Karakuri no Kimi

I felt satisfied after watching this,a very short but worthwhile watch.After her family is killed and her kingdom was destroyed by rival forces a young princess called Rangiku embarks on a journey to get revenge on her enimies.Along the way she seeks the aid of the legendary samurai Manajiri to join her in her quest.what make this anime so good is that unlike todays anime this female character is more than just big breasted fan-service,on the contrary she is a reasonably interesting character as she is both nice and at the same time being a bumbling cluts.she carries around her fathers finest ... poppet warriors ,and man does she know how to use them.Manajiri the other main character is your typical sleezy pervert and provide a nice dose of humour.

I really liked the animation the drawing is well done,scenes move from being dark to more colourful.The action is also pretty good,with nice explosion and fight scenes.I watched the dub for this and the voice acting was for the most part well done.''All in All'' nothing spectacular but still a well done and entertaining anime given how short it is.

Wow, how did I manage to miss this one back in the day? It may say it was released in 2000, but everything about Puppet Princess screams mid-90s anime excess, and that is right up my alley. All 45 minutes of the film are pretty much non-stop action, with lots of gore and eye-catching set pieces. The whole use of puppets as warriors is cool as hell and their designs are all different and striking, with a steampunk aesthetic. The pace is brisk with a score that's pretty epic, featuring horns that really reminded of the stuff heard throughout Record of Lodoss War. Would have ... been cool if something more spun out from this, as there's definitely more material in here to be tapped, but as it stands, this is a quick watch that's a genuine blast.

Rate of 7 (good)
Seen via english dubbed

Likes
A true classic approach to tales much like the anime about Frankenstein i reviewed in the past. Some stories just plain start while others like this build you in. Rather than providing you a buffet of food you have a sampler dish placed in-front of you. Eat how you will but at least you can have an idea of what to is to come. Intro does not stop there. After sampling the dish the waiter instructs the chef to come out and explain his dish. What makes it flavorful. What makes it savory. What not to expect. You get ... the idea. At the end of your meal the chef reappears for questions and final remarks. Now, the idea of food/chef was my fancy feast for you. The message behind it is what your tasting. Top that childhood actors *wink wink*

In terms of the character they were structured in such a manner that i was not asking any questions about them. Each back story was known. Each flaw and strength was apparent. The only time you were mystified was when you had to be build the suspense.

Dislikes
You are already aware my like of the overall structure to the plot and character development but in a manner of speaking i did find one thing unsettling. The detail/element of kids that factored into this story. Granted i understand there must be some evil element to a story but the kid flare left me a touch burnt. I am not saying the plot needs to be changed(would be nice if it was) but just the film approach. I think more audiences could reap the benefit from this had the creative spin of blocked ecchi. Maybe the camera falls down when the children are mentioned. Maybe smoke grenades go off. Understandably these examples wont work given the idea but the idea is to play from a more gentler approach.

Not to take you from viewing the movie. Sure, it is not kid friendly for what en-tales but the message is kind. Like never go with the flow or don't be pulled along.

We've fallen on dark, desperate times when I somehow find myself watching and subsequently writing a review for a 41 minute, quarter-century old anime movie that no one else has heard of and there are FOUR reviews for prior to my own. That's about one every five years!

Puppet Princess isn't the worst of the worst, but talking plainly it came out in 2000, looks like it came out in the mid 90s at best or even the late 80s, is short, doesn't have time to develop characters or plot points or provide any emotional depth whatsoever and might as well not have a soundtrack at ... all. Aside from being able to say "I've seen that" or being the hardest of the hardcore old school anime or martial arts anime fan, there's simply no reason to go back and watch this now.

It is, in every way, somewhere under the umbrella of mediocre. Some things it might do the tiniest smidge above mediocre. Many other things it may do a smidge below mediocre. But putting it all together, and now considering how far removed it now is as we approach 2024, it's just an utterly middling, mediocre, forgettable, skippable movie from a bygone era. I don't feel like I've completely wasted my time watching this, as it's short enough to not care even if I had, but there's no reason for me to ever watch this again and there's probably no reason for you to watch it at all. Of course, since no one has heard of this, my wife and I will probably be the only people to read this review anyway.

OBJECTIVE RATING- I don't know. Very difficult to do two plus decades after the fact. Mediocre.
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 5-5.5

It's short and has charm, so watch it if the premise appeals to you. But don't go into it thinking it'll be on par with series like Ninja Scroll, the Kage OVA, or Vampire Princess Miyu in terms of either fights or beautiful animation. It's got style, but at a fraction, but it's definitely got some things going for it that make it a classic.

Animation was alright, and I'm not just saying that for the time this came out. It feels like, surprisingly, despite this OVA being an almost 1:1 shot of the one-shot it was based off of, that the manga did it better. ... Fights were decent, with cool moments of violent blood sprays accompanied with great choice of music. The final fight was its best fight and most well choreographed. Sound design was mediocre, however, with sound affects for a few of the scenes being a little off.

Overall, it's a decent short that I rated as a 5 because it's got one heck of a fun concept and an alright execution. It feels lacking. When reading the one-shot, the art felt more consistent throughout, the darker, thick lines and the scenes flowing better than something that has movement—biggest exceptions being where they barged through the enemy and the final battle, which the OVA completely excelled at.

Watch for a quick fix of 90's (despite coming out in the early 2000's) styled anime set Feudal Japan, but keep in mind that it's nothing phenomenal.