Forum - View topicPrincess Lover!
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18202 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Princess Lover!
The name and premise just scream “harem series:” when a swordplay-loving young man’s parents die, he discovers that his mother is actually the disowned daughter of an ultra-wealthy and ultra-powerful grandfather he never knew, and he soon finds himself dropped uncomfortably into the lap of power and luxury, complete with a gradually forming harem of buxom babes, including a cute maid, his pre-arranged fianceé, and an actual princess. Of course the series is loaded with jiggly fan service (some of it censored, it seemed), so it's just your normal trashy harem fare, right? The tone of the series, however, is anything but normal for its apparent type. Aside from the fan service, the first episode takes itself astonishingly seriously, spinning a surprisingly dark set-up about a young man willing to play his grandfather’s game in order to ferret out who had his parents killed and get revenge. (Their deaths, he learns, weren’t an accident.) It also has some vastly more intense action than one would normally expect. In fact, take out the jiggle factor and panty flashes and this would be a mature, hard-edged series. Now, there's no clear indication as of yet that the series will actually stay serious, and it's hard to see how it will avoid typical harem shenanigans as things play out (a fourth girl apparently hasn't been introduced yet, for instance), but so far, at least, this one shows more potential than most. The first episode is a good enough one that I will be checking out at least another episode or two. |
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The King of Harts
 Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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This is one of the three shows I planned on starting tomorrow (other two being Aoi Hana and Kanamemo) to be my official Saturday morning cartoons. Since it premiered on the 5th I believe, I've heard a lot of good things about it. Stuff like it's not a typical harem, the male lead isn't a wuss, and has some edge to it. I've been really hoping someone would pick it up to be a legal stream, but alas no one has so I have to scour the web for it. I heard on another site that AT-X in Japan has picked it up for Thursday airing and apparently they show a lot uncensored stuff so maybe I'll be able to find an uncensored version. If I can't, then oh well (the people at the Juden-chan censored thread should learn that attitude).
I'll come back tomorrow to give my opinion, which should be a good one considering how big of a soft spot I have for harems thanks to a little show called Tenchi Muyo. |
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Xanas
Posts: 2058 |
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I was pleasantly surprised by it for pretty much the same reasons as Key. It seems like it may really individualize itself somewhat. It definitely is starting off better than Tayutama from the spring season.
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bucklemyshoe
Posts: 105 |
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Key is making an opening post?!
That is reason enough alone to check the series out. |
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Hentai_JP
 Posts: 605 Location: Toronto, ON |
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Seconded. Though I picked Princess Lover! before I found this tread(thanks to Sankaku haha). First episode indeed looks promising, with gorgeous art and animation, fast action, deeper than usuall story, and of course it's awesome subtle and open fanservise (be honest, where were you staring while that blonde girl was practicing with her rapier? Not to mention that entire scene with princess...  ). Even characters seem to stray a little from normal harem personalities. I hope AT-X airs uncensored version soon, and since when pantyshots are censored anyway?(That is probably because her underwear has my favorite colour - TRANSPARENT!!! ..drool...)
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LeanGreen
 Posts: 323 Location: New England |
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I think a major reason why Princess Lover! comes off as so edgy is because it seems to be much less overblown. Of course there are moments with overreactions and classic anime expressions, but the show doesn't really change in mood and instead it seems like the characters are really carrying the scene. If that makes much sense.
I was also delighted that Charlotte, the princess, does NOT seem to be a stiff clone of other successful harem heroines. I find that in even the few harem series I keep up with such as Rosario+Vampire (the manga only mind you) the main girl is a boring, perfect-in-every-way type of character. I was surprised when Charlotte smirked at Teppei after waking up from her fall, and I was delighted that she seems to know that she is a complete babe without being really uppity about it. The characters also seem to have a good amount of chemistry which is quite important since I don't know any reason that people watch harem shows besides characters and their relations (well also fanservice but I assume that's a given). So my first impressions of the show are pretty favorable. Hopefully Princess Lover! can continue to stand out and not fade away into the endless sea of terrible harem that the anime industry has been churning out since before I can remember. God knows I haven't seem a harem that I would describe as 'respectable' in years. |
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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Wow their eyes are huge. Those were the first words to cross my mind. I'm no art connoisseur, I could care less about the art, but it kind of reminds me of a mix of Tordora and One Piece. It's rare that the first thing I notice is character design.
Anywhoo, I like this so far. It's funny and that fight scene with "Saber" and Teppei was pretty cool. I just hope she doesn't become an extreme Tsundere. I can handle Tsunderes, but some (Naru & Yuuhi) can be a little too much making them nerve grinding. I also hope that this Teppei's Revenge thing doesn't become the very center of the story. I can almost see this being one of those things that doesn't pop up again until the last 2-3 episodes like spoiler[Samurai Champloo and the Sunflower Samurai]. Almost forgot to mention the whole car chase was very appealing. The animation is really different from the bright, cheery colors I'm used to seeing in harems; it's a good different though. One complaint I have though is that the megaboobs could have been toned down a little. I guess, though, they have those there to remind everyone that this is a harem and that it shouldn't be taken serious like a show such as Bebop or Eva; it's for fun. I hope an uncensored one starts showing up, but I'll live without it. I'm looking forward to the next episode. |
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LeanGreen
Posts: 323 Location: New England |
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Eh, the whole car chase was a bit iffy for me. Why in the world would a group of gangsters attack a car in broad daylight? And why were Charlotte and her butler (bodyguard?) in a horse-drawn carriage? But I suppose that is part of reminding the viewer that they are viewing a harem series that isn't really meant to be taken too seriously. |
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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Dude, first episode. All that may or may not be explained later. They couldn't cram all that down our throat in the first episode. I mean, we have a double murder, a new successor, a princess, and a surprise fiance, I don't think they had room for anything else. Not to mention apparently everybody goes to the same school either the next or the following episode so my brain would've exploded if I had to download anymore info. Dear GOD, I might have needed to start thinking while watching this and I for one don't like thinking during my anime (99.9% of the time at least).
I think they were in a horse drawn carriage because she is a princess after all. When I think princess, I think horse drawn carriage (thanks Disney  ). I for one think those goons work for the guy who took out Teppei's parent's, hence why they're going after the princess. He's obviously targeting rich people who are associated with Isshin someway because he's the top dog. We already kinda know that Teppei's life is in danger, even more so because he was the son the actual heir that was already snuffed. I for one get a creepy feeling from Vincent, he's got a bad aura.
I feel like I just dissected the entire 12 episodes in five minutes just by watching the first episode. If I'm right though, I want you all to bow down before me because I am King. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6867 Location: Kazune City |
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So, I was volunteering in the video rooms at Tokyo in Tulsa over the past weekend, and the last thing in the lineup at 1:30 AM Friday night was episode 1 of this series. Much fun was had by me and the other video room denizens. Me watching this series was probably inevitable, given that it plays like a cross between Hayate the Combat Butler, They Are My Noble Masters, and The Familiar of Zero. But before getting to the girls, I want to mention the male voice actors -- we've got Norio Wakamoto and Takehito Koyasu in on this series. Ttbomk, the last time those two were in a harem/ero-game adaptation was 2006's Soul Link, which I found to be surprisingly good. So that may fortell things to come. But anyway, on to the lovely ladies of Princess Lover --
Charlotte Hazelrink: as LeanGreen mentioned, it's exceptionally rare to see self-aware but not haughty beauties in anime. A lot of shows temper their well-endowed goddesses with shyness and insecurities. I'm guessing this is done to bring them more "down to earth" and thus present them as more "accessible" to the presumed target audience of loser/virgin/whatever males. But that "hot girls are insecure about their looks and need a man to appreciate them" lesson rings hollow after too many repetitions. That's why as soon as Charlotte said, "So I suppose you have a habit of fondling sleeping girls' breasts?", I instantly knew she was a mold-breaker. Given the title of the series, she looks to be the "main girl," but hey, anything could happen. * And let's not forget her butler, whom she called "Jiiya" (which does not equal "Dear"!). Proving once again that all butlers are badass warriors. Now if only he had razor-sharp threads to shoot out of his hands... The Maid: (I forget her exact name) -- at this point, she's basically the real-world equivalent of Familiar of Zero's Siesta. And as with Siesta, I predict a lot of cute sharing/confiding scenes between her and Teppei, since she's a "normal" person in this high-class world that Teppei has found himself in. Sylvie:
Setting the girls aside (hard as that may be), Princess Lover is shaping up to have a respectable plot. If nothing else, it's had a parent-killing traffic accident that was actually justified by the story, beyond "we needed something to get the parents out of the way or play the sympathy card with." Still, it's a shame. Teppei's mom = hawt. |
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abynormal
 Posts: 427 Location: Louisiana |
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The biggest problem I'm having with this series is the music is so, so bland. Given the source material I guess I can't expect to have the likes of Naoki Sato (Eureka 7, Pretty Cure) or even Yuugo Kanno, (Tetsuwan Birdy: Decode), but that doesn't stop me from wanting to remix my own soundtrack.
I also find the setup a pretty big stretch to accept, but again, Honey & Clover this ain't. As others have said, the story is a step above the usual eroge chaff. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Sixty-four maids? What the heck?
Oh, and why did we need to see a one-minute-forty long flashback montage? I suppose I shouldn't complain, given that this series is clearly not aimed at me. Heh. |
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Hentai_JP
Posts: 605 Location: Toronto, ON |
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Episode two only reinforced my already set opinion of "must see for harem fans". More characters get intoduced and now we have complete set of four potential love interests! By far, Charlotte seems to be the most interesting character, though I also like "Lady Seika's" spoiler[sudden violent outburst and change of attitude towards Teppei once she learns that he is part of Arima family, I smell hate-love trasformation. Especially now that Charlotte recommends Teppei to join Social Club where Seika is a president, can't wait to see whats going to happen next.] Yuu (maid) is showing us some depth to her character right in the beginning of episode and Sylvia's "loneliness" make those characters more interesting as well.
Teppei deserves a mention too. I really like that he acts more mature than most of male harem leads, not getting overly embarrased or perverted. Teppei isn't snobby, overzealously brave or whimpy. His facial expressions are especially well done, since he finds himself in unusuall "high-class" environment and that reflects. A very respectable male lead, how I wish harems had more of them. After seeing even more pantyshots censored my guess would be: it's a marketing move. It's like a silent yell "Buy DVDs if you want to see moar!!!". All more reasons to rewatch Princess Lover! later on I guess, as it's worth it so far. Just like K-ON! for widescreens. |
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LeanGreen
Posts: 323 Location: New England |
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After seeing episode 2, I can't say that I missed the pantyshots that were censored. The series seems to have taken a turn down a more bland path with the introduction of the whole school atmosphere, but I can excuse it if only for the fact that it was inevitable. Charlotte is also a bit less teasing than I had hoped, but I suppose her attitude of not making a big deal out of anything is acceptable.
I've got basically only one major gripe to the series so far, and it's a question that probably shouldn't be asked considering that this is obviously an ecchi harem series, but does Charlotte have no back pains from those enormous breasts? I mean, any teenager would have gotten breast reduction surgery if they were THAT big. Again, though, this is obviously not really a problem if she is starring in this kind of show. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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The "censored" panty-shots that Hentai_JP mentioned probably occurred in the scene where Teppei is on the ground after colliding with Seika. He is looking up the skirts of Seika and her cronies, and he mentions (maybe out loud, maybe internally) what the colours or patterns are of each girl's panties are. We the audience cannot see the panties as they are blacked out, but whether or not this was a deliberate act of censoring or just natural shadows caused by the skirts is debatable. Though, given how short the skirts are in the first place (as in, how can shadows form under such meagre strips of cloth), and the type of show this is, I certainly wouldn't put it past the staff to have self-censored the panties for the broadcast version only. On the other hand, given the type of show this is, I don't see why they'd bother censoring at all.
Last edited by dtm42 on Tue Jul 14, 2009 4:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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