This Week in Anime

Is Fena More 'Princess' Than 'Pirate'?

Nicky
Hey, Nick, or should I say "Ahoy!" That's pirate speak for "Hello". You see, I'm working hard to to become more fluent. It's best to prepared if we're gonna be traveling on the high seas in This Week in Anime. And don't forget to bring an extra pair of sea legs!

Look, that's more of a negotiation once they finally license all the goddamn movies. (Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island PLEASE). But for now we set sails for Adult Swim and Crunchyroll's latest co-production Fena: Pirate Princess.

Yeah, my first thought was when I used to try to nap during study hall but the weebs next to me kept being too loud trying arguing whether Naruto or Luffy was stronger in a fight. The last thing Production I.G did for CR and Adult Swim was the FLCL sequels, which had some mixed responses. Though, I liked them, personally.

Grievances with B aside, let's not forget that Kazuto Nakazawa's a pretty seasoned character designer and animation director as well. If you're a fan of anime, you've probably seen some of his work in the past. He's worked Samurai Champloo and El-Hazard, did key animation on some of The Animatrix segments, and even directed a few music videos. The OP's a perfect example of his strengths, and design wise I'd say Fena is on point. From the get-go, this show looks very nice. The characters and the backgrounds are particularly stunning.

Agreed. Since this was hyped up, I watched a panel with some of the creators via Crunchyroll Expo. They said they don't really use a lot of digital compositing because they wanted to let the environments speak. I've said it before, but a big weakness of modern anime is its very washed out palette and characters standing in empty space. That's totally absent here.

Good adventures also need a good set up, and good characters to go along with it. So naturally, we'll be dealing with an ensemble trying to find some MacGuffin having to do with Fena's heritage. This is also where the real scrutiny lies. I can gush about the backgrounds and production values all day, but the real treasure I'm after is always the story. Can Fena prove itself to be more than just a pretty face?

Let's row it back to the beginning, shall we? Fena, our princess, is first seen fleeing with her childhood friend, Yukimaru. She is cast off from the flaming ship alone and told to stay alive and "Find Eden". Then,10 years later, Fena plans to set out on her big break in hopes to reunite with her childhood savior. By uhh...selling herself off and then attempting to steal all of her buyer's money in a daring escape.

My first impressions of Fena as a character is that she's actually really fun and amusing. That's part of why I can imagine her using her wits into becoming more proactive. There's a lot of good banter. Her uncles don't stick around much, but she immediately has a good rapport with them. I also love how she stomps the shit out of the shitty manager. Unfortunately, that's the best thing she's done throughout the whole show.

Ten years will do a lot to man! One day you're in the prime of your forties, maybe fifties, the next you're basically senile and already losing your teeth and hair.

Also, the animation isn't always smooth, but it's really fun when it leans into the dialogue stuff or the comedy shots like this. Fena was recorded in an ADR style where they did all the voice recording first and you can really tell. This kind of energy is what makes Fena wholly enjoyable for a casual watch.

Yeah, the premiere is definitely my favorite. It leans into the chaos a little more and it has a lot of levity. I also enjoy Fena's friend Angie, but she's also only in the first episode and her biggest role ends up being ogling this gentleman.

On that note, we don't really know much about Fena's life on Shangri-La for the past 10 years or how she survived in such a seedy place other than now she wants to escape it.

I actually rather like Yukimaru, while him bonking her is pretty abrupt (and rude). It's also gap-moe in how childish it is. That sign of stupid frustration belies a deeper intimacy beyond just being her knight and savior into something a little more complicated.

Also, damn, those eyes. I understand what Fena sees in him now.

Oh yeah, totally. You have to work to make a serious man seriously hot and Yona is a good comparison because it does a lot of the same romance-adventure elements well with more engagement. We spend a majority of episode two setting up the plot and the rest of the Goblin Knights (ninjas). They're fun but it's hard to feel engaged as they explain the plot to you. At least the dog is there.

It seems to be about the exact size and shape of a smartphone and that's hilarious to me. Don't tell Apple! This is probably the key to finding this place called "Eden".

Once we had our mandatory plot lecture, we're introduced to the rest of the cast inside the village. It's quite idyllic and highlighted by Yuki Kajiura's great score. I swear that woman never misses. As demonstrated by Hot Guy #2, Shitan.

It's a shame because I don't even dislike most of them! The generic goofy twins get more character development just by helping Fena go shopping.

I also rather like Karin as the resident gun-toting gearhead and how her mouth runs a mile a minute. She just doesn't seem to get to do anything other than the time she got kneed in the face.

Yeah, it just feels that when the chips are down it's mostly Yukimaru who springs into action. It feels a bit repetitive. Fena gets endangered a whole three times between seven episodes. But beyond that, I'd really just like to know what motivates them to be a part of this whole thing as individuals, or to even what makes them want to have Fena as their leader. Initially she does very little to lead them other than the time she became a human compass against her own volition.

Shitan is also the other most developed as he's Yukimaru's bestie and seems to want to look out for him. He also tries to teach Fena how to use weapons but it hasn't really gone anywhere.

In contrast, Yukimaru is a total virgin! He doesn't really know how to act around Fena and he can't even pick up when the other guys are telling him to score when another woman shows interest in him. (Though, the guys were being RUDE.)

It sucks because I don't even feel like she needs to have combat experience to be useful or a good leader! It's clear from the first ep that she's got good intuition and cunning that I think the show could utilized more. She's really fun when she tries, but it sometimes feels like the show doesn't let her.

Even when her hunches are right the show's story can be a bit hand-holdy when it comes to explaining the plot details.

Reincarnation BS is a way to strip your character of agency in their own story, huh?

Sure, but it's definitely true that Fena's key to solving everything is to just rely on her repressed memories to tell her the answer. It makes her seem like more of a pawn. She's described as becoming a different person instead of relying on her gut and it does her very little favors.

Though, it was pretty fun watching the goofy group of deadly pirate ladies follow after her, the wrong way.

Also that pirate lady not only totally toasted Fena's boat as a child but now she's owning it by fucking that aristocrat dude from earlier. She might not rule all of England but she wants you to know she's the queen!

We don't really even know the extent of their relationship other than she's boning him while he sulks over....Fena's mom?!

It bothers me that he and Fena look very similar on top of the fact that he's supposed to be portrayed as another love interest. Everything about his whole deal just feels goddamn creepy.

The only thing worse than being a creep is being a boring creep! If you wanna be despicable, at least be a little interesting! Sometimes it feels like the plot is moving both slow and fast at the same time and I think that's because there's a lack of character interiority in a story that should be all about exploring. Even the revelation that the British killed Fena's family vessel, Hope (subtlety is for cowards) feels muted when I don't know the motivation.

C'mon, Fena. Bite their ankles off! Aren't you tired of being nice? Don't you just want to go apeshit?!

I did enjoy most of my time passively. The episodes themselves aren't poorly paced or anything and what little humor there is, is good. I really wish I could say the show is salvageable, but it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot left with only 12 episodes. I want to see Fena evolve into the heroine she deserves to be. It wasted so much potential (by killing the cool pirate ladies).

You heard the man. Give us more Yona and a whole series with the pirate ladies or you'll be forced to walk the plank! Arrgh!