The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess

if you liked the original manhwa: you will probably not like this in the same way. several plot points have been shifted around, to the point i think it genuinely has altered the story, and there’s a bunch of added content that feels borderline.. bad? corny? there were several points where i felt second hand embarrassment watching this anime. even though the animation is gorgeous, as an avid lover of the original story, it felt like all my most precious memories of the original story were being actively trampled on.. it’s not a bad anime, just a bit nonsensical and sometimes over the top, withthe plot left open-ended on the final episode (possible 2nd season?) but i would say to tread carefully if you’re the kind of person who’s protective about your favorite stories and you read the original (like me).

Who Made Me A Princess — A trifactor of things that seemingly should not go together, but look at what it did as a form of representation. Wherever you live on Earth, comic books can come in a variety of forms under different names and even features at that. The only difference is where they are created, and they even come in their various forms that made them look the way they do today. And it's in this case where, very rarely, multiple entities come together to create a work of art that feels somewhat the same, but it has a charm to it. In thecase of novelist Plutus's Mofa Gongzhu de Xiao Fannao a.k.a. Who Made Me A Princess, though, this is the rare exception that sees 3 countries unified under a single vision: the adaptation of the South Korean Webtoon manhwa series, animated and produced by one of China's animation companies, and Japan producing its own dub version on top of the Chinese sub itself. It truly is an animation series that's like no other. The Isekai reincarnation trope is not new, regardless of where it came from, because it's ultimately bound by the same formula as a starting point for authors to jumpstart their premise right from the outset. And for this story, the reincarnation of the main character, who clearly remembers her previous life from a story that is pretty much an open-and-shut case, it's not exactly a story that sees her future being bright, but it's a solemn one that results in quite the miserable life as the princess, who was at first adored, then grew up and became the target of assassination by her own family of all people. And now, for the MC of Athanasia de Alger Obelia, this is exactly the case of her redemption by trying to win over her father, Emperor Claude of the Obelia Empire, instead of having to trigger his dark side of ignoring her until proven guilty. Amongst the original cursed storyline, there are other aspects for the princess to uncover and amend its story before it's too late, and that goes for the aspiring girl who has her work cut out for her from the very start. Athanasia (or Athy, as she's better known) is quite the optimistic girl that's born out of circumstances that lead to the default parent dynamic, which she has to contend with from the get-go. Birthed healthy, which resulted in her mother's early death after childbirth, which wrecked Claude's life upside down to never ever want to hear his own wife's name, Diana, throughout the large palace. The resentment grows and is made known throughout the entire compound of the "Thou-shalt-not-name" person, should someone intentionally want to happy-trigger Claude's nightmarish past to come to life. Of course, since the world is endowed in magic, those feelings also manifest through magic as well, making Claude's relapse into darkness quite the showing that no one risks offending him at all. Therefore, it's Athy's responsibility to grow up to be a fine daughter of his, maintain the status quo as both childlike and in her teenage years, and, if ever on a private approach, try to understand her own father's desperation, while getting better at her magic, because she's inept and needs constant tutelage to get the hang of it. And it's the people that truly help mark Athy's growth into the daughter that Claude can be proud of and the people of the Obelia Empire to see that Athy can stand up on her own as its next princess. With Claude's aide, Felix Robane is the agile assistant that's closest to the Emperor and is sometimes even requested to protect Athy when it comes to external things beyond his influence. As for the princess herself, she has no shortage of assistants, friends, and even romantic interests, because Athy has to progress with the times as well. Within the four walls of the palace, it's not just her own mother Diana's history that she attempts to unveil; it's also getting her magic up to standard with not just Felix's help but also the dark mage Lucas, who stands conceited against Athy in every way by both assisting her magic learning growth and also teasing her when it comes to the fact of Athy's romantic guises, such as her relations with Ijikiel Alpheus, the white-haired boy with the gentleman charm going for him. However, Ijikiel's relations to Athy also bring into focus the narrative of the original story, of which he's the cousin of Jeanette Margarita, the biological "sister" of the Obelia family who wants fame and power to rid Claude of his esteemed privilege for a hostile takeover. As you can see, Athy has a lot of plot to ponder since she knows the story inside and out, and this is a stress-juggling ability that'll define her years as the princess who knows not just what the story is missing elements of but also how she can navigate changing its storyline so that everyone lives and no one has to be sacrificed over contemplary matters. In Chinese, I would define her as a 女强人 (Nǚ qiángrén) or strong woman, because she's the only female family royalty in a sea of men, both intimate and supporting from all sides. The overall production is interesting, because despite its marketing to Japan for its own dub with Kadokawa at the helm, everything else, from animation to production, is all China-centric. Helmed by Quanzhi Gaoshou's director Zhang Yingying over at Coloured Pencil Animation, there's just something to be said about Chinese animation that easily rivals Japanese animation, because China has easily progressed in anime production since the 2010s and has gotten better over time with series like Link Click, To Be Hero, and the most recent, Lord of Mysteries. At least for the show, it truly is a beautiful sight to look at and proves that China is catching up to Japan, and that they too can mass market any series that is a whole can of worms to be opened should it do its marketing in Japan and globally. The music is plenty fine as a whole and does its job as intended. Between the theme songs, however, both the Chinese sub and Japanese dub have their own set of charms, and I have to admit that as a bonafide Chinese that I am, TOMOKO's OP and Shayi's ED are a hair better, though the Japanese representation with DAOKO's OP and XAI's ED are no less bad and fittingly impressive for their audience. It would be a disservice to say that China has the upper hand against Japan when it comes to their own productions, because there are still improvements to be had against the faults that made the adaptation less cohesive. With cut content alongside questionable decisions made and acceptable production values that are in line with what's to be expect for Chinese animation, Mofa Gongzhu de Xiao Fannao a.k.a. The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess, is not a perfect product by any means. Still, in the vein of Isekai reincarnation stories, this stands above average for the most part and is an anime that's worth the watch (even when the manhwa is still the superior version of the source material). We'll never get a rare tri-party affiliation like this for eons to come, and for what the anime achieved in its entirety, it's a double thumbs-up pass.

I have not read the manhwa, though I am aware that several elements from the original source were omitted (such as deeper explanations regarding Lucas and Athanasia’s unconventional dynamic, Athanasia’s motivations, and certain key revelations about her character). Because I approached the adaptation without prior attachment to the source material, I was able to enjoy it on its own merits. From what I have seen online, this seems to be a point of contention for readers of the manhwa. That being said, my enjoyment was strong enough that it has genuinely motivated me to begin reading the manhwa as soon as possible. I appreciated the storyoverall, particularly Claude’s gradual emotional growth and his slow opening toward Athanasia. Seeing Athanasia mature, form friendships, and come into her own was really nice. I sincerely believe that had I watched this as a preteen, I would have adored it even more. I have always loved magical girl stories and romance, and the blend of fantasy and drama worked very well for me. There are, admittedly, certain plot points and ideas that felt underdeveloped. However, I chose to be gracious in my assessment, as it is widely noted that these areas are explored more thoroughly in the manhwa. I was drawn to the art. The palette is vibrant and luminous, unmistakably shoujoesque in spirit, and genuinely beautiful. The character designs are especially elegant, and while the animation does incorporate CGI (which feels awkward at times), I found it easy to overlook, as the overall animation quality compensates for it. It is rare for me to find both love interests equally likeable - there is usually one I am indifferent to or actively dislike. In this case, although I personally favored Lucas, Ijekiel was also consistently likeable and well-presented. However, I do wish there had been more focus on the supporting cast, as several secondary characters felt underutilized. The world itself was immersive, even if the magic system remained somewhat unclear. One aspect I did find disappointing is that as the characters grow and change, their environment remains largely static, which slightly diminishes the sense of progression for me. I enjoyed both the opening and ending sequences. I believe each was well-executed and memorable in its own way. Overall, despite its shortcomings, the series left a very positive impression on me and succeeded in drawing me fully into its world. Therefore, I recommend it to people who enjoy the genre.