Copyright © 1995 KSS

When I see studios advertising "a cult classic," or "a fan favorite," it sometimes really means "we want this to be a cult classic," or "potentially a fan favorite." ELF PRINCESS RANE, however, actually does merit this classification in certain circles, and it is interesting to see this title released in English by AnimeWorks.
Half the fun of ELF PRINCESS RANE is figuring out what in the world is going on, so I will try to not explain away too much of the plot here. The story's main character is Go Takarada, a treasure hunter trying to follow in his parent's adventuresome footsteps. As such, he desperately searches his hometown on any lead in order to find that big treasure waiting for him. His search brings him to a shrine, where he causes chaos with the priest and the priest's subordinate (who happens to be Go's sister). Meanwhile Mari, Go's cute childhood friend and neighbor, continues to feel frustrated that Go takes her for granted and keeps leaving her behind. At the same time, the Yumenokata Foundation, run by Mari's father, is working on a huge secret project in the city. The project's head is secretly in love with Mari, and his subordinate (who is also Go's sister) is secretly in love with him. The Fire Department (partially lead by another sister of Go) attempts to keep close tabs on the Foundation's actions. While all this is happening, Rane, a doll sized elf from another dimension, is in search for the treasure of the Four Hearts and encounters Go. Matters are not helped by the fact that neither of them speak the same language. And then Leen, another elf, follows afterwards and meets up with Mari...
Miscommunication is the main component in the mix. The intense speed ramblings by the various characters and the impossible levels of physics makes ELF PRINCESS RANE a frantic ride. A lot of the elements in ELF PRINCESS RANE intentionally steal from many cliché anime stereotypes, from the unnecessary clothes transformation sequence and bath scenes, to solid-as-a-rock cool guys (who only to waver later) to randomly exploding buildings.
The subtitling job is adequate on AnimeWorks' part, but it is admittedly a difficult job to keep up with the speed at which the characters speak and act. In some cases they properly space different simultaneous sources of voice, and in other cases they jumble it together in the same area. For those unwilling to brave the subtitle, the English dub proves decent as well, though in this case overacting is actually more of a requirement than a mistake.
The only real failing of ELF PRINCESS RANE is the fact that this is an OVA series that was never completed. The production values are high and consistent through both of the episodes, and it is not a cliffhanger per se, but this feels more like a beginning of the quest than a complete one. Nevertheless, I still quite enjoyed watching this show again, and this should not prove to be a major hurdle for potential viewers.
If hyper action and even more in-your-face humor is your thing, ELF PRINCESS RANE should not disappoint. It does fit in with the style of humor of other "cult classics" such as PREFECTUAL EARTH DEFENSE FORCE (Kenritsu Chikyuu Boueigun), COMBUSTIBLE CAMPUS GUARDESS (Bakuen Campus Guardess) and even CHILD'S TOY (Kodomo no Omocha) to a degree. It is something of an acquired taste, but ELF PRINCESS RANE does a great job in spoofing the anime genre while telling a funny story of its own.

Released by in North America by AnimeWorks
VHS, 60 minutes
Subtitled, AWVS-9936, $24.95
Dubbed, AWVD-9937, $24.95
Available now in the U.S.A.
Where to buy