Scrapped Princess
Anonymity comes at a price...
“In the name of Lord Mauser, the Scrapped Princess must die!”
“Yeah! Death to the Scrapped Princess! Now, which way is she?”
Screenshot taken from Scrapped Princess episode 1, produced by Bones studio, unlicensed English translation by AnimeKeep and ANBU. (Now licensed by Bandai Entertainment.) Used for the purpose of parody. Minions' lines are made up and do not appear in the series.
The Story
A princess of the nation of Leinwan, prophesied to destroy the world. Thrown away as a baby, but adopted and raised by kind people. Now, as the time of the prophecy approaches, she is hunted. Only her loyal step-siblings, her warrior brother and sorceress sister are there to protect her from the ruling Mauser Church. And so, begins their medieval adventure... But wait! Why are gods, countries, cities, and the Princess's adopted family named after modern gun manufacturers? Why are the gods that are trying to destroy the Scrapped Princess called “Peacemakers”? Why is this medieval military using a command structure that looks awfully modern? And did we just see a reference to nuclear weapons there? Watch and find out! Which, is easier said than done, since it was licensed by Bandai and not yet released. An interesting series, if you can stand Princess Pacifica's personality.
Gun References
I think I will refrain from having spoilers, but for now, here is a list of the gun manufacturer references that I've noticed. Note that I am not a firearms nut—I only pretend to be one when confronted with medieval or feudal Japanese weapon nuts. If I missed any or got any wrong, I will be eternally grateful if you tell me.
I'd like to say that American manufacturers are protagonists, and all other nations' manufacturers are antagonists, but there seem to be quite a few reservations and exceptions.
The Protagonists:
- Pacifica, Shannon, and Raquel Casull
- The Scrapped Princess and her adopted siblings. Casull is an American firearms manufacturer. I am pretty sure they are better known for their ammunition than their guns.
- “Devil Lord” Browning
- I figure that being the evil deity of the Mauser Church (an antagonist) makes him a protagonist. Browning is an American firearms maker, perhaps best known in history for its founder John Browning's BAR light machine gun. Asrana/Mayumi (of DejaToons IRC network's #soulriders) adds: actually, nowadays, most of its manufacturing is done in Belgium.
- Winia Chester
- A girl who works at an inn where Pacifica, Shannon, and Raquel stop. They leave the inn, but Winia doesn't leave the story... Her name is a pun on Winchester, an American rifle maker. (Thanks to Asrana for this one.)
- Sir Doyle Barrett
- A knight-turned-doctor. Barrett is an American firearms manufacturer.
The Antagonists:
- Peacemakers
- The name for deities worshipped in the land. Colt Peacemaker is the famous hangun often called “The Gun that Won the West”.
- Lord Mauser and the Mauser Church
- The head deity of the dominant religion in the land and the name of the dominant religion, respectively. Mauser is a German weapons manufacturer, up to World War II. They are, perhaps best known for their pistols of late 19'th and early to mid 20'th centuries.
- Lord Galil
- A Peacemaker. Galil is a series of Israeli assault rifles.
- Steyr
- A Peacemaker. Steyr is an Austrian firearms manufacturer.
- Cz
- A Peacemaker. “CZ” is the initials of Česká zbrojovka a.s., a Czech firearms manufacturer. The model names of firearms made by this firm bear its initials. (Link courtesy of one Shaofu Chang.)
- Socom
- A Peacemaker. SOCOM stands for (United States) Special Operations COMmand. Socom is also a nickname of HK Mk. 23, a pistol commissioned by SOCOM. (Thanks to Asrana for that tidbit.)
- Sauer
- The capital of Leinwan. J. P. Sauer & Sohn is a German gun maker, producing the SIG-Sauer series of pistols.
- Black Hawks
- As of episode 17, appears to be some kind of black ops unit of Leinwan. Probably a reference to Blackhawk series of revolvers by Strum, Ruger & Co., Inc., an American manufacturer. (Thanks to Asrana for this one.)
- Captain Luke Strum
- Head of the Royal Intelligence Special Support Unit of Leinwan. Strum, Ruger & Co., Inc. is an American firearms manufacturer.
- General Peters-Stahl
- Some Leinwan General. Peters-Stahl is a German firearms manufacturer.
Others:
- Christopher Armalite
- The leader of an elite unit that is Leinwan's equivalent of “special forces”. First sent to kill the Scrapped Princess, but then removed from the assignment, and has his doubts about the Scrapped Princess. ArmaLite is an American firearms manufacturer. Based on AR-10, its AR-15 is also known as the M-16.
- Dragunov, Makarov
- The horses of Pacifica, Shannon, and Raquel. (SV)Dragunov is a Soviet sniper rifle. Makarov is a Soviet pistol. (Thanks to Asrana for this one.)
- Giat
- A nation bordering Leinwan. Giat is a French weapons manufacturer.
- Parabellum
- Leopold Scorpse's horse. Luger “Parabellum” is a German handgun of the late 19'th and early to mid 20'th centuries. (Thanks to Asrana for this one.)
- Taurus
- Winia Chester's home town. Taurus is a Brazilian gun manufacturer. (Thanks to Asrana for this one.)