Review of The World is Still Beautiful

Shoujo. A genre catered towards women and thus, a lot of people steer clear of it; preferring the good ol' natured shounen and action that'll make their bloods pumping. I am one of those people. But sometimes, I still delve into the deep well of this genre, hoping to find a masterpiece at the bottom. And I'm glad to proclaim that this anime is one of them. Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii is all about Nike who got sent off to the Sun Kingdom to marry their king who's also the World King so that her kingdom would maintain its autonomy status. Nike, being a strongwilled girl, accepted her fate and was surprised that her fiancé is, in fact, a bratty, self-centered, and aloof child! This results to adorably hilarious interactions between them as they overcome obvious flaws and discover that despite everything, the world is still beautiful (pun intended).

Ok, I know what you're thinking. A love story between a teenage girl and a kid? Are you serious? Wait, is this even legal?

Before more questions sprung out, let me cut you off there and blatantly state that yes, this is about a teenager and a kid BUT the age gap is only 4 years at most. Besides, this is set in the medieval times and it's perfectly normal during that time. I know it can be uncomfortable but bear with it. Give it a chance to try to win you over because I promise you, it's worth it.

However, if you deem that you can't just watch an anime between an older woman and a shotacon, well, go on and continue your journey. Let me just say you don't know what you're missing.

Now that we got those aside, let's continue.

~[Sound]~

Unfortunately, the OP and ED of this anime failed to catch my attention. It's still pleasing to listen to but forgettable. The main OST of the series which is heard almost every ep is catchy and has some beautiful meaning behind it but that's about it. It's almost played every ep and it gets tiring.

However, the various versions of that song heard throughout the series helped make it a bit "new" and I honestly found myself still enjoying it despite the repetition. And the orchestra version is the best.

Score: 8/10

~[Art]~

It has the classic shoujo and old school feel to it which instantly reminded me of the anime I watched in the 90s and early 2000s. But the character design are unoriginal and I can find myself seeing other anime characters in the cast. That's not always a bad thing because for me, anime will always have a somewhat similarity with others and as long as the other factors are decent, then it's fine in my book.

There were no still shots (there was one scene but its purpose is for comedy) but there were some scenes where the characters look unnatural and derpy making it unpleasant to the eyes.

However, when the heroine uses her powers, it turns magnificent. I love the ripple effects, the formation of the clouds and the likes, and paired with the song truly made it a great moment. But for me, that's not the strongest side of this anime's art. It's, in fact, the backgrounds.

I'm a huge fan of backgrounds and I love how they were drawn in this anime. The colors harmonized beautifully creating an unforgettable sight perfect for emotionally pivotal scenes and definitely adds to the impact.

Score: 9/10

~[Story]~

It's a shoujo anime so expect to see a lot of shoujo tropes that are cheesy but because of the overall execution and the great cast, will still make it entertaining.

There weren't a lot of drama and it's mostly about Livius I and Nike living their lives as the Sun King and Queen respectively while growing closer and closer each day. This type of anime is perfect to those who are looking for something that can cheer them up or if they're tired of too much drama.

So if you found any tropes undesirable, bear with it. It gets better I promise.

Score; 10/10

~[Characters]~

Now, onto the best side of this anime - its characters. This anime has one of the best ensemble out there. Everyone is just so adorably hilarious and lovable; and each of their individual quirks harmonize well with others that you can't help but get invested in them.

Nike is one of the best shoujo heroines out there. She's strong willed, determined, kind and not afraid to stand up for what's right. She also has morals and principles in life that she's willing to fight for till the end and I find that very amazing. She is the epitome of heroines and I hope I'll encounter more characters like her.

Livius I is a good character. He's quite realistic (ironic, I know) and great character development throughout the series. He's also straightforward for his age and that's great because let's be real, dense MCs can only go so far. However, I admit that without Nike, this stoic and rude kid won't have much of an impact to me. But that's a good thing in this case since it just shows that the main characters compliment each other very well.

The side characters are amazing as well and despite not having a lot of screen time, they still could create an impact to the viewer and make the whole scene infinitely better.

This anime only got a high rating because of its characters because despite all of the tropes, they're executed well to the point that I don't mind them and just enjoy the ride.

Score: 10/10 (I'd give it a score higher than 10 if I could.)

~[Conclusion]~

Overall, Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii is a great anime with decent sound, good art, nice story and magnificent characters. So if you can get past the age gap, well, expect a lighthearted anime that'll make you feel warm and fuzzy in the inside, laughing your worries away.