I initially planned to take a brief break from this anime because it seemed decent enough, but as time passed, my motivation to continue watching waned. The primary issue lies with the female protagonist, who embodies the stereotypical Mary Sue character.
The story begins intriguingly: Princess Rishe is trapped in a time loop, reliving the same five years before inevitably dying in a war sparked by a rival prince. In her seventh loop, she encounters her nemesis by chance, and he proposes to her on the spot. Seeing this as an opportunity, Rishe decides to use her past life knowledge to alter her fate and understand the prince's motivations for starting the future war.
The only aspect that kept me engaged was the secret surrounding the antagonist, Prince Arnold. Plagued by past traumas, he is determined to play the ultimate villain, intent on causing widespread devastation. He is one of the few characters with depth.
In contrast, Rishe is the epitome of a Mary Sue—overly skilled and capable in any situation, winning over characters not through charm or intelligence but by conveniently recalling past interactions. Despite having endured multiple wars and deaths in her past, she shows no real growth, remaining an ever-happy goody-two-shoes. Her perfection and naivety render her character uninteresting.
The side characters lack depth as well, particularly the villains, who are not truly evil but merely victims of their tragic circumstances. These characters quickly succumb to Rishe's influence, abandoning their evil intentions and being granted swift forgiveness. While tragic backgrounds can add complexity, the characters in this anime seem designed merely to fulfill specific roles rather than evolve as a result of their experiences.
[Minor Spoiler Alert] One of such character appears in a plot twist, which reveals someone betraying Rishe due to blackmail. However, it turns out Rishe had anticipated this and, thanks to her past life skills, manages to escape easily, overpowering several armed men in the process, rendering the betrayal inconsequential and forgiving all traitors instantly. This scenario does little more than glorify the protagonist's capabilities, putting her on a pedestal without real stakes or challenges.
Overall, while not a terrible show, it suffers from a common flaw in modern storytelling: it features a 'strong' female lead who overcomes challenges with unrealistic ease rather than through resilience or growth, resulting in a narrative that feels both unearned and superficial.
As a personal side note I also find the art style peculiar. While I like this style for deviating from the norm, there were certain aspects I couldn't get used to and I definitively didn't like the male character often being displayed as wearing lipsticks.
40 out of 55 users liked this review
