Review of The World is Still Beautiful

You know how romance anime tend to either be way too fast paced or incredibly slow paced? This is something that annoys me very often, but not at all in this case. Soredemo sekai Wa utsukushii is a beautiful, fun and interesting anime that got me hooked from episode one, and by the last episode I longed for more. Oh, and don't worry, it's not pedophilia. Probably. Just ignore that. Story 9/10: The story in this anime may sound boring because of the whole "adult princess forced to marry young king" theme that it starts of with, but don't let that fool you! This animehas really well paced romance and character development, and has that little something about it that makes you want to see what happens next. Everything keeps a steady pace so it doesn't have the last-minute kiss kind of development, but a romance that we can clearly see and follow as it grows stronger and more beautiful than a lot of other romance anime that I've watched.
You would also think that Nike and Livi would look like sister and brother, what with the age difference, but I never once thought they looked like that. From the start they looked like a boy and a girl in a relationship that would start out rough, but was soon to bloom.

Art 7/10:
I can't really say that the art stood out a lot. It looked ordinary, but beautiful, something which fit this anime really well. Sometimes there was a really beautiful scene, then it would go back to the more ordinary style. The character design was very fitting to the different personalities and most of them looked really good. They didn't have any unnecessary, super moe or fan service-ish features to them, with the exception of a few side characters.

Sound 10/10:
Ah, the music. The instrumental soundtrack mixed very well with the different scenes. It created emotion, smiles, tears and laughter. It wasn't really something I was aware of during the anime, but after listening to the tracks separately, it's really amazing. it's intense, beautiful and a joy to the ears. If you're looking for some serious eargasm, look no further.
The opening and ending theme is really catchy and beautiful too. The opening has that kind of rhythm to it that makes it hard to sit still and not get chills from the awesome drums and voice.
Also, Nikes rain-summoning song is just angelic. With a hint of engrish (I misspelled that on purpose) and a beautiful instrumental and vocal harmony, it makes me think of the relaxing sound of falling rain.

Character 9/10:
There are very few cardboard clip-out characters in this anime. By that I mean that there wasn't a generic main character, a cute and happy character or any of the typical -dere characters, with the exception of one side character. This is something I'm really happy about. These kind of characters get boring quickly and lowers the enjoyment.
To start off let's talk about Princess Nike. She is a very strong-willed and brave girl who can never sit still and hates wearing pretty dresses and high heels. Pretty much the exact opposite of a typical princess, a real tomboy. But even though she may seem a little boyish, she is very gentle, likable, has a strong sense of justice and loyalty, and cares for the people around her. Oh, and did I mention that her singing can call forth rain? Now if that isn't awesome, nothing is.
The only thing I found strange about Nike is that in the first few episodes Nike is dead set on the fact that summoning rain is a sacred ritual and can't be done just on someones whim, yet she calls the rain almost every other episode. A little strange, but doesn't ruin anything.
Then theres the Sun King Livi. This young king may seem angry, strict and unapproachable at first, but when you get to know him he's a sweet and gentle boy who really cares for his country. He works hard and tries his best to be a good king, despite his age. When he starts to care about someone, he doesn't do it half-heartedly, but at the same time you don't want to get on his bad side.
All the side characters gets their fare share of screen time, but you won't remember most of their names by the end. There are a few bigger side characters that helps the plot along, but the character awesomeness award goes to Nike and Livi, by far.

Enjoyment 10/10:
I absolutely loved this anime. With it's great paced romance, interesting characters and not too over the top settings and story, it's a relaxing, yet interesting anime that kept me smiling, laughing and crying. It does have some action, comedy and drama to it too, so it doesn't make you all depressed, but can be deep when it wants to. It just made me really happy in the end and, though I want a season 2, it isn't really necessary. It left me pleased, and that in itself is an achievement.

Overall 9/10:
Though it does have a few flaws within art, some unnecessary story and a few non-memorable characters, Soredemo sekai Wa utsukushii is a beautiful anime that will leave you smiling, awww-ing, crying and thinking "despite the almost pedophilia, this anime is amazing!". Definitely a recommended watch for all romance fans out there.