Based on the manga by Yoshiichi Akahito, the supernatural adventureCorpse Princess(2008) borrows elements fromBleach,Death Note, andGunslinger Girl. When humans with intense desires or regrets die, they may becomeShikabane, corpses animated by their restless spirits. They can only be killed byShikabane Hime, or Corpse Princesses--female spirits who have allied with the monks of a secret Buddhist sect to wage war on the undead. The Princesses take the form of high-school girls who use machine gun pistols to blow the zombies' brains out. Blithely ignorant 15-year-old Ouri is drawn into these battles when he learns that his "big brother" Keisei is bound to undead warrior Makina. After a series of fairly straightforward battles, a traitorous monk strikes at Keisei and Makina, followed by the arrival of the Seven Stars, theShikabaneswho murdered Makina and her family. Good-natured, loyal Ouri bonds with Makina as the first season ofCorpse Princessdraws to a close.Corpse Princess Kurofollowed in 2009, but the ending is a foregone conclusion. The Princesses are older than the murderous waifs inGunslinger Girl, but their frustrated affection for their human partners has an unsavory edge. Ouri feels like the hero of a harem comedy who somehow stumbled into a bloodbath. Violent, fast paced, and not particularly original,Corpse Princesswill appeal primarily to adolescent boys who want to watch girls kicking undead derrière. (Rated TV MA: violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, risqué humor, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon(1. The Dead Dance, 2. The Game Continues, 3. Voice of the Night, 4. Hymn of Tragedy, 5. Traitor Monk, 6. At the End of the Dangerous Run, 7. The False Power of Words, 8. Serenity, 9. Set Your Heart Aflutter, 10. Stars on the Ground, 11. One Night, 12. Dawn, 13. Funeral Program for a Contracted Monk)