Project #216: Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii

*Nitsuj is relaxing while reading Fairy Tail*

(Nitsuj): We seriously need to have an intervention with Hiro Mashima. Mira, what’s on the schedule today?

(Mira): You have a let’s play session with the Jack Brothers at 3 and martial arts training with Seras at 6.

(Nitsuj): Yeah we’ve been getting a little rusty. Anything else?

(Mira): Yes, you’ll also be doing a review of Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii.

(Nitsuj): What?

(Mira): It is a romantic anime you’ll be reviewing in honor of Valentine’s week.

(Nitsuj): Wasn’t I suppose to do a top 11 list this week?

(Mira): No. You’re doing an anime.

(Nitsuj): But I always do a top 11 list before Valentine’s week. It’s become tradition, I don’t wanna break it.

(Mira): You can do it next. For now, you’re reviewing Soredemo. Have fun.

(Nitsuj): Well alright, it looks like we’re breaking away from tradition this year. Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii when translated means The World Is Still Beautiful or Still, the world is Beautiful. It’s a shoujo manga written by Dai Shiina in 2012 that’s still ongoing to this day and follows the story of a young princess who becomes the wife of the man who pretty much rules the world. The story follows the life of these two people who are the complete opposite of each other and see how they established a bond with one another. While not a well-known manga when it first came out it quickly gained a following after a year or so due to it’s well-written characters, interesting story, and the bond between our two main characters. In 2014 the big name anime studio Pierrot (Yu Yu Hakusho and Tokyo Ghoul) saw the popularity of this series and turned it into an anime getting some very prominent people to work on it. They even got Hajime Kamegaki who worked on a number of movies such as the Lupin vs. Conan movie/special, Naruto movies as well as a few other Lupin movies/specials to direct the anime and they got Kousuke Yamashita to compose the music for this series who also worked on a number of animes such as Xenosaga and Digimon Xros Wars. Let’s celebrate the week of love by looking at a loving couple ourselves. This is Soredemo Sekai Wa- you know the rest.

Opening and Ending Theme

The opening for this anime is “Beautiful World” by Joanna Koike. It’s alright. I didn’t really care for it all that much and usually found myself skipping over it every time I watched the anime. Surprisingly, this opening reminds me of Danmachi. I don’t know, the two openings just sound similar to me. The ending is “Promise” by Rena Maeda. Slightly better than the opening but still a song I really don’t find myself caring for all that much. Rena sounds good and everything but I just never found myself really getting into the song that much.

Episodes 1-4

Episode 1 starts off with our lead female Nike (just do it) voiced by Rena Maeda fourth princess of the Principality of Rain (which is next to the kingdom of Tornados). She’s being sent to the Sun kingdom to marry the Sun King a man who after three years of taken the throne has conquered the whole world. Hoping to keep their country safe (and since her older sisters said no) Nike was chosen to be sent as his bride in the hopes of giving their land security and safety. While she’s reluctant to do this she knows it’ll keep her country safe and she goes along with their plan. Her ship arrives at the Sun kingdom two days earlier than expected so she decides to stop the ship in a port town and get an idea of who her subjects are. She stops in a harbor town called Lepion where her first night in the country doesn’t go so well. She can’t find a place to stay, people act rude to her, she gets called a country girl (technically it’s true), and she gets her luggage stolen by two small time crooks (not the best first day in my opinion). However, she finds a loving father and his daughters who take her in and feed her as well as wash her clothes (there might just be hope for this country after all). We then cut to a bar where we see some of the royal guards who were tasked with bringing Nike to the capital talk about how they don’t like the idea of some princess from a small country being named queen and try to figure out a plan to dispose of her before she arrives. When they overhear the two crooks talk about her at the bar (geez guys putting your business out there for everyone to hear aren’t ya?) they make the crooks kidnap her. The next day comes when the crooks kidnap the wrong girl and instead kidnap the oldest daughter (how did you get those two mixed up? They don’t even have the same hair color let alone looks. You guys are idiots). Nike tracks them down and saves her using her powers of nature to control the wind. Apparently, her royal line has the power to control the wind, water and make it rain by just singing (wow, the author must have been a fan of Avatar). Now you’re probably wondering why didn’t she use her powers earlier, well there’s two good reasons for that. First, she was hungry (never fight on an empty stomach). Second, and most importantly, she needed to get an idea of this country’s nature which is why she wanted to travel the town. The best way to understand the nature of a country is to interact with its citizens. After defeating the crooks Nike forces them to take her to the capital where Nike meets her groom to be Livi who is just a child (oh boy I’m calling the cops).

So in episode 2 we see that the Sun king Livi voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki (Shido from Date of Live) is just a child (so Nike’s a shotacon. What a twist). Don’t let his appearance fool you, despite his childlike appearance that kid is smart and tactical. After his coronation he successfully cleansed his government of corruption and conquered each kingdom tactically one by one becoming the ruler of the world (and he hasn’t even hit puberty yet. He’s gonna make Alexander the Great look like a fool). Once he sees Nike he’s not too impressed with her (you are not one to judge kid) but he ignores this and gets to the point of why he married her (I would make a sexual joke here but I’m sticking to my resolution of- oh who am I kidding it’s too good to pass up. He wants to see a woman’s boobs). He wants her to make it rain because he’s never seen rain before in his life and wants to know what it is (well if I were to describe it it’s like the heavens themselves crying). Naturally she refuses because of his spoiled attitude and treats him like a child in front of his subjects (I like her attitude). Despite this Livi actually commends her for her spirit saying he likes it but he still wants to see the rain so he locks her in the dungeon until she decides to make it rain (//youtu.be/TM_6tgVJb_o). After that we meet Livi’s council of Elders who kind of serve as his advisors as well as some of the funniest characters in this anime. They don’t do much except give Livi some advice here and there and talk about perverted marriage stuff (it’s funny stuff but at the same time true). Nike escapes her cell and thinks about escaping but her pride won’t allow Livi to get the last laugh so she sneaks into his office to attack him (you know if he was older this would be quite seductive). She explains to Livi that she can’t make it rain unless she experiences the beauty of the world and he has to show it to her (man this is sounding like something out of a Disney film. Old school Disney of course). So the next day Livi prepares her fine clothes and orders a luxurious breakfast to be made for her but this isn’t the beauty she was talking about (really, because you look beautiful in that dress). The beauty she was talking about was the beauty of nature which Livi doesn’t get and sees things as things (you have so much to learn about life and women). Nike disgusted by his comment calls him a waste which actually manages to faze him and even Nike feels a little guilty for saying it to him but he bounces back from it and the next day shows her the royal garden where someone tries to assassinate him with an arrow but Nike protects him (Nike: I used to be married to the Sun King, but then I took an arrow to the shoulder). Angered by this Livi goes after the men he knows are responsible for this and orders Nike to be sent back to her country for her own protection. During the ride Neil (Livi’s butler and most trusted advisor) reveals Livi’s past. Livi’s mother was a common woman something that the country never would accept so she and Livi lived an isolated life in the palace with no one to rely on but each other. To Livi his mother was the world and the only thing he could trust and see beauty in. Once his mother was assassinated and he ascended the throne Livi came to see the world as a cold and dark place filled with no beauty where the only way to survive is to trust no one and crush your enemies before they crush you (huh, that’s what they told me after I graduated from college). After hearing all of this their carriage stops because the palace is on fire and Livi is still inside (quick, save the shota). Livi manages to make it outside but he’s stuck on the 3rd floor and has no way down. Just when all seems lost they hear a song (scene here: //youtu.be/ibP__3q25yU, well that song was a little corny but nevertheless it was enjoyable to listen to. Also, does anybody want to explain how the rain stopped the fire in the palace? Must have been some heavy rain).

Not much to say about episode 3. Livi is going to host a party for Nike to show everyone she’s his wife (hey everyone meet my trophy wife) and all of the ambassadors of the surrounding kingdom have come to see her as well where they aren’t too impressed with her (than you clearly haven’t heard her sing). We also see Nike show concern for Livi as he’s kind of a workaholic who rarely sleeps but lately he’s been finding peace whenever he’s with Nike. Inspired by this Nike decides to show off at her party by singing (scene here: //youtu.be/OqAK1_ZIsek, nice encore). This seduces almost all the guys in the room and she has shown everyone she’s worthy of being Livi’s wife. We have a few other funny and sweet scenes between the two such as Livi always sneaking into Nike’s bed and sleeping with her completely naked (hey the anime turned into To Love Ru. Only the roles have been reversed) totally shocking her and we find out that every morning he wakes up to pick flowers for her and sits them on a desk where she can see them (he’s getting better).

In episode 4 Livi and Nike’s engagement has been called off by the Ministry of the Priesthood who oversee the rites of the gods. All royal weddings must be approved by them (well that’s giving them a lot of power) and since they don’t like Livi or Nike (I can understand Livi but why Nike she’s done nothing to you guys) they cancel the engagement. However, they’ll allow the marriage if Nike repeats the Rite of Illumination a special trial where she has to journey into the underground temple and retrieve a special ring for the marriage ceremony (we’ll call it Raiders of the Lost Sun). Livi doesn’t want Nike to face the trial because he doesn’t want to see her get hurt and wants to protect her (so he does care about her). But Nike sneaks into the temple of the Priesthood and sees that their thoughts on Livi aren’t just hatred it’s pure malice like they honestly believe that Livi shouldn’t exist (you find the nastiest of people in the places you wouldn’t expect them). She takes her leave where one of the sisters takes her to an orphanage that Livi created to protect orphans that were considered the lower class. After seeing this Nike tells Livi she wants to face the trial saying that she’ll stand beside Livi and make everyone who opposes their romance accept her (you really are one cool girl). Livi allows her to do it and he gives her his mother’s ring to her for protection (you know a sword would have been the better gift but okay). That night, Nike gets set to enter the underground temple. The rules are quite simple. Nike has to find the ring and escape before tomorrow’s ceremony and nobody is allowed into the temple once the doors have been sealed (seems fair. So how is the Priesthood going to cheat?). After avoiding the traps and making her way to the temple she finds out that the ring isn’t there (cheaters~) and this was all a setup to assassinate her. The Zorro assassins come out of nowhere (quiet as the wind) and get ready to kill her.

Episodes 5-8

Picking up where episode 4 left off, episode 5 opens up with a mysterious figure coming to Nike’s rescue and getting her out to safety. It gets revealed that the mysterious figure is Livi who didn’t trust the priests and snuck into the temple using a secret passageway only known to royalty without telling anyone (he loves her). They escape using the waterway where one of the Zorro assassins comes out and is about to kill Nike but Livi protects her and just when he’s about to kill him (El Zorro was owned) Nike stops him and they runaway where we see that Livi is trembling because he was scared out of his mind this whole time. He was afraid that he was going to lose Nike and just the thought of it scared him so he picked up his sword and ran to the temple. Now this scene is so informative. This scene shows us that despite Livi’s mature mind he’s still a child and puts up a front in order to protect himself but in truth he’s scared and just wishes he had someone he can trust and feel safe around. In order to calm him down Nike kisses him on the forehead (and I’ve discovered that they’re 2 years apart and both are minors so it’s safe. Though I have to admit Livi is pretty small for a 15-year-old). With no ring and their ceremony only a few hours away Livi comes up with a gamble of a plan to throw his enemies off (place your bets). The ceremony comes where Nike says she couldn’t get the ring but Livi says she’ll do something better. She’s going to put a ring around the sun (which is possible. Mira, explain. (Mira): About 20,000 feet or higher there are these clouds known as cirrus clouds. These clouds contain millions upon millions of tiny ice crystals. Using the refraction and reflection of the light off these crystals it gives us the illusion that there is a halo or ring around the sun. This sort of thing can also apply to the moon). Nike sings Tender Rain (is it too much to ask for a different rain song?) and makes a ring around the sun shocking everyone. With the crowd being swayed to join Nike’s side one of the priest admits that Livi helped Nike and that they tried to kill her in the trial (busted. Cuff him boys). With their assassination attempt exposed the head priest in charge of this act Lani admits defeat and awaits whatever punishment Nike gives him. All she does is just punch him (I love this girl) and wants him to approve her engagement to Livi. She then goes on a spill about how the sun needs the rain and clouds and vice versa (you know, the whole yin-yang thing) and he accepts his defeat. Their engagement gets approved but they’re still not officially married yet which is okay with them for now (one thing’s for certain, those two are falling for each other).

In episode 6 we meet Luna princess of the Sea Kingdom and Livi’s childhood friend (so she finally appears. Also, he had friends? I just assumed he was a momma’s boy). We see that she’s obviously in love with Livi and doesn’t like the fact that he’s engaged to Nike so she tries to show her up by calling her out on her shortcomings. And it works, she starts to get to Nike big time and when Nike sees how compatible Livi and Luna are with each other she starts to get jealous (oh my God they’re actually doing it right. No seriously, there have been so many jealous storylines that are forced that it’s unbelievable but here it’s actually done in a good way that isn’t forced). Despite all of her shortcomings (which are a lot) Livi still prefers Nike over Luna because she gives him what he needs instead of what he wants. Livi doesn’t need some girl following him around like some obedient dog (or Tails from the Sonic games. The ones from the 90s). He needs someone who isn’t afraid to call him out, to stand up to him, to go against him, to bring him out of his comfort zone and show him that yes the world can be a dark and cold place but there are still good things in it you just need someone to show them to you (Mira: Nitsuj…that was beautiful). Luna decides to challenge Nike to a game of chicken (Mira: Isn’t it call chitty chitty- (Nitsuj): No! No! No! We’ll not calling it that it is too stupid) to see who can stop first before running off a cliff. As they’re racing Nike admits that even though she hasn’t known Livi as long as Luna she loves all aspects of him both positive and negative which is where the two are so different. Luna only looks at Livi’s positives but his negatives scare her to the point that when he became king she didn’t speak or visit him for 3 years. Nike on the other accepts both Livi’s positives and negatives which is why she is the better fit for Livi. After Nike saves Luna from falling off the cliff she admits defeat and heads back to her country (Luna: You better be good to him). The episode ends with Nike finally calling Livi Livi and the two having their first kiss with Livi getting the jump on her (smooth. Very smooth Livi).

Episode 7 is in all honesty the worst episode in my opinion. You know how last episode they made Nike get jealous over Livi and did it correctly? Well they decided to do the same thing this episode only this time make Livi jealous and do everything wrong. This episode introduces us to Bard prime minister of the Sun Kingdom and Livi’s uncle. We see that unlike Livi who is serious and scary Bard is more fun-loving, laidback, and easy-going making him quite popular with everyone in the palace (Mira: It also helps that he’s quite handsome and charming) and making Livi jealous. Now the episode starts to get bad when Bard decides to start flirting with Nike every second he’s around her and even when Livi is right there in front of them he still flirts with Nike (that is a douchebag move right there. Imagine if I just walked up to your girlfriend and started flirting with her right in front of you without a care in the world. You’re gonna punch me and I wouldn’t blame you). I wouldn’t mind this so much if Nike actually gave hints that it was bothering her or that it wasn’t affecting her but she completely allows this to go on. She doesn’t stop him nor does she say anything to him she just accepts it and is submissive to it (what happened to that strong-willed woman last episode and the episode before that? You’ve just been through this you should how Livi feels right now and how it’s pissing him off). Near the end of the episode while at a party Bard sneaks away with Nike and tries to sleep with her but Nike says no and finally tells him to stop it which makes Bard happy because all this time he was testing her to make sure she would remain faithful to Livi (//youtu.be/-O8kRTVkjEI). Livi comes in with guards and sees them on the bed together (oh this is gonna escalate quickly) and has Bard thrown in prison for adultery and Nike confined to her room where in his rage he threatens to burn Nike’s country to the ground (scene here: //youtu.be/retcxiHbLCA, some men threaten to reveal your secrets others threaten to embarrass you. Livi, he threatens to burn your country to the ground). Now this is where all my problems of this episode come in. Everyone is out of character and in the wrong. Bard went too far in his test. Even if it was a test, was never serious and he was doing it all to protect Livi he went way too far and was completely in the wrong. Nike was in the wrong for not putting a stop to this sooner. Like I said before she pretty much becomes submissive to him and just allows him to do anything he wants with her with little or no resistance. Which is totally out of character for her. Livi’s little tantrum at the end was very wrong and I’m not defending his actions but at the same time I don’t blame him for acting the way he did. As we’ve seen in the past episodes this is a guy who has a lot of trust issues. There’s only a few people he can actually trust in this world and when he sees the person he trusts the most in bed with some other guy that must have been like a shot to the heart for him. Misunderstanding or not this is a complete betrayal of his trust. Combine that with his age and inferiority complex he has with Bard and you are looking at a very pissed off child who is dealing with a lot of emotions and has no idea what to do with them or how to handle them.

So at the start of episode 8 I’m pretty sure you would expect to see Livi still pissed off about what happened last episode right? Nope, instead we open up to Livi admitting that he overreacted and apologizing to Nike about what he said (okay this is a good start because it shows that he’s grown as a character and realizes his mistakes. It’s still kind of a letdown. I wanted to see the cooling off period). Even though Livi has cooled off and told the guards to stop watching Nike he still won’t release Bard from prison so Nike in her good, out-going, and non-submissive self (welcome back. I missed you last episode) frees Bard from prison and the two chat about Livi. Bard talks about how both he and Livi wanted to protect Shelia and how he fell in love with her (no wonder Livi doesn’t like him) but it was an unrequited love. After her death both he and Livi distracted themselves from her death by conquering the world (yeah that’ll take your mind off anything) but after they achieved their goal Bard couldn’t face the change in Livi’s personality so he ran away from the palace leaving Livi to fall deeper into hatred and revenge (so you’re the one responsible for making Livi the person he is today? God bless you). Nike decides she wants to fix the relationship between the two so she gets Neil’s help in arranging a meeting where the two will have no choice but to talk to each other. Neil finds Bard in the local inn sleeping with the innkeeper (really man? Come on) and Nike tricks Livi into meeting her in a gazebo behind the palace. As he’s walking to the gazebo Nike begins to make it rain forcing him to seek shelter in the gazebo where Bard is in their waiting (surprise). Livi tries to escape but Nike begins to make it rain harder forcing him to stay in the gazebo (oh no you don’t. Part of being a man means doing things your wife tells you to do and 99% of the time those things are things you don’t want to do). Bard admits that he was scared of Livi’s change and ran away and just as Livi is about to fess up that he was sad Bard left him he notices the rain beginning to slow down outside because the two have been chatting for about an hour (she’s been singing one hour straight!? Man her throat has gotta be killing her). They leave the gazebo to go check up on her where they see that she’s shriveled away (and that’s putting it nicely). Livi finally confesses his feelings saying he wants Bard to stay by his side and watch over him so he reinstates Bard as the prime minister of the kingdom and he accepts.

Episodes 9-12

In episode 9 the Sun kingdom is holding a financial conference between the other kingdoms that they’ve conquered (time to see all those guys kiss Livi’s ass for money). During the conference Nike receives a letter from her homeland and gets a shocked look on her face. Rather than tell the others she decides to go on with the conference and sings a song to show everyone what rain is. But after she gets done singing Livi tells her how she sounded depressing, off key, and sloppy (thank you Simon) showing that he knows that something was bothering her. She confesses and tells them that she received a letter that her grandma has been bedridden for the last few days. Livi decides to drop all of his and Nike’s appointments and go to the Principality of Rain to check up on her. They arrive at the Principality of Rain where they see that grandma is doing find, she just threw out her back is all. Nike’s sisters meet Livi and turn him into their toy taking pictures of him and everything (haha, I’ve been waiting for this joke to come up in the anime). While there Livi starts to feel sick because he’s not use to the environment (you need to get out more Livi) but starts to feel better at night where he and Nike gaze at the stars (it’s a pretty romantic scene). Livi says he’s happy he came to Nike’s country saying it’s a very nice country because it made her who she is today and in that moment something began to bloom deep inside of Nike that she just had to kiss Livi right there on the lips (well looks like something is beginning to bloom in Livi’s pants). Well no doubt about it now those two kids have finally fallen in love with each other.

Shit gets real in episode 10. We see that after the kiss Livi and Nike shared last night Nike is out of it (you got taken off your game by a child). The two go for a walk where we see that Livi is becoming a very smooth talker. He’s saying all the right stuff and saying it the right way that gets a girl’s heart pumping (looks like Livi traded in his swag for class. Yep, swag is boys and class is for men). As the two are out walking we meet Nike’s cousin Kitora who obviously has a thing for Nike and doesn’t like Livi (dude just back off right now you do not wanna mess with Livi. He will own you just like he owns the rest of the world). The Principality holds a party for him that night where they have a karaoke battle with lights, a stage, and sound equipment (okay what time period does this story take place in? Are we in the 20th century or is the Principality of Rain that far ahead in technology?). Livi sneaks away from the party because he wants to spend more alone time with Nike (booty call) who gets knocked out by Kitora and locked up in a tower where she can’t use her powers. It turns out Nike’s grandma doesn’t want Nike marrying Livi in fact we’re told that the whole marriage arrangement thing was set up by Nike’s father without the consent of the grandma. She believes that the only way to protect the country is to close it off from the outside world and keep their powers confined within the country so they don’t get used for evil purposes. Her plan is quite simple and safe, she plans to hypnotize Livi in his sleep for 3 days straight making him forget about his relationship with Nike and null the marriage (okay. Quiz time. Why won’t this plan work? A). Too long B). Too Stupid C). It’s Livi. He already knows something is up and is planning to make his move. Or D). All of the above. *All of the AI girls write down D as their answer*. If you put down the letter D as your answer you are right). Naturally, Livi figures out something is wrong when they tell him Nike has fallen ill and he can’t see her (ain’t that a bitch and a lousy lie to boot) and when one of the priest tries to hypnotize Livi at night Livi springs into action and escapes out the window. He receives help from one of Nike’s sisters who takes him to an underground passage which leads him to the tower Nike is in where the grandma is there waiting for him (alright Livi versus Grandma. Let’s throw down). They go to a pier where the grandma tosses the key to unlock Nike’s cell into the swamp saying she’ll give Nike to Livi if he can find the key. He dives in searching for it while the grandma summons the swamp water to wash Livi away (damn lady you do not play fair. Also, it’s usually the father who’s the protective one, not the grandma. If anything she’s usually the one asking how many times you’ve done it?). Rather than wait around to be rescued, Nike tries to breakout of her cell by force but fails injury her head and we end with her telling Kitora that she doesn’t wanna be away from Livi at all because she loves him (YES! I have been waiting to hear that all season. Now let me hear Livi say it and this series will be complete for me).

In episode 11 Kitora sees the fire and passion in Nike’s eyes and lets her out where she rushes to the pier to save Livi where we see him lying unconscious (don’t you dare die on me you smug little bastard). Nike performs CPR on him which brings him back to life and he gets a good laugh out of seeing Nike save herself and calling himself lame (if it’s any consolation I thought you were cool and badass Livi) but in the end he gets the final laugh on grandma because he got the key meaning he won the bet (HA! In your face grandma). After that event Nike’s sister apologize to Livi saying that they knew all about the plan but he’s okay with it because he views this as a family quarrel instead of an international conflict (exactly. See Livi’s smart. He understands how in-laws work). We get another cute Livi and Nike moment and Livi finally meets Nike’s mother (well nice to see where Nike’s beauty comes from). We find out that after Nike’s birth her health has been so bad she can barely sing to make it rain. She warns Livi about Nike’s powers and how they could possibly destroy the world but Livi just says leave to him, he’ll protect Nike no matter what (lady, your daughter could not be in better hands). The family (minus Kitora and grandma. Sore losers) throw a wedding party for the newlyweds and Livi and Kitora finally face each other where they reach somewhat of a mutual understanding (Livi gets Nike and Kitora will have to keep dreaming about banging his cousin).

In the final episode it’s time to go home (about time. I’m tired of all this rain. For a place call the Principality of Rain it sure does rain a lot) but Nike wants to say goodbye to her grandma but granny is still being stubborn and refuses to see her (oh come lady let it go, you lost fair and square). As Livi and Nike are leaving grandma begins to sing and makes it rain where she says her farewell to Nike wishing her nothing but health, love, and best wishes (scene here: //youtu.be/9f4sdUdY6u0, there, now was that so hard?). They return to the palace where we see that Bard has ignored work and has instead been fooling around with women all this time and not just him pretty much everyone in the palace has been all lovey-dovey with each other (okay clearly we should have stayed here, turn their events into an OVA). Because of Bard’s slacking off Livi is swamped with work and thus can’t spend anytime with Nike (geez, it’s like returning from a honeymoon) where we see she’s very sad that she can’t spend time with him, like she genuinely misses him (I really can’t put my finger on what she’s feeling right now. (Mira): Isn’t it obvious? She loves him, she wants to spend time him and be with him. Being away from him for even a second suffocates her and makes her sad. (Nitsuj): So basically it’s just mushy girly stuff right? *Mira pulls out her whip* I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I understand exactly what’s she feeling and I have to admit it’s pretty romantic). After making it rain (scene here: //youtu.be/eFx5Og11ofE) Nike goes to relax in a field the next morning where Livi shows up on a white horse (the guy knows how to make an entrance) returning early from a business trip because he too missed being with Nike so he snuck away without telling anyone. We end the series with the two lying in the grass and kissing each other (very nice).

Final Thoughts

Wow, I’m. . .beside myself right now. I enjoyed this series more than I thought I would. While the series may not have the best animation, character designs, or even that deep or engaging storyline you often see in shoujo mangas there is a high level of charm and enjoyment you get from watching this series. Livi and Nike have so much character and personality that brings the two to life. Like I honestly don’t see anime characters I see real life people here. Livi can be smug, confident, selfish, stubborn, and at times scary but at the same time he’s also a kid who’s hurting on the inside. While may have a brilliant mind he’s still has the heart of a child who’s been hurt by the world and needs someone beside him he can trust. Nike is one of the best female characters I’ve seen in a long time. I love how strong-willed and confident she is. She has shortcomings but works to improve herself. She’s not afraid to stand up to Livi and give him a piece of her mind calling him out on his actions. The two work off each other excellently. Everything that they do has you believe that they are a couple and the feelings that they develop for each other throughout the anime is done exceptionally well on both of their parts. I love their interactions with each other as each just feels so genuine and cute to watch. I love how they both learn about each other’s past and use that to build a beautiful and meaningful relationship with each other that’s built on trust and love for the other. I could honestly go on for hours talking about how great these two are and why they’re so great.

Unfortunately, the side characters in this anime don’t get as much attention as Livi and Nike and become rather flat. They’re not bad characters, a few of them are rather funny such as Neil’s overprotection of Livi, Nike’s maids, and even Livi and Nike have their funny moments but their characters fall into typical anime tropes and clichés that we’ve seen before. Like I said before the animation isn’t all that great but it’s not awful. It just doesn’t really stand out all that much from other animes that I’ve seen. Sadly, the music for this series is a major miss for me. The only song I really remember from this entire series is Tender Rain which is Nike’s song and even that starts to lose appeal as the anime goes on. I was hoping to hear her sing other songs like each song had a different effect on the weather but they just stick to one song and it gets boring hearing it all the time. We also never get a clear scope of the world. We never get told how much of the world Livi controls, what other kingdoms think of him or how he keeps them in line, or what century we’re in. I know it sounds like I’m dissing this anime after I just got done praising it for its main characters but I’ve got to be honest and unbiased in my reviews. That means pointing out the positives as well as the negatives.

Final Score

The final score for Soredemo is a 7.5/10. If you’re looking for a good character-based romantic series, it doesn’t get much better than this. You’ll be shocked and amazed at how much you liked and enjoyed this anime after watching the first few episodes. Definitely a good watch for you and your girlfriend or boyfriend to watch on Valentine’s Day. Thanks for reading, have an enjoyable Valentine’s Day, and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.

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