Anime Reviews (2020s): Princess Principal 2: Crown Handler (2021)

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If you like spy thrillers, definitely check out the first two animated films that were released on Blu-ray. Exciting and well-animated, if you loved the series, you’ll love the animated films!

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon

TITLE: Princess Principal 2: Crown Handler

ANIME MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 2021

DURATION: ONA EPISODE 55 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (16×9), English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Subtitles

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATING: TV 14 V

Release Date: November 22, 2022

Director: Tachibana Masaki

Series Composition by Kimura Noboru

Character Design by Nishio Kimitake, Akiya Yukie

Art Director: Sugiura Miho

Mechanical Design: Katagai Fumihiro

Music by Kajiura Yuki

Anime Production by Actas

Featuring the following voice talent:

Koga Aoi/Avery Smithhart as Ange

Sekine Akira/Patricia Duran as Princess

Sugo Takayuki/David Wald as L

Taichi Yo/Elizabeth Bunch as Dorothy

Sawashiro Miyuki/Heidi Hinkel as Seven

Hashi Takaya/Jay Hickman as Duke of Normandy

Iida Yuko/Melanie Burke as Gazelle

Furuki Nozomi/Rachael Messer as Chise

Kageyama Akari/Shanae’a Moore as Beatrice

The problem with assassinations is that bullets are cheap, fanatics are fanatical, and even when an attempt fails, there’s always a chance for follow-ups. So even if the attack on Prince Richard by a supposed foreign sniper fails to put his royal highness six feet under, it soon becomes clear that it’s open hunting season for Royals when assassins strike again.

Now Team White Pigeon’s priorities must be split between locating the deadly Cavorite bombs smuggled into the country and protecting Princess Charlotte’s sister Mary, the next in line… which, given that Charlotte herself is also a target and currently posing as White Pigeon’s Ange, only redoubles the peril she’s already found herself in! The fuses are primed, and the timers are counting down in the second shocking and explosive installment!

It was back in 2017 when the anime series “Princess Principal” was broadcast on television.

The fictional series is set in Albion (an analogue of Britain) where the country was powerful thanks to hits fleet of heavily armed starships.

Becoming the dominant power of the world unfortunately did make peace in Albion as the people started to rebel against the country’s ruling class for ignoring them and thus sparking what was known as the “London Revolution” and the lower classes tried to overthrow the royal family.

What ended in a stalemate, a great wall was erected in the middle of Albion and splitting the country into two nations: The Commonwealth and the Kingdom.

And both sides engage in a network of spies.

With the series, it established the complex spy networks of both nations and focusing on the Commonwealth spy group known as White Pigeon.

After the events of the TV series, it was decided that a six-part Japanese animated film series would be produced by Actas and distributed by Showgate and the first film was released in February 2021 and the second animated film released in September 2021 and a third animated film slated for an April 2023 release.

As the first film was released on Blu-ray, now the second film was released in North America on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

For the second film, the film begins with the Commonwealth developing the Cavorite Bomb and it is being loaded onto a battleship. The bomb is tested and we see it causing a huge mushroom cloud and showing how terrifying and destructive it can be.

We then see Prince Richard returning home to the Kingdom from the New World and as many in London are there to cheer his return, a sniper tries to assassinate him but he survives.

As they try to investigate the assassination, White Pigeon is tasked to prevent Kingdom spies from getting their hands on the bombs.

For the Blu-ray release, one thing that fans of the series may enjoyanother short included titled “Revealing Revues”.

You also get the Japanese promos, theatrical trailer and clean opening and closing animations.

But for the most part, I was wondering how the quality of the film would be after it exchanged hands and Actas doing the animated production and for the most part, it was pretty awesome. Scenes were well-painted, character designs are very good and the film looks absolutely fantastic in HD and the film was well-acted for both Japanese soundtrack and the English dub.

Overall, if you like spy thrillers, definitely check out the first two animated films that were released on Blu-ray. Exciting and well-animated, if you loved the series, you’ll love the animated films!

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon

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