Love After World Domination Flips the Modern Princess Trope on Its Head!
What if princesses were not daughters of kings, but members of an army trained for the destruction of mankind? That would explain why they are always such powerful fighters these days. The new anime series Love After World Domination does just that, but with a twist. It has a Power Rangers-inspired setting with a plot reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. In the same way that Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle parodies the trope of princesses getting kidnapped, this anime takes the modern trope of princesses being skilled warriors and takes it in an unexpected direction. That's just one of the reasons that Love After World Domination is my favorite new anime this season.
The show starts like any other Power Rangers series with a team of five color-coded warriors (sentai) fighting against a female-led legion of monsters. It is then revealed that this rivalry is a ruse, at least on the part of the Red Ranger, Fudo, and the opposing Reaper Princess, Desumi. Though Desumi is a powerful fighter and works for the evil legion known as Gekko, it is revealed that she only does this out of obligation to her family and her overachieving nature. If it were up to her, she'd rather be an ordinary high school student. Fudo catches on to this and asks her on a date. They begin a secret relationship behind closed doors while the rest of the world sees them as enemies. Those who learn the truth behind their relationship of it are surprisingly accepting, especially the other sentai. This is due to Desumi's warm and magnetic personality, which is closer to older Disney Princess tropes than the newer ones.
One thing that makes this show unique is the unique way that it establishes its princess archetype. There is a lot more focus on Gekko than on the Power Ranger base. Gekko is run on a hierarchy in which generic-looking reaper characters that represent the Putty Patrollers from the original Power Rangers are on the lowest tier and are commanded by powerful women known as Princesses, who are in the middle tier. When a princess is successful enough, she is offered a promotion to become a beast and have her DNA genetically enhanced with an animal to become a powerful monster. Desumi is offered this promotion to the distress of her jealous princess colleagues, but she turns it down because being a monster would make it harder for her to wear cute outfits and paint fun designs on her nails. So precious!
What I love about this anime is that it subtly pokes fun at the fact that modern princesses have gone so far in the opposite direction that it's more difficult than ever for a modern princess to live like a traditional one, even if that's what she wants. Desumi is indeed a powerful fighter despite her cute appearance, but she was roped into being the Reaper Princess due to peer pressure from people who admire her fighting skills. If it were up to her, she would much rather go on dates with Fudo than be forced to battle him for public acclaim. In other words, she'd rather be what a princess used to be before the archetype changed to a fierce warrior who crushes everyone in her path.
Love After World Domination blasted its way into my heart as one of my favorite anime series of all time. After watching Power Rangers as a teenager, it's refreshing to see a series that focuses on how the villains' organization is run instead of the heroes. It is a little different from the original Power Rangers shows in that the sentai don't keep their identities secret. I think the writers made this decision because it would have been too excessive for Fudo and Desumi to have to hide their identities as well as their relationship. It also would have put less pressure on them if they could date in their civilian forms with having to worry about being recognized. I love this show's playful commentary on what princesses have evolved into vs. what they once were. Love After World Domination is currently airing on Crunchyroll. Are you a fan?
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