on their path or have other adventures. This goes from working at a restaurant to participating in a martial arts contest, an eating contest, fighting bandits, solving a kidnapping case,...
Next to Kan'u, the series revolves mainly around her companions Chouhi, Koumei, as well as Sei and Bachou when they are present in her party. I had hoped Ryofu would play a bigger part but alas she was only featured briefly.
Although Sei is featured in many episodes, during the latter half she strays from Kan'u's party and appears less which is a shame since her character's interaction with Kan'u is always a hoot.
Except for some of the main characters like Chouhi, Koumei and Bachou, most of the girls do not especially have any meaningful character evolution and as such they seem to remain rather superficial characters since there's little chance to really delve into their pasts or personae. But given the nature of the series, a relaxing comedy rife filled with attractive girls, this isn't really bothersome.
The final episodes sees Ryuubi, the only male character appear, but although he seems to be able to seduce Kan'u at first he ends up earning her wrath and quickly flees. Perhaps this can be seen as some sort of hint that Kan'u ends up choosing the life where she can travel and live with her female companions where no man's love is welcome or needed? Who knows... but in the spirit and atmosphere of the series, this leads to a very fitting conclusion.
Animation throughout “Koihime Musou” is quite good and many episodes feature scenes that represent the characters in a cute chibi form, the same as in the episodes' ending sequence. All of the female characters are portrayed with unique hairstyles and lavishly decorated and coloured outfits. The cast is physically diverse, from tall, long haired beauties with (very) large bosoms to smaller, flat chested girls. No doubt to cater the different tastes of the audience.
Since the series focuses on the girls, they receive the best animation and detail treatment, usually a feast for the eyes!
The soundtrack is average, it supports the series nicely and the more upbeat opening song and cute ending track are an indication the series is all about watching cute girls and having lots of laughs without being about anything too serious or dramatic.
If you're looking for a nice comedy rife with cute maidens that also offers a zest of shouju-ai/yuri, then this series may certainly be a worthwhile viewing experience!
