Frankly, I'm amazed that there hasn't been an explosion of Steampunk media as nerd culture has gripped society--particularly among anime, since Princess Principal has shown the respective art style and genre are an absolutely beautiful pairing! One thing is for sure, this series has only helped my love for Steampunk to grow even more, and I am now going to search fervently for more steam- and top hat-related media made in the Land of the Rising Sun! And of course I will be sipping an expertly crafted stout beer while I traverse those beautiful alternate worlds of little-means but resourceful Cockney protagonists and exciting Imperialist political intrigue full of princesses and barons. You've gotta get into the right mood, ya know? And I just love stouts. Mmmm . . . bitter oatmeal sliding down your throat. 🤤
Right from the start, you know it's going to be a fun ride. The soundtrack is as jazzy and suave as a series of this particular genre should be, and the OP sent my eardrums onto a straight-up cosmic journey once I caught how every instrument and note meshes so well together along with the singer's smoky singing voice and harmonized backup singers. I didn't like the ED as much, though. It's a bit too cutesy for a series that has so much murder and deception. Like, someone will tragically die at the end of an episode and everyone will be mourning and telling themselves they need to keep carrying on, then this absolutely adorable and snappy tune comes on and my brain is like, "Oh, please stop! I'm a fraction away from crying yet now you're showing cute paper cutouts of the girls driving through London! Have a heart!"
Speaking of the girls, I actually don't mind that these agents are high school age because there isn't a whole lot of time spent on their daily activities. Realistically, I don't know if these minor (aside from the busty 20-year-old passing as one; hoo yeah, Dorothy is legal!) agents should be in a public school since their work would likely conflict with their cover, but you know anime--gotta stick with the tropes . . . to a point. Thankfully, "Princess Principal" almost entirely lacks the standard tropes that drag some significantly worse series down. The only time when their daily high school lives are involved is when they directly affect character relationships or to provide some genuinely funny (and sparing) comedy. I should mention that there is a VERY close Yuri bait friendship that makes it ambiguous whether or not two characters have romantic feelings for each other, and that gets a little distracting, but it's easy enough to just accept that they see each other as sisters, especially since they haven't seen each other in YEARS and . . . well, I'm not going to spoil one of the big plot twists, but it's something that I never would have expected; and it's utterly brilliant!
While all of the episodic plots are solid and well-written and several of them help to expand on the growing conspiracy involving a class war that would be expected of such an era as Imperial Britain--I'm sorry, Albion!--I was really confused for a while with the way the episodes are structured. It's more of an anthology in some ways, but with how the series has a legitimate beginning, middle, and end, it's really weird how it gives key plot points an entire episode after when it should have because it happened in the past. Let's see, who was the one who structured this oddly cobbled-together producti--ICHIROU OOKOUCHI??? Must the shadow of Code Geass muddle an actually well-made production by doing something predictably nonsensical?!
Oh well, that's quite a comeback for one who was key in creating . . . well, THAT. And I hear "Sk8 the Infinity" is excellent and "Guilty Crown" is good until the controversial ending. If it adds more high marks to your repertoire, Ichirou, you're welcome to help with more of the movies that are being made for "Princess Principal." Just stay away from "Z of the Recapture" and beyond. Let the poor overrated franchise have its redemption.
The characters themselves are all a joy to watch interact and grow and how their specific skill sets help with each mission (especially Dorothy for . . . reasons. Specifically plural. 😐). Every one of them has her own distinct personality and flaws which are explored throughout, but of course the main focus is on the two BFF's Ange and Princess Charlotte and how their connection is so important to the entire conspiracy plot. By the end, you're thoroughly invested in where this group of kawaii oddball spies is going to go from there, and I look forward to the coming years as more Princess Principal films are released to expand their story!
Now to finally dive into the Steampunk rabbit hole!
