The List
6 Royal Anime Fit for Prince Harry & Meghan's Wedding
by Lynzee Loveridge,
Today marks the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which, depending on your emotional investment in the Windsors is either a huge friggin' deal or just another celebrity wedding. The 33-year-old Harry is roughly my age and I grew up with a bit of a crush on him. His late mother Princess Diana was also a major figure during my childhood and I can tell you were I was when I heard the news of her death. So let's just say I'm low-key invested and Harry and Meghan's wedding gave me a bit of inspiration for those of you who aren't interested in tuning in, but love yourself a fantasy story with all the royal accoutrements.
Princess Serenity & Prince Endymion (Sailor Moon) I'm not sure I could name a more iconic royal couple than the lady of the moon herself and her Earth prince. Their love for one another has inspired jealousy of galactic proportions; many of the enemies they faced were directly related to wanting to date one or the other. Usagi's past and future lives show a mostly more regal version of her current self (despite never mastering kanji) with glitz and glamour to spare. I don't have the same praise for King Endymion's lavender tuxedo but his armor from the past was handsome. The couple's time-defying romance is central to most seasons of the anime series, but check out the first season for the real heart-wrenching parts.
Zen & Shirayuki (Snow White with the Red Hair) Shirayuki isn't a princess in her own right, but she gets to live the palace life none the less as the royal apothecary. She also wins the affections of Prince Zen, a capable but sensitive royal who has his heart set on her. They hit it off immediately but both have their own duties and goals to keep in mind so they can't really run off and roll around in the hills. The two hold a top spot for my favorite royal couple for how genuine and healthy their relationship is.
Glanzreich Royal Family (The Royal Tutor) The Royal Tutor lacks wedded bliss but makes up for it by focusing on character growth and humor. Our pint-sized tutor is friends with ruling king and he asks him to whip four of his five sons into shape. As it stands, if ANY of the four guys ended up sitting in the throne instead of the current heir, the country would fall to ruin. Kai has a foreboding look about him and says very little, Licht spends his time flirting with women, Leonhard is prone to bouts of petty jealousy, and Bruno is obsessively studious. Of course, it's not all books and essays with Professor Heine. There's intrigue and underhanded plotting at the hands of nobles interested in who takes the throne.
Arslan (The Heroic Legend of Arslan) Our titular royal rules over the land of Pars, based loosely off of pre-Islamic Persia. Arslan's expert cavalry and much of the architecture in the show are based on Iran circa 550-330 BCE. If you want your royal fantasy with a touch of actual history, The Heroic Legend of Arslan's setting and conflicts got you covered. Arslan himself is first and foremost a diplomat and is quicker to forgive than to draw his blade. He does his best to stay one step ahead of the invading Lusitania and Lord Silvermask with his crew of allies and warriors.
Britannian Imperial Family (Code Geass) Probably the least flattering version of England's royal family, The Britannia family is vast as Charles zi Britannia took several consorts in close proximity to one another and managed to father something like 11 children. Each kid is a piece of work to say the least, with Lelouch serving as our anti-hero. He, like many of his siblings, makes a play for the throne and relies on his natural cunning (and a bonus super-power) to outwit his own family and Britannia loyalists. Some of the tactics he employs would give King Richard III a run for his money.
Juliet and Romeo (Romeo × Juliet) Romeo & Juliet is so ingrained in storytelling that finding a way to make it fresh becomes increasingly harder as time goes on. Baz Luhrmann's 1996 modernization cemented DiCaprio as a hearthrob, John Madden's Shakespeare in Love would attempt the same story but cast Shakespeare as the "Romeo," and West Side Story takes the star-crossed lovers and puts them in opposing street gangs of New York. Gonzo's own foray into the tale puts fair Verona in the sky. The Montague family rules over it with an iron fist, creating a greater gap between the classes. In their way is Juliet, now an orphan and a masked crusader who, despite her mission, will still inevitably fall for Romeo, the son of her parents' murderer.
The new poll: What is your top Spring 2018 opening song? We had a bit of a SNAFU last time so let's try running this one again!
The old poll: Which of these anime kids do you think is the strongest?
- Mob (Mob Psycho 100)
- Goku (Dragon Ball)
- Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
- Killua Zoldyck (HUNTER × HUNTER)
- Gon Freecss (HUNTER × HUNTER)
- Akira (Akira)
- Pride (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
- Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
- Yusuke Urameshi (YuYu Hakusho)
- Hotaru (Sailor Moon)
- Son Gohan (Dragon Ball)
- Kagura (Gintama)
- Sakura Kinomoto (Card Captor Sakura)
- Gotenks (Dragon Ball)
- Aladdin (Magi)
- Simon (Gurren Lagann)
- Illyasviel von Einzbern (Fate/Series)
- Arale Norimaki (Dr. Slump)
- Nanoha Takamachi (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)
- Enma Ai (Hell Girl)
When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as Managing Interest Editor for Anime News Network and posts pictures of her sons on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.
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