Shamanic Princess
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| Shamanic Princess | |
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| シャーマニックプリンセス (Shamanic Princess) |
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| Genre | Magical Girl, Drama |
| OVA: Shamanic Princess | |
| Directed by | Mitsuru Hongo, Hiroyuki Nishimura |
| Studio |  Bandai Visual Central Park Media |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Released | June 1996 - June 1998 2000 |
Shamanic Princess (シャーマニックプリンセス Shāmanikku Purinsesu?) is a Japanese (anime) anime consisting of 6 OVA episodes. It chronicles the exploits of Tiara, an agent from the Guardian World, who has been sent to Earth to recover the Throne of Yord, a mystical object which is the source of magical energy in the Guardian World.
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[edit] Format & Release
Shamanic Princess' initial Japanese release was on laserdisc and VHS, in 6 installments. The first episode was released in June 1996, and the last was released in June 1998. It was released on 2 region 2 DVDs starting in 2001.
Shamanic Princess has been released on DVD in North America by Central Park Media in 2000, and it has since been re-released in 2003. The show is known partially for its odd chronology: the first 4 episodes properly consist of what fans dub the "Throne of Yord Saga", and the final two episodes cover the happenings that lead up to the Throne of Yord situation.
[edit] Plot
The Guardian World lies in another dimension, and its inhabitants are charged with guarding and controlling magical forces. To this end, the inhabitants possess varying levels of magical power which allows them to change shape, destroy objects, suspend time, or call up elemental beings to do their bidding. The source of power in the Guardian World is the Throne of Yord, a mysterious painting watched over by the Elders, who train Neutralizers to tend the Throne and make sure it is kept safe. One of these Neutralizers (Kagetsu) has stolen the Throne and taken it to Earth for an unknown purpose, causing the Elders to send two different teams to Earth to reclaim the Throne -- for if the Throne is away for too long or is destroyed, the Guardian World will be undone.
[edit] Characters
- Tiara (ティアラ Tiara) (Voice: Sayuri / Tara Jayne)
- A member of the Guardian World's royal family, Tiara is an agent charged with retrieving the Throne of Yord. She believes strongly in her duty and is well-known as one of the most powerful people in her world: she can both summon elemental beings and transform herself into a demon-like creature in battle. Tiara is hot-tempered and can be abraisive, but is more innocent and naïve than she likes to let on. She was Kagetsu's lover once.
- Japolo (ジャポロ Japoro) (Voice: Rica Matsumoto / P.M. Lewis)
- A small, ferret-like creature, Japolo appears in episodes 1-4. He is Tiara's "partner", according to Guardian World terminology. Despite this name, Tiara and Japolo are neither peers nor equals. Japolo serves Tiara as a familiar and acts as a battery-pack and backup to her powers. He is highly intelligent, and possesses much knowledge which Tiara doesn't about her mission and why the Throne was stolen. Japolo's powers include being able to freeze time by creating suspension fields (which allows battles to go in crowded cities without anyone noticing), and detecting other magical presences from her world.
- Graham (グラム Guramu) (Voice: Rica Matsumoto / Tristan Goddard)
- Graham is the first "partner" whom Tiara summoned, who appears in episodes 5-6. He was, however, disfigured in the process. Tiara had to fight long in order to possess him, as well as fighting off a demon formed from her own shadow, which now is the demon-like creature she can become in battle. Because of this Graham initially feared Tiara, but his fear soon gives way to a fierce loyalty.
- Graham feels that Tiara's love for Kagetsu is unhealthy and sees Kagetsu as the source of her pain, though most of those thoughts came from his own affection for her. Graham attacked Kagetsu in the final episode when Kagetsu steals The Throne of Yord (containing the soul of his sister Sara). Kagetsu "Neutralizes" Graham in the struggle, destroying him.
- Lena (レナ Rena) (Voice: Mitsuki Yayoi / Suzy Prue)
- Lena is a childhood friend of both Sara and Tiara, and later, a rival to Tiara. She uses a flute to perform her magic. There is evidence that she is a princess like Tiara. She originally was sent to retrieve the Throne and Kagetsu, but eventually ended up joining him. Lena is calm and reserved, and while much admired for her accomplishments she harbors feeling of inferiority towards Tiara. With support from the Throne of Yord, she too can become a demon-like creature during battles.
- Leon(レオン Reon) (Voice: Hiro Yuuki / Alvaro J. Gonzalez)
- Leon is Lena's "partner", capable of transforming into a ferocious beast and mirroring Japolo's powers. Leon has a preternatural attachment to Lena and will defend her regardless of the risk to himself. He is only moderately powerful, but Lena can lend him her powers via her flute.
- Kagetsu (華月 Kagetsu) (Voice: Kouichi Yamadera / Crispin Freeman)
- A Neutralizer from the Guardian World, Kagetsu possesses the ability to neutralize other people's magic, but his ability to summon powers of his own is limited. He vanished from the Guardian World after stealing the Throne of Yord.
- Sara (紗羅 Sara) (Voice: Tomo Sakurai / Mary Anne Towne)
- Sara is Kagetsu's sister and a Tiara's childhood friend. A sweet, gentle girl with a weak constitution, she has untapped ability as a Neutralizer. She mysteriously disappeared before the Throne of Yord incedent began. It is implied at the conclusion of the "Throne of Yord Saga" (and is indeed the thing that saves Tiara's life) that Sara is and always has been a part of the Throne of Yord, and that she was destined to joined to it from birth.
- The Throne of Yord (ヨルドの座 Yorudo no Za) (Voice: Rokuro Naya / Tristan Goddard) :The Throne of Yord is the powerful entity (in the form of a painting) which shaped the Guardian World. It is sentient and exists in what appears to be a world within the painting, as well as the painting itself (it is both world and painting). It enjoys taking the shape of other characters, and is very manipulative of some of the characters. It is a lonely being, which is why it takes Sara in as part of its' being.
[edit] Trivia
-In the first episode, Kagetsu was allowed two more scenes in the Japanese version that were cut from its' English counterpart. In the very first scene, Kagetsu exclaims to himself "A wind is about to blow" Later, after Japolo confirms that he has found the Throne of Yord, Kagetsu and Sarah have a short conversation. In both cases, Kagetsu's face is hidden. These scenes were most likely cut to keep an air of mystery around the character Kagetsu until he was completely revealed at a critical point later, though it cannot be stated for sure.
-Despite Lena's penchant for playing the flute to activate her powers, it's humorous to note that Lena's fingers rarely move when she plays and even when they do, they do not sync up to the pitch changes that her flute makes.
-As a marketing ploy back when it was first released, buyers who purchased all six first edition LD's of both Shamanic Princess and Magic User's Club and sent in their proof of purchases before a deadline received a special OVA entitled Shamanic Princess vs. Magic User's Club. It was never sold in stores and was a special omake by the series' creators to the fans. The OVA contains an epilogue to both series, which is fitting considering they both came out at the same time.
[edit] Music
One of Shamanic Princess' standout features is its unique soundtrack, composed by Yoshikazu Suo. With songs ranging from relaxed chamber orchestra pieces, to synthesizer-driven pieces with rambling melodies and tribal-inspired percussion. Mysterious, moody, and sometimes jarring, the soundtrack compliments the atmosphere of the OAV admirably. Notable songs include the opening and ending themes 'Morning of Prayer' (祈りの朝 Inori no Asa) and 'Forest of Memories' (思い出の森 Omoide no Mori) performed by Miwako Saito and the eps.5 ending song, 'Festival of the Wind' (風の祭り Kaze no Matsuri), performed by the Mongolian singer Wuyontana.
