Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 5 Discussion

What did you think of this episode?

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Nov 4, 5:59 AM

IzanaSolos

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Dec 2021

2861

With the way things ended, dude HAS to fall in love with Nina xD

Love triangle incoming.

Nov 4, 8:34 AM

Magicmist

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May 2015

2071

Sett truly is an ice cold guy. If it took slashing Nina across the chest to feel a hint of emotion, our princess might be in trouble. I respect the glass half full mindset she has though.

Also even in a dream sequence Azure is supporting Nina through this horrible castle environment. I'm definitely missing when that ship was sailing smoothly.

Nov 4, 9:06 AM

dragon-mage

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Oct 2022

Did this release early

Nov 4, 9:11 AM

phantomfandom

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Sep 2015

6566

I feel like it's not coincidence that this anime is airing the same day as Yakuza Fiancé.

Nov 4, 9:20 AM

dragon-mage

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Oct 2022

I just wasn't expecting to watch ep 5 so soon,it isn't Thursday yet

Nov 4, 9:23 AM

betaweeb

ranked 54 in FAL

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Mar 2018

1488

great episode, while her optimistic approach isn't something new, i'm really liking the execution of this show, it's super satisfying seeing her surprise everybody around her.

Nov 4, 9:55 AM

Im_Stuff

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Dec 2018

997

It only took 5 episodes for this anime to start going somewhere. Looking forward to how it goes from here

Stuff in the streets, Stuff with drip in the sheets

Nov 4, 10:38 AM

LordCrueltyV

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Jul 2024

321

Well, Nina can adapt quickly and with fortitude to play the game with which she is presented.

Lord Cruelty V
"But my Dreams they're not as empty, as my conscience seems to be"

Nov 4, 10:41 AM

SenshadouOtaku

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May 2023

464

dragon-mage said:
I just wasn't expecting to watch ep 5 so soon,it isn't Thursday yet

New episodes are every Monday

Nov 4, 11:15 AM

#10

Marinate1016

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Feb 2019

9376

So far I’m not seeing the Sett hype 😭 Yea he hot, but he’s toxic and cruel as hell so far and the way he did my baby Nina was uncalled for. I’m sure he’ll be fleshed out, but for right now it’s fuck em. Respect to Nina for staring bro in the face and being defiant. Could’ve easily broken like the other princesses but she refused.

I have to admit I did NOT expect bro to actually slash her there. Thought it would be a bluff to see how committed Nina is, but he really does just view the princesses as play things and tools to justify invasions of their countries. Again, I’m sure there’ll be more to him, but not a good first impression lol

Marinate1016Nov 4, 12:07 PM

Nov 4, 1:04 PM

#11

Sheol01

Offline

Jul 2024

1240

Reply to Marinate1016

@Marinate1016 He's beyond toxic, he is a complete psychopath. This Prince is too damned dangerous & is the one behind the Empire's aggressive nature.

Nov 4, 1:07 PM

#12

LordCrueltyV

Offline

Jul 2024

321

Sheol01 said:
He's beyond toxic, he is a complete psychopath.

Yes, but the real question is: is he good in bed?

Lord Cruelty V
"But my Dreams they're not as empty, as my conscience seems to be"

Nov 4, 2:42 PM

#13

Rurihime

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Jun 2016

308

This anime is one of the great surprises of the season, i loved the episode.

Nov 4, 2:45 PM

#14

Kyonman

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Jun 2023

249

This episode is the best yet. I'm digging Nina's attitude that she has with the prince.

Nov 4, 2:46 PM

#15

Hearts4MyLover

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Mar 2024

229

Wow, this episode was real good! Best one by far, I am glad the story is truly going somewhere now. If the animation was a little better I would’ve definitely given it a 10/10 so far.

Nov 4, 3:58 PM

#16

endless_Story_

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Jan 2024

212

Damn what an episode. I didn't think the crazy prince would actually slash Nina. I hope he pays for that sooner rather than later.

Nov 4, 5:25 PM

#17

emo82

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Mar 2018

I’m surprised that this anime rating is low !!
Man, it’s really good, and just getting better lol

Nov 4, 9:08 PM

#18

JaskuraLunaris

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Aug 2010

Oh goody...the "he tried to rape me as a joke" trope. And then the, "Oh I'm interested now because she stood up to me" trope. Because she showed resolve after he slashes her chest open he'll take an actual interest in her and become the 2nd, "love interest" and she'll "fix him." It's been done so many times.... Trying to redeem a psychopathic character as a love interest that, for whatever reason, literally drives hostage potential wives insane into attacking him or committing suicide is just more than ridiculous. I'm sure he has some terrible childhood for why he's so twisted too - always comes from somewhere but that doesn't make him redeemable or excuse what he's done. It's all been done before and I'm so tired of finding series that look somewhat interesting only to discover they're filled with these various toxic tropes that are romanticized.

Nov 5, 1:06 AM

#19

eripon_

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Aug 2021

I will never feel sorry for this "prince",he is such a scum that he deserves everything that may happen to him

Nov 5, 4:59 AM

#20

Alice23_

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Feb 2021

This prince Sett is horrible!!! I'm feeling bad for Nina. I'm missing Azure!! Ahh!! how come this terrible b*stard is the most liked character in this anime?!!

Nov 5, 9:33 AM

#21

NirvashX1

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Jun 2016

2082

not gonna lie !! this is very interesting to watch

Nov 5, 6:45 PM

#22

Bora-chan1

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Nov 2022

Reply to Marinate1016

@Marinate1016 I know the slashing looks bad, but you gotta trust the process lol

Nov 5, 7:39 PM

#23

rassilon

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Jun 2017

110

I'm confused. I thought that Nina was abducted by Azure to take the place of a dead priestess and marry his little brother. Why is she suddenly in another country, being forced to marry a random nobel who should have been killed at birth? Anyone who believes they are better than everyone else deserves to die alone in a ditch. They're certainly not worthy of respect.

Nov 5, 8:14 PM

#24

Haigen

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Sep 2021

Very good ep. Can’t wait for next ep. Hidden gem this season. Reminds me a lot of Niehime to Kemono.

Nov 5, 8:27 PM

#25

KursedArcana

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Nov 2017

377

This week we did chapter 9 and 10

We're on to Sett people!

So I think I'll have a little less to say this episode. Sett doesn't have the same range of facial expressions Azure has at this point. His 3 settings during his intro tend to be expressionlsss, smug / cocky and cruel. Which again, makes the choice to erase Azures facial expressions all the weirder when we already have a male lead who is a bit more cool headed in his interactions with Nina.

While Nina and Azure are two sides of the same coin. Azure and Sett are designed to contrast eachother in appearance, short white hair and red eyes vs long black hair and yellow eyes. Mirror images in behavior and how they approach their possition as prince. While Azure was overlooked for the throne and helps the country the best he can from his position, Sett was given it the thrown and is mostly interested in himself at the start of the series. Both men have a lot of trauma and Nina is the catalyst to their character development and healing (and maybe even some more trauma lol)

Oh cool. They start with some of the cut content from Sett's intro in the previous ep. Thats unexpected austin tindle is already slaying it as Sett lol. We're speed running through Nina's intro to the castle but nothing big is missed. Some fun hikami comments were skipped though.
So Sett's fairing slightly better then Azure face wise but his expressions are muted a little too. Whilse many of Azures were fully skipped, Sett's appear present so far, but warmer then in the manga. Hes coming off less smug and cocky when meeting Nina with his Neena for example. He seems softer then in the manga. Which i don't like lol. He's the bad boy love interest after all and his expressions really sell angsty cold prince whose up to something. Hes almost playful in their first meeting but at the same time you can sense somethings not right. It's all in the eyes and smirk, which isn't getting portrayed well here.

Really cutting the focus on how the servants are treating Nina is a bad choice. It's a big plotpoint in a couple chapters so skipping the build up sucks. Hikami getting many of her comments skipped is also a weird choice. She's an important confidant for Nina, but I guess this could mean they really are just treating this as another short 12 episode promo for the manga adaptation that so many shoujo get as of late instead of trying to guarantee a longer adaptation where the results of all the buildup pay off.

Yeah even in the twisted tea party they are softening Sett's expressions. I think their is a bias in this adaptation and how it portrays Sett and Azure but its not even working in Sett's favor when instead of portraying him in all his smug glory were getting a softer version of him and his quirks. He's still fairing better then Az in my eyes though. His attitude is still present at least unlike az's playfulness with Nina. And Austin Tindle can really elevate this rushed and muted take on Sett's material.

So we skipped Nina kind of making it her goal to be as powerful as the quwwn of fortna at least. I enjoyed this in the manga. I feel like it paints Nina as someone who can both dislike someone while respecting what they're capable of.

Sets playful sadism is now on full display for Nina, but the anime still is softening him in the manga art you'can really see how much fun he's having. The joy he takes in this chance to to hurt Nina when it starts is almost angelic before falling to a devilish grin, eyes growing colder and then an expression that so completely conveyed his view of her as completely beneath him. The anime tones it all down and at the end he seems almost rosy cheeked instead of like he could spit on her after laughing his ass off at her like in the manga. Honestly writing this is really hammering home that Sett would usually be my main ship lol. I love a good twisted character, but Azure captured my heart first.

For those of you who dislike Sett strongly already i encourage you to focus on his word choice and reasoning. Hell often reveal his rationale for things. Sometimes subtly. He may be twisted but he has his own warped moral code that he adheres to.

Chapter 10

Ah Azure. Even in Nina's dreams they won't animate you like your manga self. Give me your concerned glance and playful teasing looks. Give me your kind eyes and the look that says you have full faith in her. Give me a damn adaptation of you that makes me actually believe you and Nina belong together like the manga did. Why is chibi az the most accurate this adaptation has been with him??? Like damn near perfect, yet they skip adapting almost any humorous art with him every other ep

I want to go back to last episode. I mentioned a conversation was placed about Azures original name that wasnt in the scene in the manga. It is from a bonus mini chapter at the end of vollume 3. I'm shocked cause that's the most effort they've put into Azure's moments even if it was speed run like the rest of their material.

Lol Nina says his gaze is as cutting as his words. In the manga yes girl, in the anime he seems sassy at worst most of the time. But still compared to Az whose 1/10 the character, hes maybe at 3/5 his manga personality. So not as good as nina who id put at 4/5 accurate portrayal but not a full on failure. Ann chan is as adorable in the manga though. So yay for that

We did however cut more servant chatter. This time about how the guard captain is such a menace and his pattern of abuse to the servant girls, and how Sett allows it. The culture in the castle and the setvants is important so again, cutting out pretty much all their passing chatter will harm the next episode at the very least.

Ok this is the knot spot on theyve been with Sett's darkness. The moment he tells her she failed, while still not cold as the manga in still felt daggers comming from his eyes. But his smugness at hearing she's a possession of galgada falls flat immediately after, but they gave him a decent evil ffrim before he cuts her (but not the smug one from the manga, do they not like his smugness lol?) His slash also felt toned down. But I'm give it a pass cause censorship can be tricky, plus they really nailed his grin and eyes after the slash. But hsi shock and confusion wat Nina's bold proclamation in spite of his cruelty didnt really hit home. Not to mention he had a wide array of facial expression during this exchange that weren't conveyed at all in anime form. In the manga you can really feel the impact of Nina's words and then unease he feels as he's shaken by them. That final shot of his face ill give a passing grade to though.

Also love the symbolism of her reaching out for her hand as she fell. She got through to him. In the manga it gives the impression that her hand goes down his arm and he grabs it when it brushes his hand. As if he was trying to prevent her from dropping all the way down.

Stray thoughts
I want to call the English dub script adaptation out specifically. Flipping through the manga for vollume 3 reminded me that the author notes at the end deliberately explain the modern language choice was chosen for this fantasy series. Part of the issues with the dub script are word choice leading to incredibly awkward sounding sentences. It's important to be familiar with the tone and world of series when writing, especially if adapting something from another language. The overall formal language lead to the kings character coming off entirely wrong in several scenes where he should of been warm and informal with Nina. While the performance itself was lacking, the script certainly didn't help. Decides like what kind of language to use are often intentional and help flesh out fantasy worlds. Deliberately changing things from the more modern language of the manga can lead things not being portrayed as they should. It's important to know a series aesthetic properly instead of reducing it a trope based on your own assumptions.

And not a fan of Hikami's voice at all. The lack of effort put into the dub for this is really grating on my last nerve and my oppinion of Caitlin Glass as a director has really taken a hit with some of the performances and casting choices in this series

Nov 5, 8:31 PM

#26

KursedArcana

Offline

Nov 2017

377

Reply to rassilon

@rassilon she was taken to replace Alisha in order to be married to the crown prince of Galgada. How did you make it this far without realizing that she wasn't going to Mary her fake little brother? Last episode she received gifts from Sett and it was revealed the king sold Alisha for a fancy chess set basically Azure was trying to break off her engagement since they fell in love but Alisha chose to leave in order to use her position to protect Azure from the Kim's assination attempts. I

Did you miss a whole episode? Cause I don't get how you're confused on this plotpoint if you saw last epiosde where her engagement is central plotpoint.

Nov 5, 9:23 PM

#27

Sigmar-Unberogen

Offline

Nov 2013

6704

Sett's a pretty-boy and this is Josei so obviously he'll be redeemed, but for now the dude's a POS. Like, a poor servant girl is about to lose an arm for a freaking feather and he was just walking away like "not my problem". Honestly though, I knew this girl would find some trouble. I assumed it would be something too predictable though, like "a servant girl like you must've stolen the brooch (Nina's gift), there's no way it was a gift from a princess." I guess I was right with the theft accusation at least.

Nina is a beast though. I was honestly surprised at the end too. That comeback. Try and be indifferent towards such girl now! Impossible.

Nov 6, 8:31 AM

#28

landofthekwt

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Mar 2015

13461

Our gril got herself in deep doo doo

Nov 6, 1:23 PM

#29

Crez

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Dec 2012

208

I have to say. The animation being quite stale and the romance between the two leads moving so quickly did throw me off a bit, but I'm fully invested now! I love it when women in societies where they're seen as lesser than keep fighting those in power with their own unique strengths, so I really hope the focus stays on this path!

Excited for the next episode!

The 2002 Tokyo Mew Mew adaptation is not as great as you remember it being.

Nov 6, 2:38 PM

#30

rassilon

Offline

Jun 2017

110

Reply to KursedArcana

@KursedArcana Apparently, I missed the previous episode entirely. Crunchyroll's queue was badly broken, forcing me to wipe my entire view history to fix it. Thank you. P.S. Nina is a fool. :-)

Nov 8, 1:18 PM

#31

Vanytas

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Feb 2022

131

Ok like ummm he is toxic and all but like he looks so good 😭 he is fictional I ain’t gonna meet him so it’s whatever gotta simp for the looks this time lol and also this episode was so good I actually want the next one like rn

Nov 8, 2:22 PM

#32

patkarunungan

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Jul 2023

1600

What a heavy episode. Nina must win over this even greater tsundere prince, and she must learn to adapt in her environment fast.

Nov 11, 4:49 AM

#33

cuhoangdk

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Apr 2018

146

finally, something interesting happened

Nov 11, 1:58 PM

#34

LilyVarbik

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Jan 2016

1302

So normally I hate the whole rape thing (still hate the whole rape thing) but the way it is here (full context around it) is more palatable as it's more of a complex story rather than just "this guy is gonna rape me". Nina is a boss, and now, he knows it too! (still very much do not like that theme and want to cry especially with preview making it look like he's in her Q_Q)

It's honestly fucking insane, that they punished her, for not wanting someone to throw their leader's love's feather into the trash. They should be thanking her for treating even the feathers of the true queen with such respect. I'm honestly a little confused, hopefully later will help me not be confused.

See All Discussions

Poll: » Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 7 Discussion IzanaSolos - Nov 18	26	by Haigen »» Nov 20, 12:24 PM
Poll: » Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 6 Discussion IzanaSolos - Nov 11	22	by KursedArcana »» Nov 14, 11:15 PM
Poll: » Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 4 Discussion IzanaSolos - Oct 28	24	by LilyVarbik »» Nov 11, 1:55 PM
Poll: » Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 3 Discussion IzanaSolos - Oct 21	26	by LilyVarbik »» Nov 11, 9:40 AM
Poll: » Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 2 Discussion IzanaSolos - Oct 14	24	by LilyVarbik »» Nov 11, 8:18 AM

Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina Episode 5 Discussion

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