REVIEW: ‘Fena: Pirate Princess,’ Episode 11 – “At Mission’s End”

Fena: The Pirate Princess is a joint Crunchyroll-Adult Swim exclusive adventure anime from Production I.G. While the crew revel in the new found riches of Eden, Fena and Yukimaru ascend to what seems to be the final stop on their long journey. Unbeknownst to any of them, however, Lord Abel is close behind, and his obsession with seeing Helena again is beginning to unhinge his mind in Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 11.

Outside of Fena and her crew, the only central character the story has fleshed out is Lord Abel. While I have enjoyed the fleshing out of his motives and how the show has delivered the character so far, Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 11 stumbles significantly in its handling of him. Not so much in what he does, but how those around him treat him. It feels like much about our “good” Lord Abel is glossed over in an overly romanticizing way that feels hollow and undeserving of the character. This misstep severely hinders what, as we’ll get into, is an otherwise superb episode.

What Fena and Yukimaru discover after ascending the marble stairs to what Yukimaru called “The Land of Gods” last episode I will not be sharing. I will, however, say that their part in the pivotal moments that transpire continues to deliver the characters in all their charm and strength.

Meanwhile, as the crew marvels at their discovery of untold riches, they realize that their enemy is approaching and decide they must keep the enemy busy, lest they catch up to Fena and Yukimaru. Despite not even knowing where the two have gotten off to, they simply assume that it is probably the true purpose of Eden’s existence, and Lord Abel and his men cannot be allowed to reach it.

I loved the handling of the crew here. Despite not having the full details, they know their comrades and their enemy well enough to act decisively without a lot of dithering. They are the Goblin Knights and they protect their own. And while it’s been a few episodes since the troops got to draw swords and throw down, Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 11 takes full advantage of its opportunity to remind the viewer of just how formidable the legendary knights genuinely are. Yet despite their impressive skills, a lone foe with a single-minded purpose manages to slip their grasp and continue his journey to the marble stairs.

With previous episodes, Production I.G. has produced some of the most beautiful visuals I have seen. From the elegance of the poetic plot moments to the amazing way it has delivered the brief moments of combat, every episode of this series has gotten to flex its visual muscles in one way or the other. Now here, in the penultimate episode of the season, Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 11 brings it all together. The fantasy, the wonder, and the brutally efficient combat are all sewn together to form a visual tapestry that makes every moment in this episode a thing to behold.

So, while Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 11 lands almost every aspect of its story perfectly, its one misstep is a massive one. The mishandling of its key villain here was one of those moments that hurt not just the episode but the show as a whole for me. I still love Fena: Pirate Princess, but now whenever I talk about it, I will always have to say, “If only they hadn’t done X.”

Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 11 is streaming on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim.