‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess: Episode 1

I have to stop reading manga. I want the thrill of discovering new anime as it airs! Fortunately, I never got around to Solo Levelling so I can see where it goes!

As you might have guessed from my opening paragraph, I discovered ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess some time ago through the adorable manga. And adorable it is. It was such a comfy and feel-good read that I squealed a little when I saw that an anime was announced. I also stopped reading the manga immediately.

And I’m sure glad I did. This is one of these shows that I find just works best in anime form. The colours, the exaggerated expressions and the top-notch voice acting just elevates what was already an utterly charming experience. I actually watched the first episode with someone, and they were less impressed. They still liked it and thought it was adorable, but it just didn’t necessarily suck them in. On the other hand, I was smitten. I have to admit I was even a little happy since it meant that I could watch the episodes as soon as I felt like it without having to coordinate with someone else. But let’s make that our little secret.

‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess is a fairly simple premise. A heroine princess, war-hardened and disciplined beyond reason is taken hostage by the demon horde against which her kingdom has been locked in battle. And now they are trying to extract her most important secrets. But can anything break a paragon such as the princess? Just how low will these demons sink???

So far, they have been feeding her really lovely food. For those of you who have not read the manga, don’t worry not all the tortures will be culinary based but that was the focus of this first episode. And it was just plain fun. I have no notes.

I will say however that of all the characters, I think Excalibur is the one that is most elevated in anime form for me. Sort of an odd thing to say since he has no expressions, no animation to speak of either and a fairly drab colour palate. You would think the difference between manga Ex and anime Ex is minimal. And in a way it is. It’s a very faithful adaptation. But the devil is in the details. The color fail for example had me laughing out loud. The voice acting every time Ex starts to question the princess. That bewildered Hime sama? That got me every single time as well. He was just such a fantastic foil for everything and the anime iteration really brings a lot to the table.

Another favourite bit of mine in ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess the various reasons the Demon King gives for dismissing whatever information was obtained through the various tortures. For instance that a weapon that powerful shouldn’t be used! He is a very reasonable demon king indeed!

All in all, the first episode of ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess was exactly what I needed it to be. Sweet, easy to watch and it left me with a stupid smile on my face. I can’t wait to watch them all with you!