EPISODE 1 REVIEW-Chaika The Coffin Princess holds a very dear place in my heart this Spring 2014 Anime Season since it is being animated by my all-time favorite animation studio BONES. Ever since 2008 when came across Darker Than Black and more importantly Darker Than Black Ryusei No Gemini I knew this animation studio had quite the talent. Year after year they released works like Scrapped Princess, Soul Eater, Un-Go, and more in recent times Noragami and Space Dandy. All of these anime series which by the way hold very high respect for.
I’ll have to disclose because of my deep adoration of BONES and just how well they animate I might be a little biased with the first impression of Chaika The Coffin Princess which is why I’ll try to disclose as boldly as possible my doubts over the series. It has only been the first episode so also it is too early to perfectly tell if this will be a fantastic series on the whole.
Chaika from the title is obviously some type of princess. She comes across a young man named Toru Acura while being lost in a forest. She is soon attacked by some mercenary man who may be after her but as of yet we are not told who he is exactly. He could in fact be a good guy but likely not especially since he totally attacks her and her new acquaintance-Toru.
Chika turns out to be a wizard and somehow turns out to be a lot stronger than we would expect. Chaika finds Toru just as strong. Soon Toru gets hired by Chaika on a job she really has to get done out of responsibility. Toru and his sister who is also a mercenary like him joins him and they all infiltrate a rich noble’s mansion. Things as you will expect go bad and it turns out Chaika is keeping secrets.
The first episode had a very real fantasy atmosphere that did make one feel like we were part of that world, well, at least as closely as possible as that can happen when watching anime. A nice addition is when there are very serious moments especially when Chaika is revealed to be keeping secrets you can totally feel the surprise in the air by other characters on-screen which should make you feel it too.
Animation for Chaika the Coffin Princess was standard pretty good quality animation. It reminded me somewhat of Darker Than Black’s animation quality but with Chaika’s own original character and world design stamp. I can not say was surprised on how good the animation was though after all it is BONES. So that is one of the main reasons absolutely love Chaika’s character design. She is so cute and I love her pale hair and eyebrows which many have pointed out as being very thick. It works well on her and if anything makes her very distinct as an anime character.
The downside encountered for the first time watch for Episode 1 was that not too sure where the series is going and really wish that things get more intriguing in the magic/weaponry direction. The series has an interesting concept of wizards of which Chaika is one but want it to be further delved into. If the series accomplishes that and turns out with good overall plot then it should be a good series to follow this Spring Season.
Chaika The Coffin Princess (Episodes ?)
Director: Soichi Masui
The year is 1604. On the continent of Verbist, an age of war lasting for three generations finally ended with the fall of the northern nation, the Gaz Empire. In addition to legitimate knights and soldiers, the militant forces sent to battle included wizards, saboteurs, and mercenaries, totaling 620,000. What’s more, three airborne strongholds and massive numbers of magical weapons plus beast and dragon cavalries were added to the ranks, ending in the annihilation of the Gaz Empire, which had been deemed “the root of all evil.”
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural
Animation Production : BONES
The Characters
Chaika The Coffin Princess-OP theme song
#1: “DARAKENA” by Iori Nomizu
Darakena is very dramatic and a beautiful song. Very upbeat. Reminiscent of Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They? OP but completely different at the same time. Darakena could rival LiSA’s Rising Hope the OP for The Irregular at Magic High School this Spring 2014 Anime Season.
Chaika The Coffin Princess-ED theme song
#1: “Kairaku Genri (Pleasure Theory)” by coffin princess
The ED is just as wonderful as the OP. Both the OP and ED for Chaika The Coffin Princess are terrific.
Available to watch on Crunchyroll: Chaika The Coffin Princess Episode 1 English Subbed
The Huge Anime Fan 
Pingback: Chaika The Coffin Princess Episode 2-6 Anime Review | The Huge Anime Fan