Anime continues its global takeover, and The Ribbon Hero Anime Film Review is the latest title making waves. Whether you follow the manga, the anime, or both, this news changes the picture in a big way.
The Story So Far
It's hard to overstate the lasting influence of Osamu Tezuka's The Princess Knight. With the manga published between 1953–56 and an anime that aired from 1967–68, it's widely considered a foundational title for all things shojo, magical girl, and capital-g Gender. This is, obviously, nothing fresh for the storied Tezuka.
Even so, Princess Knight still stands out in Tezuka's immortal library as one of his most legendary and beloved works. So it's hardly a surprise then that, not unlike a number of his other works, it would be loosely reimagined in the modern day as The Ribbon Hero. The Ribbon Hero follows Princess Sapphire after her home kingdom, Silver Land, is destroyed by a creature called the Nergal.
Almost completely alone, maimed, and homeless, she wanders for seven years before eventually finding herself in Gold Land. But just as soon as she's able to find a life for herself there, the Nergal appears once more. But this time, Sapphire can do something about it—she discovers she has some kind of power that lets her transform into a much more powerful version of herself, the Ribbon Knight, who has the potential to defeat the Nergal once and for all.
If you read that and thought that sounds absolutely nothing like the timeless Princess Knight you remember, you're correct. admirers of the timeless series will, of course, recognize some details, and pick up on a handful of Tezuka-isms, but only to a certain—and frankly, very limited—extent. In many ways, this is a total, from-the-ground-up reimagining of Tezuka's timeless series, far more divorced from its source material than, say, Naoki Urasawa's Pluto is from Astro Boy.
This might disappoint some longtime admirers, although admittedly, it makes it feel easier for fresh admirers to dive right in without worry or hesitation. This accessibility allows it to take influence from other anime and manga that themselves were so obviously influenced by the original Princess Knight. Revolutionary Girl Utena (especially the Adolescence movie), Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Rose of Versailles, and Sailor Moon's influence are all over the DNA of this movie.
It feels like a full-circle moment. The movie itself is action-packed and visually stunning; the overall production value and look are simply unmatched. Stylish, well-choreographed, and featuring some excellent fresh part designs by Kei Mochizuki, there's nothing out there that looks quite like this movie—certainly not, for example, Princess Knight.
The coloration alone feels like a feat of design, let alone bringing it together with the fresh environments, part designs, costumes, and more. The CGI (in particular, the CGI used for the Nergal) is admittedly nowhere near as impressive as the 2D frames, but its presence in the movie is pretty minimal. If unique frames are enough to get you on board for a movie, you won't want to miss this one in all its lusciously-colored glory.
For that matter, while it doesn't necessarily successful you as hard …
As the story continues to develop, TeraMovies will keep you updated with every new detail. Until then, this remains one of the most closely watched entertainment stories of the week — and the conversation is only getting started.
