REVIEW: ‘The Magical Revolution Of The Reincarnated Princess And The Genius Young Lady’

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Princess Anisphia Wynn Palettia is a peculiar oddity in her world. One of the defining elements of the royalty of her kingdom is their ability to use magic. Anisphia however is incapable of wielding magic in the manner of her forbearers. Due to this, she has stepped out of her role as royal heir to pursue new forms of magic, ones not exclusive to the aristocracy and the royal family. But her life changes when a crash landing on her custom-designed magic broomstick brings her face-to-face with Lady Euphyllia Magenta. Now the duo will learn, grow, and challenge the conventions of their society in The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady from diomedea.

The first thing I feel needs to be addressed here is a misleading element of the title. If you are deep in the anime community you undoubtedly read this title and instantly thought, “this is an isekai.” Well, kind of. While the core concept of one of the characters being a reincarnated individual from another world does come up, it is so minor that I would struggle to claim that this series really counts as an isekai. And given that I know there are some in the community that are turned off by that genre, I would not let it impair your curiosity about this series. It really has no impact on the story in any meaningful way.

What The Magical Revolution actually brings to viewers is a fun, light-hearted adventure about two young women who seek to better their world by breaking down societal norms that have stifled the growth of magic. Princess Anisphia is an entertaining central figure for the narrative, whose enthusiasm and love for magic bring a genuine sense of joy to much of the series’ 12 episodes.

While the bright moments are wonderful and fun, the tale does eventually take several dramatic turns in the back half, and sadly it is here that it fairs far worse. The drama of its biggest story beats feels heavy-handed and overwrought. It tries to appeal to emotions that don’t go with the plot that is laid out for the viewer. It spends much of one episode desperately trying to make the viewer feel bad for one villain who has come to murder Anisphia, but with the motives that he has, pity just isn’t in the cards. Anisphia herself is portrayed as bearing a grand sense of guilt over the events that borough the confrontation to this point, despite the fact that she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Sadly, this poor execution of emotional melodrama also stains The Magical Revolution’s final episodes as well. The final narrative beat of the series that pits Anisphia against her trusted friend Euphyllia is so overplayed that it makes daytime soap opera drama feel restrained. Motivations are frequently misinterpreted by characters to a gross degree, and the final confrontation is so brief and anticlimactic that it makes the whole thing feel pointless.

Whether the series is delivering the happy moments it succeeds at or the dramatic elements it severally fumbles, no blame can be laid at the feet of the visuals. The design of the world is always eye-catching, and the numerous scenes where magic is employed are always brought to life with gorgeous colors and smooth animation.

When all is said and done, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady is a fair piece of media. Its strong moments are immensely enjoyable, but its inability to properly handle its heavier moments makes the series a severely flawed experience.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady is streaming on Crunchyroll.