Princess Princess Anime Disc 1 - Boys Will Be Girls

Overall Rating: A
Synopsis: Princess Princess is a Shōjo series based on the manga of the same name. The anime follows Toru Kouno on his first day at a new all-boys school, Fujimori, the most elite school in the area. Things are a bit strange at the school, and Toru immediately notices all the other boys looking at him, and obviously happy to see him. To make things even weirder, his homeroom teacher (who is also male) comments on how attractive Toru is.

As it turns out, the school has a very interesting tradition. Each year they select the most attractive boys to become Hime, or princesses in order to add some excitement for the other boys. The princesses dress up as girls and attend school functions and act as fake idols.

When Toru arrives, there are already two other Princesses, Yujiro and Mikoto, who treat the job very differently. Yujiro seems to enjoy it, while Mikoto obviously hates the job (it turns out that he has a girlfriend and is worried about what she will think). We also find out that while becoming a Princess is, in theory, optional, if someone refuses or quits, they are usually expelled from the school.

It's not all bad though, if Toru agrees, all of his meals, clothes, and other expenses are paid for, and he gets to be late or absent from class with no repercussions.

At first, Toru seemed upset by the idea of becoming a Princess, but after hearing about the benefits, he immediately agrees and becomes the third Princess.

I love this anime. It's hilarious, and has some very interesting gender play going on. For example, there is a scene where the Princesses need to change into the outfits the Home Economics club made for them. The start to change in front of the club, but the members stop them. Confused the Princesses ask "But aren't we all boys?" To which the members say, "We know that, but please don't ruin our dreams." If you like your Shōjo to have comedy and boys dressing as girls, this is the one for you.