To me, the sudden shift in tone this season feels completely off. I really enjoyed the first season of 7th Prince. It had a lighthearted but focused tone, fun magic moments, and a main character who, while visually soft and somewhat feminine, still felt grounded within the world. In this new episode, it feels like they've doubled down on the more exaggerated aspects of his design and behavior. The clothes are tight, barely anything to them, and even more feminine, all on a young boy. Trying to be cutesy, I just find it takes away from character development and the story in general. It's not just androgynous anymore, it's leaning fully into what seems to be the otokonoko trope.
For anyone unfamiliar, otokonoko refers to a male character who dresses or appears like a girl, often intentionally blurring gender lines. That's layered on top of bishonen, which is the "beautiful boy" trope-young males with soft features, big eyes, and a delicate voice. On top of that, there are clear elements of intentional cross-dressing, often used in anime for comedy or fan service. Whether this is one trope or a blend of all three, I honestly find it weird. Why do they sexualise young children like this? I know these kinds of characters are popular in Japan and can be found across manga and anime, but that doesn't automatically make them enjoyable or meaningful to the story.
I love anime and manga, and I'm usually open to the quirks that come with Japanese storytelling. But in this case, the direction they've taken feels like it's trying too hard to be funny or appeal to every niche at once. It's like they saw that season one was successful and assumed this specific part of it was what people liked, so now they've turned the dial up to 10. For me, it ruins the tone and makes it hard to take anything seriously. If this is where the season is going, I'm not sure I'll stick with it.
