Scrapped Princess ep.1-3

December 9, 2003 | 0 Comments

I finally got the chance to watch this show after hearing so many good recommendations about it. The show does look promising although the early episodes seem to be rather slow in its execution. Thankfully, the show is full of interesting characters and their interactions with one another has thus far been very entertaining. Before I talk about the plot in great detail, however, I better cut this entry to avoid spoiling people who want to watch this show without prior knowledge of the story.

The show starts by showing 3 travellers being attacked by a bunch of thugs while trying to make their way across a village. These thugs claim that they're there under the command of Lord Mouser. Their task is to kill the 'Scrapped Princess', a girl who was prophecied to bring destruction and death when she turns 16 years old. They believe that one of the travellers, a young girl by the name of Pacifica Casull, is that 'Scrapped Princess'.

A fight then ensues and it's not long before the thugs are dispatched by the 2 other travellers who turned out to be Pacifica's foster-siblings, Shannon and Raquel Casull. Shannon seems to have a rather good mastery of the sword while Raquel herself looks like a rather high-powered magician. We later found out that Pacifica was adopted by Shannon and Raquel's parents while she was a baby. It was also revealed that the three are in exile ever since the death of their parents because they are trying to protect Pacifica from many other 'assassins' who are sent to kill her.

As these three travel from one area to another, they find that many people, even those that they think they can trust, often turn against them simply because of their belief in the prophecy. The most dangerous of them all at this point in time, however, seems to be a member of the 5th Royal Task Force known as Christopher Amalite. Unlike other so-called 'assassins', Chris is shown to have an equal ability to Shannon when it comes to weapon-based combat. He's also proven to be an opponent that neither Shannon nor Raquel can intimidate easily with their mastery in sword and magic skills.

Episode 2 introduces the audience to a new character called Leopold Scorpse. Leo aspires to become a member of the Amber Knights, an elite soldier group that used to be under the command of his personal hero. Unfortunately, although Leo may have his heart in the right place, he doesn't seem to have the skill or the confidence to pull it off and as a result, often comes across as a goofball. At this point in time, it remains to be seen if Leo will stay as a comic character or if he'll develop further as a character. Leo also has a big crush on Pacifica, which unfortunately goes unnoticed since Pacifica herself seems to have a crush on her foster-brother, Shannon. Another mysterious character called Afaa Zephiriss also appear for the first time in this episode. Her motivation is unknown but so far she seems to be helping both Shannon and Raquel in protecting Pacifica by giving help and clues from time to time.

Episode 3 seems to be a lighter episode in comparison to the other two. This is an episode that largely focuses on the gang's (which now comprises of Pacifica, Shannon, Raquel, and Chris) attempts to get a part-time job to earn money for a living. They also meet a new character called Uinia (Winia) Chester. Uinia seems to be lonely and doesn't have any friend until she met Pacifica. It's not long before the two strike a friendship with one another. Unfortunately, the episode ends with Uinia being kidnapped by Chris who wants to use her to capture Pacifica.

This is a very well-designed series with strong colour palletes. The environment seems to be based on a middle-age settings complete with sorcery-capable and sword-wielding characters. Characterisation-wise, it is interesting to know that despite her happy and petulant facade, deep down Pacifica realises the sort of troubles that she brings to her foster-siblings due to her fate as a 'future world destroyer'. But not everything is doom and gloom. The show does have its share of comic moment, mostly through Pacifica and Shannon's squabbling with one another or through Leo's clumsy act of chivalry. Overall, this is a rather promising series that I hope will pick up its paces in future episodes.

© memento 2003