Reviews

Elf Princess Rane is a vanishingly brief, well-produced, confused little mid-90s OVA. It has all the visual acuity and charm one expects from both the era and the format, but none of the narrative clarity that allows the abundant comedy to really shine through. Beginning with the story, it is essentially nonexistent outside of the setup. Go is an eccentric treasure hunter, and along with his childhood friend Mari, they stumble upon a tiny magic elf called Rane, who is on a quest to discover some artifact known as the four hearts. Beyond this setup, it is simply a chaotic mess. Two rival organizations, the Fire Department and Yumenotaka, both staffed by two sisters of a set of identical triplets, are also somehow involved with Go's pursuit of riches and all the elf magic, but exactly how is not exactly clear. There's also this trend of certain characters speaking complete and total gibberish, a language only those who clandestinely speak it understand. This is exemplified by Zenshuuin, a blue-haired eccentric and Feng Sui master who has perhaps more than 50% of his dialogue in this tongue. Anyway, individual moments of slapstick comedy are well-executed, but that's more thanks to the art than any aspect of the story or its writing. Speaking of the art, it is the strong point of this OVA by a mile. It looks fantastic, with smooth, lively animation that is bursting with color, and character designs which strike a balance between visual appeal and creative flare. The art style really brings everything to life, from the detailed machines to the sheer expressiveness of the characters which live within the world itself. The sound is a close second to the art, with impressive, fast-paced voice acting with an especially wide range of temperaments, though that feels almost wasted on a one-off comedy which is pretty much only in one emotional gear the entire time. The characters are solid, meeting all standards of quality for the time, and of the cast the main duo, Go and Mari, are my favorites, mostly due to their contrast and interactions with their respective magical guests. Overall, Elf Princess Rane is fun, but it leaves a lot of its potential on the table, resulting in an experience which is passingly entertaining for its total run of just under an hour. Give it a shot if you want to see a relatively unknown comedy OVA, or if you're really into this subgenre of 90s anime, but even then, there are better examples out there.