First Episode Impression: Code:Realize: Sousei no Himegimi

Synopsis

On the outside, Cardia may seem like a simple yet pretty young lady, but upon her skin lies a dangerous poison and a secret that man seek. Upon being captured by a group of soldiers, Cardia finds herself not only getting involved with an eccentric group but also finds herself on a path to finding out more about her father.
The Good

The most eye catching thing to find with the episode is on the steampunk designs implemented onto the different characters. Then there was also the general background designs and story set-up. One of the main interesting things about the characters is just in the few scenes alone, they establish a rather interesting and uniquely tragic story to her. But then a few scenes later and we get a few fun moments slipped in such as a cute little dog character. Basically in terms of characters, the most interesting thing is how much they were able to implement into her.

The Bad

Just the overall way that the episode is laid out presents a very generic look in terms of art and most animation. Even the characters seemed like the usual types that you would find in many other similar anime. From the flirty tinker to the “gentleman thief”, all of them just seem to be a combination of the more popular male character types. Add to the fact that there is already an obvious main pairing and yet there are multiple guys, presents an old formula turned anew, and not in the best way.

Even the general theme of the story is not all that unique as well, aside from the set up that is. Here we have a mysterious girl with a great power that all kinds of people are searching for, she gets captured, only to be rescued and finds herself tangled up in all kinds of trouble. Sound familiar? However, this is but a first impression based on on the first episode, there is still room for the series to grow. Still, a little more creativity with the theme and characters, or just even the general character design could have gone a long way.

Conclusion

The general idea and concept for the main character is rather interesting along with the steampunk theme designs and detailed background found in the art style of the episode. The problem however is on how much cliché and generic concepts are found with not just the characters but the general theme of the story itself. While the setup is rather nice, things could have been more creative, yet at the same time, there is room for growth.

Rating: 6.5/10