Princess Minerva

Princess Minerva (プリンセス・ミネルバ, Purinsesu Mineruba) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Riverhillsoft for the NEC PC-9801 in 1992 in Japan only. An original video animation by Group TAC was originally released by Toho in May 1995 in Japan; it was later released also in the United States. The extended franchise also includes a manga series, an illustrated serial novel, and other media.

Princess Minerva
Developer(s)	Riverhillsoft
Publisher(s)	Riverhillsoft Vic Tokai Corporation (SNES)
Director(s)	Kōji Ikemoto
Producer(s)	Rika Suzuki Kazuhiro Okazaki
Designer(s)	Junji Shigematsu
Artist(s)	Ran Ishida Fumio Matsumoto Osamu Inoue
Writer(s)	Kō Maisaka
Platform(s)	NEC PC-9801, PC Engine, Super Famicom
Release	1992 (PC-98) March 25, 1994 (PCE) June 23, 1995 (SNES)
Genre(s)	RPG

Development

Princess Minerva was developed by Riverhillsoft and published by Riverhillsoft and Vic Tokai Corporation for the NEC PC-9801,^[1] PC Engine^[2] and Super Famicom.^[3]

Story

In the game, the evil sorceress Dynastar (ダイナスター) (voiced by Yōko Matsuoka) challenges Princess Minerva (voiced by Miki Itou), threatening to kidnap all the girls in the world and turn them into monsters. Minerva leaves with her eight personal female bodyguards to defeat Dynastar and her six also female demon generals. The game starts when all their weapons, armor and money gets stolen.

Release

Princess Minerva was released for the PC Engine on March 25, 1994,^[4] and the Super Famicom on June 23, 1995.^[5]

A five-issue shounen manga series and a nine-volume illustrated serial novel were also released, written by the game's writer Maisaka Kou and published by ASCII comix and Shueisha, respectively, during the 1990s.^[6][7][8][9] An original soundtrack / drama CD compilation was released by Futureland in 1995.^[10] Other released included a regular original soundtrack^[11] and a CD collection of graphics.^[12]

In 2018, the Super Famicom version got a fan translation into the English language.^[13]

Reception

On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the PC Engine version a 21 out of 40 score,^[4] and the Super Famicom version of the game a 23 out of 40.^[14]

Anime

Princess Minerva
プリンセス・ミネルバ (Purinsesu Mineruba)
Original video animation
Directed by	Yoshihiro Yamaguchi
Produced by	Masako Fukuyo Hiroshi Kanemasa
Written by	Hideki Sonoda
Music by	Kenji Kawai
Studio	Group TAC
Licensed by	NA: ADV Films
Released	May 1, 1995
Runtime	43 min

The original video animation Princess Minerva was produced by Group TAC was released by Toho in May 1995 in Japan.^[15] It was released by A.D. Vision in the United States in September 1995 and then again in 1998.

The OAV serves as a prequel to the game, telling how Minerva assembled her team of the most beautiful and powerful women warriors, and how she first run into Dynastar who tried to kidnap her and her friends.^[16]

Dave Halverson gave the anime version a rating of C.^[17] Chris Beveridge of Mania.com gave it a B−.^[18]

Cast

• Princess Minerva; Voiced by: Miki Itou (Japanese); Jessica Calvello (English)
• Blue Morris Rui Elmitage; Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Kim Sevier (English)
• Whisler; Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka (Japanese); Guil Lunde (English)
• Yurisis Cheloria; Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Marcy Rae (English)
• Tua; Voiced by: Junko Iwao (Japanese); Junie Hoang (English)
• Dynastar; Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese); Pam Rosenberger (English)
• Precission; Voiced by: Miki Nagasawa (Japanese); Meredith Dahl (English)
• Lakuroa Balbis; Voiced by: Rei Sakuma (Japanese); Toni Navarre (English)
• Kessley; Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto (Japanese); Laura Chapman (English)
• K-2; Voiced by: Rikako Aikawa (Japanese); Kurt Stoll (English)
• Orlin; Voiced by: Rio Natsuki (Japanese); Tiffany Grant (English)
• Linealter; Voiced by: Ryotaro Okiayu (Japanese); Steve Spurgat (English)
• Hagan; Voiced by: Seizō Katō (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English)
• Yamaha; Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese); Bryan Bounds (English)