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Princess Jellyfish
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A flat-share full of introverted girls, and a girl with a surprise.
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:CreationDate: 2012-09-23 19:58:04
:Id: anime/review/princess-jellyfish
:tags: - anime
- review
:rating: 3.5
:original: https://www.easternkicks.com/reviews/princess-jellyfish
"Introverted" is probably an understatement: the five girls of the
Amamizu-kan are otaku with paralysing social anxiety problems. Chieko
collects dolls and kimonos, Bamba knows everything about trains,
Mayaya sees the world only through references to the Three Kingdoms,
Jiji likes old men, the never-seen Mejiro writes manga, Tsukimi loves
jellyfishes. And it is while trying to save a jellyfish that Tsukimi
meets the person who will change her life: Kuranosuke, the
cross-dressing son of a big-name politician.
Drama, politics, comedy, and romance ensue. The girls will become a
little less paralysed when out in the world, Tsukimi will find her
calling, and a significant plot line is left dangling…
I admit that I liked this series way more than I expected to. The
girls are mostly depicted as irredeemable losers, living off their
parents' money with no will for change. Mejiro is the only one with a
job (but she's very tangential to the story), and Tsukimi is the only
one who can at least imagine changing her condition. Tsukimi and
Kuranosuke are the only two characters who have some real depth,
although Kuranosuke's half-brother and the real estate developer get
some development.
And yet, and yet… Even if the girls are funny, they're not really made
fun of: we laugh more with them than at them. Kuranosuke's
cross-dressing is considered a nuisance by his family, but nobody ever
thinks less of him for it. The way people dress is shown to be very
important, but in a "let's impress the shallow people of the world"
way, not as an end in itself. Everything is measured to keep the story
lively, funny, and intriguing, but never demeaning any of the
characters.
The original manga, written by HIGASHIMURA Akiko (東村 アキコ), is
still ongoing, and given that the anime leaves at least one plot line
to be resolved, I'd really love to see a second series: the anime was
broadcast soon after the publication of the fifth volume, and four
more have been published in the meantime. There's no official
announcement, though…
If you like "slice of life" stories, cute / awkward girl characters,
and captivating stories, you'll love this series. And even if you
don't, find a way to watch at least the opening: it's so full of movie
references that it will take you at least three repeats to get them
all!
