Nina the Starry Bride

Episode 10

I've seen and read a lot of shoujo over the years, and I can confidently say that Nina telling the king of Galgada that she doesn't give a rat's ass what she's ordered to do stands out as a highlight of a heroine standing up for herself. (Tsukushi slapping the red paper on Domyoji's head in Boys Over Flowers is another favorite.) It's a brilliant follow-up to the sheer chutzpah of flat-out asking King Noa for Fortna, and it tells everyone that “Princess Alisha” isn't going to be docile anymore. Not that Nina was ever particularly good at that, but this is still tantamount to a declaration of war – and since Sett has informed her that Noa plans to invade Fortna no matter what, Nina's move is more than justified. Now that she knows the invasion is a foregone conclusion, she doesn't have much left to lose, so why not take the mask fully off?

It's also a good indicator of how Nina sees her role in this story. Before, she was willing to do her duty because she didn't see much other choice, and saving Azure (and Muhulum) was worth sacrificing herself. But now that she realizes that her sacrifice will mean exactly nothing, she's done playing Pretty Princess, and Az's presence in Galgada (and the revelation that he's now Fortna's king) likely gives her the extra motivation she needs. She's still unsure what to do about Sett, and I think she really does care for him, but I also believe she's not in love with him. Early in this episode, she describes Sett as feeling like a large animal who has taken a liking to her, and since this isn't a furry show, that pretty firmly puts him out of the romantic running. She loves him, but she's in love with Azure.

Noa, of course, isn't likely to care about any of this. If you'd been suspicious of the king's gender before, it's now confirmed that Noa is physically female, although I wouldn't necessarily say that they identify as a woman. But the use of the title “king” rather than “queen” could also simply be a cultural marker of the outsize power men wield in the story's world – Alisha is valued because she could give birth to a child with the power of the Star People or because a child she births could make it easier for Galgada to exert its hold over Fortna. No one cares about Alisha in this situation, and in fact, her father decided to send her to Galgada because she didn't appear to have Star People powers, a move which solidifies him as foolish, because even a fundamental understanding of inherited traits would know that Alisha's children could have the powers she lacks. By using the title of “king,” Noa is removing these stereotypical girl issues from the throne.

All of this is to say that no one who knows Nina even a little should be surprised that she jumps into the ring when she sees things going wrong. And really, neither Azure nor Sett is; they just jump right in with her, which also conveniently allows them to have a little pissing match over her. Neither man is willing to hand Nina over to the other, and who Nina would rather be with isn't likely to matter. But I think the bigger issue right now isn't that the notorious murderer is the catalyst for Sett and Azure's face-off – it's that Toat appears to have brought the murderer there in the first place, subverting Yor's original plans for his champion. Noa has a good reason why three princes wouldn't be good kings. The fourth? I think we're about to find out why Toat has been deemed unfit to rule.

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Nina the Starry Bride is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.