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... Is Still Beautiful? Click here to vote! ⏎Carl Kimlinger ⏎ Rating: 4 ⏎ Review: Some animators get left behind by technology. Hajime Kamegaki is one of them. Somewhere between seasons one and two of Project Arms he, like most of his anime peers, switched from cel to digital animation, and he never again made a visually accomplished series. Still Beautiful is no exception. It is as far from Kamegaki's visual peak (the stylishly edited Ceres) as anything he's made. Still, even without the artistic tools that suit him best, Kamegaki is one of the premier directors of shojo adventure (, he also did Fushigi Yugi) and he falls back into the old groove so quickly and completely that this opening episode is an effortless joy from start to finish. ⏎ It's a popular tale these days: self-reliant princess Nike, of the impoverished Rain Kingdom, is sent to be married to the reputedly brutal king of the Sun Kingdom. She arrives early and incognito, staying with a family of kind commoners when her luggage is lifted by a pair of bungling thieves. As evil schemers weave their evil schemes, she makes her way to the King's court, only to find on arrival that her terrifying fiancée is little more than a talented child. ⏎ Nike is fantastic: good-humored, kind, and determined; fierce when crossed, silly when off guard; winningly unflappable in most situations, and quick to fight in all others. Her story is pretty clichéd—aside from the child groom part of it—but she is not. Hers is good company to be in. And Kamegaki instinctively knows to let her run away with the show, balancing its silly humor, sweet bonding, and even its satisfying action on her able shoulders. He doesn't weave any really memorable imagery, but he has the timing and framing of everything shojo—from affect to gags—down pat, and with Nike to anchor it all, he's got a winner on his hands. ⏎ The World Is Still Beautiful is available streaming at Crunchyroll. ⏎ Theron Martin ⏎ Rating: 4 (of 5)...