DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionPrincess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2
MANGA ActionPrincess Connect! Re:Dive
MUSICFollow Your Fantasy

REVIEWS

• 

  nflstreet

  60/100
  While ultimately a store-brand Konosuba, Princess Connect is still charming and hilarious

  Princess Connect was an anime that never crossed my mind when looking for anime to watch this season. From the promo images to the fact that it’s an anime based off of a phone game, it looks very cookie cutter. And to a point, it is. That being said, I was put on to it by several friends who said that it was funny. While I haven’t watched nearly enough anime to come up with this statement myself, I believe Princess Connect is the surprise anime of the Spring 2020 season. For an anime that’s essentially an advertisement for a phone game, Princess Connect is surprisingly funny and charming.

  

  Princess Connect follows Yuuki, a young man whose memory has been wiped for unknown reasons. It seems that he has severe brain damage as well, not being able to do common tasks or complete a sentence. Kokkoro is a young girl that was apparently summoned to look after Yuuki. Without her, Yuuki would have probably drowned in a puddle by now. Pecorine is a powerful swordswoman who could eat a horse. Her seemingly endless energy is fueled by her eating binges. Kyaru (or Carl) is a catgirl that is a spook sent in to watch over Yuuki and Pecorine by a nefarious organization. She is an ever classic tsundere. These four form the ‘Gourmet Guild’, a guild whose purpose is to “study all of the delicious food in the world”.

  

  Princess Connect is mostly an episodic anime, with two plot points hinted throughout the season colliding together at the end. Since this anime is based on a phone game, I’m guessing that the episodic nature is based on quests in the game itself. Most of the episodes are light-hearted and have no real implications outside of the episode itself, which suits the anime’s theme fine. When the anime tries to be serious is when it falls off. The ‘serious’ part is cramped into one episode, which throws you off from its normal flow. Don’t watch this show if you’re expecting something emotionally gripping.

  

  What Princess Connect is good at is getting a laugh out of you. I probably laughed at least once every episode, which is pretty good since I’m not usually someone who laughs at anime. The combination of a ‘main character’ that lacks common sense and cognitive skills and him trying to pretty much anything is very entertaining. A friend told me that the less he speaks, the better the episode is likely to be. I agree with him. With that being said, being funny can only take a show so far--it takes Princess Connect from ‘bad’ to ‘slightly above average’.

  

  Although I’ve been a little mean to it, Princess Connect is a very charming show. It’s a very good anime to watch for the entertainment value it brings. It’s at its weakest when it’s trying to be serious, which gladly it holds off until the end. Yuuki is a good main character, mainly because he’s an anti-self insert main character. Although I don’t care for her too much, many people like Kyaru a lot too. The entire Gourmet Guild has good chemistry. I hope that this anime has caused interest in the phone game to go up, which in return should give us a second season. Especially since the main conflicts in the anime were never resolved. I know I said that the serious parts of Princess Connect were the worst, but I would like to at least see a resolution to Pecorine’s or Kyaru’s issues, or at least know why Yuuki has amnesia. Maybe we’ll get to see it after a vaccine comes out.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  ThyMrMan

  70/100
  Fun enjoyable characters, decent enough story. Great visuals

  Princess Connect! Re Dive, this is about as typical CyGames Pictures show possible. It hits all the normal boxes for a show produced by them. It looks absolutely amazing and stunning. The characters are a ton of fun and enjoyable to watch. And the story is decent enough to keep you interested and make the characters change and grow.

  Lets just start with the visuals, they have made something that just looks stunning. The backgrounds are vivid and detailed. The characters are incredibly well done with detail and full of life. And it is just so smooth, you never see any hitching or odd frames. Throw in the great lighting and exciting fluid battles, and you just have a winner.

  I’ll mention sound this time around, just because I loved many of the voice actors. They all match the character perfectly and I just loved listening to them. Overall, I didn’t care for the music much though. It didn’t have anything that stuck out to me, just stayed mostly in the background, and faded out for me.

  Onto the characters now, in typical gacha game fashion you have an absolute ton. And in typical fashion, outside of the main cast, they don’t stick around for long. You get to enjoy them for an episode, maybe 2 if they are important and then you move on. But each of the characters you meet along the way is fun and enjoyable and special in some minor way. Most of them don’t have a detailed backstory, and mostly just stick with a typical trope that makes them fun. But they don’t stick around long enough for this lack of depth to become an issue, after-all they are only around for 24 minutes. Some characters do suffer from a lack of focus or explanation for them given their importance, and that is kinda disappointing.

  The main cast is much better developed of course. They each have some sort of backstory and development over the course of the show. Well, mostly. The exception is Kokkoro who I feel just didn’t have much development at all outside of escorting and taking care of Yuuki, the protagonist. But in total they feel like they actually changed after hanging out in the group and are rather different from the way they were at the beginning when you meet them.

  To wrap this up, lets run through the story. It did a good enough job for a gacha game. With it teasing out a story that let the major characters develop decently, didn’t feel rushed, and still told a satisfying story with a decent conclusion to the arc. I did feel like the main story might have needed a bit more time to build, and that the jump from fun side stories to the darker main story was rough. Afterall you are going from a group gathering food or helping some village, to a demon king wiping out villages and some dark tragic character backstories. The main story ends up with some twists and characters that never get explained and plot points that feel odd. Things that I feel like would get better explained with a sequel, or just playing the game.

  But in total, the show worked for me. It wasn’t perfect by any means but is wasn’t the worst video game adapted anime I’ve seen the season. And it made me want to play the game, so I guess it succeeded in trying to make me a new customer. That is if the game ever gets an English translation. Overall, I’d give the show a watch if you are looking for a fun enjoyable experience with good characters.

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• 

  FestivalsOfComf

  90/100
  What do you get when KonoSuba’s director decides to direct, script, & so much more? Diet KonoSuba aka Princess Connect.

  Setting expectations:

  • This review is being written under a subjective lens and mainly enjoyment.

  • The amount of spoilers will be as minimal as possible to none. I don’t talk more about the plot points except in spoiler text. There are some image spoilers but it's all out of context and I took too many screencaps lol.

  • If you come to expect opinions from a very critical sense, sorry, but I’m not your guy as we may have different tastes.

  • I’ll try my best to explain what are the things that worked for me and what doesn’t in this review. Then you’ll hopefully be able to understand my point of view and maybe come to your own conclusion about what this will be like for you.

  I preface because a lot of people online come to expect reviews to fit a mold of what they want which isn’t always realistic. For me, I just like to talk about anime I enjoy. And so this review is about such things. Sorry if this ain't what you're looking for.

  

  ---

  Verdict

  Princess Connect / PriConne has been labelled as ‘diet KonoSuba’ and there’s a good reason for that.

  According to AnimeNewsNetwork, KonoSuba’s Director (Takaomi Kanasaki) was this show’s
  a) Director,
  b) Series Composition,
  c) Script (eps 1-7, 9-13),
  d) Storyboard (OP, ED; eps 1-7, 10-13),
  e) Unit Director (OP. ED),
  f) Sound Director

  Source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=99659

  This guy literally did an ironman and you can see how much of his flair resonates throughout the whole show to the point where that comparison is made.

  Aside from talking about the director, Princess Connect! Re:Dive is a 13 episode TV anime series released in Spring 2020. It was animated by CygamesPictures and is based on the mobile gacha game of similar name produced by Cygames.

  If you aren’t aware, a lot of anime are adapted and produced to serve as advertisements for their respective source materials. This anime is no different as it serves to push the viewers to play the mobile game. Understanding this fact, this might explain why certain decisions have been made.

  Regardless, PriConne is a hit or miss show.

  • If it hits, I think you’ll be having quite a good time.
  • If it misses, it’s generic of an anime you can find anywhere, however I think it’s a much more well-polished show overall and this makes it above-average over the generic anime you could find.

  I will recommend this show based on you the viewer/reader liking one or multiple of the following factors:

  • Slice of Life / CGDCT
  • Cute & Fun Characters
  • KonoSuba’s Comedy / Style
  • Isekai / Adventure / Fantasy
  • Great Storyboards / Shots
  • Episodic Anime
  • Typical Anime Tropes (tsundere, isekai, etc.)

  Don’t let these factors deter you from trying the show. Maybe the show will hit with you. It definitely did for me in its 1st episode and I wasn’t expecting much out of it.

  I think the first 3 episodes should be enough of an indicator to show what you’re getting yourself into and help you make your own conclusion about whether or not you find this show entertaining in future episodes.

  For me, I have found myself enjoying this show a lot more than I expected to. It was a very enjoyable treat which explains my rating of a 9/10. I believe for many others, it won’t be as high but this was a really strong entertaining show overall personally.

  

  If you would like to understand more about the rating and reasonings, read the sections below.

  ---

  Explaining my Rating Scale

  I think the common mistake with ratings is that we all tend to judge and associate each review rating on our own personal scale. When people see an average anime - they see that as a 5, some see that as a 6 and others as a 7. As you all know, we all have different tastes hence different rating scales. Hence why I’ll post my scale below.

  My Personal Ratings Scale (Anime):

  4 and below = I would've dropped this show already but made myself suffer through it for some reason. Regardless, this is the drop zone generally.
  5 = This was really meh and I wouldn't take the time to rewatch.
  6 = This was meh and I wouldn't watch it again unless I was forced to.
  7 = It was okay and acceptable, it was good entertainment and you enjoyed the ride.
  8 = This was a great story and you enjoyed the show/movie but it wasn't considered one of the best experiences. Just a great time overall!
  9 = If you watched this show/movie for the first time, you'll love this a lot. It ain't life-changing but god damn you'll have one of the best experiences.
  10 = This show resonated with me so hard - chills and intense emotional catharsis.

  

  ---

  Background

  I got roped into this show by a preacher - Neppington.

  Then another friend mentioned it was Diet KonoSuba and it was a 9. I’ve loved KonoSuba and this just seems like high praise, so this caught my interest and I was bored at the time.

  Since it was ‘diet’, I thought it was just a more inferior version and had very low expectations. Really, by diet, it’s more of a less crude - more derivative version of KonoSuba. Still, I’ve loved watching KonoSuba 1, 2, and the movie; so this made me curious on what I was going to witness from the same director as I kept on watching this show. These low expectations and preconceived bias with KonoSuba affects my score, to be honest. It surprised me and I enjoyed the ride.

  Aside from those factors, I find myself enjoying most anime but it seems like my preferences lay in comedy, action, and slice of life. This show managed to hit all of the right preferences/notes with me.

  Before making this review, I saw the TV version and I’ve only watched the TV in Japanese Audio, English subtitles.

  

  ---

  The Review

  Now the review. I’ll be talking about the anime in the following categories:

  1) Story / Plot / Characters

  If I remembered correctly, according to Neppington, the story being adapted in this anime is a lot of original material except for the characters, lore, world, and hints of the main storyline. This can explain why a lot of the real plot is in the background or barely explored that much as they want you to play the mobile game lol. As a result, we’ve got mainly a slice of life anime exploring the world and people that the cast encounters. If you’re expecting a grand adventure, go play the mobile game as I imagine that’s where the meat is.

  

  The thing is that with this story - it mixes in CGDCT, Slice of Life, Wholesome Moments, Comedy, Drama, and Action. You can infer from the previous paragraph that CGDCT, Slice of Life, Wholesome Moments, and Comedy are the main focal points throughout the series. They do have some action scenes that helps complement the story but not like super epic fight scenes you may come to expect from general action shows.

  Drama is few and far in-between. I think they’re really done well though! Considering what they were given, I would love to see this show attempt to do real drama and more action. They try to do drama for comedic purposes but you can see the show pull off real drama when they want to which makes me curious on what this would be like if given another season and a legitimate drama-focus.

  

  For the plot, it’s an episodic anime. If you binge this show and pay attention, you’ll eventually start to notice a pattern with the progression of each episode as it goes from the morning to the evening. Consume this anime however you wish, I think it’s best to watch it daily to let the episode simmer but binging is fine too.

  Now, let’s get to the characters:

  The MC. He’s a hit or miss. And honestly? It’s valid to hate him. His personality is so bland and stupid but… for me, they incorporate it so well with the jokes and stories that I couldn’t help but find him endearing at times. He’s literally braindead, a baby, just a really stupid kid. The show eventually becomes wiser over time about his personality and that sense of awareness is great.

  

  As for the other characters, it’s a mix of tropes but I really enjoy their personalities and character designs. They all felt quite unique and while I could attribute to them as archetypes, I enjoy their chemistry overall. I stan Karyl.

  While Konosuba has Kazuma and the 3 idiots. Princess Connect has an overpowered baby and the 3 competent parents. That’s how I would describe it. It’s not a complete Konosuba spin-off. This is its own thing and I really enjoyed seeing Konosuba's director take on these things, even if it’s a little bit shallow.

  And the depth of these characters… it’s shallow, let’s admit that. The chance to look further into their personalities and growth comes from the storyline in the end which the show opts to hint instead of fully explore in order to sell the mobile game.

  In the end, most of the show is fun hijinks that aims to have a good time versus a character exploration drama. Is that bad? No. Just set your expectations to watch a fun entertaining comedy/slice of life with minor plot around here and there. This will make the experience a lot more enjoyable, in my opinion.

  2) Visuals / Animation

  Holy shit, I don’t know who they hired or if they got a lot of that gacha money but the visuals look great!

  

  Comparing this to Konosuba by Studio Deen, the production value in the visual department is a lot better! CygamesPictures clearly want this to be the best looking thing they could with the director's funny visual gags/flair. You can immediately tell how pretty many of the scenes look as they do a lot of great environmental shots and character shots. The amount of attention to detail in the lighting department reflecting the different times of day as well as the settings is honestly phenomenal, in my opinion. So many scenes that looked so pretty because the visuals were A+.

  Of course, there will be some shots/scenes that don’t look as pretty but they’re few and don’t last for too long during the show. And sometimes those scenes are drawn like that on purpose to draw out a comedic effect/background or its part of the directors flair.

  As for the animation, it was honestly really well-done. The sakuga and movements for action scenes flowed really well. As for typical animation while walking, it was all serviceable, nothing too note-worthy but it was all well-done. Nothing looked out of place animation-wise and so well-done.

  3) Audio / Soundtrack / Voice Acting

  

  The audio design overall is well-done. Well-timed audio gags and the like. It helps that the director also did the sound directing. Comedy complements the sound directing a lot.

  Soundtrack wasn’t too super memorable but it helped fit the setting and achieved its purpose of being background music. There was a lot of variety though and it all served their scenes quite well for what it needed. Considering it sometimes elevates the jokes, I’ll say it’s serviceable and not a detriment.

  Opening is not too memorable but it’s always fun to watch. Note - you don’t see all of the characters explored in the show from the opening. Most likely a literal advert for the game. As for the Ending, it’s comfy and very chill to end the show on. Notice how the tone mimics KonoSuba where the opening is super energetic and the ending is super comfy. I can’t help comparing it because the guy is literally ripping off his style haha.

  As for the voice acting, I think they all knocked it out of the park. I really enjoyed all of the performances and nothing seemed out of place. Its typical standard anime voice acting you can come to expect but still enjoyable.

  Minor spoilers near the end - neutral comment: I think the MC voice actor deserves props because he actually starts to change his voice near the end showing he’s getting smarter and recovering. Finally some real work besides saying some of the most monotone one-liners and agreement grunts lmao; easy as fuck job though.

  4) Overall

  

  What was something that I expected to not like ended up being a favourite. Quite an experience.

  Now the ultimate question: was I convinced to play the mobile game?

  Not really but I can see why they would push me to it or why others would. As an advertisement, it definitely did its job. Entertaining af advertisement though. I hope this KonoSuba director gets more work and flexibility like this because this was a real nice treat, personally.

  As for most people, I think they’ll find an entertaining show and the worst is seeing it as really generic on face-value. Though, I think this show is a hidden gem and should be given a proper fair shot for the first few episodes at least, who knows you might enjoy this show.

  ---

  In conclusion, hopefully you learned something useful from the review. Thanks for reading. :)

  
  Continue on AniList

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