REVIEW: ‘Fena: Pirate Princess,’ Episode 9 – “Vice Versa”

Fena: The Pirate Princess is a joint Crunchyroll/Adult Swim exclusive adventure anime from Production I.G. With Fena recently slipping from his grasp, Lord Abel struggle with his emotions towards the memory of Fena’s mother Helena. Meanwhile, Yukimaru and Fena may be about to solve a piece of the puzzle of Eden as they stop to recover from their recent adventures on Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 9.

With both sides of the primary narrative reaching a slow point at the end of the last episode, this week’s story is an opportune time to fill fans in on the background of Lord Abel. As one of the show’s primary antagonists, it’s good to know the motives of the man who seems so fixated on not only Fena but her deceased mother Helena. The entire first half of Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 9 devotes itself to pulling back the curtain on the Lord’s motivations.

Without going into spoilers, this exploration is magnificently executed. It not only successfully pulls back the curtain on Lord Abel but also drops some hints that deepen the larger plot of the story. Planting these small connections to the larger narrative wasn’t necessary, but doing so allows the story to keep pushing forward, even as it inspects the past. Getting the most out of an episode’s time while not making the moments feel bloated or confused is always great to see. The more I can smoothly learn about Fena’s world in each episode the better.

Meanwhile, the back portion of Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 9 finds Yukimaru doing some light workouts to test how his wounds have healed. When Fena approaches to strike up a conversation, a surprise is discovered that gives new relevance to old things and makes one of my favorite side elements of the series have a whole new purpose and weight. I love when a plot can seamlessly take moments and cast them in new lights. These elements encourage the viewer to take in every moment of an episode since you never know what may come back later as relevant.

The voice acting in this episode delivers its story exceptionally well. While I’ve enjoyed the voice work throughout the series, this week’s episode delivered a high note for the series thus far. This is particularly true where Lord Abel is concerned. The exploration of his past is highlighted by the emotional voice work that sells his story.

Despite there being nothing flashy for the animation to deliver on this week, it nonetheless continues to contribute greatly to the show’s delivery. So much of the weight that the episode’s scene brings to bear is a direct result of the amazing animation work.

With this season heading into its final stretch, Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 9 sets up both sides of the narrative wonderfully. With much of the exposition and backstory out of the way, I look forward to where the high seas will take Fena and her crew from here.

Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 9 is streaming on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim.