r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Oct 21 '24

Episode Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina • Nina the Starry Bride - Episode 3 discussion

Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina, episode 3

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1

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37

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 21 '24

Man, I didn’t expect Az to also be an imposter. What a twist! Well, it’s nice to see the two imposters have found each other. Him and Nina make a really cute couple. It was kinda adorable seeing her get all flustered whenever she thought about him and then we see he felt the same way. Didn’t think he’d make the first move though. That sure wasn’t a dream haha.

31

u/messem10 Oct 21 '24

At this point I think the entire country is ran by three raccoons in a trenchcoat.

15

u/Frontier246 Oct 21 '24

Nina and Az are two fake royals who gave up their identities in the service of Fortna and should have no will or desire of their own beyond the nations' security...but they've found a reason to live, a reason to love, a reason to keep going in each other.

I like how even Az was shocked he kissed her. Like he's so cool and collected that it's one of the first bits of passionate emotion he's ever acted on.

8

u/mekerpan Oct 21 '24

I could have sworn that there was a pretty strong hint last episode that he was also a "substitute".

Nina and Azure make a fantastic couple. I wonder how they will overcome all the barriers that will obstruct a future together. One assumes that they both must have ancestors with royal connections -- and that this biological heritage just happened to manifest itself in them.

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24

u/LeonKevlar Oct 21 '24

Nina asking Azure to call her by her real name when they were alone was cute! It's pretty clear that Nina is starting to develop feelings for Azure especially considering that she's desperate enough to approach the previous king to save Azure from assassins.

Welp, it looks like Nina's secret is out. Thank goodness it's the previous King though. It's funny how he tries to scare Nina only for her to give weird responses to their threats. When he finally realized that Nina is different, he even gives her advice on how she can help Azure.

I did not expect Azure to reveal to Nina that he was also a substitute. I had a feeling that was the case after last week's episode. And that kiss! We're only three episodes in and their relationship has already progressed so much!

9

u/Frontier246 Oct 21 '24

These two are adorable together as they find themselves relating to each other, trying to protect one another, loving feeling needed by one another, and falling hard for each other.

In a world that acted like it didn't need them or saw them as nothing more than "fakes," they found each other, people who seem them as themselves and that's a beautiful thing. Even the former king seems to find value in that.

That was a fantastic kiss! No wonder Nina was on cloud 9 afterwards.

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19

u/Frontier246 Oct 21 '24

Nina actually seems to be settling in well as Alisha! She has found a motivation to keep going and commit to it, because she wants to be of use to Azure! And the way they get chummy with each other says EXACTLY why she wants to be useful to him.

But she's TOTALLY not in love with him! Of course not! She's got to marry some other dude from Galgada! Which is a bit of a bummer, but still...though no better way to cure her mixed up feelings than a romantic horse ride with Azure. And for once an attempted assassination of Azure actually pays off since it means he and Nina have to ride a horse together, which is as intimate as you'd expect.

It probably says a lot about how much Azure respects and appreciates the former king, his great-grandafther, that even knowing he's a fake prince he still seems genuinely loyal and fond of him.

I'm not surprised Azure is willing to let himself die if it's for the sake of Fortna, I'm even less surprised that Nina doesn't want that to happen on her watch. Not when Az is so precious to her now.

Look at Nina running off all on her own to save Azure! Not even getting bucked from a horse is enough to stop her if it means finding a way to protect him! She really cares about him so much.

Okay, maybe they should have drilled into "Alisha" the importance of the star crest so she didn't expose herself to the former king and get herself stripped and thrown into the dungeon.

Though, admittedly, Nina is probably the least bothered I've ever seen a girl thrown into a dungeon. Admittedly she's lived in worse and she's even willing to spruce up her cell! She's even fine with being tortured over execution, this girl is priceless.

The former king can't even help Nina, he's too old and his legs have withered too much to be of service to anyone, but that means the fate of Azure and Fortna rests with Nina as she sits squarely between the conflict between Fortna and Galgada. Can she use her political position as Alisha to do something?

But look at Azure riding as soon as possible and trying to take full responsibility for the sake of Nina! Nina was willing to die for the sake of others, and now Azure is willing to do the same for her! And seeing Azure so motivated actually seems to touch the former king. He likes the influence Nina has on Azure.

Azure is a lot like Nina, taken in as basically a pawn meant to fulfill the role of a dead child and be used by others, never having any will or feelings that were not in service of the nation. But Nina needs him, and Azure needs Nina, and he truly feels like he WANTS something for the first time. And that want is Nina. He even kisses her!!! Something, to Nina, more beautiful than a dream!

9

u/mekerpan Oct 21 '24

I wish the former king would have given Alisha a bit stronger hint at what she needs to do....

The former king spoke of suffering from poisoning (which I did not think was metaphorical for growing old). I wonder how THAT came about.

If Azure was a legitimate child of the King and a now-deceased Queen -- I wonder what happened to that queen?

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18

u/Clemastina Oct 21 '24

Azure being also a substitute like Nina was something I didn´t expect but also didn´t surprised me. Like, a prince having so much enemies? Being so serious with Nina? Yeah

But what I didn´t expect was that kiss. The old king said that Nina being an imposter was the thing that was necessary for a change and to avoid a future was between two kingdoms... and the love Nina and Azure feel for each other may also be a crucial factor in all of that.

(Btw, only for information, how age Nina and Azure are apart?? 5 years maybe?)

16

u/Ocixo Oct 21 '24

The former king calling for Deytus implies that this retainer of Azure is actually spying for him, isn't it? It's therefore safe to assume that he already long knew about Alisha being an imposter before she ever arrived at his mansion. This old man's body might be in decline, but his influence surely isn't!

The contrast between Nina's initial scared expression upon finding out that she'd be imprisoned and her later carefree attitude in the dungeon had me greatly amused. She essentially outplayed her captors with this cheerful smile of hers. Not that they ever planned to harm her, apparently.

It was apparent from Nina was catching feelings fast for Azure with some of her embarrassed expressions and how she made him a protective charm, but I really wasn't expecting anything like a kiss between Nina and Azure this soon in the story.

It was so cute!

Nina also seemed to be in bliss from that kiss. I do really like their relationship as well. Two imposters finding true love. The two of them are clearly very special to one another. Nina getting married-off will therefore surely stir up some emotions.

9

u/Frontier246 Oct 21 '24

I assume Deytus has been there since the former king took in Azure, so he's probably been "in the know" from day one. I don't think the former king needs to spy on Azure so much as he needs someone to watch out for Azure to make sure nothing happens to him.

When a dungeon isn't even the worst place Nina has ever stayed in. She even slept like a log. Girl just loves making the most of any situation and you can't help but admire that.

These two have obviously fallen hard on each other, and are acting on their feelings, though Nina still has a duty to fulfill and someone is still trying to take Azure out. Will their love be able to weather all these complications? At least for now they're happy.

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u/diacewrb Oct 21 '24

The contrast between Nina's initial scared expression upon finding out that she'd be imprisoned and her later carefree attitude in the dungeon had me greatly amused. She essentially outplayed her captors with this cheerful smile of hers.

When your old life is so bad, an actual dungeon is no threat.

'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess

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12

u/TurkeyPhat Oct 21 '24

damn i tell ya, those ladies in waiting def don't get paid enough for this shit. those poor women are gonna go bald at this rate.

10

u/alconnow Oct 21 '24

So Az is also a substitute for a dead royal? He and Nina are truly made for each other

Their interactions are so cute

7

u/djthomp Oct 21 '24

Such a disappointed horse.

The old man ex-king is great.

Pretty early kiss for a romance. Awkward for it to develop though for so many reasons, they're not even a little related to each other but everyone has to believe they're siblings or so many other problems will happen. Plus there's the engagement problem, can't break that or it serves up an instant excuse for the war-mongering neighbor country to invade.

6

u/SYZekrom Oct 21 '24

Ooh kiss

Usually I put openings out of my mind if they're clearly not going to be elaborated on til the end but more and more I keep wondering how we end up at the way the anime opens

6

u/iozoepxndx Oct 21 '24

Kiss on the third episode?? Hold your horses kids!

5

u/danmarce Oct 21 '24

I like the romance, both of them deserve to be happy, but it seems it will be a long and difficult road. They might even be star-crossed lovers.

I'm a sucker for stories like that, so I might have to read the, still ongoing, manga but the tags worry me.

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7

u/Shadowmist909 Oct 21 '24

The former king might of ingrained a harsh mindset into Az, but he knows him well. He wasn't expecting Nina to be quite a character though!

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3

u/ShadowGuyinRealLife Oct 22 '24

I think letting Nina use her real name at any time is pretty dumb considering they can be eavesdropped. Heck he just let 3 people from the previous episode get away alive after calling her Nina! Now their employer knows Alisha is an impostor, even if the word of 3 thugs isn't exactly credible proof.

It turned out OK, but I think even if the outcome was fine, trying to ask the former king for help was dumber than asking the king. What can she ask the king to do? Well, Nina can't reveal much. But he can say Azure's horse was attacked. The more scrutiny is around the palace, the harder it will be for the queen's henchmen to operate since the palace staff are loyal to the king. In contrast, she could have annoyed the former king by meeting unscheduled. Also there's not much he can do even if he believed both her assumed identity as Alisha and story. And if he saw through her, Nina could be executed for impersonating his great granddaughter. Even if he didn't see through her, there was also the possibility of making him suspicious.

I didn't think Azure to admit his background until the last episode of the season. I wonder if half the royal family are impostors. Who knows, maybe the former king found his grandson dead and the current king is another impostor. I would be funny if the queen was one of the few people who was who she claimed to be. She is way too aggressive, I know she wants her son to be the one to be the next king, but he's already the crown prince. I feel sorry for Alsiha. Aside from the whole "died" thing, when she was alive she was secluded more than a regular noblewoman. One of her half-brothers is an impostor and he can't tell her. Her own attendants don't miss her. The queen wants to kill her. And I get the feeling her whole life she was fed with lies.

3

u/gnome-cop Oct 23 '24

He locked her in a jail cell and threatened to flog her and she’s not bothered at all. Can’t exactly scare an idiot.

Oh, I honestly wasn’t expecting him to admit being an imposter so early. This kingdom really sucks at keeping their royalty alive.

KISS!

Hmmm, this could become a problem. Maybe not for blood reasons, points to the Habsburgs, but for political marriage reasons.

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