Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina

On the dusty streets of the castle town Dayah in the Fortna Kingdom, a young orphan named Nina steals for survival. Experiencing one tragedy after another, she has little to hope for in her life. Believing it best for Nina, her closest friend, Saji, hands her over to Second Prince Azure Seth Fortna, who has been searching for someone with unique and intense deep-blue eyes—just like Nina's.

The kingdom's princess, the revered Astral Priestess Alisha, has recently died on her way to the Galgada Kingdom, where she was to marry the tyrant First Prince Sett. However, her death is concealed for political reasons, and that is where Nina needs to step in. With nowhere else to go and no one to turn to, Nina assumes Alisha's identity and future duties. But with each moment spent with Azure, Nina feels herself drawn to his warmth, fearing that once she is wed to another, nobody will remain to remember her true self.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sett Main

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Fortna, Azure Seth Main

Umehara, Yuuichirou Japanese

Nina Main

Tanaka, Minami Japanese

Shigan Supporting

Miyazaki, Yuu Japanese

Hikami Supporting

Saiga, Mitsuki Japanese

Mea Supporting

Hishikawa, Hana Japanese

Kilimina Supporting

Sekine, Akira Japanese

Fohnam Supporting

Uenishi, Teppei Japanese

Ann Supporting

Tazawa, Masumi Japanese

Gainan Supporting

Yasuda, Rikuya Japanese

Matsui, Yuuko Producer

Shioya, Naofumi Producer

Nakamura, You Producer

Sunakozaka, Mitsuki Assistant Producer

Reviews

Mar 3, 2025

Megan1918

Recommended

I Highly recommend watching this anime! It was truly a masterpiece! My only complaint is that there isn’t more. Only season one is out and it ends at a bit of a cliffhanger. I was truly at the edge of my seat the entire time watching and I couldn’t get enough of it. I watched the English dub and the voice actors made it even more amazing due to how perfect they were. The animation was beautiful and the male main characters especially are what captivated me because they are both so gorgeous! I am praying for a second season so please watch and give ... this anime and manga all your attention

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Sep 2, 2025

schmausy

Mixed Feelings

⚠️ Warning: This anime is a masterclass in how to ruin romance. If you want a satisfying love story, stay far away.

The good? The art looks great, and the animation flows well.
The bad? Everything else.

Let’s dissect this disaster:

Nina – Sweet orphan girl, sold off to play dress-up as the dead Priestess. She’s kind, hard-working, and pretty… but also hopelessly indecisive and so naive it hurts. Her biggest “trait”? Forgiving literally anyone who abuses her. It doesn’t matter if she’s hurt physically or mentally—she’ll smile and forgive. At some point, it stops being kindness and starts looking like Stockholm syndrome. She complicates her own life endlessly, ... and the “love triangle” wouldn’t even exist if she had an ounce of self-respect.

Azure – The one redeeming factor in this dumpster fire. Strong, smart, compassionate, and actually in love with Nina for her courage and innocence. He fights for her, he protects her, he’s consistent—and yet Nina acts like choosing him would somehow be “too easy.” Honestly, the only prince worth anything here.

Sett – And now for the joke of the century. This so-called “romantic rival” is a straight-up psychopath. He abuses Nina physically and mentally, then suddenly decides her childish personality is “attractive.” Voilà, instant yandere. The anime tries to justify his cruelty with tragic backstory flashbacks, but sorry, hurting an innocent girl isn’t deep; it’s just pathetic. Sett isn’t a “complex character”; he’s a walking red flag factory. The fact that Nina even entertains the thought of him proves this “romance” is built on pure nonsense.

The romance: It’s not a love triangle—it’s a crime scene. Nina’s indecision isn’t romantic tension; it’s character assassination. She flips between Azure, the genuinely good man, and Sett, the deranged psycho, like she’s allergic to happiness. Watching her forgive Sett over and over is exhausting and insulting.

Final judgment:

Art/Animation: 8/10 (the only reason your eyes won’t bleed).

Characters: 4/10 (Azure carries the whole cast on his back).

Plot: 3/10 (holes everywhere, shallow politics, and all tied together with Nina’s Stockholm-syndrome “romance”).

This anime isn’t a romance—it’s a circus act where Nina suffers, Azure suffers, and Sett gets screen time he doesn’t deserve. If Season 2 doesn’t nuke Sett from orbit and let Nina finally grow a brain, don’t even bother.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Mar 16, 2025

dxdnelion

Not Recommended

Preliminary (8/12 eps)

I thought I could finish this series, but after some thought, I realized it really wasn’t worth my time at all. Every time I think about it, I just get frustrated. I had high hopes because the manga was so highly praised, but I was honestly shocked at how much the story disappointed me. It felt like something I could’ve come up with in my own Asian fanfic. I know that sounds harsh, but really—what was the point of this story?

I'm only talking about the anime adaptation here (since I don’t plan to read the manga, and maybe it answers some of these issues, but ... my review is based on the anime). The concept and the storyline started off really strong. The world-building and setup for the political drama were intriguing, and I was hooked. But then the moment Nina and Prince Azure started falling in love, the story just became so flat. Here’s the thing—how did they fall in love when they barely knew each other? The show didn’t give enough time for their relationship to develop, which made their feelings feel shallow and rushed. Honestly, I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

The show could have taken a more interesting turn if only it had focused on Nina navigating life as a fake princess and trying to figure out her path as a priestess (like, why keep mentioning her blue eyes if you won't delve deeper into that?). But instead, the characters just became so frustrating. I couldn’t stand the second male lead, and Nina? She’s selfish, impulsive, inconsiderate, and honestly so dumb. I don’t mind a clueless main character, but at least let them grow. Nina’s impulsiveness was treated like a quirky charm, but all it did was put everyone in danger, especially Azure and her lady in waiting. She repeatedly threatens his position and yet every time, she gets saved without ever learning from her mistakes. It honestly made me want to slap some sense into her.

Azure could’ve been an interesting character, especially when we learn about his backstory, but he was pushed aside too quickly. We immediately shift to a new storyline and get introduced to new characters, making his character easy to forget. As for Sett, I usually love villains especially ones with white hair, but this guy’s just a jerk. I really tried to connect with both male characters, but I just couldn’t. And that unnecessary sexual assault attempt scene? Not only was it uncomfortable, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, I just felt let down and frustrated by the whole experience.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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	Poll: Which character do you want Nina to end up with? iNinjeek - Dec 9, 2024	42 replies	by chiakimagoto »» Nov 10, 10:30 PM
	Poll: Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 2 Discussion IzanaSolos - Oct 14, 2024	28 replies	by LeenPhoenixRae »» Nov 6, 8:52 PM
	Poll: Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) KANLen09 - Oct 7, 2024	55 replies	by LeenPhoenixRae »» Nov 6, 8:32 PM
	Poll: Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 12 Discussion IzanaSolos - Dec 23, 2024	47 replies	by ShadowGamesMY »» Sep 1, 8:28 PM
	Poll: Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 11 Discussion IzanaSolos - Dec 16, 2024	23 replies	by Mrs_Lupin »» Jun 21, 2:01 AM