Petite Princess Yucie

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Petite Princess Yucie

ぷちぷり＊ユーシィ (Puchi Puri Yūshi)
Genre	Comedy, Fantasy, Magical girl, Shoujo
TV anime
Directed by	Tsuneo Kobayashi
Studio	Gainax
Network	NHK NTV7
Original run	30 September 2002 – 24 March 2003
No. of episodes	26

Petite Princess Yucie (ぷちぷり＊ユーシィ, Puchi Puri Yūshi^?) is an anime series, which was produced by Gainax, aired from 2002 to 2003, and ran for 26 episodes. Six volumes of videos were released on DVD by ADV Films in the United States. Centering around Yucie, a 17 year old who is trapped in a 10 year old's body, the story follows her and her friends, all of who are designated as a Platinum Princess candidates. A Platinum Princess receives the Eternal Tiara which grants any wish, but only to the one it judges worthy and only one wish.

1 Plot summary
2 Characters
3 Theme songs
4 Trivia
5 Resources
6 External links

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Petite Princess Yucie follows Yucie as she goes to Princess Academy, and has lots of adventures in her quest to collect the "fragments" of the Eternal Tiara; whose fragments are scattered throughout the five worlds, those of Human, Demon, Heaven, Spirit, and Fairy. Legends say that once the Eternal Tiara is complete, it can grant one's wish, however, there is a condition, that person must be seen as worthy enough to have such a wish by the Eternal Tiara. In order to prove her worthiness Yucie, along with her friends, sets out to do many odd jobs, such as tending flowers, babysitting a gaint fluff ball, helping to run an old church, helping to run a bakery through which they bring a father and daughter together, then heading into the demon world to help save some of Glenda’s friends, as well as seeking out the second flower which will help complete the Eternal Tiara. It soon becomes clear to Yucie that much like herself, the other girls are very eager to get the Eternal Tiara, because somehow they are all under the same curse which keeps them looking about ten years of age no matter how many years actually have passed for them.

During this quest to find the pieces of the Eternal Tiara, Yucie is also searching for the lost prince of the realm, who once helped her as child, and who she wishes to thank in person. All she knows is images of him, and when she thinks she finds someone that looks familiar while helping at a church, that man, who calls himself Arc, acts like anything but her image of the Prince and yet seems to have the same sword as she remembers the Prince having, so that leaves her slightly torn about her feelings of someone that treated her so rudely and doesn't match what she hoped the Prince would be after so many years.

As time passes and more pieces of the Eternal Tiara are put together it reaches a point where a battle is unavoidable, and that battle takes place in the Fairy World where Arc becomes badly injured. In fact he is so badly hurt that there seems to be no way to save him. However, since at this same time all of the fragments of Eternal Tiara have been collected, Yucie’s wish to break her curse has changed, and has become a desire to save Arc by using the wish of the Eternal Tiara. However, it is still not certain who will be the one the Eternal Tiara chooses, so Queen Ercell sends the five girls, Yucie, Glenda, Cocoloo, Elmina and Beth, to face the final judgment which will take place in the Magic World.

Upon entering the Magic World, Yucie and her friends meet the one who is to judge them all and determine who will be the Platinum Princess. This judge though partly scares them as she resembles a mix between a Jedi Knight (from Star Wars) and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol), since she is covered from head to toe in a brown cloak. However, for their own reasons, and out of respect for Yucie and their friendship for her, Glenda, Cocoloo, Elmina and Beth step back and refuse to become the Platinum Princess, making Yucie the final choice. However, in one final twist, the girls come to realize that not only can one candidate alone be chosen by the Eternal Tiara, but those not chosen will vanish, and if the final candidate refuses to become the Platinum Princess,her world will be destroyed. Yucie's best friends therefore, have sacrificed themselves for the sake of their friendship with Yucie. Realizing this, Yucie refuses to become the Platinum Princess as she does not want to lose her best friends. However, even knowing what is at stake Yucie's friends ask the judge if it is possible to remove all of the memories Yucie has of them, which is done, allowing Yucie to become the Platinum Princess; yet a part of her feels as if something very important to her is missing. Now not remembering her friends, Yucie does become slightly confused over this feeling of not remembering something of great importance to her, and even more confused, when the fathers of all her best friends continue to work to get their daughters back and ask for her help. Combining their powers they successfully open the gate to the Magic World.

Entering the Magic World together Yucie and Arc boldly seek out Yucie’s forgotten and missing friends. While conducing their search Yucie sees one of Cocoloo's drawings which triggers all of her memories, and allows her to suddenly remember everything that has happened to her and her best friends that she had been forced to forget. The judge, who was watching quietly, enters and reveals herself to have been a Platinum Princess in the past who refused to become the Platinum Princess until after her world was destroyed, which she did not tell anyone because she did not want anyone else to feel her agony, to face losing all their friends as she did, and as Yucie almost had happen to her. Yucie however merely is crying at this story saying how important, recalling all the great moments she had with her friends, when suddenly her tears shine brightly on the ground, causing a miracle.

As the tears fall the brown cloak of judge breaks apart into wisp-like objects revealing themselves to be her vanished friends, as the 6th and final fragment is added to the Eternal Tiara. Together, the judge and Yucie make a wish before Yucie and Arc then depart the Magic World. Before leaving though, Yucie and the judge say goodbye to each other one last time, as she vanishes along side her already vanished friends, smiling with joy. Yucie now outside of the Magic World, watches as her friends reappear, and realizes that the curse which had trapped all five girl in bodies which did not grow, is also eliminated, allowing Yucie, Glenda, Cocoloo, Elmina and Beth to grow up normally.

[edit] Characters

Yucie: Yucie was found as an infant by the knight Gunbard after a battle, and became his adopted daughter. Due to an unknown curse, she stopped growing at the age of ten, and looks like a child despite the fact that she is now seventeen. Yucie is very cheerful and gregarious, but she has a very strong desire to break her curse and become an adult. Yucie becomes a Platinum Princess candidate after she sees the light of the Eternal Tiara which was not visible to others.

Voiced by: Maria Yamamoto (Japanese), Rachel Rivera (English)

Cube: A demon and a loyal steward to both Yucie and her father, Gunbard, Cube is able to summon magical items through sorcery, with which he helps Yucie out in several occasions. During the story, we learn that Cube was formerly Glenda's steward, but has been banished from the Demon World by her mother for unknown reasons.

Voiced by: Tomo Saeki (Japanese), Josh Meyer (English)

Gunbard: Gunbard found the infant Yucie after a battle and raised her as his own. He was once a legendary knight, and is often referred to as "the Hero Gunbard." But now he spends all his time doting on Yucie and is always cooking her large amounts of food which she does not always appreciate. Gunbard, fondly called "Papa" by Yucie, may have a mysterious connection with Queen Ercell as well as one to the Enternal Tiara itself.

Voiced by: Kenyuu Horiuchi (Japanese), Robert Matney (English)

Queen Ercell: Queen Ercell, in addition to being queen, is also the principal of the Princess Academy, and the keeper of the Eternal Tiara. She is in charge of finding the Platinum Princess candidates and guiding them through their tasks. She clearly seems to recongize Gunbard by the gasp she makes when Yuice announces she is his daughter to Queen Ercell, but what connection Queen Ercell might have remains is kept somewhat mysterious for much of the series.

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese), Cyndi Williams (English)

Kokoru/Cocoloo: Kokoru (spelled "Cocoloo" in the subtitles of the ADV Films release) is a soft-spoken young woman who becomes Yucie's friend very early in the series. She is a fellow student at the Princess Academy (later revealed to be the Princess of the Spirit World), who wears tiny spectacles at the end of her nose, with her chief characteristics being self-effacing and gentle. Kokoru is so gentle that she is often ignored and talked-over by the much louder Yucie and Glenda, which causes Kokoru to lament that she "has no presence after all" (Which is rather ironic, as Kokoru is the princess of the Spirit World). However, Kokoru is amazingly kind and encouraging towards her friends, which makes an impression on everyone who gets to know her.

Voiced by: Yukari Fukui (Japanese), Monika Bustamante (English)

Glenda: As Princess of the Demon World, Glenda is fiercely competitive. She immediately butts heads with Yucie, her rival to become the Platinum Princess. Glenda is a braggart who frequently proclaims herself as "fantastic" and "elegant," and is also often selfish, jealous, and temperamental. But she has a sweet side which she tries to hide, and eventually becomes very close friends with Yucie, even though she's loathe to admit it.

Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Kelley Huston (English)

Gaga: Gaga is Glenda's steward. He is a seven-foot-tall black-bodied cat-like demon with long, silver hair. This very old man demon has occasional accidents when his hip goes out and can make long-winded lectures that can put anyone listening to sleep, much to his annoyance. Always loyal without question, Gaga takes great pride in being a steward. He also has the ability to transform into a black, red-eyed cat with bat-like wings.

Voiced by: Koji Inoue (Japanese), Jason Liebrecht (English)

Elmina: As the Princess of Heaven, Elmina is an angel who wears white robes and has wings. Elmina is very studious and fastidious, and a bit of a humorless goody-two-shoes. When she was younger, her stern father (who is the king of Heaven) would not tolerate imperfection. So Elmina tries very hard to be perfect, and she is also very hard on herself whenever she makes a mistake. But with her new friends at the Princess Academy, Elmina slowly learns to be more confident and secure.

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Leigh Anderson Fisher (English)

Arc: Arc is a mysterious young man dressed in a cape and fedora. He first meets Yucie when he seeks shelter at a convent at which she is temporarily working. It turns out that he is being sought by the guards at the castle which alarms Yucie. Although Yucie is very saucy towards Arc, she finds herself drawn to him. Arc heroically saves Yucie when they encounter a demon from the Demon World. He also calls her "Forehead" to tease her about her big forehead, much to her consternation. After kissing her on her forehead a few times, he also gives her a real kiss, which is witnessed by her friends. Arc is also hunting for the one that first put together the Enteral Tiara, since that he feels will lead him to his real father.

Voiced by: Takayuki Yamaguchi (Japanese), Joey Hood (English)

Chau/Chawoo: Kokoru's steward. Chau is a ghost who often hides in her shadow, so the other characters do not meet him until well into the series. He is very devoted to Kokoru and will always defend her. He speaks with a heavy Kansai dialect.

Voiced by: Chiaki Maeda (Japanese), Shawn Sides (English)

Beth: Beth is the princess of the fairy world. Although she is also a Platinum Princess candidate, she left the Princess Academy after an evil force named Diabolos attacked her world. She is so determined to become the Platinum Princess that she once kidnaps Cocoloo and tries to force her to give up her candidacy. As a result of difficulties she is suffering in her world, she refuses the offers of friendship from the other girls and regards them as her enemies. Due to this attitude, the residents of the fairy world regard her as dangerous. However, afer many meetings with the other girls, Beth learns to open up and accepts the other candidates' friendship, for which the most thanks can go to Cocoloo. Although it is never made explicit, there are hints that she and Kokoru may have some romantic feelings for one another.

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Lee Eddy (English)

Belbel: Belbel is a very cute little Tinkerbell-like fairy who is Beth's steward. While she is obedient to Beth, she also tries to talk Beth into giving the other girls a chance which actually ends up working in the end.

Voiced by: Tomoko Kaneda (Japanese), Larissa Wolcott (English)

Kate: Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (Japanese), Lana Lesley (English)

Music Instructor, Yellow-Dressed Princess: Voiced by: Yuriko Yamaguchi (voice actor) (Japanese), Samantha Inoue-Harte (English)

[edit] Theme songs

Opening

Genius of Smiles (えがおのてんさい, Egao no Tensai^?) by Puchipurizu (Maria Yamamoto, Yuki Matsuoka, Yukari Fukui, Ayako Kawasumi, Fumiko Orikasa)

Ending

Because I Cannot Say It (言えないから, Ienai kara^?) by Yōko Ishida

[edit] Trivia

Takami Akai, the character designer for the Princess Maker series of games (also by Gainax), was the character designer and original creator for Yucie. Thus, there are many similarities between characters in the Princess Maker games and this anime series.
Around episode 14, the ending imagery begins showing images of all five girls instead of images of just Yucie, and while the ending theme title doesn't change, the wording does change slightly.
At episode 19, the ending imagery returns to what it was before, while the wording remains slightly changed. This revert only lasts for episode 19.