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The Ribbon Hero review
Yûki Igarashi’s adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s influential manga is a conservative (if impressively animated) reimagining that dulls the source material’s pioneering elements
TL;DR
- The film is a conservative adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's influential manga, Princess Knight.
- Director Yûki Igarashi concentrates solely on the protagonist Sapphire's feminine side, neglecting the pioneering gender-flipping aspects of the original.
- Sapphire is forced into exile and becomes Princess Knight after an incident with a crystal pool, allowing her to fight interdimensional creatures.
- The animation is impressive, featuring diverse styles, but the characterization is bland and the plot adheres to conventional battle-anime tropes.
- The adaptation fails to capitalize on Tezuka's more adventurous impulses, resulting in a conventional 'girl-power' narrative.