The appeal and reviews of Princess Lover!: A thorough explanation of this touching love story

Princess Lover! - A story of glamorous celebrity life and love

Overview

"Princess Lover!" is a TV anime series that aired in 2009, based on an 18+ game created by Ricotta. It depicts the growth and love life of a boy named Arima Teppei, who goes from being an ordinary commoner to living a life of luxury. Animation was handled by GoHands, and the director was Kanazawa Hiromitsu. The series aired from July 6 to September 21, 2009, with a total of 12 episodes, and was available on UHF, AT-X, and other broadcasting stations.

■ Story

Teppei Arima, an ordinary boy, loses his parents in a sudden accident. In front of Teppei, who is in the midst of grief, appears his grandfather, Arima Isshin, a leading figure in the Japanese business world. Teppei accepts Isshin's invitation and inherits the name of Arima and everything else, and transfers to the prestigious private school "Shuho Private Academy". There, Teppei meets a princess studying abroad, the daughter of an aristocrat, a charismatic model lady, and his own personal maid. Surrounded by super-celebrity girls, Teppei spends his days feeling confused by his unfamiliar life. Meanwhile, a ball is being held as an entrance exam for the social club, which only selected students can join, and the test begins: will Teppei be able to choose a waltz partner?

■Explanation

"Princess Lover!" is a work that depicts the glamorous life of a boy who suddenly transforms from an ordinary person into a super celebrity, and the gorgeous love story he has with beautiful girls. The PC game "Princess Lover!", released in June 2008, was an unusually big hit for a debut brand, and was later made into a TV animation. GoHands, in charge of animation production, is an up-and-coming production group that brings together talented creators who have been active in numerous works, even though this is the studio's debut work. This work, which presents an elegant love from a gorgeous world, gives viewers dreams and hope.

■Cast

・Teppei Arima: Takuma Terashima・Charlotte Hazellink: Ryoko Yuzuki・Sylvia van Hossen: Megumi Toyoguchi・Seika Houjouin: Emiri Kato・Yu Fujikura: Yuki Matsuoka・Ayano Kaneko: Nozomi Sasaki・Erika Takezono: Kaoru Mizuhara・Vincent van Hossen: Takehito Koyasu・Isshin Arima: Norio Wakamoto・Maria van Hossen: Hana Miyake・Alfred: Yosuke Akimoto・Hartmann Bezelheim: Jurota Kosugi・Josephine Joestar: Atsuko Tanaka・Haruhiko Nezu: Minoru Shiraishi・Teppei's father: Nobuaki Kanemitsu・Teppei's mother: Asako Dodo・Principal: Nobuaki Kanemitsu・Imae: Kenji Takahashi・Natsumi Motomura: Hana Miyake

■ Main staff

・Original work: Ricotta "Princess Lover!" (Quality Confidence)
・Planning: Takeshi Oikawa, Atsushi Iwasaki, Shunji Inoue ・Series Composition: Makoto Nakamura ・Character Design, Animation Director: Shingo Suzuki ・Prop Design: Koichi Kikuta, Tomoyuki Niho ・Art Director: Masaru Sato (STUDIO Biho)
・Color design: Naoto Tanaka ・Director of photography: Yoichiro Sato (T2studio)
・Editing: Fumi Hida・Music: Tomoki Kikutani, Yoshiki Minami・Sound Director: Hideo Takahashi・Music Production: Lantis・Music Producer: Yoshiyuki Ito・Art Setting: Kaoru Aoki・Assistant Art Director: Tomoe Morikawa・3D Digital: GoHands Digital Team・Music Director: Natsuki Sugaya・Sound Effects: Mutsuhiro Nishimura・Sound Adjustment: Ryo Tanaka・Sound Assistant: Yasuaki Ota・Recording Studio: Wonder Station Aoyama・Sound Production: Dream Force・Sound Production Manager: Takashi Kitagaki・Editing Studio: Q-Tech・Video Editing: Tetsuro Tsukada, Haruka Yasumoto・Production Desk: Kuniharu Iwai・Literary Manager: Tomoko Koyama・Production Administration: Erina Miyanaga・Planning Cooperation: Quaras, Isao Ishikawa, Miyoko Saeki・Publicity: Hidetsugu Kojima・Assistant Producers: Satoshi Fukao, Toshio Okada・Website Design: WINFANWORKS
・Website production: Norihiko Nishi ・Special thanks to: Ricotta All Staff, Tomoya Yamamoto (BIGLOBE)
Producers: Mika Nomura, Masanobu Arakawa, Tatsuhiro Nitta, Yuka Sakurai Animation: GoHands
・Animation Producer: Suzugo Kishimoto ・Director: Hiromitsu Kanazawa ・Produced by: Private Shuho Academy Social Club (Frontier Works, Media Factory, Lantis)

■ Main Characters

Teppei Arima: He was living an ordinary life as an ordinary citizen, but after his parents died, he started to live a life of luxury that he had never experienced before. He hates crooked things and is always cheerful and positive.
・Charlotte: Princess of the Principality of Hazelring, currently studying abroad at Shuho Academy. She became acquainted with Teppei after he helped her out during an incident. She has a cheerful personality and is a bit of an airhead. She makes Teppei flinch with her unconscious sex appeal.
・Sylvia: Daughter of a nobleman from the Principality of Filmish. She came to Japan with her father Vincent and her sister Maria. Although she does not admit it, she is engaged to Teppei. She has a strict and fastidious personality. Her fencing skills are top-notch.
・Hojoin Seika: A "young charismatic" fashion designer and model for a popular brand, who also serves as the head of the social club. She hates the Arima family due to past grudges and initially viewed Teppei as an enemy. A strong-willed and proud young lady.
・Yu Fujikura: She had been living in an institution since before she could even remember, but she was picked up by Isshin and began serving the Arima family as a maid. After Teppei arrived, she became his personal maid and watched over him from behind the scenes. She has a gentle and kind personality, but can also be strict at times.
Maria: Sylvia's younger sister. Unlike her older sister, she has a friendly personality and is talented at making friends with anyone. She has called Teppei "big brother" since she first met him. Recently, perhaps influenced by her older sister, she has started fencing.
・Erika Takezono: A member of the social club. She is always with Ayano as one of Seika's followers. She has the smallest breasts in the series.
・Ayano Kaneko: Teppei's classmate and a member of the social club. She admires Seika and is always with Erika. Contrary to her appearance, she is a very sharp-tongued person.
・Arima Isshin: Teppei's maternal grandfather and the head of the Arima Group, one of Japan's largest corporations. He takes in Teppei after he loses his parents and appoints him his successor.
Vincent: A nobleman from the Principality of Filmish and the father of Sylvia and Maria. Although he appears to be carefree, he is actually a shrewd man who even Isshin respects. He dotes on his daughters.
Alfred: A faithful butler who has served Charlotte since she was a child. He is often overprotective, which can make Charlotte dislike him. He also has extremely high combat abilities.
・Haruhiko Nezu: Teppei's classmate and a member of the social club. He calls Teppei his "lifelong friend" and gets closer than necessary. He can't read the mood, so he is always scolded by Ayano and Erika.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1: The Carriage and the Princess (2009/07/06)
・Episode 2: Reunion with the School (2009/07/13)
・Episode 3: Sword and Ball (2009/07/20)
・Episode 4: Roses and Shoes (2009/07/27)
・Episode 5: Sunset and Ferris Wheel (2009/08/03)
・Episode 6: Steam Porori and Lucky Pervert (2009/08/10)
・Episode 7: The Fiancé and the Petals (2009/08/17)
・Episode 8: Paradise and Truth (2009/08/24)
・Episode 9: Red and Blue (2009/08/31)
・Episode 10: Loss and Rebirth (2009/09/07)
・Episode 11: The Cavalry and the Train (2009/09/14)
・Episode 12: Princess Lover! (2009/09/21)

■ Related works

・Princess Lover! Director's Cut ・Princess Lover! Picture Drama ・Princess Lover! Maiden's Secret ・Princess Lover! Magical Knight Maria-chan? Special Preview

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1: Princess Primp!
Lyrics: Aki Hata Composition: Nijioto Arrangement: Nijioto Singer: Miyuki Hashimoto

・ED1: SSD!
Lyricist: yozuca*
Composer: yozuca*
Arranged by: Katsuhiko Kurosu Sung by: yozuca*

・IN1: Life is short, fall in love, princess!
Lyrics: Miyuki Hashimoto Composition: Takanori Fujimoto Arrangement: Tomoki Kikutani Singer: Miyuki Hashimoto

・IN2: Princess Lover!
Lyrics: Miyuki Hashimoto Composition: chokix
Arrangement: chokix
Vocals: Hashimoto Miyuki

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Princess Lover!" depicts the growth and love life of a boy who transforms from an ordinary citizen into a celebrity, and its gorgeous world view and the charm of its characters draw viewers in. In particular, it is enjoyable to watch Teppei grow despite being confused by his celebrity lifestyle, and his interactions with the unique heroines. In addition, scenes such as balls and fencing are visually beautiful, adding a touch of glamour to the story.

The character settings are also attractive, with each character having their own unique charm, such as Teppei's bright and positive personality, Charlotte's innocent nature, Sylvia's strictness, and Seika's pride. In particular, the changes in Teppei's relationship with the heroines and the careful depiction of each character's background are also highly praised.

The music also adds to the atmosphere of the work, with the opening theme "Princess Primp!" and the ending theme "SSD!" remaining in the viewers' minds. The inserted songs "Inochi Tanishi, Koi Seyo Hime!" and "Princess Lover!" are also used effectively to match the development of the story, raising the quality of the work as a whole.

However, some viewers have commented that the story is a bit predictable and that the characters' behavior sometimes seems unnatural, but even if you ignore those points, there is no doubt that this is a work that can be fully enjoyed with its gorgeous world view and charming characters.

■ Recommendation points

"Princess Lover!" is a work that depicts the glamorous life and romance of celebrities, and is especially recommended for the following reasons:

1. **A magnificent worldview**: The daily life of Teppei, who lives a life of luxury, as well as scenes of balls and fencing are beautifully depicted, making it a visual treat.
2. **Characters with a wide range of personalities**: The characters, including Teppei, have distinctive personalities, and their backgrounds and relationships are carefully depicted.
3. **Attractive Music**: The opening, ending, and insert songs enhance the atmosphere of the work and are sure to stay in the viewers' minds.
4. **A story of growth and love**: It's fun to watch how Teppei grows despite being confused by his celebrity lifestyle, and how he develops romantic relationships with the heroines.

This work is recommended for viewers who are attracted to the gorgeous world view and charm of the characters. It is also a perfect work for those who want to enjoy romance elements and a coming-of-age story.