I thought I understood what it means to be an otaku, but after stumbling upon this anime, this somehow shed light on my vague understanding about it. Days before, I was just scrolling up on one of my socmed feeds when I encountered a clip about it. Curiosity immediately arose in me when I saw that clip. I thought this would just focus only on the girl changing and gaining confidence because of make-up—but I was wrong—totally wrong! It was so much better than that. So now join me as we dive into the peculiar yet fun world of Tsukimi in Princess Jellyfish.
About the Anime
Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime) is a josei anime that premiered in the fall of 2010. This aired from October 15, 2010, to December 31, 2010. This anime series was licensed under Funimation and was animated by Brain's Base. Its genre is said to be rom-com, but comedy is more dominant in this one. Like many other josei anime, its theme has an adult cast, and this one somehow involves crossdressing. It has 11 episodes in total, and it was based on the earlier parts of the manga written by Akiko Higashimura, and it's already been published and completed in 2017 with 17 volumes (93 chapters) all in all.
So it started with the story of a girl—a girl who's fond of jellyfish. It's been half a year since Tsukimi moved and became an illustrator in Tokyo, but still she's unused of how many hipsters it has. She tried to attend an event about jellyfish, but it turns out her social anxiety is much higher than her obsession with it, and so she ended up going back to her apartment—Amamizu-kan. Ever since the time her mother brought her to an aquarium, Tsukimi has been fascinated with jellyfish. Later on, it became her obsession, and she's definitely an otaku about it.
Her life has been going fine, for despite the fact that she's socially reclusive, she's not alone because there are women like her, and apparently she's living with them. They call their group 'Sisterhood' because they're all bunch of virgin otakus who totally live in recluse. They all have different tastes—from jellyfish, old men, and fictional characters to traditional Japanese dolls and trains! Even though their tastes are varied, they still really relate to each other. However, a fateful meeting was bound to change the course of her 'normal' life—and that started when she met Kuranosuke, a beautiful 'woman', who unexpectedly helped her save a jellyfish.
From that night forward, the beautiful woman—who turns out to be a male—constantly visits her in their apartment. Since it's strictly an all-female apartment, Tsukimi did her best to hide the true sex of Kuranosuke. At first the Sisterhood didn't like the look of this fashionable hipster 'woman', but due to Kuranosuke's effort to get close to them, they later reluctantly welcomed him. He is seemingly shallow at first, but later on, as things progress—layer by layer he will be revealed—and it turns out he isn't just with them for fun because he intends to make Tsukimi and her otaku friends realize something—and it's definitely will change their lives forever!
I didn't have a high expectation for this anime because the title itself was weird for me. I'm really the kind of viewer who judges the anime through the title, and the moment I saw that it has a 'princess' in it, I hesitated. I mean, I'm already past that girly era, but I held onto my intuition that it would turn out well and indeed it turned out to be one. I'm already familiar with the Cinderella-effect plot—from rag-looking to beautiful woman style—but when I knew who's her ML, I was shocked because it turns out that the ML is much more beautiful than her even with her make-up on. I'm not biased, but he really looked stunning in his trendy hipster crossdressing, but what makes him more attractive is his attitude!
I don't know, but I low-key feel that the title didn't refer to Tsukimi at first because, as she describes the jellyfish, they're all beautiful and elegant—which I think would perfectly describe Kuranosuke. Our FL is really the opposite of ML because she has low self-esteem. The first episode immediately pointed out her insecurities and her low self-esteem and how they affected her interaction with other people. I kinda relate to her because I also have a lot of insecurities, and honestly, like her, I also have low self-esteem. Otakus in anime were mostly cute, but their portrayal in this anime just hit adeptly with reality, thus making it really relatable.
It may have a promising plot, but I think this series isn't enough. I personally was expecting for their romance to at least bloom, but their relationship just turned out to be more of platonic one. I already read the manga because I can't sleep knowing that it's already completed, and the anime really left it hanging. I really wanted the characters have more interaction because those will sure be enjoyable to watch. Its comedy didn't disappoint me because it really made me laugh (especially the Ole! part, ahahhaha, it really cracked me up!). The plot was lighthearted and enjoyable, but it sure would be better if the story went further.
Anyways, as for its artstyle, it's the usual one that I expected from older anime. It isn't remarkable nor bad; it just works fine with portraying the comedy. Since I read the manga, I honestly say its art style there is much better than anime; however, I think the anime did much better in delivering the gag. The character designs (especially the sisterhood) were straight weird for me because there are really far from the ideal otakus who usually stand out. They're just odd and simple, and that's what makes them relatable. The animation was decent—although like its art style—it isn't remarkable, but it is the thought that counts for me (this time...hehehe).
What I really like in this anime is its soundtrack! It's definitely addicting, and I can't help myself humming its tune now and then. The Star Wars' space-like battle, Mary Poppins' umbrella scene, James Bond's opening to many more reference scenes—the opening song literally screams fangirl vibes. It's cute and uplifting tune was definitely fit to start each episode, but what's more likeable is its ending song. The tune was catchy, and the raspy voice of the singer really complemented well with the delicate message of its lyrics. It's highly hooking, and up until now, I'm still humming its tune.
Overall, my personal rating for this anime is 8.6/10. I rate it slightly higher than the previous anime I've watched because I really enjoyed how lighthearted it was. It was an effective diversion in these trying times of mine, and its plot was sure unlike the unreal ones where the FL immediately gains confidence once she gets beautiful. That plot was something that I find unbelievable because I really don't believe that people can easily gain confidence just because their appearance improved. Yeah, there will be some changes, but not the drastic ones that will really turn the person into an entirely new one. It will sure take time and a lot of effort to change the mentality of a person, and fortunately this anime didn't turn into that one. There are changes, but it's still a long way to go.
It was really an enjoyable one, and I did enjoy watching it. The romance, though it wasn't that seen much, was definitely heartwarming. The 'Sisterhood' dynamics were something that I didn't expect I would like. They're really funny and diverse, and I think many fangirls would find those women relatable. My first thought would be it's just another rom-com anime with just cheesy romance and funny gags, but surprisingly it has its own depth. So if you're looking for a weird, funny, and enjoyable anime for your otaku side, then look no more because Princess Jellyfish is definitely must watch!
Before I end this review, I gladly share with you a sneak peek about it, so—
Have you watched this anime before? Or is this your first time seeing it? Well, please do share your opinions about it in the comment. That's all for now, minna-san! I hoped you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the last picture was edited in Canva.