Murder Princess Vol. 1 – Manga Review

So Japanese people sure do love their princesses. There’s Princess Resurrection, Real Fake Princess, Scrapped Princess, Princess Princess… So to keep up with them all, here’s my review of Murder Princess, Volume 1!

Story:
During a coup d’etat attempt, the kind of Forland is assassinated! The princess, Alita, runs away to seek shelter, but ends up bonking heads with a crazy leet bounty hunter. This head bonkage results in a Freaky Friday style body switch. So the “princess” is now a super powerful killing machine! Anyone trying to take over the kingdom is now in for some pwnage.

Analysis:
So the plot isn’t the most complex or believable out there. But really, do you need a valid reason for having a kickass princess with a sword? This is the sort of manga where you just enjoy the mindless violence towards giant bees and loli androids.

As far as plot goes, the old advisor guy to the princess is trying to find a way to get the two girls back in their correct bodies. But no one really wants that. It seems like the real princess herself is enjoying her new life as a servant. The murder princess is having a good time, and the entire kingdom loves their ruler. There is some trouble in the kingdom when some evil knight shows up and cuts people’s arms off. And it could be the real princess’ brother! Gasp!

Character Designs and Art:
Holy crap, the art for Murder Princess is sweet! Sometimes I read badly drawn manga and think to myself that it’s okay. But after seeing art like this, I think I’m going to be spoiled for a while. The loli androids are moe, the princess looks badass, the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!

Speaking of the loli androids, the character designs are also really well done. I like how one of the loli androids is outgoing, while the other one is shy until she cracks and starts shooting missles. There’s also the random shinigami and strong guy who are pretty unique, too.

Part of the reason that I think the art looks good is the way it was printed. Broccoli Books definitely has the best printing process of all of the manga publishers I’ve seen so far. The paper is thick and white, the printing is clean. Broccoli Books are a joy to read. Seriously.

Conclusion:
Despite the stupid plot, Murder Princess kicks ass! There’s a lot of cartoony violence, but nothing on the level of Berserk or anything. It’s more of a fun series. If you like kickass princesses with swords (and who doesn’t?), this manga is right up your alley! Also, I read that this manga only has two volumes, so it’s not a huge risk to get the whole series or anything.

Many thanks to Broccoli Books for sending me a review copy of Murder Princess Volume 1!