'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess

I began watching this anime because the trailer caught my attention before the season began, and I have never regretted any decision less than deciding to keep up with 'Tis Time For "Torture", Princess. From episode 1 it stood out as a a solid gag comedy series, but I feared it would become repetitive rather quickly. To my surprise and utter delight, this show not only didn't let it's central gag get old, but it consistently built on the premise and iterated enough that I actually found my enjoyment growing with every passing episode. Beginning with such a simple premise, they began to drip feed us information to build out the world and its characters, and by the end I loved and cared about every single one in a way very few anime, let alone CGDCT have been able to do. The final episode actually got me to cry, because of how good a job Torture Princess did at making me care about this band of dorks and weirdos. The main character, of course, is the titular princess, who has been captured by the Hellhorde and is being "tortured' for information about the imperial army. As you'll quickly find out though, the torture is actually closer to therapy sessions where our unnamed princess's childhood trauma and emotional hang-ups are addressed through the gimmicks of each daily session. These therapy sessions are administered by the Hellhorde's grand inquisitor Torture Tortura and her assistant, as well as the plethora of subordinates that come to help from time to time. Among them are the pair of close cousins Youki and Inki, the gyaru animal specialist Krall, and the Hell-Lord's daughter Mao-Mao, who mostly gets secrets unintentionally by being so cute. Each one of them, and several more gets some time to be fleshed out and developed as a character. And besides the surprisingly subtle character writing, this anime is also incredibly funny. It might seem like a bit of a one-trick pony at first(though to be fair that one trick is pretty damn funny), but it quickly starts to diversify its arsenal of jokes to incorporate everything from goofy slapstick and visual gags, to Code Geass references and expert subversions of expectation. I will say they never stop using the main gag of "princess says she won't give in; Eventually gives in" and that might grind on some people, but I think the ways it builds on that joke plus the myriad other jokes it layers in are enough that it stays entertaining all the way through. And none of this is to mention the colourful and energetic visuals Pine Jam has given, that absolutely elevate an already great show. It may not be for everyone, but I absolutely adore this show and struggle to find anything to complain about.