Scrapped Princess: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Scrapped Princess: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

A mediocre presentation.

Scrapped Princess is an action-packed fantasy anime created by Ichiro Sakaki. Produced by Hitoshi Hayakawa, Jun Katou, Masahiko Minami, Satoru Negishi, and Yutoku Abe, Scrapped Princess is entertaining fun. The animation is produced by BONES (Darker than Black, Bungo Stray Dogs).

Pacifica Casull (Fumiko Orikasa) lives her life on the run. Even though Pacifica Casull is one of the kindest women of all, she is cursed by a long foretold prophecy which predicted her as carrying the poison that will lead to the destruction of the entire world. Can Pacifica Casull survive?

Dubbed as the “Scrapped Princess” by a myriad of cult followers seeking to find her, Pacifica Casull must do what she can to escape. At least on the bright side, Pacifica Casull has two adopted siblings: Raquel Casull (Sayaka Ohara) and Shannon Casull (Shinichiro Miki). Determined to uncover the mysterious truth of the prophecy (which dates back 5,000 years), Pacifica Casull journeys for the answers she seeks – with a determination to survive.

The series has a compelling lead character. Pacifica Casull is a strong protagonist for the anime. As a woman on the run, Pacifica Casull is a sympathetic character who was tossed in to a situation beyond her control: being chased after because of a 5,000 year old prophecy she had nothing to do with herself. Pacifica Casull is a charming character who is trying to find her own sense of self and peace within the universe.

The animation is impressive (even if it seems dated to the production time-period). The art direction by Yoshinori Hishinuma (Gakuen Alice, Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful) shines. The animators managed to make a series with a compelling aesthetic. The art style fits the genre of the storytelling. There is something beautiful about the aesthetic but it is somewhat hindered by the low-resolution standard to the time-period of production (which has impacted the transition to high-definition for several anime series produced in the same time-frame).

Travels of adventure.

The character designs by Takahiro Komori (Darker than Black, Angelic Layer) make a solid impression. Pacifica Casull has a superb character design. As the central protagonist, Komori made sure that the character design would be effective for the production. The efforts are worthwhile – for the lead character and the supporting players.

The cinematography by Yohei Miyahara (Soul Eater, Sword of the Stranger) showcases the dark side of the story. The visuals are often darker and somewhat bleak (giving the production an aesthetic which is complex). The style helps the series to take on a more serious tone at times.

The score composed by Hikaru Nanase (The Girl Who Leapt Through Space, Magical Meow Meow Taruto) fits the action. Nanase provides the production with an action-packed backdrop which is important for the story. The score might not be top-tier but it does contribute to the filmmaking excelling.

Written by Reiko Yoshida (Kaleido Star, Girls und Panzer), Scrapped Princess is a series with a compelling concept. The storyline is intriguing. The characters are compelling as well. With an interesting lead protagonist and a strong idea behind the series, Yoshida does a good job with adapting the material.

Sōichi Masui (Sakura Quest, Chaika - The Coffin Princess) directs Scrapped Princess. Masui manages to provide Scrapped Princess with a compelling action-adventure style that fits the tone of the story. Masui does a solid job as director. The series has a fun creative style and that is where the series finds its voice.

Scrapped Princess: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Scrapped Princess is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The packaging incorrectly states that Scrapped Princess includes a native high definition presentation. The release is a standard-definition upscale.

The presentation is underwhelming and is one of the weak upscales produced by Funimation. The quality is inconsistent and never as good as native high definition can be. Colors are less pronounced as is ideal. Compression looks average-at-best. Compression artifacts are distracting (as are moments of jaggies). The set is watchable but unspectacular.

Scrapped Princess: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio. The lossless audio quality is reasonably good and is a little bit better than the video presentation. Dialogue is clear on the presentation. The music score is given ample breathing room. The sound effects are well integrated in to the stereo mix. A decent sound presentation.

Scrapped Princess: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Commercials & TV Spots (HD, 7:09)

Japanese Piracy Warnings (HD, 13:03)

Textless Opening Song "Little Wing" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Daichi no la-li-la" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 6:32)

Scrapped Princess: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scrapped Princess is a reasonably entertaining anime series. The production has some nice qualities. Pacifica Casull is a compelling lead protagonist. The series comes from animation studio, BONES (Darker than Black, Bungo Stray Dogs). Fans of action-adventure anime might consider it worth a look. The series is directed by Sōichi Masui (Chaika - The Coffin Princess, Sakura Quest) and was penned by Reiko Yoshida (Girls und Panzer, Kaleido Star). The series also features character designs by Takahiro Komori (Angelic Layer, Darker than Black).

Unfortunately, the Scrapped Princess Blu-ray release from Funimation isn't much to write-home about: average-at-best picture quality (from a mediocre standard definition upscale) makes the release a lot less enticing. The source material was produced in standard-definition as will never look as good as native high definition content can achieve. The packaging also incorrectly states that the release is in native high definition (when it is not). Funimation could have done much better with the upscaling and with the information stated on the release. Rent It.