A Grindhouse Fairy Tale: ‘Puppet Princess’ Reviewed
by Tito W. James
In Puppet Princess a family who builds special karakuri puppets is slain by an evil warlord. When the princess survives, she uses her skill with puppets to go on a quest for vengeance. The 45 minute OVA (original video animation) packs a punch with moments worthy of Kite or Ninja Scroll.
The limited animation is more than compensated for by some superb directing by Hirotoshi Takaya. Blood and gears fly through the air in slow-motion like an expressionist painting. Puppet Princess also nails the tone of great grindhouse cinema and knows how to make its audience cringe and grin in equal measure. The short-film’s streamlined storytelling, visceral action, and macabre fantasy elements make Puppet Princess a hidden gem!
Puppet Princess is now streaming on RetroCrush.