12 Days of Anime Characters – Ani

Posted on by Karandi
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Onto day three of the 12 Days of Anime and today we shift our focus from a side character who deserves more (Shimada) to a Princess in a harem comedy anime. Her character shouldn’t work anywhere near as well as it did but that is part of what makes her memorable.

Ani Inako from Dame x Prince Anime Caravan takes centre stage for Day 3 of our 12 Days of Anime.

Dame X Prince Anime Caravan Episode 2 Ani

Ani is a female protagonist at the centre of a harem of Princes in a parody that doesn’t quite land its mark as often as it should. She’s regularly covered in pink with a flower in her hair, she’s a Princess of her people with a male knight who is also probably into her, and everything about her screams we’ve seen this character before moving on. 

And that assessment isn’t really wrong, but it isn’t really right. Ani is quite the caustic and grounded young lady. She’s happy as a Princess and not trying to evade responsibilities or moaning about it, but she’s also someone who gets in and helps her people in the fields or whatever else needs to happen. Her reactions to each of the excessively pampered and very silly Princes are fairly priceless and she’s generally great fun to follow around.

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However, she isn’t just the sarcastic one-line character. Ani does work hard to connect with the Princes and to help them through their problems. Part of this is her own protagonist nature that generally compels main characters to be sticky beaks and get involved (in order for the plot not to screech to a halt) and the other part is that she’s a practical young lady and these princes are the people she will need to deal with as a Queen. They are essential to the survival of her country and so personal views or not, she isn’t about to burn any bridges, though I would have forgiven her if she’d tried to drown Narek.

Dame X Prince Anime Caravan Episode 2

All and all, I really liked Ani’s character. While I might have liked a strong anime overall, I still feel hers is a character worth remembering and I’m really glad I followed her on her journey.

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Karandi James
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Top 5: Anime Princes

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

There’s something about growing up on a heavy dose of fairy tales and fantasy that leaves me with this ridiculous urge to still fantasise about the anime prince riding up on his noble steed and sweeping me off my feet, despite the fact that if common-sense hadn’t knocked that notion out of me, Shrek really should have. And yet, I can’t help but feel my heart do a little skip when we’re introduced to an anime prince who looks like they might be the hero I was holding out for.

With so many princes to choose from it was really hard to narrow down this list so I gave myself a few conditions. Firstly, they had to actually be a prince and not just called a prince (so no Prince of the school on this list). Secondly, no duplicates from the same show. Finally, these princes are in the order in which I personally would like them to come and save me from my mundane life. That said, I’d love to know which prince you’re holding out for.

Who are your favourite anime princes?

Please note, there will be spoilers below.

Honourable mentions: Mare (DameXPrince Anime Caravan)

Number 5: Prince Endymion (Sailor Moon)

Endymion

While these days I’m not the biggest fan of Tuxedo Mask and even as a kid I thought he talked too much, there was something undeniably cool every time we got to see Prince Endymion. His costume for one was a thousand times better than the Tuxedo Mask persona and he had an actual sword rather than a rose and cane so actually looked combat ready. The real tragedy of course is the limited screen time this character got in the original series.

Number 4: Ling Yao (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood)

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Okay, questionable choices aside, Ling Yao is a character who is literally willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. And while at first it might seem like his goals are pretty self-serving, there’s a lot more at stake than it might at first appear. This guy is driven, talented, and willing to go as far as he needs to succeed. What’s not to like?

Number 3: Bruno Von Glanzreich (The Royal Tutor)

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Of the four Princes in the Royal Tutor, Bruno was the one I consistently liked the most, though all of these princes went through some fairly decent character development throughout the course of the series. Bruno may have been awkward and indecisive at times, but deep down he always just wanted to succeed and he worked hard to achieve his goals. I love a hard working yet awkward prince.

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Number 2: Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)

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Did I  just say I liked someone awkward? Apparently not, because I’m now jumping to a guy who is literally overflowing with self-confidence. Between you and me, Lelouch would drive me crazy in real life. I’d probably end up slapping his smug face mid-chess game and then work at demolishing him on the board (okay, I don’t like losing either). And yet, there is something undeniably appealing about someone who will take on an entire empire to settle a personal grudge and who ultimately plots his own death in order to save the world. It’s a weird appeal, but it is appealing.

Number 1: Zen Wisteria (Snow White With the Red Hair)

  • Akagami no Shirayuki
  • shirayuki and zen 2

The prince that I think most of us envisioned as kids. The guy who will ride in to save the day but if he can see the situation is under control he’ll just wait patiently until you are done. Sorting most things through words and paperwork but able to draw a sword and go to town when needed, quite literally the fairy tale prince.

I had so much fun writing this list but I’m really looking forward to seeing which princes my readers like. Please let me know your favourite, or your top 5 anime princes in the comments. And next week I’m going to take on my favourite Princesses.

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Karandi James

DamePri Anime Caravan Series Review: Take Standard Reverse Harem With Just a Touch of Parody

Posted on by Karandi
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There’s something to be said for a anime that can be so silly and yet take itself fairly seriously when it comes to dishing out some serious drama. DamePri kind of walks a fine line throughout most of its run time but the end result is pretty entertaining. What did you think?

Review:

Given I’m not big on comedy and normally by mid-season any comedy I’ve picked up is starting to wear me down, my overall reaction to this anime is a bit of a surprise even to me. That isn’t to say that this anime didn’t have a mid-season slump. Episodes 7 and 8 were definitely a low point for this otherwise fairly charming if mostly harmless series. Yet, the final arc really let the drama of the story with political intrigue between all three Kingdoms play out even while the characters persisted with their comedy moments of Ani’s deadpan reactions, Narek’s narcissism, and Ruze’s general co-dependence on his prime minister.

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This isn’t a story that is easily explained given there’s a lot of interconnections but at the end of the day you don’t really need to get the bigger picture as this show doesn’t jump between times or locations but rather tells us what we need to know, when we need to know it. The focus is always on the characters, particularly the young Princes and the Princess as they form a fairly tight friendship (and a bit more given most of the Princes are crushing on the Princess who remains mostly indifferent to their advances but respects their growth as people).

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The political shenanigans are therefore just a backdrop to give these characters room to show off what they can do and while individually they might become annoying, the mix of ‘types’ being presented here works with none of them staying long enough to truly make you wish them harm (Narek is touch and go early in the series but as the anime continues, has one of the better character progressions). Of all the ‘main’ characters, Teo, Ani’s knight, is probably the one who is used the least in a meaningful way, though he does still get at least one cool moment in the final episode so he wasn’t totally forgotten in amongst substantially more interesting and colourful characters.

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Mare (Mea – depending on your subs) is by far my favourite character. A shut in and the brother of the shining Ruze, he talks mostly through his doll though that pretence fades more and more as the series continues and Mare is one of the most open about his feelings for Ani. Most scenes with Mare hit their mark for me and I quite enjoyed his screen time.

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Visually, this is bright and pretty but nothing exceptional. The character designs are distinctive and probably the only real point of note, other than the sparkles around Ruze at times. The same is pretty much true of the music with the ED being pretty cool but not a lot else of note.

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If you are looking for a reverse harem with a down to earth female character and an anime that isn’t afraid to make fun of itself or its obviously generically constructed cast, then you will probably have a bit of fun with this. It isn’t exceptional by any means, nor is it particularly bad. Some jokes will be repeated a few times too many and other visual gags will just kind of leave you rolling your eyes, but the feel good tone of this show and generally quick pace as you move from one set up to the next for the cast will mostly keep you entertained with more hits than misses.

I’d love to know what you thought so if you watched the show please leave me a comment below.

Episode Reviews:

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Karandi James

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DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 12: Showdown Between Inaco and Milidonia

Posted on by Karandi
damepri12b

At last we reach the final episode of this bit of silliness in anime form, and I must admit I haven’t much minded the journey to this final episode despite this being outside of my usual kind of fare. Narek and Ane are racing to Inaco to try to stop Narek’s father, the King of Milidonia from invading with his army though they don’t have much of a plan save appealing to his sense of reason that seems somewhat limited. This leaves Ruze and Mare out for a lot of the episode but they get to make a dramatic return later in the episode in case you really can’t have an episode without the pair.

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Pretty much every character and reoccurring joke get’s jammed into this episode that barely lets up for a breath of air and the end result feels a little rushed but at the same time kind of satisfying. It is pleasing to see Narek has grown even if deep down he’s still a narcissist and the other characters have all grown in small ways even while remaining true to their type.

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And for those who really want to see Narek’s portrait diced, this episode will deliver, though don’t ask for the logic behind why the portrait is even on the battlefield because that is unlikely to make sense. I’ll get to a full review of this shortly, but I must say I’m oddly pleased by it.

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Karandi James

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DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 11: Narek’s Moment Is Done, Bring on Mare and Ruze

Posted on by Karandi
damepri11b

There are few anime that can pull off delivering a joke about a prince disguising himself as a commoner but refusing to remove his feathered boa and yet are still able to deliver a rousing and emotional speech later in the same episode about brothers and protecting a kingdom, and yet DamePri Anime Caravan kind of pulls it off. While Narek is still coming to terms with the events of the coup last week in Milidonia and his father is still stomping his army toward Ani’s homeland, we learn that the plot against Ruze and Mare’s kingdom is far further along then we might have suspected.

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On that note, Mare remains my favourite character of the cast here. I’m a little worried that Vino didn’t make an appearance and part of me wonders if we are meant to assume his injury last week was actually life-threatening but maybe he’ll show up for the final.

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Despite the fairly real drama this week, the show still manage to find ways to push the absurd with the mastermind behind the plot making an incomprehensible appearance with his words being translated by Chrom to Ani. Every over the top villain ever has been channelled in this character including the snake accessory and fangs.

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I have to say at this point I am genuinely enjoying this show. It remains completely silly and yet it is managing a relatively decent story underneath the antics. Okay, relatively decent is probably an exaggeration given it is a pretty basic story, but it is functional and entertaining and that’s really all this show seems to be aspiring to be.

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Karandi James

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DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 10: To Rescue A Princess; To Become a Prince

Posted on by Karandi
damepri10c

This anime has been mostly a laugh with some mis-steps along the way, but DamePri stepped things up a bit this week with a conflict worthy of the final story arc of the season. With Ani kidnapped, Narek being pretty much ignored and looked down upon, and Vino’s uncle attempting to shove him into the role of coup leader, things are going downhill fast for both the kingdoms of Milidonia and Inaco and if the episode preview is anything to go by, Ruze and Mare are next to have their lives turned upside down.

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And this conflict works because it hasn’t come from nowhere. The audience is taken by surprise because the characters we’ve been following haven’t been in the know. They are the young royalty of these kingdoms and in Narek’s case, he’s been acting a fool for so long no-one would have told him what was going on even if he’d wanted to know. Narek’s growing maturity since meeting Ani has been a fine thing for the audience to see, but here we see him finally realise just what everyone else thinks of him.

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Outside of the political conflicts, we see some fairly nice moments between Vino, Narek and Ani and while their future is uncertain, this is great payoff after a season watching these characters bump heads and mostly aimlessly mill about.

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That said, the ED this week was great and one of my favourites so far for the season. For a comedy anime that has been pretty average, this episode really delivered some decent entertainment and a good promise of a solid ending.

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Karandi James

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Finally, you can use the affiliate link to shop at Play-Asia.com ifPlay-Asia.com - Play-Asia.com: Online Shopping for Digital Codes, Video Games, Toys, Music, Electronics & more you are interested in anime, soundtracks, figures or games. Should you use the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

 

DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 9: A Dance And A Farewell

Posted on by Karandi
damepri9c

Review:

This week’s episode was pretty good fun but from the beginning it was clear this was the last little hurrah before something changed for the dramatic so you were always kind of waiting for the reveal. That said, it didn’t let you down in the end.

Damepri9a

The tour is finally done and the Princes need to head their separate ways except that there’s a festival about to be held in Ani’s kingdom so they decide to join in there first. Of course there’s a legend about those who have the last dance at the festival and each of the princes, and Teo, attempt to ask Ani for a dance. Some of the reasons they are unsuccessful are truly ridiculous but in the over the top manner that this show kind of got right in the beginning so it kind of makes you smile even as you roll your eyes at Narek running from a caterpillar or Teo just chickening out and screaming at the sunset.

Damepri9d

I won’t tell you what happens at the conclusion of the dance but it does set up a nice path for this show to follow to the climax and so hopefully this show will end on a reasonably high note. It’s never been great but it was good fun to start with and it kind of looks like we’re getting back to that for the end.

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Karandi James

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DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 8: Random Excuse to Have Younger Versions of the Princes Before Introducing a Random Villain

Posted on by Karandi
damepri8b

Review:

I remember when watching Knight’s & Magic how weird it felt when about two thirds through the season they finally showed us some guy on a throne ordering an attack against our main characters (or at least an attack on someone the main characters would care enough about to intervene). Who was that guy? What did he want? Where did he come from? And the final episodes of that show didn’t really answer any of those questions.

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Last week this show kind of made it obvious that the prime minister that Ruze clearly listens to about everything was actually up to no good and this week’s final minutes show us the ominous guy in throne who I guess is going to be a villain for the final episodes. The question I’m left with then is wondering why one is needed?

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The story so far has been about Ani working with her neighbouring kingdoms to ensure they don’t get attacked again and just dealing with random issues as they come up. It is a silly story but that is the story. Do we actually need a fourth party introduced that is somehow going to be a threat to them all? Is it really the kind of show that could pull that off? The only answer I’m left with is probably not.

So while I quite enjoyed this week’s mystery with the cursed village and the shrinking princes (wish I’d gotten a screen cap of Mare) I have some real concerns with how this show intends to wrap itself up in the final weeks. I’ll wait and see but I’m definitely worried.

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Karandi James

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Finally, you can use the affiliate link to shop at Play-Asia.com ifPlay-Asia.com - Play-Asia.com: Online Shopping for Digital Codes, Video Games, Toys, Music, Electronics & more you are interested in anime, soundtracks, figures or games. Should you use the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

 

DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 7: Oh It’s A Beach Episode. Wait! Nope, It’s Actually A Hot Springs Episode

Posted on by Karandi
damepri7a

Review:

It is kind of refreshing when one of the cast shares your disdain for the trite set up that they begin to foist on us at the start of this episode. Unfortunately, what little goodwill that may have earned this episode was quickly eroded when they did a bait and switch and gave us a hot springs episode instead. Totally different (not).

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And while watching the hot springs get blown up and the Princes get washed away and right back to the beach while wearing nothing could have been amusing, I found this the flattest of the episodes so far. Not even the awkward return of the Princes as they had to navigate their way through the town could really relieve the tedium.

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If it wasn’t for a final reveal about a possible actual villain (and believe me if you’ve been watching you’ve seen this coming), I would say this episode was entirely skippable.  However, I am curious as to what the plan is and how it gets foiled in a suitably stupid manner given the nature of the show so far.

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Karandi James

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Finally, you can use the affiliate link to shop at Play-Asia.com ifPlay-Asia.com - Play-Asia.com: Online Shopping for Digital Codes, Video Games, Toys, Music, Electronics & more you are interested in anime, soundtracks, figures or games. Should you use the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

 

DamePri Anime Caravan Episode 6: How Weird Is It That A Fashion Showdown Does Not Seem Out of Place?

Posted on by Karandi
damepri6d

Review:

This show continues to manage to be absurd enough without making me want to smack my head into the desk and that’s a fairly fine line to walk. This week seemed like it was veering sharply towards ridiculous and yet somehow managed to make the scenario fit perfectly with what we knew about the characters.

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The Princess is almost entirely side-lined this week, trapped in a perpetual tea party with the prime-minister of the empire, that leaves the princes free to run their show. And Narek is on the hunt for the perfect fabric and no one is going to get in his way. Mare gets dragged along as he decides the fabric is perfect for his doll.

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All and all, this episode is pretty ridiculous with the princes arriving in the village where the fabric is made and then doing a fashion show in order to earn the shiny material. Mare was looking distinctly uncomfortable, but with the doll on the line he did his best. I was surprised by how well Mare and Narek play off each other given the two have had very little to do with one another so far in the series.

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Now I just have to wonder what will come next and to be honest I haven’t the faintest idea.

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Karandi James

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Another way you can support the content here is by buying a copy of ‘Thoughts on Anime 2017‘ as an ebook. It contains a selection of reviews, features and top 5 lists from 2017 and while the content is available free on the site, this is a great way to give a one off show of support for the blog. It is available for $3.99.