Release the Spyce

Well, unlike one of my fellow reviewers, I really could not remember what happened in Katana Maidens Toji No Miko at all, so I could not compare this anime series to that particular show. However, I quickly realized that there was another and perhaps better espionage-based anime series featuring young girls - it is called Princess Principal (PP), and so I was able to compare this show with that one. Anyway, PP surpassed Release the Spyce (RtS) in almost every way and on all counts. This includes the setting, the storyline, the espionage missions, and really everything in RtS is like a level or two down from PP. Still, I cannot say that RtS does not have something going for it. As other reviewers have written, it has a pretty great soundtrack, and I also liked the brisk opening. I thought the atmosphere really benefited a lot from the good music they chose. Despite that, I didn't really like the characters much, and I did not get to like anyone in particular (although the sexy main female villain). On the other hand, I did not find the characters particularly irritating either. Sometimes I felt like there was a bit of that Mission Impossible-like suspense, and sometimes I was reminded of that famous 007 dude again, so even as a narrative centered on espionage it held up for me, with the more serious and slightly dramatic ending not bothering me at all. So, what about the rest? Well, young girls were playing at being secret agents whilst dealing with their own personal problems, and I thought that actually each new girl was a bit too fixated on their mentor for my taste... 5.2/10. (12/23/2018)