Anime Review: Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood
Sawa Yukimura runs a small used bookstore in Tokyo in 1931 and takes care of her adopted little sister Asahi. The bookstore is often closed, though, as Sawa is also a member of the secret government assassination squad codenamed “Nue.” She’s also the last known survivor of the Karasumori Clan, whose “blue blood” allowed them to merge with animals (in Sawa’s case, a white crow) to gain superhuman powers.
But this is not the 1931 we know. In this alternate history, Japan has access to a unique energy source called Ryumyaku (“Dragon Vein”) that allowed it to remain much more independent of the outside world, and as a result, the Tokugawa Shogunate never fell. The result is a Japan that’s less expansionistic than the one in our history at that point in time, but with an even more repressive government. Opposing shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa is a group called Kuchinawa, which uses artificial blue blood created by renegade scientist Janome to create Changelings.
This 2021 anime was partially inspired by the classic manga Lady Snowblood, and shares a female lead who’s deadly with a sword and seeking revenge.
Good: There’s some very nice visuals, particularly Sawa’s transformation into superhuman form and the battles she engages in. Sawa and Asahi’s relationship is filled with tension (Sawa assassinated Asahi’s parents and feels some guilt over this, while Asahi both resents Sawa for this and feels grateful because those parents were abusive.) The music is good.
Less Good: The series starts with some interesting premises, but never commits to worldbuilding or fully developing most of the characters, instead relying heavily on sudden twists and reveals to keep up interest. Some promising mysteries and plot points are just suddenly dropped without a satisfying resolution. I suspect the original plan was for more than twelve episodes as the pacing resembles a ping-pong game.
Content note: violence, some blood (not always blue.) One of the Nue assassins is a sex worker and we see her at her job (non-explicit). Harm to children, including implied sexual abuse. Body horror.
Overall: This series looks cool, but doesn’t fully deliver on its promises. It doesn’t commit to being alternate history or science fiction, or even a revenge tale. As a result I’d rate it as middling, and perhaps best recommended for people who like writing fanfiction to fill in all the gaps.
