Anime Review: The World is Still Beautiful

Title: The World is Still Beautiful/Still World is Beautiful (Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii)

Genre: Fantasy, romance, comedy, shoujo

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

General Set-up: Nike is a princess of the Principality of Rain, a nation whose rulers have the ability to summon rain. In order to maintain peace with the powerful Sun Kingdom Nike agrees to an arranged marriage with the Sun King, Livius I. When she arrives in the Sun Kingdom she is surprised to find that the Sun King is younger than she is. The two are off to a rough start when Livius throws Nike into prison because she refuses to summon rain for him. Will they ever get along?

Characters: Nike is 17 and the youngest of four sisters. She is brave and headstrong, but also has a compassionate heart. She quickly realizes that Livius’ rough facade stems from pain in his heart. Livius appears to be 12, but is actually 15. He is mature beyond his years and has seen much of life’s pain. Under his care and guidance the Sun Kingdom has grown to be the most prosperous nation in the world in just three years. Livius is the character who changes the most in the anime.

Plot: The concept behind this story was familiar, but with original touches. The plot was straightforward, but with enough pizzazz to keep things interesting. I liked how Nike’s powers extended from not only summoning rain, but having control over all the components that make up a storm, like wind and clouds. It was the little details that really made this anime.

Ending: The end has a nice feel to it, but the story is not completely resolved. I am excited to read the manga and find out what happens next.

Things to Watch For: There is some fanservice in this anime. Also some adult themes are referenced. For example, one of the side characters is shown waking up in the morning with the innkeeper's daughter.

Humor: The World is Still Beautiful does have humor, but it isn’t one of the main pillars that make up the show.

Moral Lessons: Even though bad things happen beauty is still evident. Love heals.

Sights and Sounds: The animation for this anime was good, but nothing spectacular. I like the opening song and how every few episodes they would change or add something to the animation of the opening. It made me watch it each time so I could see what was different. To summon rain Nike sings a song. Part of this involves singing select lines in English. For example, the song begins with, “It’s a tender rain.” Whenever it is raining outside I have the urge to run outside and attempt to sing her song like I am the one summoning the rain.

Other Media: The World is Still Beautiful is based on a manga that started in 2012 and is ongoing.

Fillers: There are no fillers in This World is Still Beautiful.

Length: There are 12 episodes in this anime.

Where to Watch: You can watch This World is Still Beautiful on Crunchyroll and Hulu.