First Impressions / Princess Principal

「case1 Dancy Conspiracy」

From looking at the first episode. Yup, that looks like the Victorians. That there looks like the River Thames. And did I just see Buckingham Palace? Princess Principal feels like steampunk, 19th century London through and through. In other words, I feel right at home! Both literally and figuratively.

Winding back time from case13 to case1, turns out Dorothy is older than the rest of the cast. Whad’ya know? More importantly, she seems to have lived in the same orphanage as Ange at some point, and is not afraid to go beyond her comfort zone in preserving cover for her identity. I usually disapprove of smoking. Heck, Stilts gave us all an earful on the matter, and I suspect Passerby had to hide his gentleman’s pipe. However, Dorothy looked absolutely spiffing having a good old smoke. And pretty darn fine dressed for a top priority mission, if I may say so myself.

Operation: Changeling

One thing to note is that Ange had complete control over the situation. The way she deceived and manipulates everyone, from Mr Morgan to the spy agency really highlighted her extraordinary capabilities in espionage. In her hands, tools like the Cavorite sphere are seen to have practical applications beyond flying, such as sending emergency messages in morse. What I presume to be a poisonous pill is utilised to stain the princess’ dress, so that it could be obtained for the purposes of bypassing Mr Morgan’s bodyguard. She was able to succeed where Dorothy fell short, going far and beyond in obtaining the secret key from Mr Morgan.

The ultimatum she subsequently poses to the agency was so extreme, yet rational considering the dire circumstances. The agency had no choice but to yield to the Princess’ demands without having time to thoroughly think out the situation. Through the ensuing panic, nobody from the agency picks up on Ange’s misdemeanours. Despite any possible suspicions that may have arisen, Ange played her cards almost perfectly, to the point she came out with the decks stacked in her favour.

Either ways, I have no idea who exactly Ange is backing or what her exact agenda is. Shrouded in the secrecy of her enigmatic mannerisms, she could be luring either the Princess or the agency to their destruction. Maybe even both. Regardless, I shall presume that she clearly paved a way towards her reunion with the Princess with some ulterior motive in mind. This episode even tells us that Ange’s real name is Charlotte, while the Princess’ real name is Ange. If you look closer at the royal family photograph, you can see that the little girl has the same eyes as both Ange and the Princess. I don’t think that having the exact same eye design is a coincidence, especially if the brief flashback is anything to go by. I’m willing to place my bet that Ange is the original Princess, with the current one being a semi-permanent body double. We’ll see how that one goes!

Concluding Thoughts

Princess Principal oozes passion and style, but doesn’t get so caught up in a way that would make it lose substance. I’m completely rocking the steampunk and the way in which it adds to the series! There is much detailing on the intricate mysteries and as we progress further down the line, they only seem to get more complex and intriguing. The revelations we got completely change the meaning that the series initially set out in the first episode, as we’re further wrapped up in a super thrilling spy adventure where it’s actually difficult to predict what comes next. Although most people in the spy agency got their guesses completely wrong as to how the Princess might have figured out their plans, the old man leading the operation correctly raised the possibility of a mole. To me, it seems like he has potential to turn into the antagonist standing in Ange’s way later in the series, seeing how close to the mark his shrewd deductions were.

Let’s just say I’m fully excited for Princess Principal after two fantastic episodes, and I look forwards to seeing how Studio 3hz continue to raise the bar as things start to build up!

28 Comments

    1. I guess that settles it!

      For those interested, particularly the commenter who brought it up on this post, here is a note transcription which I sourced from u/aniMayor on Reddit:

      My dear Ange,

      I’ve waited a long time for this moment. There are many

      things I’d like to talk about.

      But there is little time to explain my circumstances(?).

      I have become a spy like you became a princess.

      I’m a spy on a mission, my purpose is to grant

      Mr Morgan’s asylum.

      Would you lend me your dress for this purpose?

      I’ll explain in detail later.

      I have to take responsibility for your difficult years.

      Sorry to spoil your dress.

      Your truly,

      Charlotte

      Zaiden
      Reply

      1. I was slightly confused on what actually happened at the end. But finally being able to read that note actually cleared things up. Funny how it all relates to what was said at the start.

        I was waiting for A to replace the princess, but her tricking Mr. Morgan just didn’t feel like what it was referring to. Amusing how it probably happened a long time ago. Makes me wonder who actually set that up.

        theirs
        Reply

  2. I like this episode, they’ve certainly improved. When it comes to spy, kicking ass like in the 1st episode is the last thing they’ll do. I like how this episode showed the cast as more spy like, that is scheming in the background. Certainly gave me hope about the series.

    danes256
    Reply

    1. I don’t dislike the action. It’s not a realistic portrayal of spies, but this is being written by the man who wrote Kabaneri and Valvrave. He also was one of the people behind Code Geass.

      bassgs435
      Reply

  4. This looks like it’s going to be one of those spy stories where no one may be who we think they are, anything they say may be a lie and their real agendas are unknown. The princess is willing to have the West take out four claimants to the throne so she can be queen. Of course we are pretty sure they aren’t even related but Ange is. At any point the princess could turn on Ange if it suited her purpose but then we know from the first episode that Ange is a consummate liar which is why she’s a good spy. I expect to see double and even triple crosses (or worse) based on what we know.

    Bear
    Reply

    1. Not expecting too many double crosses/triple crosses within our posse of main girls, and don’t think the Princess will turn on Ange in a way that would be too consequential. That’s the problem with the first episode being set in the future. We see them getting along well, and that immediately discards the possibility for betrayal.

      However, I can see the potential for it to occur within the different cases we get for the episodic characters, which is still pretty exciting.

      Zaiden
      Reply

  5. It’s so telling of quality when a show like this makes me go over to tv tropes dot org to look further into it, only for me to find out the, shall we, “alcoholic flavors” of spy fiction (fascinating stuff BTW). You see, according to their article, this one’s flavor is dirty martini. That is, it’s set in a glamorous setting with action packed scenes, but with an interior of the kind of spy fiction that some people in the comment section call “realistic”, like looking at the inner personalities of the spies, how their work with its different requirements (some way nastier than others) makes them feel, and how they interact with each other. It’s like the Daniel Craig James Bonds in that regard. Unlike those movies, though, I don’t think we have clear good guys and bad guys yet when even those girls don’t really trust each other, adding further mystery to it. With this being an original anime, I don’t think there has been such a combination in anime before. I’m incredibly excited about this one.

    Zaiden Edit: Requested Typo Corrections

    yoloalchemist
    Reply

    1. Hey Yoloalchemist! Steampunk and Spy must have been done before but it’s definitely not been in the mainstream media, not to mention we’re treading completely new grounds if we’re looking within anime itself.

      At the moment, I’m reserving my judgement on good guys/bad guys, though I’ll have to question whether we can define it as such. We know there are two political factions, but is that to say we can assign moral valuations to either? We’ll have to wait and see.

      Zaiden
      Reply

  6. https://randomc.net/image/Princess%20Principal/Princess%20Principal%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
    You see kids, lolis aren’t waifus. They’re jail baits and far more sinister than you expect

    https://randomc.net/image/Princess%20Principal/Princess%20Principal%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
    You know, this is by far the best looking uniform that I’ve seen thus far. A should really keep her glasses.

    I must say, this show is definitely a keeper. Though it took me a while to realise that his episode was a flashback and/or tells the story of A and how she came into the gang.

    Anyway, can someone help me with the world’s lore? I know Germany is divided into East Germany and West Germany with Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin

    Anyway…
    https://randomc.net/image/Princess%20Principal/Princess%20Principal%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
    “Here’s the key to the Garden of Eden. I’m sure you want it real bad”

    Velvet Scarlantina
    Reply

  7. Oh, did anyone have an opinion on the player orchestra?

    the relationship between Ange and the Princess. I see a riff on the Prince and the Pauper. They decided to perhaps switch places on a lark…on the day of the revolution. Now is the Duke aware of the switch?

    ordnance11
    Reply

      1. also, i think the reason of the Birthright in the line, is a point too. Why would she insist to move from the 4th to the next in line?

        So, perhaps these 2 have more half sisters… Their father’s libido would had be strong, and perhaps also the culprit of the War?

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

      2. I’m pretty sure her whole bit about demanding they help her gain the throne was an act she put on to justify to the spy agency why she wanted to join them. Her actual purpose was to prevent herself from being separated from Ange again. This whole episode was a series of brilliant improvisations by a pair of remarkably clever girls who were determined to be properly reuinited, and who manipulated everyone around them in order to make certain it happened.

        Wanderer
        Reply

  9. Ange had complete control over the situation

    Actually, this isn’t true. Ange only revealed to Princess that she’s a spy, but she wasn’t expecting Princess to demand the organization to join her. You can see Ange is genuinely surprised when Princess comes up with that one.

    Ange only wanted the princess’ cooperation with her mission (that’s what the note she gave Princess said, as transcribed by someone from 4chan). Princess surprised even Ange herself when she came up with a plan of her own.

    Ange is smart, but Princess is up there to, if not even further. And of course, the big reveal is that she’s not even the real princess. Ange is.

    Lin
    Reply

    1. Ah, when I said cooperation with her mission I meant her dress. The note specifically told Princess that Ange was gonna use her dress to retrieve the key.

      The note didn’t say anything about Princess joining them. That was totally Princess’ own initiative, and was outside of Ange’s plan.

      Lin
      Reply

    2. Hey Lin! I reckon you’re right that I didn’t give enough credit to the Princess. That said, I do think you give the Princess to much credit, as it seems increasingly likely to me that both the Princess and Ange collaborated together so as not to be separated again. From my perspective, she took an opportunity that Ange presented to her, rather than creating it out of thin air like we have often seen Ange do. Hence I’m less willing to sing her praises, though that can very likely change as the series continues.

      Zaiden
      Reply

    3. Gotta agree with Zaiden credit here; while the princess’ decision to join them was that of her own, your giving her too much credit pertaining how much control she had over the situation. Ange being surprised about princess’ decision to join their spy team is left up to interpretation until further info can be gathered; however, what’s definitely clear here is that Ange was the one manipulating the situation to make it so that she could fulfill princess’ desire to join their spy team. Princess didn’t back her into a corner to make her have to do it. Ange was probably moved by her desire to become a part of the team and made it so it would happen that way they wouldn’t be apart. What is impressive about princess isnt that she had the upper hand on Ange; it was that she was able to go along with the flow of the situation and seemingly manipulate things in a way that gave off the impression that she was in control.

      sonicsenryaku
      Reply

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