t's common enough for anime series to veer between comedy and drama, but Scrapped Princess goes an uncommon route by literally managing both in the first two minutes. The series opens with 15-year-old blond loudmouth Pacifica Cassul haranguing her older brother Shannon about her desire for a hot bath and a good meal. They squabble and screech at each other with casual, contemptuous familiarity in a familiar anime over-the-top mode. Then a group of rune-masked men stops the Cassuls' horse cart, declaring their intention to kill Pacifica before she can destroy the world. Shannon and his sister Raquel coldly dismount to defeat the men with a stunning display of swords and sorcery. Then they almost immediately return to the banter.
Such mood leaps are common for Scrapped Princess, a lively fantasy about a girl whose dark destiny has an entire civilization out to destroy her. A prophecy says that Pacifica is "destined to usher in the destruction of the world when she turns 16." As a result, she was "scrapped" at birth—rejected and thrown off a cliff. But she survived to be adopted by Shannon and Raquel's parents, and, having grown to become a willful, slightly spoiled, but still good-natured teen, she's now the target of royal soldiers and church assassins alike. Usually, her only protection comes from grim, cranky Shannon and sweet Raquel, though they both seem capable of holding off armies in her name.
The series' first four episodes move along briskly, as the trio encounters a hapless young knight, a mysterious floating girl, a "dragon" that looks like an immense frog, a young soldier with amazing skills but mixed loyalties, a disillusioned hero and a sad orphaned innkeeper. For all her shrill bossiness, Pacifica is better at making friends than her quiet sister or taciturn brother; her bubbly friendliness tends to win people over. But rumors of who and what she is are spreading, and the countryside is convinced she's a demon, a pestilence and an offense to the local god, all rolled up into one.
Busy visuals and a busy plot
Scrapped Princess earns instant pathos points by putting an at least occasionally sympathetic young girl in an unenviably depressing position: She just wants to be a normal teenager with a normal life, but everyone she encounters hates and fears her for something she has no control over. Shades of X-Men. It's a solid plot hook, but the series maintains interest by not only throwing out a lot of political intrigue, magical flash and unusual characters with varying intentions early on, but also showing a willingness to let them change and grow. The first four episodes are sometimes quiet and thoughtful as well as action-packed and eventful, but either way, they blur by in a compelling welter of twists and revelations.
It helps that the animation is lovely, packed with fine details and little blurs of gorgeously liquid movement when something abrupt or unexpected happens. The magical effects have a striking, elaborate look, not so involved as the effects in Fullmetal Alchemist, but with a similarly baroque and patterned visual signature. Pacifica herself has a bad case of Weird Anime Hair, and the characters' wildly varying, brightly colored costumes sometimes seem a bit unlikely, but they ensure that everybody stands out and there's always something interesting to watch.
Not every aspect of Scrapped Princess is as interesting as the central plot; for instance, the "half-baked knight" the Cassuls pick up in episode two is a walking punchline, and a bit tiresome, too. But the series has an immediate sweetness, a lot of energy and a comfortable chemistry that reaches its height when the Cassuls met a horde of bandits and nonchalantly trade barbs with them. Both the Cassuls and the bandits are convinced they have the upper hand, so there's no need for angry bluster or nervousness on anyone's part. It's an odd interaction, but it's thoroughly entertaining simply because it's so fresh. The same could be said of the entire series so far.
This was a tremendously popular series when it aired in Japan two years ago, and it's easy to see why. In particular, the last moment of the last episode on this opening disc ensured that I'll pick up the next one.
— Tasha
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