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Thread: Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii

  1. #21
    Pit Lord shinta|hikari's Avatar
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    I read (past tense) enough shoujo that I forgot how many. There was a point when I actually liked it, then got tired of the love triangles. If I had to estimate, I'm sure it is more than 50, but maybe less than 70 titles. Love triangles are resolved in shoujo but pretty late in the story. The presence of the love triangle trope itself is what irks me. At least the love triangle here is with a female, because majority of the never ending (yet serious because it can go either way vs shounen where it is obvious who the main love interest is) love triangles in shoujo is with two males.
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  2. #22
    ANBU Captain lelouch's Avatar
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    I stopped watching this after the first ep. Is it any good?

  3. #23
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lelouch View Post
    I stopped watching this after the first ep. Is it any good?
    In my opinion this is one of the better shows this season, so far. But that's only if you can enjoy shoujo. As opposed to some other shows (such a Mahouka), this has been getting better as it progressed.

    But then again, I'm probably biased because I'm always highly receptive to fantasy adventure shoujo specifically. If you couldn't stand to give this even two episodes, I'm kind of doubtful of your chances to enjoy this. When I drop a show after or during the first episode, I never go back, but perhaps you are different.

  4. #24
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Episode 6 - HS



    - - - - - - - - -





    Like I said before, the preview last week didn't raise my expectations for this episode, quite the contrary, but in fact this worked decently enough. One reason is that everything was solved in a single episode, just like Ryll suggested. Although building a triangle and then solving it in a single episode might suggest skipped character development, it didn't really feel that way (or perhaps that's just because I don't like triangles). Luna was quite the little bitch, no doubt, but that only made the scene where the changed Livius scared her speechless all the better. Yeah, that was the best scene of the episode, no doubt. Stealing a kiss from Nike at the end was a good reminder this is shoujo through and through.

  5. #25
    Pit Lord shinta|hikari's Avatar
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    Luna triangle was... tolerable.

    Now we get another one, in the span of one episode.

    Sigh.

    Livius is definitely what keeps me watching, and how Nike reacts to him. Why the rival development? Can't they do something less cliche? How about a common goal that they can both contribute to? How about an uprising that has nothing to do with romance? How about an economic crisis that they need to cooperate to solve? How about an assassination attempt at Livius that leaves him vulnerable and makes Nike assume the role of his savior? Noooo. We get a blond dude molesting Nike. Classic shoujo.
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  6. #26
    Family Friendly Mascot Buffalobiian's Avatar
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    Well luckily for me I don't read any shoujo (and only watch some occasionally when they come around) so I'm thoroughly enjoying this one. At first I was a little worried about Livius being so young and mismatched (I expected the lean, handsome king ala Kaichou wa Maid-sama standard shoujo), but this works nicely. Being physically a child makes any weakness much more believable.

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  7. #27
    Procacious Polymath Ryllharu's Avatar
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    Thematically, I really liked this episode. Luna loved Livius the way he was, but ran away after what he became. Nike on the other hand, only knew Livius at his worst, and soaked her way to his heart. Luna had to admit she lost because she couldn't accept all of what Livius was, but Nike not only could...she did.

    So...Nike's boobs definitely have grown. It wasn't just the one scene where Luna was groping her, Nike was larger in the bed, larger practicing at night, and well endowed in the next episode as well. She grew tall so fast, but now she's finally growing out. She'll make a splendid queen after all.

    What is sort of weird is how contemporary Nike's clothes are compared to the rest of the series. The Sun and Ocean kingdoms both have sort of 19th century clothing, but given that the Rain Kingdom appears to be old-timey Korea or China from the first episode and flashbacks, they have very modern clothing. Each time we see her in Sun Kingdom clothing, she matches. The rest of the time she has her standard jumper/one-piece from the 1970s and the shirt, tie, and tight-waisted skirt on the roof (also very mid 20th century), among others. She's got the legs for it (as far as anime character legs go...), but her clothes seem so out of place compared to the rest of the world that we've seen. It's not bad, just weird.

    I assume all her clothes expose her legs because otherwise she'd rip them or get them dirty running all over the place like the barbarian she is.

  8. #28
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Episode 7 - HS







    - - - - -- - -




    Haha. The beginning of this ep looked quite inconsequential, but the end was something else for sure. Up until now there has been little sign of a man who conquered the world, rather we have been seeing a temperamental boy with quirks, but the last scene surely was somebody knowing he wields absolute power in the country. No doubt it was a rare in the heat of the moment kind of thing, since this show could hardly go on with a Livi like that, but it was still rather interesting to see. Especially telling Nike to remember he could burn her little country to the ground. I assume nothing much will come out of this, perhaps just another trauma from Livi's past will surface for Nike to learn. Nevertheless, with Nike having so much action and significance with her power and nosy personality, it's good Livi has his moments as well, as rare as they are likely to continue to be. Especially since it looks like we won't have a chance of seeing him act as the military genius he supposedly is.

  9. #29
    Family Friendly Mascot Buffalobiian's Avatar
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    This ep had me compare Livi to Napoleon more than ever. The kid's always had his little bit of inferiority complex, but if there's one to bring it all out it'd be Bard. Perhaps part of the reason is that Bard passed kingship to Livi without competing, making Livi feel forever inferior since "everything he is now" was based on Bard not trying. I'm not sure how much the assassination plot plays into this since that is what ticks Livi off the most.

    [Nipponsei] Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii Original Soundtrack.zip
    [얼티메이트] [140521] TVアニメ「それでも世界は美しい(Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii)」オリジナルサウンドトラック(OST) [OP+挿入歌+ED収録] (FLAC+BK)
    Last edited by Buffalobiian; Sat, 05-24-2014 at 11:30 PM.

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  10. #30
    Pit Lord shinta|hikari's Avatar
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    Wow, that was disgusting shoujo drivel. In one episode, we get a random uncle antagonist (never hinted/foreshadowed before), ultra cliche shoujo love triangle, Nike acting like a weak pussy while being assaulted for no apparent reason (she can cut metal with air, yeah), Livi acting incredibly stupid and juvenile with his outburst (he is the Sun King for crying out loud, he should have read something a fucking shoujo fan could have read), AND THEN we have the shoujo antagonist morality switch/fake out...

    OMG, travesty.
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  11. #31
    Procacious Polymath Ryllharu's Avatar
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    Definitely a nice tidbit with Nike being amazing at throwing knives. She may be nice at heart, but there's assassin-level skills under that consistent smile. Maybe there's another reason the Rain Country hasn't been conquered in addition to the magical powers of their royals and political pairings. The fact that she says she was undefeated at it means throwing knives are a regularly displayed skill.

    She also had the feeling she was being watched, which is pretty impressive considering she's well-known around the city by now, and the festival is crowded anyway. Anime cliché or no, that's one capable princess. Way better than a pampered ditz or a spoiled brat. Livi knows how to get the good ones. Her Sense Motives skill is quite high once she gets serious.

    It makes me wonder how much of the threat of burning the rain country to the ground is more bluster than an actual threat (again, that particular method not very effective when the royal family controls the wind and sky). Harkening back to Napoleon again, entire armies have been brought down by mud and/or cold. Can an army mount an effective attack on a country when they are being hit by localized torrential rain every day (if not constantly)?

  12. #32
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryllharu View Post
    Can an army mount an effective attack on a country when they are being hit by localized torrential rain every day (if not constantly)?
    In that case the army wouldn't need to do anything because the country would be drowning itself... Besides, Nike's rains are very, very short. Her wind is deadly, though, but wouldn't help against ranged attacks from multiple sources.

    In the first place Nike was sent to marry the Sun king to save the Rain country. I don't think the jolly family we saw would have given one of their own to the demonic conqueror king if they were sure nothing could threaten them.

  13. #33
    Pit Lord shinta|hikari's Avatar
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    I think this story was designed to end with the previous arc, then it was extended due to popularity, so we ended up with this.
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  14. #34
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shinta|hikari View Post
    I think this story was designed to end with the previous arc, then it was extended due to popularity, so we ended up with this.
    If Bakuman taught me anything, it's one of the facts of the manga business that authors can't afford to design complete, wholesome stories because they need to submit n proposals to the publishers, one after another, until one finally catches fire. So, it's more like settings, not stories. I have no doubt that's also the reality, not just Bakuman, considering how dodgy many of the series are if you look at the bigger picture.

    Although I'm not sure what you mean by this.

    Episode 8 - HS




    - - - - - - - -





    Very traditional. Men fight and a woman can't understand it, meddles, and manages to make them stop fighting - for a little while. But I suppose he can't be half bad if he was the prime minister during the military expansion and during the reconstruction of the country and the increase in citizens' general quality of life. Livi just needs to keep a close watch on his wife as she doesn't quite seem to realise what's acceptable and what's not.

    Looks like they will be travelling to Nike's home country in the next episode. I was actually expecting such an episode sooner or later. Very smart of Nike; if Livi comes to like the place, he might not anymore threaten to burn it to the ground!

  15. #35
    Procacious Polymath Ryllharu's Avatar
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    It's quite dangerous to anger a wife who can sever bangs (or throats) with a few words. At the same time, it is fortunate that Nike is the crown princess, because no one else could get away with breaking out condemned prisoners. I thought it was very amusing he let the guards go on account of how pointless it was to try and keep her confined.

    I think any dangerous elements of resistance should be quite wary now that the Prime Minister has returned. Like you said, they are well known as a combination (along with the elder council) that took over the world.

    I found Nike's grandmother's words rather cryptic. Nike doesn't seem to be particularly deficient in anything (aside from gracefulness). Also eager to see Nike's sisters again. Perhaps they will be quite jealous with how happy she is as a result of the "forced" arrangement.

  16. #36
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryllharu View Post
    Also eager to see Nike's sisters again. Perhaps they will be quite jealous with how happy she is as a result of the "forced" arrangement.
    Only if they are shotacons. Nike hardly is, herself, as she's only occasionally treating him as a man, though I guess that's slowly changing when she's getting to know him better and better. But the sisters don't know anything, they'd just see a brat with a bad attitude, just like Nike did when they first met. I wonder if the lazy sisters really can appreciate Nike's happiness not having experienced any of it. Moreover, I wonder how Nike will feel being back home again. Will she develop any regrets when they sooner or later need to return? It could be harder than leaving the first time, as back then it might have felt like nothing but a big adventure.

  17. #37
    Pit Lord shinta|hikari's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kraco View Post
    Although I'm not sure what you mean by this.
    This episode sums this up pretty well. The arcs before this had shoujo tropes, but they did not smash them into your face like the last 2 episodes did. It had a unique balance of fun and seriousness with interesting main characters, but now we get the ultimate cliche story with all the shoujo love triangle tropes, which you can predict even before it started. I seriously could have done without Bard declaring his desire for Nike at the end. I was hoping it would not go that far, but it did.

    To be fair, I have watched and read a fair amount of shoujo, so that may be the reason I am reacting so negatively about this. It is just so trite.

    I would also have been more open to the uncle introduction if they hinted about it even just a little bit at the start. Shingeki no Kyojin anime did that. They changed some scenes at the start to accommodate plot twists that happen later on (the manga did not have them because the author probably has not thought of them yet at that point).
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  18. #38
    Family Friendly Mascot Buffalobiian's Avatar
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    Initially I forgot that Bard was the previous King's younger brother and instead thought he was Shiela's brother.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kraco
    Livi just needs to keep a close watch on his wife as she doesn't quite seem to realise what's acceptable and what's not.
    I really think it's the other way around. Nike can be unconventional, but she never does anything harmful. When Livi throws tantrums, entire countries suffer. That said, good luck burning the Land of Rain to the ground. I wonder why the royal family even needs a spell to summon rain anyway. If the naming sense is anything like the Land of Sun, then it must rain all the bloody time.

    If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~

  19. #39
    Pit Lord shinta|hikari's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buffalobiian View Post
    Initially I forgot that Bard was the previous King's younger brother and instead thought he was Shiela's brother.
    Same here until the confession. It did not help that Bard looked very similar to Sheila with the long blonde hair. Livi had black hair after all, hinting that the King would be the same as well, which would suggest that the King's siblings would share the same trait.

    The show needed to hit the blonde bishounen quota, so it makes sense in that regard.
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  20. #40
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shinta|hikari View Post
    Same here until the confession. It did not help that Bard looked very similar to Sheila with the long blonde hair. Livi had black hair after all, hinting that the King would be the same as well, which would suggest that the King's siblings would share the same trait.
    He was the previous king's brother, so we can assume the previous king's own father and mother were one dark haired and the other a blond, to produce offspring of both kinds. Considering all this, we seem to be able to assume it's a long tradition in that country for dark haired king's to seek blond consorts, Livi being no different.

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