Ranked #2856

Koihime†Musou

An anime adaptation of the eroge “Koihime Musou” which in turn is loosely based on the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” novel, it takes a more novel and surprising approach than we are used to for anime series that are based on eroge. Already quite different is the fact all of the famous characters from “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” are female in “Koihime Musou”.

But instead of having a male lead character that all the female characters fawn over and desire to be with, the “Koihime Musou” anime forgoes this classical harem and omits the male lead character from the eroge. The anime focuses more on Kan'u Unchou and the many other girls she encounters and befriends on her journey to bring peace throughout the war torn and crime infested lands.

A nice change from the many harem series out there and with its all-female cast “Koihime Musou” pulls the card of comedy and suggested shouju-ai or yuri relationships. Though most of the yuri related scenes are either humoristic in nature or pure fanservice, at no time are serious bonds or relationships really thoroughly explored save for the bond of sisterhood that forms between Kan'u and Chouhi.
From the yuri related scenes, Kan'u is the appealing victim of most, whether she's being teased by Chouun, embarrassed by Chouhi or openly pursued by Sousou. As the series progresses, the viewer can't help but wonder who will try to go after Kan'u next or which yuri joke will befall her.

That being said, “Koihime Musou” still focuses mainly on the humour and situations the characters find themselves in. While there is a certain amount of action it's primarily used for the overarching plot of Kan'u trying to bring more peace to the people and as such does not play a pivotal role.
“Koihime Musou” is really all about cute girls sharing laughs on their journey together.

As such, the series is also mostly episodic with each episode telling a tale of how Kan'u and her travelling party befriend someone new, defeat a foe encountered on their path or have other adventures. This goes from working at a restaurant to participating in a martial arts contest, an eating contest, fighting bandits, solving a kidnapping case,...

Next to Kan'u, the series revolves mainly around her companions Chouhi, Koumei, as well as Sei and Bachou when they are present in her party. I had hoped Ryofu would play a bigger part but alas she was only featured briefly.
Although Sei is featured in many episodes, during the latter half she strays from Kan'u's party and appears less which is a shame since her character's interaction with Kan'u is always a hoot.

Except for some of the main characters like Chouhi, Koumei and Bachou, most of the girls do not especially have any meaningful character evolution and as such they seem to remain rather superficial characters since there's little chance to really delve into their pasts or personae. But given the nature of the series, a relaxing comedy rife filled with attractive girls, this isn't really bothersome.

The final episodes sees Ryuubi, the only male character appear, but although he seems to be able to seduce Kan'u at first he ends up earning her wrath and quickly flees. Perhaps this can be seen as some sort of hint that Kan'u ends up choosing the life where she can travel and live with her female companions where no man's love is welcome or needed? Who knows... but in the spirit and atmosphere of the series, this leads to a very fitting conclusion.


Animation throughout “Koihime Musou” is quite good and many episodes feature scenes that represent the characters in a cute chibi form, the same as in the episodes' ending sequence. All of the female characters are portrayed with unique hairstyles and lavishly decorated and coloured outfits. The cast is physically diverse, from tall, long haired beauties with (very) large bosoms to smaller, flat chested girls. No doubt to cater the different tastes of the audience.
Since the series focuses on the girls, they receive the best animation and detail treatment, usually a feast for the eyes!


The soundtrack is average, it supports the series nicely and the more upbeat opening song and cute ending track are an indication the series is all about watching cute girls and having lots of laughs without being about anything too serious or dramatic.


If you're looking for a nice comedy rife with cute maidens that also offers a zest of shouju-ai/yuri, then this series may certainly be a worthwhile viewing experience! read more

Koihime Musou is a very light anime that doesn't requires the viewer to analyze much. At first, due to the way the characters act, the colors applied to the anime, and the different songs and sound effects that you get to hear, you think this anime is very childish and that it's directed to kids. However, this anime contains a lot of lesbian-like comments, jokes, scenes, and dialogues; at some point, if the director/writer would've wanted, this anime could even have turned into a hentai.

The story is very naive: a black-haired, martial artist teenager girl sets out on a journey to defeat all the bandits she encounters and rid the world of evil, while having a younger girl tag along with her due to some circumstances. On the way of fulfilling their journey, they meet new fighters, some being rivals in some way and some being very friendly, and even tagging along with them.

Line art and animation is very good. I, personally, didn't like the colors applied since they seemed too childish and gave the impression that "everything's great and happy!", making the anime sillier than it already was with the story.

All the audio-related stuff regarding this anime was just alright, including voice acting. It was as good as needed in order for the series to run smoothly.

The way most of the characters act are somewhat based on the characters of the original Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (if you've seen Ikkitousen or read the novel, you might understand the characters of this series better). In Koihime Musou, however, they ALL act extremely childish (warning: they might get to your nerves, eventually). Also, all of the characters are female, except for the bandits and a couple of servants. It's funny how the bandits all look the same, yet every time they encounter each other (the main character and the bandits) it's as if they've never met before. Another thing is, why in God's name does each character have 3 or 4 names? Simplify things and help the viewer a little bit! To finish up with the characters, all of them used spears, except for maybe one or two sword-users; there are hundreds of weapons where to choose from, vary them a little!

The only reason i'd tell you to watch this anime is if you like watching lesbian-like situations going on between the characters; in other words, if you're an ecchi fan. If you don't like it, don't waste time and watch something else. read more