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ćéăçĺ˝ăŽăă
12
TV
Finished Airing
Oct 10, 2024 to Dec 26, 2024
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 eyesâjust 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]
8.2/10
Average Review Score
67%
Recommend It
15
Reviews Worldwide
Peak Josei was on the menu this season in the form of Hoshinina. For the last year or so, I have desperately awaited something to fill the hole in my heart that Niehime left and while itâs not told the complete story, Hoshinina is certainly on its way to doing that. Brilliant story with a resourceful and independent female lead, romance, drama and political shenanigans, I couldnât ask for more. Iâm a big sucker for characters being thrust into roles, gradually growing into them and then dominating. Nina is not a royal by birth, but ends up in the royal family and gets all this pressureto prevent war placed on her shoulders. Itâs an unfair burden, but one she embraces and strives to excel in rather than complain. I think your enjoyment of this series really comes down to how much you like Nina and how much you care about the male leads. Nina was such a dope character to me, enjoyed seeing her overcome obstacles and how resourceful she was in the 2nd half in an unfamiliar setting. She really grew into her role as time went on, embracing the newfound responsibility she had to her people. It felt so similar to Sariphi from Niehime to me and even the aesthetic of the world has a lot of similarities. If you enjoyed that story, youâll really like this too. The political drama in this show was pretty cool too. I liked all the behind the scenes adoption/replacement stuff, the political marriages and jockeying for power even within the royal family. Itâs a lot, and you feel bad for characters like Sett, Azure and Nina who are all kind of victims in this political posturing. The second half of the season in particular, really ups the stakes and makes you fear for an all out war breaking out. Wouldnât be a fantasy shojosei without romance and itâs very much a big and enjoyable thing in Hoshina. I like that itâs not Ninaâs whole motivation or personality, she is very much her own character trying to accomplish her goals. The romance just acts as a vehicle through which the plot advances. Thatâs to say, Nina developing romantic feelings for Sett and Azure establishes her connection to Galgada and Fortuna, making her want to protect those places and create an ideal scenario that averts war. When you have people you care about in a place, you tend to want it to stay safe for your loved ones. And, letâs face it, the love triangle is fun. Both male leads are bad ass, intelligent and generally cool characters. I did dislike Sett initially because he came off as an edgelord, but he grew on me considerably as the last few episodes played out and I learned more about his motivations. He still did a few things I canât forgive YET, but I can see myself coming to like him. Azure as the first boy introduced has the usual anime advantage in that respect, but it looks like the author knows how to satisfy fans of both. I expect a good amount of teasing and fanservice for both going forward. Production values is where Hoshinina struggles. Awesome female mc, interesting story, characters, world, character designs are good.. but the animation doesnât hold up. At times it looks really bad, distractingly bad and the art at times produces off model characters. Itâs a shame because the characters look good when theyâre sitting around or talking, but when thereâs any sort of action it takes a dip. Still, I enjoyed the rest of the story enough to make up for this. Hoshinina is an easy recommendation for fans of fantasy romance anime, those who like strong and well written female leads, or those who just like hot guys fighting over a girl. If not for the production values, I think this wouldâve been way more popular and it deserved it. Iâll miss it. Hoshinina gets 9 out of 10.
â ď¸ 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. Letâs dissect this disaster: Nina â Sweet orphan girl, sold off to play dress-up as the dead Priestess. Sheâs kind, hard-working, and pretty⌠but also hopelessly indecisive and so naive it hurts. Her biggest âtraitâ? Forgiving literally anyone who abuses her. It doesnât matter if sheâs hurt physically or mentallyâsheâll smile and forgive. At some point, it stops being kindness and starts looking like Stockholm syndrome. She complicates her own life endlessly,and the âlove triangleâ wouldnât even exist if she had an ounce of self-respect. Azure â 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, heâs consistentâand yet Nina acts like choosing him would somehow be âtoo easy.â Honestly, the only prince worth anything here. Sett â And now for the joke of the century. This so-called âromantic rivalâ is a straight-up psychopath. He abuses Nina physically and mentally, then suddenly decides her childish personality is âattractive.â VoilĂ , instant yandere. The anime tries to justify his cruelty with tragic backstory flashbacks, but sorry, hurting an innocent girl isnât deep; itâs just pathetic. Sett isnât a âcomplex characterâ; heâs a walking red flag factory. The fact that Nina even entertains the thought of him proves this âromanceâ is built on pure nonsense. The romance: Itâs not a love triangleâitâs a crime scene. Ninaâs indecision isnât romantic tension; itâs character assassination. She flips between Azure, the genuinely good man, and Sett, the deranged psycho, like sheâs 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 wonât bleed). Characters: 4/10 (Azure carries the whole cast on his back). Plot: 3/10 (holes everywhere, shallow politics, and all tied together with Ninaâs Stockholm-syndrome âromanceâ). This anime isnât a romanceâitâs a circus act where Nina suffers, Azure suffers, and Sett gets screen time he doesnât deserve. If Season 2 doesnât nuke Sett from orbit and let Nina finally grow a brain, donât even bother.
Please watch this anime! If you love court romances, drama, intrigue, magical realism, and spirited characters, this is a must-watch. Itâs one of the best romance anime Iâve seen in a long timeâIâve been so tired of the same run-of-the-mill shounen romances that oversexualize female characters. Because itâs a josei, it feels so much richer and more compelling. The characters are well-developed, the setting and story are unique, and the relationships are genuinely engaging. Itâs emotional, well-paced, and full of depth. Nina is such a resilient and lovable protagonistâyou canât help but root for her. I found myself growing attached to the characters, changing my opinions onsituations and characters as the story unfolded, and getting completely absorbed in their dynamics. The story is touching, morally grey at times ( which I love), and it really warms your heart. I binged the manga after finishing the anime because I needed more. Now, I desperately want a Season 2! I promise youâll love it. Please give it a chance!
I Highly recommend watching this anime! It was truly a masterpiece! My only complaint is that there isnât 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 couldnât 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 givethis anime and manga all your attention
When I first watched this anime, I was rooting for Az at the beginning, but as soon Seth came into the picture, I did a complete 180. But now that it's over I'm still rooting for Seth. Like yeah sure at first he made her life hard but over time when we get to understand Seth's backstory it's understandable to be that cold but as soon Nina came into his life Seth started to warm up a bit by bit which was so cute to see honestly. Other than that, this anime has a very good story with some lovely characters and all. And the artstyle forthis anime perfectly fits these characters along with the animation. 100% Recommended to watch