First Impression: Dame x Prince Anime Caravan

Synopsis

Anri is the princess of Inaco, a minor kingdom sandwiched between two powerful kingdoms. When her father is injured she is sent to act as the representative for the signing ceremony to be held in Selenfalen, a powerful theocracy. Upon arriving at the castle however, she finds that the princes and nobles of the neighboring kingdoms are more than a little strange…

The Good

When it comes to the reverse harem genre, there has been little to none sensible female protagonists like Haruhi Suzumiya from “Ouran Highschool Host Club” or a comedic one like Kei Serinuma from “Kiss him Not me” have made themselves known. Then in comes this episode and not only is the character a combination of both sensible and comedic but she’s actually has some differences from the typical reverse harem heroine. This in itself gives the anime a whole new level of potential.

Then there are the males, they too are not given the typical one dimensional introduction either. And to add to the cherry on top of this cake, not only is there any sign of the “first person they meet equals main romance for the heroin” trope but Ani didn’t react like the usual female heroin, really there is no end of checkpoints for this girl. More than an actual different type of heroin, the side characters also show some interesting points as well, though it may be considered as a hit or miss.

The Bad

As fun as the male characters turned out to be, it doesn’t change the fact that they are pretty much a mix and mash of the typical male character types and pretty much amped up to a whole new level. This is where the problem really lies. At some points, the antics and characteristics of the male characters make for a good life, but for others in the opinion of this writer, their level of extra can be a bit much. Then there is also the whole political factor involving the side characters, which though very subtle, is still rather predictable for the most part.

Other than the typical and extra levels of the side characters, the plot is rather simple and overall not all that unique, but at least there’s time to grow for it so judgement can be reserved for this side of the series. On the other hand, it’s pretty clear that the characters themselves are going to be a hit or miss depending on the viewer.

Conclusion

If not for the protagonist’s refreshing personality, this episode wouldn’t have turned out as well as it did. It was fun and different but it also had the typical and predictable points for the side characters so basically it balanced itself out for a first episode. At least though, we finally have a female protagonist of a reverse harem with actual interesting points, so again, if all else fails, we have the protagonist to enjoy. Art, animation, and music wise, they’re all pretty solid but also pretty general. Still, there are some fun points and it clearly has potential so it’s really best to check it out and see if it’s a laugh out loud or cringe worthy work for yourself.

Rating: 8/10