The Bottom Line
Charming and light-hearted with just enough action to keep the shonen fans fascinated and cute enough to appeal to shojo readers, Murder Princess has enough going for it to please fantasy fans. But most of the characters (with the exception of Falis, the mercenary turned reluctant princess) seem under-developed in this first volume.
Pros
- Fun fantasy story filled with action and humor
- Clean, charming and cute artwork
- Sets the stage for some possibly intriguing plot elements in future volumes
Cons
- Makes use of a lot of familiar fantasy story elements, so it doesn't offer too many surprises
- Some characters are underdeveloped in this first volume
Description
- Original Title: Mada Purinsesu (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Sekihiko Inui
- Publishers: Broccoli Books (US) and Media Works Inc. (Japan)
- ISBN: 978-1-5974-1060-1
- Cover Price: $9.99 US
- Book Details: 224 Pages, black and white format with 1 color title page
- US Publication Date: Feburary 2007
- Age Rating: Teen - 13+, for comical violence, some bloodshed and fantasy sword battles
- Manga Genres:
- Shonen manga
- Fantasy
- Comedy
- Other Manga by Sekihiko Inui:
- Comic Party
- Ratman
Guide Review - Murder Princess Volume 1
From the pen of Sekihiko Inui, Murder Princess Volume 1 is this fan favorite artist's first foray into creating an original story, characters and world of his own making. Instead of the manic atmosphere of a comics convention, Murder Princess is set in an fantasy kingdom filled with swords and sorcery.
ogres, princesses, evil geniuses and the robots who love them.
Most of Volume 1 is spent introducing us to Falis, a rough and tumble bounty hunter with a mysterious past. Through a series of unlikely circumstances, Falis bonks heads and trades bodies with sweet and delicate Alita, the crown princess of the kingdom of Forland. Meanwhile, Forland in the middle of a coup led by a mad scientist and his two cute and destructive girl robots, so Falis steps in to save the day.
A lot of the humor of Murder Princess comes from Falis' less-than-regal manners as she tries to pass herself as a genteel member of the royal family, and the slapstick way she punches, slashes and whacks any opponent who threatens the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the rest of the cast is pretty under-developed. Falis' sidekicks, a pint-sized grim reaper and a purple ogre seem to just be there to toss in a few punches, but you don't really get who they are, why they're there and why they have any loyalty to Falis. Even the pretty princess is just there to offer a contrast to Falis' tomboy personality. The last chapter hints at some promising plot twists to come in Volume 2, so perhaps this will change.
What makes this appealing despite these shortcomings? The art, mostly. Inui's got a clean, energetic style that makes this a quick and pleasant read. His storytelling has matured a great deal from the hyper-dramatic kookiness of Comic Party. The characters are cute and the story moves along at a good clip, so it's worth a read, especially if you love fantasy stories with a dash of humor.
