When Shirayuki’s unique red hair gets noticed by the prince of her kingdom, she must flee for her safety to the neighboring land of Clarines. There she hopes to follow her dream of becoming an herbalist. On her way, she bumps into Zen, the second-prince of Clarines, who is captivated by her strong will and determination. With his support, she begins to set up a new life for herself in Clarines.
From the studio behind Ouran Highschool Host Club, this anime was picked up by Funimation in 2015 for simulcast in the US. It quickly became one of my favorite new animes of that year. I can definitely see the influence of Studio Bones in the fluidity and expressiveness of the animation. Not to mention that the characters are all pretty likable in their own ways without any obvious lack of characterization for secondary characters. The name of this anime may bring thoughts of Disney’s Snow White, but besides the use of a poisoned apple and her unique beauty, there really isn’t any correlation.
What really drew me to this anime is the main character of Shirayuki. It can get tiring when you watch a lot of romances to see female leads that consistently rely on the help of their significant others. Shirayuki, however, may take strength from the presence of Zen, but she solves her own problems through her own power and steadfastly sticks to her dreams. In a world that seems to look down on women as inferior and seems to see her only for the color of her hair, she has a refreshing honesty that influences people around her. Through following her story we see the theme of always following your dreams and making your own fate no matter what life brings you.
A key part of this anime is the way the color of her hair plays an important role in the thoughts and feeling of those around her and how she subverts those thoughts through her actions. The prince of her home country only wanted her for the color of her hair, seeing her as an object to be had. By running away and leaving a lock of her hair behind, she clearly makes a distinction that she is not defined by the color of her hair, and if he only wants her for her hair, he can have it. We see these same thoughts in the introduction of slavers who try and kidnap her because of her unique beauty. Zen was probably one of the first people that saw past her hair and recognized her for her personality and dedication. He makes a point to say that while her hair may bring her all kinds of chances in her life, she can still make her own fate.
Her use and knowledge of herbs also plays an important role, especially when it comes to helping others or even escaping situations. I think this adds a great element to the anime that really brings out her character as well and acts as her way of influencing people. As this knowledge develops more, I think we’ll see more people being influenced around her and more interesting situations.
Keep an eye out for the review for episodes 3 and 4 coming out soon! Be sure to press that follow button or follow me on Facebook for updates!
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