Nina the Starry Bride

⚠️ 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.

Please watch this anime! If you love court romances, drama, intrigue, magical realism, and spirited characters, this is a must-watch. It’s one of the best romance anime I’ve seen in a long time—I’ve been so tired of the same run-of-the-mill shounen romances that oversexualize female characters. Because it’s 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. It’s emotional, well-paced, and full of depth. Nina is such a resilient and lovable protagonist—you can’t 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 you’ll love it. Please give it a chance!

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 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