Princess Principal Episode 1 Review – “Case 13 Wired Liar”

This is the show I’ve been looking forward to the most for this season and it doesn’t disappoint.

(Spoilers in this review) 

One Sentence Summary: The London Wall has split the country of Albion into two halves and London has become a secret battleground between spies.

Impression: Wow.

Atmospheric, as expected of a series that takes place in (a fictionalized) Victorian England. Intruiging, as expected of a show that prominently features spies. And exciting, as expected of a series produced by Studio 3Hz, who was behind the visually impressive Flip Flappers.

I admittedly have a soft spot for fictional material that takes place in Victorian England, but this opening episode blew me away. Right away the series lets you know that not everything will be sugary sweet. Princess Principal will be gritty, bittersweet, maybe even tragic. And all of that was done without cheating girlfriends.

The world-building was orchesterated in such a way that the viewer had a solid idea of what was going on without having to sit through excessive narration or explanatory dialogue. Furthermore, it’s not like everything was laid out within a single episode; both the setting and the characters can, and most probably will, be fleshed out in later episodes. But for now, I’ve gotten a little taste from this week’s episode and I’m currently eagerly waiting next week.

Ange spots out Eric, a scientist who’s trying to defect in order to secure payment for his younger sister. She has been afflicted with Cavorite poisoning, with Cavorite being this mysterious substance that allows Ange to cause things to levitate. After meeting up with a ninja (Chise) and the driver, the girls and Eric make their escape to Queen Mayfaire’s Academy.

It turns out these girls are all spies. Yes, even the (ex?) Princess of Albion is a spy. And Eric doesn’t want to defect unless his sister comes with him. After Princess appeals to Ange, she and the Brunette Loli visit the hospital. However, Eric’s sister, Amy, chases them out.

And then it turns out that Eric was actually a double agent. He was approached by the Public Security Minister, Kimble, and offered enough money to cure his little sister’s condition as long as pretended to defect so they could snuff out the spies (aka the girls). However, they were able to read the situation and turn the tables on Kimble’s group.

Meanwhile, Ange drove Eric to a desolate place. Eric’s gun had its bullets taken out ahead of time and he resigns himself to his fate. After all, he’s an untrained scientist and Ange is a deadly assassin. Before she kills him, Ange, who frequently lies, lies and tells him that they require him to sign a document before he dies. And now you know why Ange went to the insurance place earlier – by killing Eric, they get rid of someone who knows too much while earning enough money to pay for Amy’s treatment.

The viewer already knew that Ange was going to kill Eric, but her soft lies as she shot him dead was really poignant to me.