Murder Princess: The Complete Series

The eponymous royal in this winning anime series is Princess Alita, who abruptly ascends the throne in the Kingdom of Forland following the death of her father. Unfortunately, however, Alita's reign is interrupted by a coup staged by Dr. Akamashi and his battalion of cyborgs. Fleeing the palace, Alita literally crashes into a female bounty hunter named Falis, and as a result of the collision the two women swap bodies (for no clear scientific reason). The tough and abrasive Falis takes on the role of the royal, while Alita is relegated to being a handmaiden to the new kick-ass princess. The remainder of Murder Princess follows Falis-as-Alita, as she fights to regain control of Forland. In one sense, the body-swapping gimmick is a bit of a letdown, since the “murder” princess dominates the story while the Alita-as-Falis character quickly becomes something of a bore. Nonetheless, this is a well-made and fast-paced series (boasting stylish visuals and invigorating action sequences), and Dr. Akamashi and his cyborgs provide genuine amusement as the appropriately outlandish villains who are understandably confused over the abrupt personality change in the once-docile princess. Presented on a dual-language disc, rated TV-14, this is recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)