A princess must be pretty, nice, and courteous. Or, as in this anime, simply settle everything with brute force from her fists.
There are anime where you think: What the hell am I actually watching? I often look out for such anime – simply because I like to experience something new and want to remain open to fresh ideas. The last thing on my mind is actually another spin-off of the (rather exaggerated) “villainess” genre.
But “May I Ask for One Final Thing?” has just the kind of twist that is enough to keep me entertained.
A princess chooses the path of brute force
What is the anime about? Scarlet El Vandimion is the daughter of a count and has been promised in marriage to the prince of her country since childhood, as soon as they reach adulthood. To preserve the reputation of her house, she endures his humiliations.
At a ball, the prince draws all attention to Scarlet. He accuses her of bullying an ordinary woman named Terenezza Hopkins, simply because she has won the prince’s heart. Terenezza is apparently lying and seems to have seduced the prince. At this moment of humiliation, he also annuls his engagement to Scarlet – which is a release for her.
Before leaving the ball, she asks: “May I ask for one final thing?”
The prince agrees, and her wish follows promptly: “May I punch this bitch in the face?”
Yes, and then … Scarlet does exactly that. She not only coldly beats up Terenezza but also all the other nobles at the ball, including the prince. Blood sprays, walls are smashed, and people fly all over the ballroom.
Freed from her social obligations, she can – much to her brother’s distress and the second prince’s delight – tackle other problems in the world, which she mostly solves with her fists. There hardly is an episode where Scarlet’s face doesn’t get some blood splatters.
Where can you watch the anime? The anime “May I Ask for One Final Thing?” is currently available on Crunchyroll and consists of 13 episodes. So you can comfortably binge-watch it over a weekend.
Who is the anime worth it for? Basically for anyone who just wants to relax a bit and not think too much. The story is rather shallow but entertaining enough. The characters are all “nice” and interesting enough to keep watching – but one shouldn’t expect a complex story here.
It’s the usual “political intrigues at a superficial level in a magical fantasy world,” which exists in almost every villainess anime – but with the uniqueness that Scarlet enforces her plans with the violence of her fists. That is immensely satisfying.
Is this the best anime I have ever seen? No, definitely not. The characters are sometimes quite one-dimensional, and somehow you get the impression that you have seen most of them as archetypes in two or twenty other anime. I also believe that the length of 13 episodes is perfect because at some point, “She just beats everyone up” wears off a bit. 13 more episodes wouldn’t have been necessary, but this length was optimal.
Yet the anime has enough fresh ideas to simply be “something different.” The fact that the protagonist is rooted in her own world and not “the chosen one summoned from another world” is a nice twist. In fact, the idea that the “Isekai” person is the villain is a great thing.
The “villainess” genre has worn out extremely quickly and belongs to the anime representatives where one can say: “If you know one, you know them all” – Scarlet with her brute mentality is a novelty that can at least entertain for 13 episodes.
The past anime season may have been a bit weak, but at least a few small highlights like “May I Ask for One Final Thing?” ensure that it’s worth taking a closer look at one or two series.
If you prefer to explore a few classics among anime, we have here 3 legendary anime that hardly anyone knows today.
