Search - The Complete Shamanic Princess on DVD

I don't think it's incoherent

Thomas F. Hooker | Accomac, VA | 08/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've heard reviews from both the Amazon raters and from the Anime Encyclopedia claiming that this film is convoluted and incoherent. I checked it out anyway and decided they were wrong here (though they were right about Maze, it stunk) as I had no trouble following the plot. As I watched though, I found that there were several tricks to following the action. First, you need to learn to filter flashbacks and mirages from the current events. Second, you need a basic grasp of Eastern philosophy, particularly Taoism. Third, you have to understand that the last episodes were flashbacks. It's pretty easy to follow actually, even easier than A Man Called Hero."

PLEASE BUY THIS ANIME!!!!

Thomas F. Hooker | 07/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this anime yesterday and I watched four times.I didn't really expect it to be this good. Tiara, a princess with awesome shamanic powers is determined to retrieve the THORNE OF YORD, a talisman.By disguising as a high school girl, she bumps into Lena, her ex-partener.In between the storyline,Tiara and Lena ally and fight with each other.Both women can transform into demonic figures that have awesome ablities.If you love action/adventure anime, Buy this one!"

A little known anime makes a big impact

du_kid | hopefully not in Lilith | 09/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow. I didn't expect SP to be quite this good. I had read that some people found it confusing or disliked the way the story was laid out and was worried that, even though I was interested enough to purchase it, I would end up not watching it much.What did I worry for? The artwork and direction comes from the same people who brought you Magic Knight Rayeart and Outlaw Star, respectively. Though the big "anime eyes" are a bit larger than normal in this series, the characters and scenery are extremely detailed and the voice acting flows with events very well (on both parts, actually). As far as the story, I really liked it. Of course, this is coming from someone who thoroughly enjoyed Evangelion and LAIN, despite having to think about things a bit. Sure, as people have noted, the last two episodes basically do belong at the beginning of the DVD, but it doesn't take long after the first episode starts to piece together what is going on. Tiara, the "main character," is a powerful Magic User sent to regain the Throne of Yord, a mystical entity that grants power to the Guardian World. Through the series, she interacts with other members of her world as an intricate story unweaves between them all and her objective.Anyone who's ever read one of my other (short) reviews knows I give away very little about the series.Anyway, if you are a fan of CLAMP work or interested in something a little less mainstream and more gothic in plot and style, don't hesitate to look this up."

Pretty but lacking in story

Steven Myers | SF Bay Area | 06/01/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Shamanic Princess is an often gorgeous show, with intriguing character designs and a few spectacularly-animated sequences. The story focuses on Tiara, a girl possessing great magical powers, who enters the human world to retrieve a stolen artifact. The scenes of magical combat are the highlights, with some beautiful magical effects and creative rituals and forms of combat.Unfortunately, that's not enough to give a whole-hearted recommendation to Shamanic Princess, as the story is poorly plotted and executed. The first tipoff that there's a story problem is simple: the show starts in the middle and proceeds to a conclusion. The fourth episode contains that conclusion, with the beginning of the story then told in the last two episodes. Once you've watched the whole thing, it's obvious why: the writers had to artificially create a sense of mystery by withholding information from the viewer. This is a cheap tactic, ill-suited to an obviously high budget show such as this.The harder question is whether Shamanic Princess is good or bad as a whole. If you're willing to sacrifice story for visuals (note: the music is also nice), then don't hesitate to buy this. If you favor story over visuals, this likely isn't your best buy."