I should mention a important disclaimer in this review: this review is about the 2007 television anime "Princess Resurrection," by Studio Madhouse, based on a manga of the same name. This is not to be confused with the OVA series, released between 2010 and 2011 by a different studio, Tatsunoko Production, and of which, only three episodes exist. Normally, this wouldn't be important, but usually, OVA and television anime are made by the same studio, so the quality comes out to be similar. If you accidently find "episode 1" of the OVA instead of the tv series, you'll find a surprisingly well-animated and well-designed action setpiece. One that, at least visually, looks far better than the 2007 series. Unfortunately, only the tv series was released in North America, and that OVA remains out of reach (no matter how badly I want it), likely due to mediocre sales of this main series. Although, Sentai Filmworks did go back to give it an English dub (it originally had a sub-only release), so maybe the OVA will come one day."Princess Resurrection" seems to be one of the earlier anime to take advantage of the "Halloween" trend in anime (see 2008's "Soul Eater" and 2008's "Corpse Princess," to name a few similar in design). It opens with Hiro, a normal high school boy, traveling to a spooky house on the edge of town. This is where Hime lives, the titular "Princess": she's royalty in the secret monster world. She acts high-and-mighty about it, living alone in her large house. Through a series of events, Hiro is promptly killed, but resurrected himself as an undead minion by Hime. No longer human, he spends the rest of his life in service to hime, much to his chagrin, as she defends herself against other monster-beings intent on waging war against her. There is a bit of interesting content with the world-building, as we slowly learn about the variety of monsters that exist, and their hierarchy in relation to Hime, and their reasons for wanting to fight against or for her. However, most of the series is just a string of "monster-of-the-week" episodes, opening with Hime enjoying tea in the morning, fighting someone that comes to the house, and enjoying an evening tea at the end. It's a repetitive formula, only saved in the variety of the monsters and how the heroes have to deal with them. While there certainly is variety in the monsters, some quirky choices were made that might distract the viewer: on Hime's side is Hiro (the newly-made zombie), Flandre (Hime's personal maid and bodyguard, an android that looks like a cute little girl, who only uses one word when trying to speak), Liza (a teenage tomboy girl / werewolf always eager to pick a fight, originally named "Riza" in Japan) and Reiri (a classmate of Hiro's, and secretly a vampire with her own agenda). It's a strange mix, and of course, all the girls develop a crush on Hiro, giving the hapless boy his own harem before the series is half-finished, with the threat that they might accidently kill him, if not for his new zombie abilities making it more difficult for him to die.
It's also in these characters where artistic design shows its flaws. Hime is dressed in a lolita-styled black Victorian dress with long blone hair. Liza wears a tight tank-top and pants suitable for hiking. Reiri dresses in a elegant black school uniform. Distinct? Yes, especially when compared to other anime. But also lacking in inspiration given the supernatural nature of the show. Colors and detail overall are flat, and animation is severely limited, using a lot of shortcuts during action scenes. Madhouse was a popular studio around 2007, but I'm certain "Princess Resurrection" was done with one of their lesser teams while the star staff was busy elsewhere. Only a handful of background designs during the opening and ending credits suggest a hint of style that takes advantage of the Halloween atmosphere. That's also when the music makes the biggest impact, with opening and ending themes being simultaneously catchy and creepy. The English dub in question is fine, with the rare questionable translation choice here and there."Princess Resurrection" ultimately is just fine, but uninspired, without much importance given to the story to intice a viewer. The characters are fun, but both a little strange and a little too typical in their personalities and design. The series never quite delivers fully on the horror aspects, or the potential sadistic relationships Hiro has to contend with with his new friends. The production values make it seem five years older than it should. If you're in the market for an accessible Halloween-inspired-action-horror-romance-comedy, you might enjoy "Princess Resurrection," but there are better options to consider, even in such a seemingly limited genre space. And the OVA series proves it could be adapted WAY better.