Princess Principal is a 2017 original television anime series animated by Actas and Studio 3Hz, published by Kadokawa Pictures, and directed by Kazuya Nomura. The series aired during the Summer 2017 anime season in July.
This series was one of the small bunch of titles from Sentai Filmworks to be given a collector’s edition release and an English dub over in the United States. UK distributor MVM Entertainment brought the series over to the UK with their version of Sentai’s collector’s edition. In addition as Sentai are no longer adding DVDs to their new titles, MVM’s release will be Blu-ray only as well.
As mentioned, Princess Principal was a hit despite being released exclusively through Amazon Prime in the US (now available on HIDIVE for that region) while the UK got it through HIDIVE which became the new home of Sentai Filmworks titles. I never got the chance to watch the series despite having a subscription so this UK box set is my opportunity to finally check it out, especially as there are multiple theatrical installments coming soon for the series in Japan.
Might as well mention it while we are on the topic of Princess Principal, the show is set in the United Kingdom (England to be specific) and as I am a British English speaker I am still amazed by how Sentai Filmworks and other US anime distributors still believe British people speak with a posh accent. In other words, this dub can make you cringe especially if you are familiar with how British people speak. Granted it is quite cute to see US voice actors and actresses tackle these sorts of roles, but ideally, this should have been given to British actors instead though unfortunately these distributors can’t afford them.
The main differences between the UK & US versions of the collector’s edition are that MVM uses the standard UK Amaray case which features artwork based on the Australian release, while the fabric poster and coasters that were included in the US set are not featured here.
Released in March 2019, Princess Principal from MVM Entertainment contains the entire first season (episodes 1-12) across two Blu-ray discs. Audio options available include the main Japanese language with English subtitles and the Sentai Filmworks English dub. The discs are region compatible with A & B territories, and the yellow subtitles are locked during playback.
Princess Principal‘s collector’s edition release is no longer available in print, but the standard edition Blu-ray can be purchased through Amazon UK.
Blu-ray Specs:
Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Video: 1080p High Definition Native format with 16:9 ratio
Region: A B
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: Yes
Discs: 2
Plot Synopsis (via MVM Entertainment):
“Early in the 20th century, the discovery of Cavorite, an anti-gravity substance, gave birth to a technological renaissance including the development of giant airships and other fantastical inventions. However the scientific revolution was not the only one afoot, as Great Britain was torn in two by an armed rebellion when the oppressed poor finally turned on the ruling elite. Now the Commonwealth has a plan to take Albion by stealth, substituting their undercover operative Ange for the beautiful young Princess Charlotte. But Charlotte and Ange both have surprises in store for their respective governments and instead hatch a plan wherein the Princess herself will act as an agent in exchange for help in claiming the throne! A dazzling team of femme fatales sets out to rule Britannia and English History will never be the same!”
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 2:
Clean Opening Animation “The Other Side of the Wall”
Clean Closing Animation “A Page of My Story”
Japanese Commercials
Japanese Promos
Picture Dramas
Collector’s Edition Extras:
Rigid box with clean artwork and title on spine
144-page Secret Files Book
176-page Storyboard for Episode 1 Book
80-page Staff & Cast Interviews Book
6 Art Cards
There’s a lot of photos I’ve presented for the set so I’m going to split it up into parts. The first part showcases the main portion of the packaging, such as the Blu-ray case.
The second part gives you a look at the Secret Files Book. Sentai’s release is much larger in size but the quality of the paper and the content remains in place.
The third part is the Storyboard Book for the show’s first episode. Same as the previous book with the quality and content.
The fourth part is the Staff and Cast Interviews book.
Princess Principal is available on Blu-ray from MVM Entertainment.
The Normanic Vault 