Princess Connect! Re:Dive

I’ll be honest here. I don’t like mobile game adaptations. From the top of my head, there hasn’t been a many mobile game adaptation in recent years that I rated more than 5 or above. The reason being is that most of them are bankrupt on the creative side. They seem like projects aimed to make a quick buck. Princess Connect! Re:Dive tells a different story. This particular cute little gem is a mobile adaptation that I’ve grown fondly to actually say it’s enjoyable. Right off the bat, I noticed that we have Takomi Kansaki helming the show as the producer. He was previously involved withthe popular Konosuba franchise. So in other words, do be prepared for eccentric humor. It depends on how much you’ll approach this show’s humor but to say the least, it has an immense amount of charisma. With our lovable cast of characters, there’s no shortage for entertainment as we follow Yuuki and his adventures. However, I will say one thing. Yuuki is the male protagonist but he’s not the one to watch out for, or to invest your time into. Being mostly silent doesn’t help his character nor does it help that he feels like an NPC bot. The real selling point is the character chemistry between the three main female cast – Pecorine, Kokkoro, and Karyl. United under the Gourmet Edifice banner, each of them has their own colorful personalities and it catches on very quickly once you pay close attention. Pecorine is armed with a big appetite and a bubbly personality. She is essentially one of the poster girls and it’s easy to see how friendly she is. A recurring gag in the show also revolves her love for food so prepare to see a lot of cooking at her guild. We are also joined by Kokkoro, a servant who is very loyal to her friends. And while not as energetic as Pecorine, she will draw the audience’s attention with her inner thoughts about herself. Finally, there’s Karyl, the tsundere-like cat girl who seems have her own personal mission to keep an eye on the guild. As the show progresses, her character changes and she begins to trust in her new friends. While the writing here isn’t any dynamic or unique, it does bring her character as someone to appreciate more. Plus, Karyl adds popcorn entertainment to the show whenever others try to befriend her, most noticeably Pecorine. Naturally, Princess Connect takes place in a fantasy setting with the show’s various gimmicks. I won’t deny that it can be a bit cartoony at times. It’s adapted from a mobile game after all but don’t let that take away your attention. The show is able to take its gimmicks and bring out the most of it. This is accomplished through the different running gags such as Karyl’s entomophobia, Yuuki being a monster magnet, or Kokkoro’s emotive reactions. Every episode, it uses these little bits of comedic moments in addition to the main storytelling. Make no mistake though. Princess Connect doesn’t have a very serious plot. Sometimes the plot focuses on the adventures while other times can feel like a relaxing slice of life. What’s more fun is how our characters takes their adventures and enjoying the most from it. This isn’t about a group of adventurers trying to save the world or in fact, they don’t really have an endgame goal at all. This show is ambiguous in its main purpose so don’t think too hard into it. Most of the supporting characters also serve some purpose but ultimately, Princess Connect sells itself as a comedy adventure, not some dramatic high fantasy. It did became clear to me this series wants to have fun with the cast as much as possible. Remember, it’s directed by Takomi Kansaki so some character personalities in this anime will feel similar to Konosuba. Pecorine for instance has a dumb mentality comparable to Aqua. What makes their characters entertaining really lies in their emotive reactions. Perhaps Karyl is the biggest face to watch whenever she interacts with the main cast or her fear of bugs. Pecorine and Kokkoro also has their own moments due to their personalities. As a mobile game adaptation, the overall art style actually looks polished. From the sunny beaches to the gourmet guild itself, everything looks convincing like it’s in a fantasy world. Even the food has its own unique style that’s made as eye catchy as possible. The weakest link would be Yuuki, our main protagonist. He’s the epitome of ordinary in Princess Connect. I decided to watch Princess Connect:Re Dive for one purpose but got exactly that: a simple, fun adventure about a group of goofballs. There’s no complex plot and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out our characters’ personalities. In fact, I do wish more fantasy adventures would be simple as this show. Now are you ready to go on an adventure with Gourmet Edifice?

Do you like Konosuba? Of course you do, after all everyone had fun looking at the Kazuma troop. If so, Priconne is perfect for you! Welcome to the latest work by Konosuba director Takaomi Kanasaki! STORY: Have you ever lost your memory and can't remember anything? (Hangovers don't count here...) This is exactly what happened to our main character Yuuki, the poor boy can't remember anything. A super nice guy, but surely not the most clever one's and his actions are sometimes socially...you could call it "unacceptable". With the help of his "servant" Kokkoro, who always speaks to him very politely even in the "master-form", he findshis way back to the normal everyday life slowly but surely. Together they meet new friends (Pecorine and Karyl) and found the guild with the best name "Gourmet Edifice", where even Gordon Ramsay would be jealous. Their main activities are finding new gourmet food, a dream of many of us that will come true for them. Besides that, they protect the people in the city from all kinds of danger. They really care about them. On their quest tour they also have to survive the one or the other dangerous adventures. Although there isn't anywhere a big EXPLOSION, the quests can be really hard sometimes and they have to take care. But luckily their discovered food stays intact even after the fights. CHARACTER: Each of the characters has their own charm, which is presented beautifully. They are all completely different, but still have a perfect harmony with each other. The close friendship between them can be clearly felt, they have fun and understand each other very well. Everyone of them has a different background story but in the end they still found each other. The troop really belongs together as one unit. Our main character may not be the smartest at the beginning, but he is very friendly and helpful. No matter if he has the skills to do it, he always tries to save his friends. His loyal companion and servant Kokkoro always keeps a cool head, she has a very calm and pleasant voice and even when the troops get into trouble, she stays calm and show her fear and apprehension only with her famous OxO expression. What would life be without good food? Then you would have no strength to do anything. Our always happy Princess Pecorine, who is also a great cook, has this attitude. She is always optimistic and in a good mood, she wants to make new friends and is able to cope even with dark-looking characters. Besides getting along with everyone, she is also a strong fighter and willing to do anything to protect the weaker. Last but not least, we must not forget the fourth Yuuki-Party member: Our Tsundere Neko Karyl, who has also a few hidden secrets. Nevertheless, it can be said that she feels very comfortable in the group, even if she questions one or the other action of the group. In addition to these main characters, we also experience many other members from other guilds. They are also very nice and friendly. They help each other and have fun together. ART: I have to refer to Konosuba again. At first sight, it immediately gives you that feeling. The beautiful landscape, the really cute characters, all animations are nice to look at. It is a festival of colors, many bright colors are used, which create a very pleasant feeling. The colorful and beautiful nature as it should be is presented here for us! SOUND: Although the music and lyrics do not highlight any special things, it is simply fun to listen to. The OP gives you the feeling that an adventure is coming, get prepared for it. Meanwhile, the ED music fits perfectly for resting after a hard long day. Get yourself an after work beer and make yourself comfy. You probably know the ED song of the first season of Konosuba "Chiisana Boukensha", if you enjoyed this relaxed music, you will definitely love this one as well. ENJOYMENT: I had a lot of fun watching Konosuba back then, so Princonne got directly my attention. There are so many parallels, you can see the similarities between those two. Just sit back, relax and watch our gourmet troop. Although I am not a big fan of action stuff, I even enjoyed the fight scenes here. The main part is comedy of course and this was very well brought over. Although I have no idea about the game itself, it was a lot of fun for me watching it. In the end I recommend this anime to everyone. Just have fun and enjoy it!

I've seen a lot of Isekais. I love fantasy, magic and swords. So obviously I had to watch Princess Connect. It even has a high score in MAL. I don't understand how this sh*t has a better score than the average isekais. It's the worst and there is why: Story 1/10: Alright, so there is none. it's a comedy show. It should be but it's not funny. It might be fun for 8-14 years old kids to be fair. Konosuba is hilarious, Gintama too. But this, the level of the jokes is so low, it feels cringe. How to stop a cute dangerous enemy that everyone inthe group think it's a cute and kind ally ? One of the character will resolve this issue by eating it. The design of the monsters are made to make people laugh because they look retarded, like tongue out, big eyes one rlooking at the opposite at the other etc. It's very poor written. Art 7/10: Well it's beautiful, kawaii, full of color. As i said, the monsters looks dumb it really doesnt feel real like in Goblin Slayer or Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. So they don't look dangerous but weak. Sound 5/10: It's not really noticeable, it's ok. Character 2/10: The MC is the worst character ever written. He can't talk like a normal human being. He's useless. He's just OP because he has to since it's the MC. When I say he's OP, he doesnt even know. It's like very cliché. If his friends are in danger, he'll have the power to protect them. If they are not, he's weak. It's supposed to be funny or something. The others characters are not good either. They are very simple-minded. Like, it's painful to watch. And once again it's cliché, so they're going make fun of a cliché personality trait. Enjoyment 1/10: It makes me angry. You want to slap the MC, you want to tell them don't do that, do this instead. Please use your brain and think. Where is your education ? The comedy part is not enjoyable, amusing. You can see the joke coming miles away. To be honest it's depressing. Overall: I want to smash my head into a wall/10.

Oh well, finally a GOOD game adaptation, made by the one and only Takaomi Kanasaki of KonoSuba fame. If there's anything good about this now-famous mangaka, is that he can turn anything into a KonoSuba-like world, and Princess Connect Re:Dive, based on Cygames's repertoire of mobile games that are always a wholesome time to get invested into. To tell of a trivia on how this anime adaptation went through (if I remembered it somewhere in my memories): There was a time last year when the master comedy director himself wanted a KonoSuba-ish stylized fantasy world, whilst adding all the bells and whistles of what was leftout of KonoSuba into a new entity (after finishing the work for the anime and movie), and the opportunity presented itself when Cygames offered to make anime adaptation of this game in their in-house studio CygamesPictures, and he took it by chance to make it Isekai-like (but thankfully within the confines of KonoSuba), and both directed and scripted this show that's in my opinion, close-but-not-close much to said series, but in its own unique way that stands out a lot to ooze its own charm. Reading the story synopsis though, I'd bet anyone who've watched KonoSuba be like: "Hey, doesn't this sound all too familiar? *proceeds to check the person directing this* Yeah, it's that one guy who made KonoSuba a masterpiece comedy!", and you'd be right....with a few exceptions. Yuuki the main "protagonist" isn't like Kazuma, the shallow, bird-brained and altruistic kind against someone who knows the "tricks of the trade" right from the start, and before you ask, YES, both boys have to find out the answers on their own, whilst others giving out parts of it in their own sweet time. Instead of being street-smart like Kazuma, Yuuki is that cliché dumb person who doesn't talk, and when he does, becomes a parrot instead. But the most important aspect: if he is the "Hero" to save the world, then "save the world" he must take full responsibility for. I can see some criticism for this character, but to be perfectly honest, his character I can dig for the fundamental dynamics of the show in all circumstances. Along the way, the characters to meet-and-greet the residing protagonist: Elf Kokkoro (or as catgirl Karyl would nickname her Koro-ster), for her simple charm of being thoughtful and caring like a mother would be to a wandering and lost child. Her dedication to Yuuki is simply unmatched to see him be a hero, and always that OxO face that gets me each and everytime. Pecorine the bubbly, energetic and enthusiastically OP girl, who knows no bounds at anything, eating, her magical powers, you name it, she has it all as the Jack of all trades. She's like Megumin, only more constricted to her abilities and plays wagers at almost everything to keep everything afloat in good spirits. Cat girl Karyl (who came from the Dark Side), she's a plain tsundere once you get used to her character, but she didn't start out that way. Being mentally disturbed and controlled by her "Master" as a tool to spy on Yuuki, she soon gets bamboozled in the actions of Pecorine, Kokkoro and Yuuki, and eventually joins their group of shenanigans. Altogether, these 4 people of 1 chad and 3 best waifus make up the Gourmet Guild, because the only plot in this show is to keep filling your stomach, non-stop. And not to mention, the other characters that make their cameos in the anime from the game itself, that's always a treat for the players of the game to exacerbate some excitement from the hardcore fans. It's not hard to say that I'm a massive fan of Cygames's style of games, especially at the start of their mobile game adaptations (with P.A. Works' Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, and the OK-ish Manaria Friends). And I'd have to say, Princess Connect Re:Dive really shines the best when done at the company's in-house studio CygamesPictures, which are just plain nice, very vibrant and the best of all, the action scenes that are full of constant sakuga that never stops me drooling at how the visuals and artwork are really just well done throughout. Expecting more from Cygames and their mobile game adaptations done majestically. Even more, is the music, the impressive performances of the seiyuus and such: M.A.O for Pecorine, Miku Itou for Kokkoro and Rika Tachibana for Karyl. The OP is already a heartwarming banger in my book, and for a fun fact: it was actually released last year as part of an AMV (with sneak peaks on the anime when it was still in the works), which when I always go back to listen to the great song and basking in the great visuals, makes for a great throwback. Sad that the planned ED is different from the anime, but whatever, I'll take it for what it is for such a pleasant end. Overall, this was more than what I was expecting of a good anime adaptation based off a mobile game, this thoroughly exceeded my expectations a lot to throw my brain off and just watch a not-so-KonoSuba-ish in the flesh show that anyone can still enjoy to the fullest. Impressive work. One of the dark horses of the season if you'd ask me. Total recommendation, that's for sure!

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