In the middle of the eight nations that make up a continent is the Marronnier Kingdom. That kingdom’s general and one of the king’s closest advisors is Baribara, who has seven knights as sons: Insomniac, Fraternity, Feverish, Chilly, Beast-Tamer, Swordsman, and Hungry. The seven young men—whose characteristics match their names—are about to be sent on diplomatic missions, one to each of the other kingdoms. After years of depression, extreme weather, and famine, the strength of the nations and goodwill among them have been shaken up; the knights and their parties hope to bring peace again.

This anime is adapted from a manga originally published in a josei magazine; yet I assumed from featured images and the picture of the seven knights that this would be more of a comedy than it is. But while there is humor, The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom appears to be more of a measured, romantic, and lovely series. This much is demonstrated right from the beautiful intro, depicting the mythic beginnings of the continent, before arriving in Marronnier, which is a kingdom with sweeping, hilly views. But as is mentioned at one point in the episode, all was not so just a few years prior, which helps foreshadow drama on the horizon. In the meantime, most of the drama in this episode focuses on romance between two of the knights and possibly love interests, with one of the romances being built up with the common cross-dressing trope (see Princess Knight or The Rose of Versailles). Honestly, though, it’s hard for me to evaluate whether this series will be engaging enough to continue, because while I appreciate the pretty landscapes, the wonderfully romantic OP, and this being a throwback to a type of series that was more common decades ago, I also found myself somewhat bored in episode one. Maybe I’m just too boorish to appreciate this kind of series, but then again, maybe it just isn’t that interesting.

The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom can be streamed on Amazon Prime.