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While spring hasn’t been the best of seasons for anime of late thanks in part to Corona-chan delay shenanigans (alongside the ubiquitous talk of quality decline), it certainly isn’t immune to featuring a few diamonds in the rough to help paper over the pain, and case in point is Princess Connect. Sure, PriCon isn’t exactly the best or most stupendous of shows to grace our viewing screens, but between the manner of its presentation and the quality of its execution, it resulted in (for me) one of this season’s most pleasant surprises. And sometimes such surprises are all you really need.
The important thing to know about PriCon is what it isn’t: serious. Or at least for its vast majority. Although ostensibly adapted from the Cygames mobile game franchise, PriCon is a rare breed of game adaptation, effectively sidelining its central story in favour of a largely original slice-of-life tale emphasizing characters over world changing plot. Our designated MC Yuuki is the hero of the world, the saviour of all—and also lacking any memory (or cognitive function) capable of fulfilling that role. It’s the job of loyal retainer Kokkoro to help get Yuuki back up to snuff, except she’s not that adept herself, and when catgirl mage Karyl and glutton cutie pie Pecorine join the party, super important saving the world tasks are quickly sidelined in favour of weekly adventure antics. You’d think it’s simple promotional material at its core and in a sense you’d be right (at least if you want any sort of information on PriCon’s world and its numerous female acquaintances), however that would be selling it short when it’s in these weekly adventures where PriCon truly shines.
What arguably transforms PriCon from basic animated advertisement to enjoyable weekly entertainment is imagination. Thanks to Cygames giving Konosuba director Kanasaki Takaomi some serious room for manoeuvre in both directing and script composition, I’ll be damned if we didn’t get a Konosuba imitator replacing Aqua-isms and Darkness masochism with adorable elven :X faces, catgirl craziness, and a hilarious focus on food and cooking. Make no mistake, PriCon is no equal to Kazuma and friends, but it goes above and beyond what you’d typically expect for a similar show. From pure slapstick comedy (looking at you and your monster approved taste Yuuki) to fantastic character chemistry and even more ridiculously funny scenarios (yes Karyl, bugs are indeed a delicacy), PriCon gave us more entertainment than we likely deserved, and even found the time to also throw some seriously impressive animation into its cooking adventure mix to keep things spicy. While true those familiar with the game will get the most out of this (particularly when it comes to each of the show’s girls), PriCon offers enough to ensure everyone, no matter their familiarity, will get something for their investment.
While certainly not the end all be all of game adaptations (or fantasy comedy for that matter), PriCon is just the latest anime example showing how a little imagination and well thought out execution can go a long way towards turning an otherwise bog-standard premise into something relatively unique. From food-based comedy to character banter and all manner of moeblob waifus in between, PriCon was a welcome oasis in the desert of 2020 spring, and an optimistic hint towards what’s possible for future game adaptations.
Definitely one of my favorite of this season, alongside Kakushigoto, and of course Kaguya-sama.
It definitely was a hidden gem and I’m glad I picked it up after seeing some of the reaction faces and gifs flying about. Its impact was probably helped by the lack of competition this season to compare with, but it doesn’t take away from the overall entertainment value.
It wasn’t bad as a relaxing show. Female characters and almost all supporting ones were really fun and entertaining to watch. But MC… just infuriating lol
Yuuki was hilarious for me, but that’s probably because I love low-brow humour and you don’t get better than an MC who is anything but a proper MC haha. Also jokes based on his muteness – i.e. the guild training episode – and that implied vore bit with Pudding-chan wouldn’t have worked as well as they did without his, erm, unique personality 😛
Christina Morgan chest is mine
Huh… A final impression of Princess Connect! Re:Dive? To quote Pecorine, “How crazy is that?“
Back when you established the Spring 2020 season schedule, I was hoping that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic wouldn’t affect Princess Connect! Re:Dive‘s overall production. More so after Railgun T and Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise season 2 announced delays with upcoming episodes (both being rescheduled for July), leaving PriConne the only ongoing anime in my Spring 2020 watchlist. Fortunately, the PriConne anime completed its run with minimal to no ill effects(?) from the pandemic.
And with the pandemic basically upending the old normal as we know it IRL, perhaps it’s good to step back and find some comfort in familiarity. Whether it’s the show’s comedic moments and facial reactions evoking KonoSuba, or the Gourmet Guild enjoying the simpler pleasures of life–delicious food and close companionship. Not that the show’s lacking in mysteries and an overarching plot, which does catch up in the season finale. Hope the next season (if ever) delves into the world Yuuki and company are in, and why they are there. (Though it’s a good bet the response would be, “Play the mobile game!”, if not for the fact that there’s no EN version of the game as of this post. And I have a hunch PriConne‘s gacha system might be similar to Granblue Fantasy anyway. Same publisher/developer, after all.)
However, if there’s any downside to this anime adaptation, I can’t help but check the series’ Fandom wiki constantly just to keep track of the new characters (and even background cameos) that appear. Though that should be expected considering the mobile game is basically a “waifu collect-a-thon” turn-based RPG. That said, some characters’ voices were instantly recognizable, such as Yui Horie’s
BelfastSaren, Sora Tokui’sNicoRima, Ayaka Ohashi’sUzukiHatsune and Kana Asumi’sNyarukoRino, to name a few. (Also, Sora Amamiya asuseless goddessghost girl Miyako.)Man, I’m gonna miss hungry genki girl Pecorine, “Best Mom” Kokkoro with her weekly “0x0” faces, tsundere catgirl Kyaru (Western localized name be damned) and even amnesiac hero Yuuki-kun.
The utter lack of info (barring names and personalities) on any of the characters definitely hurts the show, but IMO it’s only really felt if you’re looking for something more than easy entertainment. PriConne’s strength is its slice-of-life-esque comedy, anything more is just gravy. If or when it gets a sequel (leaning towards the latter personally) I expect it to be more story-focused though considering how the past two episodes played out.
Yeah, guilty as charged for wanting Princess Connect! Re:Dive to be more than just easy entertainment and an easy ad for the mobile game. Not to mention I really want to get invested in the characters besides their catchphrases (their personality, motivations, dreams, what their inner struggles are, who voices them, etc.)–though it can be argued that knowing the characters better also helps me determine if they’re good waifus or not.
Or to quote weeb YouTuber “It’s A-Kun” (who definitely has more experience in gacha games than I do), “Is this girl good?” (Featuring Kokkoro and Kyaru at the 18-second mark.) And watching the anime, yes, they’re all good girls in their own way (and Yuuki a good boi). Add the show’s director and staff being given enough leeway to make it a fun watch and it’s all gucci. Though I couldn’t help but go “EHHH?!” when I learned that Studio Wit (Shingeki no Kyojin, Vinland Saga) animated the cutscenes in the game.
OTOH, I probably won’t get into the mobile game even if it gets an EN release since I’m already addicted to regular video games (though I avoid anything from Acti-Blizzard, Ubisoft, etc.), and I’m all too aware of mobile games’ tempting allure (*Azur Lane‘s “kansen” beckoning in the background*). Plus it’s not the first time I’ve been an “anime-only boi” with these videogame-to-anime adaptations. (IIRC: Key Visual Arts VNs, KanColle, Persona 4 and 5, Granblue Fantasy, Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai, Azur
LewdLane…)At the start I was very put off in how little brain functions Yuuki has (just a bit above vegetable), but it turned out to be rather funny in the end. Perhaps a take on those yes-no options you get in games with a silent protagonists? Or it could also be poking fun at the bland MCs we tend to get lately. Dial it to the max! OxO
Watched to get to know the three girls since I saw them on mobile game collabs. Ended up having a lot of fun along the way. There are a lot of characters and I think they did a good job in getting their appeal point across. Am satisfied enough with what they showed of the characters. Though I would’ve loved it if they elaborate more on Yuuki’s family. I mean his big sister constantly gives his little sister concussion without a single thought! Would love to see the story behind them.
Edible insects are a curiosity. Have a friend who wouldn’t try a cricket dish. Funny thing is he caught a grasshopper and ate it when he was small. Can’t blame the cat girl for not wanting it. XD
I think her friends near the tree would love it. My cats love grasshoppers and crickets.
I’m kind of hoping for a sequel just to see Yuuki’s previous party/family animated, there’s a lot of fun to be had there if their cameos here were any indication XD
Cygames have no reason to release a sequel as their main business is primarily mobile games. If an anime is successful and promotes their game, they have no reason to drop millions on a sequel as its job done.
Sure we may see another entry in an existing universe should Cygames produce another game in that same universe, but with a different cast or whatever.
Mm partially disagree. These shows are made purely for advertisement and promotion, however there’s no guarantee they’ll only be “one and done” affairs. If that was the case Shingeki no Bahamut wouldn’t have received both a sequel and spinoff, and Granblue Fantasy wouldn’t be rumoured for a third season. So long as the franchise sees continued interest it’s not impossible another anime with the same cast will emerge to keep it in the public eye (and the money coming in), especially if there’s plenty of game story remaining for adaptation.
I haven’t read the Shingeki no Bahamut Twin Heads manga, but did the second season use any material from it? The timing of the manga releasing/concluding and the second season starting to me suggests they probably produced to push the manga sales.
The upcoming Umayon Uma Musume spinoff has that anime adaptation which clearly again is to push to the book sales as Cygames publish and own the rights.
I know studios like Kyoto Animation often produce random shows based on things they own the publishing rights for. Though I think you’re right with Granblue but that may be getting further anime seasons because there has been new videogame entries since & they may want to encourage further interest in the existing game.
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I wholeheartedly agree with the assessment of Princess Connect Re:dive. While this show was far from ground breaking, I was pleasantly surprised by the high production values throughout the season and guilty amount of moeblob goodness. Yeah, a episodes were misses in my book, but this series was overall entertaining and relaxing to watch. The show also managed to sprinkle in a few endearing moments, so thumbs up to that as well. As a self-proclaimed foodie, the fact that most adventures centered around food got extra points from me. My favorite scene has to be episode 12 when yabai-desu-ne-ahorine scarfs down free crepes.
Well, I hope this trend of quality “advertisements” continues. I’ve never played PriConne Redive before, but I’m certainly more interested in the game and world now. I also would not mind additional seasons of Priconne Redive and will likely consider purchasing the BDs when it comes out.
The production was definitely a surprise for me as well, Cygames have thrown money at their previous adaptations, but I never thought something involving slapstick foodie humour would see similar attention to detail. Those involved with this show definitely loved what they were doing.