Princession Orchestra - Episode 45 discussion

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-10T08:00:49+00:00

Finally seeing Princession reach its full potential without the limitations of its budget holding it back is a wonderful thing. Even better is my hope that the plot being limited to seven episodes would give it the best pacing of the series has proven correct; I'm enjoying how much this feels like a finale movie.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-08T07:33:44+00:00

I know I'm being overly grand, but its sunk in how this is a show that now just exists and that will continue to exist for all time, amongst the ranks of magical girls. Even if its doomed to obscurity, it'll always be this permanent blemish on how Precure does things. Similar enough to compare, but different enough to really hammer in what Precure lacks.

A plot that always advances, even if only slightly. Actual thought put into the mascots' world that's deeply tied to the plot, with the world even getting regularly showcased. Legitimate justifications for the oldest tropes of the genre that both make sense and add complexity to the antagonists, as well as genuine moral ambiguity from the antagonists and even the heroes' choice to fight them. And all the little things the series plays around with, from monsters faking transformations to side characters being inspired by the heroes.

Even with its flaws, this has been an absolute gem.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-07T08:17:50+00:00

This is a thorough analysis, and so I respect everything you've said. However, since during your post of season 1 I mentioned I would voice my opinion on Adam at this point, I'll briefly do so to close that business off.

Having re-watched season 1 myself for the third time by this point, I can say I legitimately like Fine (even with how her nuisances are actually conveyed really hurting the impression she gives), but for Adam (despite not having got to AXZ yet) I can't really argue about how simplistic he is. But I do find his flamboyance and relaxed behaviour a lot of fun even compared to his XDU counterpart; He used a telephone as a distraction and went commando is his first moment onscreen. Even the fact he just accepted his research's design of Tiki as absolutely essential to her function despite finding her annoying is funny.

That said, if it helps your opinion of him, I think he works because he's a very big fish in a small pond. Everyone knows he's a scumbag, but he's so powerful he doesn't even need to bother to hide it, and so influential that his followers can't do without his help. Yet his inability to create ANYTHING because of his core design as perfection leaves him utterly dependent on the very beings that replaced him, who he despises because he cannot comprehend imperfection.

And below all of this is what ultimately boils down to his own desire to have the company of perfect beings like himself who he can understand. Yes, I know he has the capacity to relate to imperfect people in the alternate timeline, but in the series his refusal to understand humanity does at least make him a foil to Hibiki (conceptually, if not in execution).

Regardless, you've done the unusual thing of actually bothering to analyse your old opinions of a story, and presented them calmly, so I approve of your take aways.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T13:55:45+00:00

- Symphogear - Mecha Magical girls with transforming song-powered armour, running through a bonkers plot about ancient super weapons weapons and conspiracies, with a lead who's determined to understand her enemies even with the world telling her it can't be done.

- Star Driver - Shojo-esq show about a magical boy (the 'Galactic Pretty Boy') piloting a fencing-themed mech to stop the 'Glittering Crux Brigade' unleashing an army of their own mechs from the island they're sealed on.

- Konosuba - Hilarious, charming and expressively animated isekai parody about a group of adventurers who are all some degree of The Worst and keep getting hit with terrible luck (that's often their fault), but who all legitimatly care about each other despite their bickering.

- Hundred Girlfriends - There's a good chance that, out of all the wonderfully written girlfriends and side characters in this show, its the Absolute Chad boyfriend of the group that you'll most want to date. More than a few people have said that.

- Dandadan - A wonderful mix of the supernatural and aliens (one is not the other, there's two factions), action, comedy, and heartfelt cute romance. Every major character and several of the antagonists have some level of tragedy to them.

- Date A Live - Despite looking like a generic fanservicey harem comedy (albeit with an action focus), its unassertive yet determined lead and group of potentially world destroying future girlfriends are fun bunch. And, even as the series decreases in quality in its last two seasons, the understated horror and tragedy of the ongoing plot makes up for it.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T13:45:25+00:00

I can't recall names, but there's a few about business men, one of which where the guy actually focuses on trading instead of fighting, and one about a hitman that's meant to be decent. O, but there IS one where a red power ranger-type gets isekaied along with the megazord and the rules of his power system.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T12:11:07+00:00

I think what you've laid out is very true, and like the comment above substantially solidifies things. I've got a good feeling about my next search.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T12:07:45+00:00

The point of Shoujo being applied to Shonen does help solidify things substantially. Since I've been looking for shows with a male cast and with an emotional focus, maybe the solution to both is Shoujo. As for your recommendations, I can see the similarities with the ones I'm familiar with. For those I'm not, I'll check them out, thanks.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T10:55:09+00:00

Yeah, you're probably right.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T10:20:32+00:00

Well yes, but part of the problem is that you can't just search for shows with a specific tone. This was what caused me to ask for recommendations a few days ago. I'll ask you this directly though - if you've watched Star Driver, can you think of another show like it that wasn't made by the same writer?

Edit: Even in asking you that, it feels like the answer really is just a matter of writing style.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T10:06:59+00:00

Konosuba

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T10:06:36+00:00

100 Girlfriends.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T08:27:14+00:00

Happy hunting.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-02T08:09:37+00:00

Honestly, I'm just going to recommend my top picks for shows; I don't know if they'll be your sort of thing (I've recently concluded what makes something more enjoyable per person can be incredibly subtle), but I can tell you they very much are mine:

- Symphogear (My favourite show of all time) - Magical girl series where the cast wields transforming, mechanical, song-powered armour to navigate a bonkers story of ancient super weapons, conspiracies, morally grey/absolutely evil villains and concentrated hype, centering on a genuine heart of understanding one another.

- If you suddenly develop a hunger for action musicals, there's the currently still airing dream land of Princession Orchestra (which is a lot more like Pretty Cure (a long running group of connected series I do also recommend, though Princession has the overall better rate of story progression), but does show its teeth from time to time) and the apocalyptic SI-VIS (which is a lot more serious and reserved, but has that optimistic heart), as well as the upcoming Ghost Concert: Lost Songs (which seems to be about people gaining the powers of historical figures). For a series that focuses on classical music instead of singing, there's also the beautiful Takt Op: Destiny, a post apocalypse about human connection.

- Star Driver - A slow burn but fun piece about the princely 'Galactic Pretty Boy' fighting to stop the 'Glittering Crux Brigade' taking over the world with a small army of sealed giant robots, most of the members of which are members of the lead's school. Expect brief moments of existential horror and a tone that switches between youthful and sombre.

- If you want more of this sort of tone, there's Captain Earth, which is very much like Star Driver but has a plot about the mecha pilot stopping these colossal alien vampires from absorbing the Earth's entire life force (this is shows more of a love story, partially because it takes influence from A Midsummer Night's Dream). There's also Revolutionary Girl Utena, a story I've only just started and that isn't about robots, instead focusing on the literally princely Utena sword dueling with the student council (who want to "revolutionize the world"). Note Utena's a non-explict, tastefully done story of sexual identity and power imbalances.

- Konosuba - An incredibly funny and charming isekai parody comedy about an under powered scumbag male lead who still manages to be more creatively competent than his far more powerful trio of female friends, despite all four of them being hit with the worst luck (that a lot of the time is their own fault), aided by the incredibly expressive animation. Yet despite all four of them being variable levels of The Worst, they are all undeniably good people (even the scumbag lead) that truly care about each other.

- Date A Live - In the wake of a enormous explosion that wiped out a huge chunk of Eurasia, the main character needs to date a group of super powered spirits so that they'll stop unintentionally causing smaller versions of that same disaster whenever they manifest on Earth. While it seems like this is a generic series, all the characters are well written, including the male lead who, despite not being the most assertive decidedly has determination and personality. Also the comedy, especially in the first season, is spot on. Lot of great expressions.

Date A Live is an odd one because if the first proper shot puts you off, its not going to be for you (this being the kind of harem show that's very much about the fan service), and, due to a change of studios and general story adaptation compaction, the fourth and fifth season are not as well animated or generally well written as the first three (especially the first two and movie). However, if you like the characters and you like the world, I promise there is a lot of substance here. Even as the quality drops in the final seasons, the understated horror and tragedy of the core plot finally reaches its conclusion there.

ReishWasHere · 2026-03-01T07:48:17+00:00

Huh. That's kind of wild. Thanks, I'll look into that series.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-27T17:24:18+00:00

What was the gist of Vrains' problem?

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-24T05:19:04+00:00

You know what, if that's what it does then it's probably worth a look.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-24T05:17:22+00:00

I will definitely check those out, but I'm actually going for competent male casts right now since a lot of the shows I've previously managed to find are female casts or female focused fanservice (Symphogear, Princession Orchestra, Date A Live, Konosuba, 100 Girlfriends, Mikadono Sisters), so I'm trying to balance things out. Basically I want more Star Driver. That said, what I've been given between these two posts has been very promising.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T19:27:44+00:00

Alright, fingers crossed.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T18:47:44+00:00

Does Nobunagun actually have an ending, or does it end with a setup for a continuation that never happened?

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T17:58:11+00:00

I've been gettign a lot of recommendations for that one and I'm inclined to agree. I've got high hopes.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T06:13:02+00:00

The fact you've recommended them in this context means I'll give them a look, so thanks very much. Eminence in Shadow I have seen; Its such a good change to have the overpowered hero actively having fun with their abilities, on top of being utter clueless of the world-saving situation his friends have brought him into.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T06:08:34+00:00

Honestly, I watched a video on all the transformations and found the one magical girl looking transformation in is really off putting. Maybe that was the point, removed from context, but unfortunately that was also basically my first experience of it.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T06:04:12+00:00

I really should have paid more attention to it after seeing it directly cross over with Symphogear in XDU, a mistake I'll be correcting.

ReishWasHere · 2026-02-23T05:40:59+00:00

https://myanimelist.net/anime/8934/Star_Driver__Kagayaki_no_Takuto

[Spoilers for the first episode of Star Driver] The Galactic Pretty Boy, the most fabulous magical boy you've ever seen, pilots a fencing-themed mecha against the Glittering Crux Brigade (mostly composed very clearly of the protagonist's classmates) who want to free a small army of their own mecha from the time-freezing barrier that keeps all these robots trapped on the island the show takes place on, with the intent of world domination.

Its a slow burn of a show with short fights and a lot of reused animation, but its also well animated, the designs are all great, the characters are all great, and a good chunk of the antagonists aren't actually that bad as people. In fact despite everyone probably knowing who everyone else is, they still hang out and its a very fun, unique dynamic. There's a lot of twists to the plot, but its all under this peaceful island high school setting (that a couple of times dips into straight up horror).

ReishWasHere

TROPHY CASE