Princess Arete - Characters

Characters

• Princess Arete (Hōko Kuwashima) - The young princess of the kingdom. Arete is filled with great interest in life, however as a princess she is expected to live a life she considers hopelessly mundane. As she has grown up, her role in the kingdom has grown in importance and she is moved to live on top of a high tower to enjoy a privileged seclusion from the facts and practicalities of the real world. From here she can only look down upon the vital town below and dream of traveling the world that she has read about in a book she keeps hidden under her bed. This seclusion has engendered strong curiosity about her in the town, and knights compete daily for her hand by questing for magical objects created by an ancient race. To relieve her isolation, the princess begins to sneaks out of the tower to visit the town.
• Boax (Takeshi Koyama) - A wizard who has suddenly arrived at the castle on a flying machine to claim the hand of the princess. In fact, Boax does not love the princess at all, and only plots to kidnap her because a prophecy foretells that only she has the power to take away his eternal life. Boax changes her appearance to that of a more traditional princess and enchants her into saying that she wishes to marry him. This at last persuades the King to allow him to take her away. He then imprisons her in his dungeon.
  • Young Boax (Akio Suyama)
• The witch (Satomi Koorogi) - Witch meets the princess in the secret corridor of the castle. There she imparts a magical, wish-granting ring to Arete.
• Ample (Minami Takayama) - A village woman who lives near Boax' castle. She is responsible for bringing food to Boax in exchange for which Boax magically supplies the village with water. She believes in Arete and the two become friends.
• Grovel (Yūsuke Numata) - Boax's servant. Grovel was once a frog however he was changed into a human-like character through Boax' magic.
• Dullabore (Eiji Takemoto) - The first suitor that Arete meets. He attempts to impress her with tales of derring-do, however Arete sees through his posturing.
• Blond Knight (Norihisa Mori) - The second suitor that Arete meets. He attempts to fool her with a rose he has stolen from the castle gardens, however Arete calls his bluff and sends him away.
• King (Takashi Nagasako) - Arete's somber father. The King takes little part in the action, only serving to attempt to marry her off.
• Suitors (Tomohisa Asō, Takkō Ishimori, Masaya Takatsuka) - Arete's other suitors.
• Guard (Yoshikazu Nagano, Kōhei Kowada) - The King's guards who keep watch over Arete's tower and the rest of the town.
• Maid (Abigail?) (Naomi Shindō) - Arete's head maid.
• Master Tailor (Kazuhiko Nishimatsu) - One of the first townspeople Arete meets. He asks her if she wants a job sewing but when Arete says no the tailor sends her away.
• Tailor apprentices (Umi Tenjin, nobuko) - Children from the town who are learning the trade. Arete has seen them from her lofty window in the tower and is naturally curious about them.
• Narrator (Yūko Sasaki) - All narration is presented in the form of epic songs.