Princess Knight

About Princess Knight

If you are hunting for a new action series, Princess Knight (リボンの騎士) deserves a look (1967). The setup goes like this. At its core: Princess Sapphire is a girl raised as a Prince. Through the mischief of an angel, the princess is born with both a girl's body and boy's mind.

From there, since there is no boy successor in her domain, Sapphire is raised as a boy, but evil ministers try to reveal her hidden. Unable to put up with the kind of vicious conduct prevailing in the domain, Sapphire disguises herself as "Princess Knight" and wields her sword of justice. This is an animated version of the girls' manga featuring Sapphire's romance and adventure, which marked the first made-for-TV animated program geared towards girls in Japan.

As an action title, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Voice work is led by Yoshiko Oota as Sapphire and Takako Sasuga as Tink. If you count yourself among viewers who like fast, high-impact fights, put it on your list. The run is 52 episodes in total, so you know what you are signing up for.

Production & Appeal

Production sits with Mushi Production, which means the visual identity of Princess Knight follows that studio's craft. The action focus matters here: fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. With a 6.4/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. Voice casting, including Yoshiko Oota as Sapphire, adds to the appeal for fans who follow seiyuu. It aired in 1967, which makes it easy to place in the wider anime calendar.