‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess (Season One) – Himesama “Goumon” no Jikan desu

Captured by the Hellhorde, the Princess of the Imperial Army will need all of her strength and fortitude if she is to keep from divulging secrets that could spell ruin for humanity. Get ready, Princess for ’tis time for torture!
‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess (Season One) – Himesama “Goumon” no Jikan desu
What did you watch?
So, this is my twelfth series from the Winter 2024 schedule and quite frankly, I’m having a blast. Binge-watching show after show has absolutely solidified the idea in my mind that this is the way to enjoy things going forward. I will still do episode reviews, however, they will be so that I can focus on a show that I have seen before and loved. Several shows from this season have already found their way onto my shortlist for the future. So, the big question here is whether ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess will find its way onto that list. Let’s find out!

What happened?
Hime is the Commander of the Third Legion Army. She has defeated countless foes in humanity’s battle with the Hellhorde. However, in her last battle, she was captured along with her sentient sword, Ex and now they find themselves waiting to see what the Hellhorde is planning on doing with them. Their first sign that things were not going to go well for them was when Torture Tortura, the Hell Lord’s Chief Interrogator entered her cell. She was accompanied by Datarma, a large green-skinned monster carrying an iron maiden. Torture introduced herself and then revealed that they had come to extract some secrets from Hime. They should prepare for torture!
Ex laughed defiantly. There was no way Hime would crack. No way, no how. She was the Commander of the Third Legion after all. Then, as Hime prepared herself for the worst, Torture opened the iron maiden and revealed a freshly toasted slice of bread, dripping with butter. Hime began to salivate. Then, Torture revealed a roasting pan with the remains of a stew on the bottom. She slid a chunk of the bread over the succulent juices and then popped it into her mouth, letting out a squeal of delight. Hime had seen enough. She cracked, revealing a secret about the army. And with that secret, she had earned herself a toast party. Datarma rolled in a trolley covered with a variety of toppings for them to enjoy. However, the secret was not enough for the Hell Lord. They would try again tomorrow and the day after that until they got something useful!

What did you think?
After a couple of episodes, I was worried that this series was going to get stale thanks to its formulaic approach. Thankfully, that never came to be as the real heart of this story was the characters and not the less conventional torture methods. We got to see the lives of the Hell Lord, his daughter, a couple of rookie inquisitors, and even the daughter of an influential family. Not to mention Hime and Ex, of course. This series ended up being a lot of fun and regularly made me laugh. It was also sweet and kind-natured with the Hell Lord being the biggest surprise in the show. Admittedly, it could have been a very dire affair had they been exacting actual torture for twelve episodes. Thankfully, that was not the case.

What was your favourite moment?
There were lots of great moments which is one of the things this series excelled in. As a result, having a longer narrative wasn’t so important. There was a recurring character who was trying to rescue Hime from the Hell Lord’s dungeon, Louch Brittan, a knight clad in white. Every time he was thwarted by Hime who didn’t want to miss the next round of torture. Well, one time the Louch arrived he ran into the Hell Lord who was on his way home from seeing an idol concert where he had moved closer to the stage for the first time in his life. He was concerned that Louch seemed to be lost and a little agitated as a result. Louch was terrified of the Hell Lord’s power, although he didn’t know it was the Hell Lord and unleashed his most powerful attack.
The Hell Lord ignored it as if it was nothing and then complimented Louch on a badge he wore on his cloak that looked like the insignia from his favourite anime. It was. It was also Louch’s favourite anime and he was delighted that someone had recognised it. After discussing anime for a while Louch decided to go home, but promised to talk more with him the next time he was in the area. I loved this play on things and it fit perfectly with the Hell Lord who was actually the kindest and most thoughtful of demon lords that I’ve experienced.

What was your least favourite moment?
I’m struggling to really come up with something that I would say stood out as being the least entertaining part. There were some much shorter segments that focused on Vanilla Peshutz that weren’t as exciting, but that wasn’t really that notable. I was a little disappointed that Hime didn’t get to do the walk of courage through the abandoned school where the demons had goofy masks on to try and scare her. The fact that she revealed a secret before even starting so that she could check on Youki who was sick was perfectly on character. I mean, Hime even gave Torture an extra secret when she realised that Torture didn’t want to torture her twice in one day, even though the first torture involved roasting marshmallows…

Who was your favourite character?
My two absolute favourite characters were Ex and the Hell Lord. Ex’s delivery of the line about Hime being the Commander of the Third Legion and as such wouldn’t cave to torture every single time was hilarious not to mention the time that he was subjected to torture which involved sharpening his edge and polishing him up. I loved his commentary on things and how he started to just assume she would give up.
However, the Hell Lord was even better. For the first couple of episodes, we saw him sitting on his throne, looking menacing. Then, when a secret was brought to him, he would dismiss it for the most un-demon-like reasons. For example, they learned that a weapon was buried in a graveyard. He refused to disturb the dead. I loved that he was a loving father too who gave his daughter piggyback rides and played games with her. Using his fire magic to melt butter to make cookies was a great touch. I loved when he questioned Torture’s methods and made her torture him which involved a cold can of beer. He broke, divulging a secret of his own. There were a couple of times that Hime and Ex saw him and assumed he was a stand-in because why would the Hell Lord attend a children’s sports day? Then, Hime, Ex, and the Hell Lord were Isekaied. He woke up first, defeated all the monsters so that they could go home, loving the fact that he had been Isekaied!

Who was your least favourite character?
I’m afraid that I’m going to pick on poor Vanilla once more. She was fine, but not nearly as entertaining as any of the other characters. Even Datarma was excellent and he didn’t have a single line of dialogue in the entire season. I did love how Vanilla’s parents reacted when they discovered that she had a new friend, Hime. Even when things are slow, this series has such a great vibe to it. The message is wholesome and heartwarming, which is not what you’d expect from a series about torture…

Would you like some more?
The one thing that I really want to know is why the humans and the Hellhorde are fighting. I can only assume that it’s about appearances and that the humans haven’t taken the time to get to know the demons. Maybe, Hime will be the bridge. Anyhow, I don’t know if we’ll ever find out, but a second season has already been confirmed. As such, I have already pencilled it in for the future. This series was a lot of fun and while not nearly as good as some of the shows that I’ve seen lately, it warrants a second season in my books. So, yeah. I’ll take some more!

What have you learned?
I don’t think I can say this enough times, but get the characters right and the rest will be fine. And before anyone jumps at me, yes having a good story is also helpful. However, I’d argue that having characters that the audience wants to be with makes them stick around even when the story isn’t as strong. In fact, in this instance, the overall story is almost non-existent. I kept watching to see what they would do next and found that I was coming away from each episode feeling happy and relaxed. I also love the way they flipped out expectations with the demons. The scene where the Hell Lord’s best assassin revealed he wanted to be a children’s book author and illustrator was hilarious. Of course, the Hell Lord supported him and even went out of his way to explain that it was never too late to change careers. He’s the boss we all need! Hell, I’d work for him!

Series Information
English Title | ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess |
Japanese Title | Himesama “Goumon” no Jikan desu |
Medium | Anime |
Released | Winter 2024 |
Episodes | 12 |
Animation Studios | Pine Jam |
Genres | Comedy, Fantasy, Gourmet |
Demographic | Shounen |
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- Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord (Season One) – Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen

Yes, this was such a great series! It really didn’t get enough attention last season. I absolutely loved the relationship between the Hell Lord and his family. Him playing with this daughter was super cute, and I love the dynamic between him and his wife, that’s really sweet too. I think your right about how important it is to have good characters in a story. It reminds me of an author’s interview I once read, and in the interview the author said that characters were everything! If you have interesting characters the story will be interesting no matter what they are doing. If you have boring characters, even in the most exciting situations, the story will still be boring.
The Hell Lord was such a wholesome character. I loved when they asked for the code that Hime had given up in one of her torture sessions and he said it was on the back of his daughter’s drawing so they couldn’t have it.
And yeah, I find that if I connect with a character then I’ll be happy to watch them do anything. There are great stories with amazing plots but it’s always the characters that I remember. They’re the reason I want to read or watch more.
I somehow missed this one! I’ll have to add it to my ever-growing list of anime to watch.
Definitely watch it. It’s one of those shows where you can watch an episode here and there. Perfect for relaxing and feeling good about the world… if only the Hell Lord ruled it that is…
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