There is a bad prophecy told to the king that a baby will be born in his kingdom. The baby is said to bring chaos and destruction into the world, and the cursed baby is Pacifica Casull, the newborn princess that will bring the curse at the age of 16.

To escape the prophecy, the baby was buried in the darkness right after birth, and no one is suppose to talk about this omen. However, one assasins after another is coming to kill Pacifica, who is not suppose to exist in the first place, and so the elder brother and sister of Pacifica: Shannon and Raquel, sets on a journey to protect their only sister.
Synopsis by: Niomea

Story & Characters

I never claimed to be the greatest review writer in existence, but at the same time all the reviews you people have had to put up with lately makes me feel now is as good of a time as ever to jump in. You're welcome.

Pacifica Casull is a wide-eyed, cute teenager. She's the type of kid everyone loves and adores. Moody and obnoxious but can make you smile. Only problem for Pacifica is that the entire world wants her dead.

Pacifica is known throughout the land as the Scrapped Princess. A girl who upon turning 16 years of age, is supposed to become "the poison that destroys the land". When she and her twin brother were born, a prophesy from the Church of Mauser came down ordering her execution. Everyone in the land is a devout follower of the church and would never disobey it. But, she was able to survive the attempt to kill her as a child and was hidden away in a remote village by an adopted family. She grew up to become a teenager before the kingdom got word that she remained alive, and now the hunt is on to destroy this girl that has been prophesized to be the harbinger of doom for the world.

The story is that of classic adventure anime. Pacifica and her adoptive brother and sister (Shannon and Raquel) travel across the land evading capture and execution awaiting Pacifica's chance to turn 16. None of them know exactly why she is supposed to destroy the world since she is so innocent and exhibits no real powers. Along the way they meet people who feel the same way and help them on their quest to protect this innocent girl. All the while, the kingdom chases her and a mysterious group known as the Peacemakers are following close behind.

Scrapped Princess is a show all about moments of brilliance. You could say that the entire series is just your classic adventure anime, except that many adventure anime are usually devoid of plot (read Slayers). While the beginning of the series focuses on the trio simply evading death, the latter part becomes much more plot heavy. Delving into what exactly the Scrapped Princess is, who the Peacemakers are as well as the entire history of humanity including the reasons for the hardships they face. Aside of just a generally enjoyable experience, it also has the capability to create real character empathy. The highs and lows the characters feel and the tears they shed won't just be something forwarding the story, but something you can truly feel. If you get through the final couple of episodes without at least getting a bit teary eyed, you are a monster.

Rating: 8

Art

Scrapped Princess was animated way back in the year 2003. Ok, so that's not too far back, but for some of you kids just getting your feet wet in this thing we call anime, that might be an eternity ago. The animation work is done by Bones (psst... they did Cowboy Bebop too). Character designs were headed up by Nakayohi Mogudan and it shows. Mogudan is well known in the adult doujin market for his depictions of Rei Ayanami and his tendancy to draw ample breasts. His touch shows through in the "stacked racks" as well as the character Winia, who is simply a Rei Ayanami look-alike with red hair. I can't exactly encourage you to compare against adult doujins (family friendly site and all) but I'm just saying that IF you do, you'll notice it.

Animation in general is fairly good, with noticeable downfalls. Character animations and movement is fluid whether in simple motion or action. Backgrounds are usually pretty detailed and robust. There are a great variety of characters, each of which are given distinctive looks. But the downfalls come in the somewhat grainy feel you get when you watch it. It's a lot like looking at a wall up close. From a distance, it looks smooth but once you get close you notice all the bubbles and bumps. During times of still animation involving conversation, you will get that grainy vision feel. Then again it could be the the DVD transfer or just the way it looked on an HD TV, so your millage may vary.

Rating: 8

Sound

Opening: "Little Wing" by JAM Project featuring Masami Okui
Ending: "Daichi no la-li-la" by Yoko Ueno and Masumi Itou

Once again harking back to typical adventure anime, we are given an opening featuring Masami Okui. Through the 90's and early this century, Masami Okui was probably the second most well recognized singer of anime music next to Megumi Hayashibara. Shoujo Kakumei Utena and Slayers come immediately to mind. Her voice and music have always been pleasing to the ear and this is no different. Chipper melody and beautiful vocals. The ending music sounds much like a group that goes by the name of Heart of Air. Higher pitched voices that sing with a very light emphasis, almost to the point of a whisper.

The background music may be the weakest part of the Scrapped Princess experience. While the music on the whole is effective and emphasizing the mood on screen, the soundtrack on the whole is very forgettable. A sign of a good anime soundtrack is one that has at least one or two songs, that no matter when they are played, will always elicit some emotional response out of the viewer. Scrapped Princess has none of that and only succeeds when paired with the emotion on screen.

Vocals are solid from top to bottom. Leading off the main trio is Fumiko Orikasa as Pacifica. What makes her stand out above all is the amount of emotion she goes through as well as the large spectrum of her personality. Pacifica acts like a spoiled teenager, confused at the ways of the world and the complications surrounding her existence. She gets angry with her brother and sister and cries with conviction when the story calls for it. But the surrounding cast of Sayaka Ohara and Shinichiro Miki as Raquel and Shannon, make for a convincing atmosphere of a loving family and a group resolute on survival.

Rating: 7

Presentation

Adventure anime is a genre that has been on a sharp decline over the years. In years past, Slayers and Record of Lodoss War were gold standards in not only their genre, but anime in general as entertainment. But with the moe craze, the video game/anime tie ins and just the explosion of the harem genre, adventure anime has all but been left behind. Scrapped Princess is one that might have been overlooked or left behind in it's day, but I assure you that it's worth a look.

The story isn't the deepest you may have ever seen, but it's a fun one to experience. Following a group of siblings as they fight for survival and seek answers to questions that they don't even understand, is a fun ride. Investing a piece of yourself in characters that fight against fate and the friends they gain is rewarding. It's a solid anime that stands on equal ground with it's predecessors.

If you can pull yourself away from seeing the latest and greatest anime from 2008, you might want to take a step back and show some love for Scrapped Princess.

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

7.83 (good)

Reviewed by shoujoboy, Nov 23, 2008

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