If you bookmarked our announcement post from 31 July, the wait is over — The Ribbon Hero is live on Netflix Singapore right now, and the first reviews are in.
What Critics Are Saying
Early notices put the film in the “beautiful but slight” category. Gizmodo called it “an infectiously hopeful magical girl take on a classic,” with praise for the film’s visual sincerity and the emotional charge of its final act. RogerEbert.com was warmer on the animation than the script, landing on “gorgeous but gossamer-thin” — a verdict that seems to reflect the consensus: stunning to look at, lighter on narrative weight than Tezuka’s source material might suggest.
At 111 minutes, the film moves quickly. Viewers coming in without Tezuka knowledge may actually find the emotional beats land more cleanly — the story is clear enough to follow without the baggage of decades of critical discourse around the original manga.
Cast and Music
Saaya Kadokura voices Princess Sapphire. Koki Uchiyama — best known to many Singapore anime fans as Tomura Shigaraki in My Hero Academia — plays Velvet. Yoshimasa Hosoya takes the role of Rock, and Mayumi Shintani, the voice of Nonon Jakuzure in Kill la Kill, voices Zirco. The theme song “Reborn” is performed by Girls Archives, with the score from Satoru Kosaki and Ryuichi Takada.
Quick Recap: What Is The Ribbon Hero?
Directed by Yuuki Igarashi in his theatrical feature debut, The Ribbon Hero adapts Osamu Tezuka’s Princess Knight (Ribbon no Kishi) — first serialised in 1953 and widely considered a foundational text for both the magical-girl genre and shōjo manga as a whole. The film reimagines Princess Sapphire of the fallen kingdom Silverland, who washes up in the neighbouring Goldland and fights to shield her adopted home from the same catastrophe that destroyed her own.
The film premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June, receiving positive notices for its animation quality. Studio Outline handled the production for Netflix and Twin Engine.
How to Watch in Singapore
Open Netflix and search The Ribbon Hero. Both the Japanese original (with subtitles) and an English dub are available. It landed simultaneously worldwide today — no regional delay for Singapore, which is the exception rather than the rule for anime theatrical-to-streaming releases.
If you have younger family members who might be curious about Tezuka’s catalogue, Princess Knight is one of the most accessible entry points and this adaptation keeps the story clean enough to work for a range of ages. For everyone else: the original Japanese track is the one the critics reviewed.
Find more anime streaming news and recommendations on GameTrader.SG.