Scrapped Princess 9/10

There aren't a lot of fantasy animes out these days but Scrapped Princess is an excellent example of how to entertain this codgy veteran of several hundred fantasy novels.

Dating back to 2003 this show has pretty standard music through it's 24 episodes. The OP and ED are OK but I feel they were a little too cheery for the somber tone of the latter episodes. The art is well done and the animation is consistent throughout the series. What I really like about this show from a technical point of view are the great character designs of which there wasn't one in the series I didn't like. The best of the bunch was Winia, the red-haired girl with the freckles. Anime girls never have freckles.

Pacifica is the scrapped princess, destined by prophecy to destroy the world on her 16th birthday. She was supposed to have been killed after bring born but due to a series of kind hearted people including her mother, the queen of Leinwan she is spared and raised in secret by her new family. By the time the story starts her adoptive parents are dead and she's on the run with her adopted older brother and sister, Shannon and Raquel as her 16th birthday approaches. Shannon is a swordsman of some skill and teases Pacifica as all good older brothers should. Raquel is a powerful sorceress and is kind but a little ditzy.

The world is controlled spiritually by the church of Mauser who handed down the prophecy and under it's orders Pacifica is hunted by the Leinwan Royal Forces and troops controlled by the church. The series starts with the trio running from town to town, dodging assassins and soldiers, and making friends only to have them turn into enemies once they find out who it is they're helping. Over the series a few people take pity on cheery, harmless looking Pacifica and she escapes again and again with their help.

Shannon also meets Zefiris, an ancient dragon weapon he can fight with (but he doesn't trust). She normally takes on the form of a little girl that hovers around and tends to be less forthright with information than Shannon would like. He needs some firepower because the Peacemakers get involved. The Peacemakers are supposed to be the angels of Mauser, thus they are also hunting Pacifica and are incredibly powerful with their ability to control human minds and turn into big floaty beam shooty deals. Pacifica's powers manifest once the Peacemakers get involved since she has the ability to ignore their mind control and provide this protection to others.

The trio, along with the knight Leopolde ultimately end up in another land and get involved in an attack with ancient super weapons against Leinwan. Once the attack spectacularly fails, Pacifica and her siblings and friends are separated and she gets amnesia. It's about this time this show gets 10/10 good.

Pacifica goes to live with a man named Furet and after her friends find her, refuses to leave him. Eventually they can hide no longer and Furet is killed in the escape and Pacifica is at last captured by the Royal Forces. Here there is a truly sad series of scenes where a Pacifica with still no memory meets her mother in the dungeon who is dying from the effects of the torture she's endured hiding her daughter's location.

Shannon is brought before the King and when he rushes to save Pacifica once more she finally remembers her past and they eventually escape and meet up with their friends and await her 16th birthday. At this point she receives a message from her twin brother the prince and goes to meet him for the first time.

This takes you up to near the end of the 23rd episode and I can assure you the rest of the series is awesome. What happens to the scrapped princess? What is the secret origin and purpose of the Peacemakers? You have to watch to find out. I will say a big part of the charm of this show is the relationship between Pacifica and Shannon. While their fights are funny the quiet moments they have near the end of the series make you wish more animes with these types of combustible relationships had quiet moments as well. Highly recommended.