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EP. REVIEW: Princess Principal


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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:02 pm Reply with quote
With episode 6 it kept its record of doing another great episode, that it really has managed to keep up the quality of every episode. Might even say something that the strongest scene felt like it was the one at the end where they are waiting in the pub, all the foreshadowing pointing to what was going to happen, and there we hear his voice sing the song from Beatrice, like a ghost of the father she used to have.

I did not really even consider myself that much of a Dorothy fan because it felt like her character leaned a bit much on her driver role or seductress, but this episode kind of fully fleshed her out that she is actually a great character.
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AholePony



Joined: 04 Jun 2015
Posts: 330
Location: Arizona
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:40 pm Reply with quote
That episode had death flags for Dorothy all over it, especially when spoiler[her dad told another spy that his long lost daughter "suddenly" showed up at his work]. That would raise a major alarm for any spy that knows their craft I would think.
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JadeDahlia



Joined: 14 May 2015
Posts: 70
Location: New York, NY
PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:36 pm Reply with quote
I actually really hated this episode. I mean, first of all, spoiler[it's hard to feel sympathy for a guy who literally used to, to quote Dorothy, "beat her within an inch of her life", so the fact that he gets any sort of redemption arc is already an issue. But then the reason he became abusive is...because of his disability? Really?!]
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:28 pm Reply with quote
JadeDahlia wrote:
I actually really hated this episode. I mean, first of all, spoiler[it's hard to feel sympathy for a guy who literally used to, to quote Dorothy, "beat her within an inch of her life", so the fact that he gets any sort of redemption arc is already an issue. But then the reason he became abusive is...because of his disability? Really?!]


I don't think that he was redeemed, he just was not a pure evil man that we might be used to in fiction. He did some really crappy things, but despite all that and the fact she ran away, Dorothy still loved her father who would sing the song for his little girl, and the sad part comes that the part of him was still there. It is not hard to see how Dorothy would still actually love him, and thought he might start to redeem himself if he did not feel like such a loser. She might actually not forgive him, but she still could want the best for him, as he kind of wanted the best for her.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:03 pm Reply with quote
Just caught up on this show, and I *really* didn't expect it to be this good! I'm not a Code Geass fan, and I had a very hard time suspending my disbelief in ep 1 that a bunch of teen girls would be top spies (as opposed to grown women), but each episode is so dynamic that it moves the whole premise along. And at least Dorothy is an adult!

JadeDahlia wrote:
I actually really hated this episode. I mean, first of all, spoiler[it's hard to feel sympathy for a guy who literally used to, to quote Dorothy, "beat her within an inch of her life", so the fact that he gets any sort of redemption arc is already an issue. But then the reason he became abusive is...because of his disability? Really?!]

I actually thought it was a really nuanced, realistic portrayal of the feelings that can arise when an adult reunites with an abusive parent. Dorothy was obviously angry and struggling with her feelings about it. She recognized that he loved her and regretted the way he treated her. He was pathetic, and can't (physically) hurt her anymore. She was still disappointed in him, but she also loves him and at least wants to see him doing a little better than he was, which is why she conducted the mission in a way that would help him.
I didn't interpret his abusiveness as connected to his disability as much as to his alcoholism. He was probably a functional alcoholic when he had a job and a wife, and spiraled downward after he lost them. The focus on his alcoholism made me worry that they're setting Dorothy up for a downward spiral, too. They keep pointing out that she loves to drink in a lighthearted way, but she hates aspects of her job, and the combination of guilt (especially after she realizes what happened to her father) and alcohol could ruin her life...

So far, we've had 3 stories of fathers and daughters:
--Beatrice's father seemingly experimented on her for his own scientific curiosity, which Dorothy all but states outright in this episode was extremely abusive of him. I don't think we got any details besides for that--did he have reasons other than scientific curiosity? (maybe she had throat cancer or an injury she can't remember?) Where is he now? How does Beatrice feel about him? I assume we'll get more details about Beatrice and her science dad later.
--Chise and Jubei--I was actually unsatisfied with their arc. Chise is so upset about his traitorous political actions that she's willing to kill the man who raised her with love and care and trained her? Besides the Star Wars angle (I'm sure the "he killed my dad, no actually, he *was* my dad, he just changed a lot" was a plot twist before Star Wars, but that's where I know it from), I wasn't convinced that she was realistically conflicted about being put in the position of having to kill her own father (to the point that she chose to do it herself). Patricide towards a loving parent is rare, even when messy politics are involved...
--Dorothy/Daisy and her dad--from the moment Dorothy realized who she was working with, and especially after she saw him in person, we could tell she was disgusted, upset, angry, and full of a type of loving pity towards him. I thought this was a realistic portrayal of emotions, and was almost happy when she decided to help him out, so he'd at least not be in debt when she inevitably leaves him again. Except, it was a move that put them both in danger, and she should have known better--she used her real name, everyone at the morgue knew her, her father, and their relationship, it would be very easy for the Duke's spies to find out who she was and how she helped him. I almost wondered whether she did it on purpose to get him in trouble, but she seemed sincere and didn't seem to realize she was putting herself and the mission at risk by associating so closely with him on the job. I have no idea why her handlers put her in this position on purpose. Were they trying to test her loyalties?
Some random thoughts:
-if only Dorothy's dad had met Beatrice's dad and got a mechanical hand, things would have worked out differently. Wink
--Does the morgue really try to identify people? They knew exactly who Dorothy's dad was, why didn't they send for her right away?
--What are the chances Dorothy's mother actually left them because she's a spy, too? I'd love to see that twist!
--the silly moments really are great, especially when Chise's involved. She takes out cops and cuts locks with her katana!
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Ronie Peter



Joined: 27 Feb 2017
Posts: 120
PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 12:21 pm Reply with quote
Order of episodes to watch

Ep 02 - case 1
Ep 03 - case 2
Ep 05 - case 7
Ep 04 - case 9




Ep 01 - case 13
Ep 07 - case 16
Ep 06 - case 18



I will give a hint here of something that is already very apparent: the operation Changeling, which was supposed to happen in episode 02 - Case 1, is still in progress, but it is being executed in a gradual way, and this with the Princess allegedly allied with The Commonwealth, therefore, it is clear that the mentions of operation in episodes 06 [Case 18] and 05 [Case 7] indicate that it is still in progress. There is an event in episode 04 [Case 9] concerning the princess which is a good indication of why this operation is still in progress [I can not speak more than that, it would be spoiler].
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5406
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Episode 7 was definitely not as fantastic as episode 6, but I still think it was a strong episode. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but the idea of women owning and managing a business in the early-mid 20th century is a very empowering thing. Last week's episode was interesting because it addressed a tough subject like domestic violence, and this week the subjects were unsafe and hard working conditions, and child labor. I am not saying Princess Principal is a Marxian and Feminist treatise, but it is good that the show can go out of its comfort zone of cute girls and action.
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wastrel





PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:00 pm Reply with quote
Quote from the review of episode 7, which I'm putting in spoilers juuuust in case: spoiler["by Princess buying out the factory and fixing things with her team. Exactly how she's able to do that without revealing her identity, and while only controlling limited resources, is largely hand-waved as a needless storytelling complication"]

Or it's a seemingly minor detail that will come back to haunt them later.

Odds are the reviewer is correct, and I am wrong. But this show has had more than good enough storytelling prowess thus far, that I won't assume something that looks like nothing will stay that way to the story's end.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 2:34 pm Reply with quote
I'll admit that its silly to be bothered by a detail like this, but how is Chiaki an industrial efficiency expert based on methods that weren't really implemented in Japanese factories until at least the mid-late 1940s (Shigeo Shingo? I know Japan is famous worldwide for their business management, but they didn't become famous for that 'till the 1980s. From the early 20th century through WWII, Americans like Frederick Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and Henry Ford were the foremost innovators of industrial management. This struck me because I loved the Gilbreth family memoirs Cheaper by the Dozen and Bells on their Toes as a kid, which describes how the Gilbreths studied and developed the first industrial efficiency practices in the early 1900s (but mostly what it was like to grow up as a part of a family with 12 kids when both your parents are efficiency experts).
But, anyway, yeah, minor detail. Otherwise the episode was okay, but felt like filler.
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:24 am Reply with quote
Agent355 wrote:
I'll admit that its silly to be bothered by a detail like this, but how is Chiaki an industrial efficiency expert based on methods that weren't really implemented in Japanese factories until at least the mid-late 1940s (Shigeo Shingo?

Seemed to me more like a riff on the postwar "miracle" than an attempt to be historically accurate. I've long ago given up subjecting Princess Principal to any kind of serious analysis. Now I just watch this show for pure enjoyment.
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2061
PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:27 pm Reply with quote
Damn, episode 8 was a very good episode and one of the best of the series to date. I now quite like the relationship between Ange and the Princess and I feel like this series should be watched by more people. I also feel like this anime has some real genuine love being put into its production and it shows in episodes like these. Man, am I looking forward to more Princess Principal. Very Happy
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Yazu13



Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Posts: 129
PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 2:32 pm Reply with quote
Episode 8 seriously solidified this show as one of the best anime in recent years. This anime isn't just great, it's phenomenal, and if it keeps this up to the end, it will be an instant classic.
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darkchibi07



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 5459
PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:46 pm Reply with quote
I would have never thought of the precarious situation the Princess was in especially how Ange contextualized it. Having Ange mentioning that the Princess has to learn and maintain that facade in order to freakin' survive really hit me hard. It actually puts a lot of Charlotte's upfront actions in previous episodes into perspective.

On a side note, I REALLY hope Sentai give this series a special dub treatment and send this to the good UK dub studio so Princess Principal can have an authentic British dub.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:01 pm Reply with quote
You could kind of say it took its time, but episode 8 really did show how great Princess was, along with Ange (Charlotte). Some people seemed to take the episode as having a huge reveal, but I also think that it had already pretty much hinted at this before that you could have put the pieces together, but maybe shows it had confidence in this point that it did not need to say this till now.
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2061
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 12:10 am Reply with quote
Episode 9 was a very nice episode in a series with plenty of those so far. Chise slinging a bullet at her opponent was a pretty cool moment in the episode that had me grinning from ear to ear. Pretty much another aspect of her character that I find overall to be very enjoyable and like her more than I already do. Man, another episode of me praising the whole show again and at this point, I feel like I'm repeating myself whenever I comment on this thread.
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