Some quick second impressions: Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime – 1 – 26

Okay, I finally managed to finish the first 26 episodes, and I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a very, very fun show. I can really understand why Matthew fell in love with it. It’s a huge shame that no fansubber has ever attempted to translate more than the first five episodes of this. This really is everything a mahou shoujo should be. One of the things I really liked was the excellent combination of comedy and drama. It knows EXACTLY when to be funny and when to take itself seriously. Because of this, it not only turned into an incredibly hilarious series, it’s also a series with some very interesting characters. Rain and Fine turned into two lovely characters, Pumo proved to be more than a mascot, while Bright and Eclipse formed a few nice twists. The story is basically like this. In a strange world, there are seven countries. The Sun-country, the Moon-country, the Seed-country, the Windmill-Country, the Waterdrop-country, the Jewel-country and the Fire-country. Our two main characters are the princesses of the Sun-country. They’re given the power of prominence to save the power of the sun, which has been getting weaker and weaker. Soon, however, others start to go after their powers to claim them for their own. While this is a show for children, some of the elements in the story are surprisingly dark. So far, the series has been focusing on three points. Firstly, it really took its time to introduce the different countries. Each country has gotten at least 2 episodes dedicated to itself, and a lot of different places in these countries have been shown. It’s not often in an anime when the main characters can travel freely from one world to another without a good reason, and this anime makes good use of it. Each country already has had a nice amount of development, and yet I only managed to finish one quarter of this anime. The second focus are the relationships with the princesses of the other countries. Each five episodes, one of the even countries organizes a princess party, in order to strengthen the relationship between the different countries. During these episodes, the different princesses really get a healthy dose of development for their own. The third, and darkest focus is the plot to steal the prominence (Rain and Fine’s special powers) from Rain and Fine. The advisor of the Moon-Country is planning to use it to rule over the entire world. A standard plan, but the characters involved are what makes this interesting. The prince of the Moon-Country has noticed this, and the effects this has on his sickly mother, so he disguises himself as Eclipse, in order to prevent the prominence from being taken away. He does act incredibly cold, though. That’s why Rain and Fine see him as the major antagonist in the beginning. I like how this show puts develops him and his counter-player: prince Bright of the jewel country. Eclipse starts out as an incredibly Shady character, but instead, he is a very caring person, while Bright starts out as the charming prince on the white horse, while he gradually develops a nervous breakdown. Still, the story and characters may be nice. What really makes this anime fun to watch is its great sense of humour and cuteness. Rain and Fine are way too funny at times with their antics. You have to love the scenes in which they’re invisible. ^_^ Rain and Fine also have a strange tendency to at random times do a dance to reflect their moods. Not only when they’re happy, but mostly when they’re disappointed. These dances are awful, but they’re way too funny. ^^ I’m wondering what the creators have in store for the rest of the series. I’ve still got 72 episodes to go. The few glimpses I saw of Futago Hime Gyu seemed to suggest an introduction of a large amount of new characters, so that should prove to be no problem. But what will happen in the next 26 episodes? The climax at episode 26 was a pretty serious one, which can be concluded in two or three episodes. What kind of twist will the creators give this one?]]>