Review: The World Is Still Beautiful, Episode 7: Wild Waltz

Screenshot taken from: http://www.crunchyroll.com/the-world-is-still-beautiful/episode-7-652857

Review:

Yep, this is a character-driven show, alright. Not that this is a bad thing, as I greatly enjoy this entry into the spring season. This time around, we are introduced to Livius’ uncle, who is the former prime minister of the Sun Kingdom. Apparently he gave up his post, and there seems to be bad blood between him and Livius, although the exact nature of this has yet to be revealed. One thing is for certain, though: he seems to have a thing for Nike, and that does not sit well with Livius. Basically, the episode boils down to this unexplained tension between the two, although in starts with an unusually playful side of Livius. He leads Nike away from the castle to essentially skip daily lessons/duties so that the two can go to a festival. It’s a fairly lighthearted portion of the episode, with a cameo appearance from the two thieves from the shows beginning.

Honestly, most of the episode is fairly lighthearted, until the end. It seems that Livius’ uncle had a purpose in putting the moves on Nike, although I can’t say I’m entirely sure what that is. Regardless, though, Livius blows his top, and the ending does not bode well for either Nike or the uncle (I think his name is Bard). Honestly, Livius becomes quite unlikable at the end, although it is certainly understandable why he would get upset, given his background. This show hasn’t gotten truly dark yet, so I wouldn’t expect the next episode to be anything too harsh, but maybe they’ll prove me wrong.

A Christian Perspective:

Well, were Nike falling prey to Bard’s attempts, I could share a Proverb about avoiding the adulterous woman (man in this case, but still), but the attempts are purely one-sided. On the other hand, we could learn from Livius’ inability to forgive an offense. Granted, we do not know the full story, but if he would have simply stopped and listened then the ending of this episode could have gone a lot differently.

Content Guide:

Language: 4 “j**z”, 3 “b**t**d”, 1 “d**n”, 1 “p***ing”

Alcohol/Drug Use: It’s possible that characters are drinking at Bard’s party, although nothing sparked me to make a note initially

Nudity/Sex/Fanservice: A woman is shown giving bellydancing(?) lessons to Nike–this woman is wearing a bikini-like top that shows cleavage (00:32 – 00:34); at one point, Nike is at a banquet, and the dress she is wearing shows some cleavage; a male character is shown hovering over a female character on a bed (although they’re both dressed, and nothing happens)

Violence: Two characters are tripped; a character is grabbed by her hair

Blood/Gore: Droplets of blood are shown flying across the screen from an unknown (to me) source

Other: Livius is shown dressed as a girl