After losing a game of rocks, papers and scissors our main female protagonist Princess Nike no not Nike, has to marry to the Sun God or the conqueror of the world known as Livius II. And I am not even kidding when I say that is the plot of the show. Yeah, this lovely girl’s fate was decided by a game of rocks, papers scissors. Anyway, Nike comes from a distant and secluded land and oh yeah she has some interesting powers of controlling the weather. After some troubles here and there Nike finally makes it to the kingdom where to her shock she meets Ciel, I mean Lelouch, I mean King Livius II. Who is actually only 2 years younger than her despite the fact, he looks ten to be exact.
Now, the first time I saw the king the first thing that popped into my mind was Joffrey from Game of Thrones. And let’s face it, I am pretty sure many of you got the impression that this little fella over here is something of a head chopping obsessed, whiny and worthless bitch. So, after he like threw her in the dungeon I somewhat got an impression that this guy was going to be a royal pain. However, Livius in reality is one adorable badass and the show actually does a good job of portraying him as a suitable, strong and mature king.
When Nike meets him, she and the audience realizes that there is nothing childlike about him. He actually behaves like what a ruler might behave like. Sure, once or twice when you see him talk or behave you just want to pinch his cheeks or hug him to death but most of the time I completely forget that he's a fifteen year old stuck in a ten year old’s body! Like seriously I do!
Also, some people including me thought it was hysterical that this little kid was getting engaged to what looks like a younger version of Scarlett Johansson. Now, our main female character on the other hand is a breath of fresh air. Not only is she drop dead gorgeous but she in a sense is like the show’s main comic relief character. She has a wonderful personality considering the fact she is funny, stubborn, kind and just so awesome. I mean, I think the best part is that the show doesn’t portray her character in such a way, which is over the top and annoying, unlike most characters with her traits tend to be like. I truly loved Nike and I loved how the show explored her character during it’s run.
However, the show’s biggest triumph is creating a successful and memorable bond between the two leads. Now, you look at these two and you're like yeah that’s not gonna work. I mean, I don’t mean to be rude but she kinda looks old enough to be his mom even though they are two years apart. Also, despite both of them being royalty, I was curious to how these two characters will mesh together into something wonderful. And, I must be honest when I say that the chemistry between them is just over 9000.
Their interactions are funny, sweet and sometimes sad. And I know many people would just dismiss this show because of the height and age difference, but I have a feeling that if they actually sat down and watched this they would be charmed by it. Also, I am not gonna lie I was expecting a hot and strong king and I was a little disappointed deep inside that it wasn’t the case. But, then it got me thinking that if both characters didn’t have contrasting personalities and looks then the show wouldn’t be as epic and original compared to the heaps of romance anime out there. So, after episode two I was really glad that they chose this guy over here to be the main male character.
The last time, I felt like this about a romance anime was when I watched Inu X Boku SS. Actually, when I watched that show it took me five episodes or so to realize that Ririchiyo and Sousei are supposed to be love interests. I mean, it was obvious in the first episode the way they were shining the spotlight on them, but I didn’t want to believe it at the time. However, this show immediately establishes the fact that these two are gonna shoot love arrows through our kokoros. And that’s something Inu X Boku SS missed the mark for!
However the romance between Nike and Livius is however nothing like the one between Ririchiyo and Sousei. In fact, the show despite its 12 episode limit slowly, slowly with each episode succeeded in developing their relationship. It never felt rushed despite the fact that the characters knew each other for three or so months. Also, unlike most romance anime, the show doesn’t necessarily wait till the end for the two to get together.
Now, this is something I tend to loathe and kindly excuse in many romance anime, but I was just delighted that they made sure the two characters kissed after a short period of time. Also, it’s hilarious that a couple so amazing got engaged even before Nike or we saw the king.
The show however focused so much on developing the main leads that they more or less disregarded the supporting cast as nothing more than just side characters that were just there for the show and not the tell. I mean, they could’ve given Neil or the servants a little bit more depth so that they would have been as memorable as our two leads. Also, even if we are introduced to Nike’s family towards the last few episodes properly I wish they would have done a better job giving us a taste of what they were really like. Sure, we get the idea they are wacky, caring and supportive, but they really didn’t go into much detail. The only exception was the relationship between Nike and her grandmother and I am not going to talk much about that because I don’t want to spoil anything.
Livius on the other hand doesn’t really have a family - well except his uncle Bard. Now, the reason why his character is so proud, diligent, hard working, miserable is due to the fact he lost his mother he loved so much. I know this may sound insensitive but the relationship between the two and flashbacks of his mother is just so clichéd at this point. I mean, honestly , I never understood why Livius loved his mother so much I mean yeah there is a the fact that all mothers well except for Medusa from Soul Eater, love their kids, but all the flashbacks and Livius’ words were just not enough to convince us that the mother was anything special. She to me felt as if she was another clichéd dead parent, which sounds so mean coming out of my mouth!
Now, the uncle on the other hand, his character was clichéd too. I mean, I have seen so many characters like him in the past and he also looks like many anime characters with his traits. There is nothing interesting about him, despite the fact he is this Casanova who loved Livius’ mother and has been broken deep inside ever since. In fact, he was my least favourite character in the entire show. The arc surrounding him was nothing too spectacular and I just found him to be annoying and also useless to the plot. But, he did stir some conflict, so I will give him credit for that!
The fantasy elements of the show was okay, average at best. I mean, sure not every anime has rain summoning maidens in them so that works well to the show’s credit. However, they didn’t really dive much into the concept of nature, rain and magic or how or why Nike and her family has these powers. They merely just scratched the surface to all of these, and didn’t really give it the importance it deserved!
The comedy on the other hand was executed perfectly and I felt it had a nice balance with the drama of the show. Like the show was flawlessly able to switch from a serious tone to a more comedic mode without any trouble which many shows tend to struggle to do. The jokes in this show was hilarious even though it was not ‘rolling on the floor laughing’ hilarious. Also, the show even sneakily broke the fourth wall once or twice, which I thought was superb!
The animation of the show on the other hand was very decent and also consistent. It was not the best animation I have seen, but it was still really bright and colourful with wonderful character designs. Also, despite being a shoujo, romance I am glad that show didn’t have too much sparkly, pink backgrounds which can be very annoying at times. Sure, they had some I think but nothing that would get on a person’s nerve!
The opening and ending themes are nothing that extraordinary but still good for a show like this. The song ‘Tender Rain’ that Nike sings to call the rain was wonderful too, even though I felt that it was reaching ‘Let It Go’ status by being played practically during every episode. But, I still personally loved it and I feel it’s going to be one of the most memorable things about the show.
Now, the overall plot of the show was nothing too extravagant or interesting, but you watch this show for Livius and Nike. They make the show something worth watching especially for those that enjoy romantic comedies. So, after much thought I have decided to award this wonderful show with an 8 out of 10 and a recommendation to definitely to check out this freaking fantabulous show.
