Sometimes anime encourages, nay demands, we think with the wrong head, without being hentai. Sex sells. But The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses takes lewdness and also makes it hard (to think at all) as it aims for the funny bone as well as the funny-looking bone. Find an out-of-the-way nook and take a seat. Let me show you this wild, ecchi comedy’s best assets.
Motive for Murder
What if a fantasy hero’s harem party all wanted to kill him? That’s the question The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses asks. Three women share one goal: to eliminate the budding hero Toto. Or rather, two of them do. The third “assassin” is a lonely dominatrix who wants to make the hero her dog — until she gets bored with him and then kills him. Joining the dominatrix poisoner Goa is the demon lord’s magical daughter Ciel, and the professional gun-toting assassin Anemone. Each of them wants to kill Toto for their own reasons, each wants to do it alone, and each introduces themselves to him simultaneously. What could go wrong?
Each heroine has the same plan: get into a party with the hero, get him alone, and kill (or dominate) him. The obvious problem is that with three of them wanting to recruit Toto to their party, none of them can be alone with him. So Ciel straight up abducts him and carries him into the woods with her magic.
Shenanigans ensue, and soon enough, these three gals all join Toto’s party, with an agreement that they’ll alternate trying to kill him. They don’t even have to sneak off to make this agreement, because Toto’s head explodes and he falls unconscious when women touch him.
Head Explosion Excuses
Why is Toto special? Because he’s a shy One-Punch Man. He’s built differently than Saitama, but the reason he’s a brick house is that he lifts weights. The weightlifting also gives him one-punch kill strength. However, Toto’s also so shy that he can’t say more than a couple of words to anyone, and his head explodes when women touch him or look at him closely. Because he can’t socialize, he can’t join a party and get out of the beginner adventurer town. Maybe the bad guys should have left him alone instead of sending him a party.
Heroine Head Shots
It’s hard to discuss the comedy in The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses without spoilers. Murder scenarios try and fail, the heroines fight each other, and everyone is larger-than-life. I was worried Toto’s shyness would get old. But he grows resistant to head explosions and learns to talk enough that the gags aren’t repetitive.
So, you’ll have to watch the anime to see if you enjoy the comedy elements. But why should you take that chance? The appeal of the heroines. Goa and Anemone are clear harem members, but Ciel gives off more little sister vibes — especially when the other two mock her for not understanding adult topics. Together, they drive the plot after kicking off the crazy premise.
Here are the ladies:
Ciel — the Demon Lord’s Daughter Magical Girl
Ciel is an overpowered summoner and a socially isolated young lady. Never allowed to leave the demon lord’s realm, she has to kill Toto to earn the right to travel. She kick-starts the plot by nabbing Toto and losing control of a summoned spider dragon. When Toto kills the spider dragon and promises to protect his new party members, she decides to kill him later. I guess she’s too good to kill someone who saved her life two seconds ago, but evil enough to still want to commit murder tomorrow.
Though she’s a thinker, Ciel’s naive and socially ignorant. She’s not as good at playing head games as the others and is the butt of jokes about how she doesn’t understand adult subjects. The only non-sexy party member (even Toto seems intended to be sexy), Ciel’s more of a little sister to the group. Her taste for sweets emphasizes this.
Anemone — the Gunslinger Professional Assassin
Anemone is an assassin saving up money to change the world. Offered a ludicrous sum to kill Toto, she couldn’t refuse, even though she hates the one condition: she has to dress as a priestess. She’s a nun with guns. While she doesn’t have magical attacks, her weapons come from hammer space, and she’s as good in close combat as with firearms. Despite being far more of a physical threat than the other two heroines, Anemone’s plots seem similarly clever to theirs.
Anemone has two favorite things: money and alcohol. She hates one thing: slavers. This foul-mouthed fetish nurse will surely add Toto to her list of favorite things. The only question is when.
Goa — the Hate-Love Dominatrix
As I’ve said, Goa is a dominatrix. She owns a pleasure palace and has many servants and pets. Unlike her companions, she doesn’t want to kill Toto right away. Why does she want to make Toto her dog? There are hints. It seems Goa lived in poverty as a girl. I’m guessing her family abandoned her, maybe abused her along the way, and nobody loved her, although we haven’t heard this. We are still only three episodes into the season. Now her biggest desire is for people to love her. If she can’t make them do it with aphrodisiacs, or poison and threats, she does it with her mind control skill.
I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for Goa. She’s premium ara ara fodder, has massive assets, and wears very little. Despite all that, she’s also the peacekeeper who makes their party function, and has a soft spot for Toto that comes through when he protects her — even from himself. Without the goal to kill, I’m pretty sure she’ll support Toto’s natural appeal with the ladies and de-fang the other heroines. The only question is if she’ll do it via seduction or camaraderie. Between her damage, her appeal, and a stable personality despite being a mind controller dominatrix, I love her. If Toto can’t win his whole harem, he had better end up with Goa.
Peak Head Explosions
There’s a story here, even if it starts out masked behind a ludicrous premise, sexy ladies, and gags. It’s not about killing Toto, though. No, the story is about a shy man who can’t talk to people and has no friends. But he gains the self-confidence to lead an adventuring party. And he ends up with (hopefully) two lovers and a found-family little sister. I’m here for that… and the horny comedy. I don’t know whether the plot will deepen, and the story become more serious, or if it will stay a lighthearted comedy, but either way it has the setup to do a good job.
See You, Fantasy Hero
Thanks for joining me in appreciating the attributes of The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses. This anime isn’t for you if you hate lewdness or comedy. For the cultured among you, though, this show brings all the weird anime nonsense you could want, in a sexy-funny package.
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