Detatoko Princess

Very much like I said about Dragon Half, Detatoko Princess is a wacky, early 90's fantasy comedy that's a delight to watch. I know I harp on this frequently, mostly in relation to OAVs, but the comedy fantasy/parody genre was an art that passed with time, and with the exception of the on/off again Slayers franchise, you see nothing like this anymore.
Akin with the aforementioned Dragon Half, albiet a slightly sillier premise, our young protagonist Lapis embarks on a quest in search of adulthood and maturity, which quickly becomes a dangerous struggle to stay alive. Keep in mind that her pursuer is a curvy, ... dark witch with lesbian tendacies who is about as threatening as Jessie and James in Pokemon. Lapis herself, while far from original or impressive, is a very enjoyable ditz and she holds her own pretty well. If you liked Lime in Saber Marionette, then you should get a kick out of her. The pudding gag is pretty symbolic of anime females in that era; they fill their empty heads with desserts. Unlike Slayers and Dragon Half, however, Lapis' travelling companions offer very little in comedy. They're not unlikable, just not as entertaining as Lapis and have no real presence. The little fairy that sits atop Lapis' shoulder is pretty darn cute at the very least. Topaz, the witch that's stalking her (and the highlight of the show), is pretty amusing however. Using little lolis that she collects like Medabots to attack and her slight lesbianish tendacies toward Lapis only makes me wish that more time was used to establish the rivalry between her and Lapis a little more. On a side note, Lapis' parents were pretty funny in their limited role.
Animation is on par with Slayers, so it's easy on the eyes. The visual gags are not as insane as Dragon Half, but are in the same spirit. And the Pop-Up Video-esque jokes that appear as commentary to what's going on is a nice touch. The English dub is pretty darn good for it's time, as are most comedy anime in the early to mid 90's, but the music makes this show seem ten years older than it actually is. Most of the jokes surprisingly don't focus on parodying the fantasy genre to a great extent. In fact the entire third episode comes off as something you'd see in Excel Saga or something. Each of the three episodes are fun individual stories that admittedly have no real end game or direction, but hey, it's a wacky comedy. Granted, the pudding gag might a bit old, but I've witnessed worse one-liners and shticks.
IN CLOSING: Detatoko Princess is a fun romp in the comedy genre that deserves a gander if you're into watching an old-style anime. I grew up with this kind of stuff, so i have a big soft spot for it and wish today's satire were more like it. The character designs are prototypical, but cute. The backgrounds and animation look like a cross between Knight of Ramune and James Cameron's Avatar, with it's floating rock islands (I know it's fiction, but someone has to explain how those work) The jokes are pretty light-hearted and amusing, and the music is catchy, yet ancient. While it isn't stellar in any one particular category, Detatoko is at best a fun little harmless fantasy fairy tale that shouldn't be taken too seriously.
STORY: 6
ART: 7
SOUND: 6
CHARACTERS: 7
ENJOYMENT: 8
OVERALL SCORE: 7 out of 10

PROS: Pretty high rewatchability, obscure references, Evil sorceress Topaz
CONS: Not as explosive as Dragon Half, repetitive music, poor supporting cast makes Lapis and Topaz carry most of the humor

Suddenly Princess is a bizarre, gorgeous little 90s OVA about a magical princess obsessed with pudding and her motley crew of friends as they adventure through the intriguing world they inhabit. It's one of those titles that goes to show that anime as a medium is littered with countless little gems that go completely unnoticed, nearly forgotten by time and certainly forgotten by the majority of modern audiences. Beginning with the story, it's a charming setup where a quirky, high-energy magical girl princess gets accidentally transported across the continent, and her and her friends have to find their way back ... by foot, encountering mysterious strangers and enigmatic towns, helping out with their various problems along the way, often by accident. These episodes are largely self-contained, and exist as their own adventures in the vague context of heading back home. I love this format, as it allows the rich worldbuilding to really shine as a main event all its own. The comedy is generally pretty funny, but some of the jokes occasionally fail to exactly land in quite the right way. Meanwhile, I must emphasize here, above all, that while the world of Suddenly Princess could have definitely been treated as an afterthought, it absolutely wasn't. It is genuinely rich and interesting, feeling like a uniquely creative world all its own that really makes you want to explore all it has got to offer. It doesn't feel shallow, or like a justification for the story at hand, but rather like it exists on its own, enveloping the journey within, which is broadly lighthearted, silly, and comedic.

This brings me to the art, which is the strongest aspect of Suddenly Princess. The world is lavishly detailed, from the masterful character designs, to the extravagantly colored backgrounds, to the architecture in every settled area. It elevates what should be a throwaway slapstick comedy to an honestly breathtaking snapshot of 90s anime and the aesthetics that entails.

The sound generally meets all basic standards for the time, further bolstered by a fun and upbeat OST.

The characters are fun, and while not exactly groundbreaking they are more than simple archetypes, fulfilling their role in the story and its comedy flawlessly. Of them, my favorites have got to be our main heroine the princess Lapis, and her sworn enemy Topaz. Lapis is the perfect main character for this kind of anime, and manages to be a strong driving force for much of the comedy within it, while Topaz is her perfect villain, goofy in her own right while managing to contrast Lapis in such a way that a solid amount of all the comedy that does take place within Suddenly Princess is generated by their ridiculous rivalry. Overall, Suddenly Princess is a fun 90s comedy romp, while also being a fantastic study into 90s fantasy anime and the art that entails. When coupled with its brevity, which I feel is perfect for this anime and essential to preserving its punch, this is a title which is easy for me to recommend.

Detatoko Princess is an OVA from '97-'98. The OVA is from JC Staff and it's based off of an Okuda Hitoshi manga. Interestingly enough, the OVA came out around the end of the manga's six year run. So, hopefully they had some strong content to work with. I'm really not sure what to expect since I've seen good, mediocre and terrible OVAs, and anime in general, from JC before.

Story:

Lapis is the Princess of Sorcerland. One day she causes a floating island to collapse because she wanted to save a falling baby bird and decided that using her magic eraser spell to collapse a ... floating island was just the best solution. This results in her parents sending her through a portal thereby forcing her to journey back as a way for her to clear her head. On the way she's targeted by Topaz, a witch who collects pretty girls like they're Pokemon. Fortunately for her she has her elderly tutor, a tiny faerie girl and an immortal guy to act as a human shield.

So, the whole OVA is based around slapstick comedy with this quirky group of characters. The quality of the comedy itself is pretty hit and miss. The first episode is a mix of gags that land pretty solidly and ones that are just bland. A lot of it is just focused on setting things up. The second has a few funny bits but is mostly a bit rubbish. The bulk of the episode is made up of jokes about how much Lapis loves pudding which is about as unfunny as Gintama's mayo guy. The final episode is the most consistently funny. It deals with a trio of fitness obsessed brothers who also happen to be sickly. It has a lot of really good jokes that take full advantage of that bizarre premise.

Characters:

Part of the problem with the comedy is that the character quirks aren't all that strong. Lapis and Topaz are by far the strongest characters and Lapis' main traits are being dim-witted and loving pudding while Topaz is just a lesbian ojou-sama. Aside from them, Jii is just the elderly tutor. Kohaku's whole shtick is that he's immortal and gets used as a human shield and Nandra is just small and cute. Yes, each of these side characters gets a couple funny moments but they also pretty quickly run out of material.

Art:

The artwork looks fine. There are some decent visual gags. The characters look okay. The animation is decent enough. It doesn't look amazing and there are some definite animation errors but it's fine. Particularly if you keep in mind that this is from the late 90s.

Sound:

The performances are solid. Miyamura Yuko and Hisakawa Aya definitely do the best. Probably because their characters have the most going for them. The music is fine. It suits the aesthetic pretty well.

Ho-yay:

Topaz is very blatantly gay and she summons a couple girls who are very clearly taken with her. So, there's definitely some there.

Areas of Improvement:

1. We don't need to spend the bulk of an entire episode joking about Lapis' pudding obsession. Hate to break it to you, but it's really not that strong a gag.
2. The more minor characters need stronger quirks and a greater variety of jokes.
3. The characters need stronger interactions and dynamics thereby allowing them to play more strongly off of each other.

Final Thoughts:

Detatoko Princess is roughly on par with JC's Ariel OVAs. It's okay but nothing amazing. I'm going to give it a 6/10. If you're a huge fan of fantasy comedy and you've already seen Slayers in its entirety, or you just want something quick, it might be worth watching but I can't really recommend it enthusiastically.