Somewhere around the midtolate 2000s and very early 2010s there was this weird cartoony horror aesthetic that used to be all the rage. It probably has some fancy name nowadays but to me its whatever the hell media like the movie 9 games like American McGees Alice Medievil Legos 2007 Castle Sets forgotten tabletop games like Malifaux webcomics like the Unspeakable Vault of Doom and anime like Soul Eater embodied. Back then it was just the coolest thing despite being widespread there was this odd almost arcane charm to it which made you feel like the media you were enjoying was much grittier and darker than it actually was. And yet it maintained a distinct identity from the bland overthetop edginess that thrived as a sort of sister genre to it. I mean your parents probably wouldnt become as worried about you if you had that iconic 2007 Lego Castle carriage with skeleton horses on your shelf the way they would if you had Saw posters hanging everywhere. Murder Princess feels like some sort of forgotten cornerstone of this weird ephemeral genre. To give you a sort of elevator pitch of this anime without reducing it to hey it reminds me of the aesthetic of some things I like If you liked them youll like this show too this isnt one of those shows that have a kickass OP only to then disappoint you with a largely uneventful slog or something barely related to the opening songs tone. No this show gives you EXACTLY what youll expect upon seeing and hearing this gloriously 2000s OP by BACKON yes those guys Did you know they did a really cool insert song for Kamen Rider not too long ago? Check it out theyre still around and still kick ass See a coup is taking place in this relatively cliche fantasy kingdom. We have this princess named Alita whos forced to escape her castle to ensure the royal bloodlines survival and all that jazz. But this is where the show already throws in a surprise whos behind the coup? Some rival kingdom? Some dark wizard? Bandits perhaps? No its a funnylooking mad scientist with an army of funky mutants that look like Power Rangers Mystic Force villain of the week rejects and a duo of robot dolls aiding him. And one of them has a gatling hidden in her arm. So not a good situation for the kingdom to be in But thankfully Alita manages to escape. But then she falls off a cliff and ends up bonking Falis a local bounty hunter on the head and the two swap bodies thanks to a phenomenon foretold by local legends. Thus the two are forced to come to terms with their new situations with Falis becoming an edgier meaner and more badass version of Princess Alita and Alita herself deciding to pose as her recently deceased maid Milano in order to cover up what happened. Outside of the expected fishoutofwater hijinks what ensues is a touching fairytalelike story of a deep bond between two women from vastly different environments getting to know each other and through sheer coincidence finding answers to some mysteries of the world that surrounds them. See we do get a fair bit of comedy in this show we see a number of misadventures that the two have either together or on their own. Falis has to adjust to her role as Alita learning all sorts of courtly manners that the public expects from their princess and Alita has to come to terms with a lifestyle far from what her royal upbringing prepared her for. Simultaneously the mad scientist that orchestrated the coup that started this whole mess and ultimately failed thanks to this strange new katanawielding Princess Alitas intervention isnt calling it quits just yet and his army of freaks regularly shows up to both cause havoc and do all manner of petty things in an attempt to redo the coup except better this time. While all of this happens we also get another side plot that seamlessly plays into the story two shadowy figures a witch that looks like Naga the Serpents long lost gyaru sister and a black knight that mixes both eastern and western armor design traits are scheming in the shadows and as we soon learn their plans overlap with what goes down throughout the show. All of this manages to get sufficiently explored in just 6 episodes each roughly 24 minutes leading to some very satisfying pacing that never leaves a dull moment. A lot of what were given isnt explained via infodumps needlessly complex lore or brooding monologues no you can just take what the show gives you at face value and you know what? Given were in a world where some generic isekai probably named something along the lines of Reincarnated as my Sisters Shoelaces in an Isometric RPG? is gonna be widely praised as the most revolutionary take on the medium ever and youre gonna get treated like a pleb for not understanding its deep commentary on the shoelace manufacturing industry a show that you can just enjoy from start to finish on a whim and actually walk away from with this oddly warm feeing is truly worthwhile. I also have to mention one other thing the bond that our main heroines form is pretty adorable but its not all there is to it its frankly just straightup cool thanks to the writers? bothering to get it across that these are both complex adult women. Folks looking for some LGBT+ undertones will get their fill and a very respectful one at that Id say despite not being an expert on WLW fiction myself none of it feels like it was written with one hand by some failed young adult novel author even though we get a rather amusing scene of AlitaMilano well offering herself up to the titular princess but Id argue that this relationships biggest strength is that its not exactly solely reliant on the fact both of them are women rather what we see are two people with vastly different pasts lives and standards who just so happen to click on a bunch of other worldviewrelated matters. Additionally while I dont want to spoil you on who the main villain is or what their exact deal is I think theres something hauntingly real about how they justify their evil plans. If youve observed how people especially online changed after the midtolate 2010s and 2020 how often they resort to all sorts of strange nihilist or destructive ideologies to cope with the way realitys changing I think youll experience a bit of catharsis from watching the main heroines stand up to their schemes. I found it fascinating how transcendental the theme behind their misguided intentions seems to be even in our current year of 2025. Kinda hard not to see some parallels between this plan and what many young people turn to for some sort of comfort. But I digress. See for yourself. I also have to give a shoutout to the English dubs VAs they did an outstanding job here. I especially loved Colleen Clinkenbeards performance. Her snarky yet badass voices does NOT miss. If youre into dubs this is certainly one to check out. If theres one complaint I have its that this show kinda felt too short actually. I wouldve loved to spend time with the cast and I miss them. sobs Summarizing Im surprised this is just a largely forgotten OVA from 2007 and not the premise of a hyperpopular Tim Burton movie from 2009 or something. If youre a fan of that vague aesthetic I alluded to at the start of this review or in the mood for something that feels like a lost fairytale youve never heard of this is sure to scratch that itch. Come for the cool snarky princess with a katana stay for the kickass music memorable character designs I love one of FalisAlitas sidekicks a little skeleton guy with the most edgy 2000s shounen protag haircut EVER and his musclebrained Frankensteins Monster homage friend so much and a plot that brought back all sorts of nice fuzzy memories I had of watching fairytale adaptations on VHS as a kid. Except this time its way more badass and coated in that irreplaceable 2000s charm.