The rest is still unwritten: a "Snow White with the Red Hair" review
I first watched Snow White with the Red Hair as it simulcasted in the summer of 2015 and the winter of 2016. Fifteen-year-old and sixteen-year-old me was enamored, heart beating fast for Shirayuki, Zen, and their sincere relationship. It was refreshing to witness a romantic connection so earnest in a genre that can rely on misunderstandings, unaddressed feelings, and pining that goes in circles for an entire show. It stood out in my mind in high school, and when my brother suggested re-watching it a few months ago, I wanted to relive those wonderful memories and give them a fresh look.
I'm so thankful I did. Snow White with the Red Hair is truly something special. I found myself loving this show more the second time around, and while I wasn't expecting it, it was a welcome feeling. I can't describe how wonderful I feel while watching Shirayuki find her way in Clarines, how her relationship with Zen blossoms bit by bit, and the interactions between the cast. It's truly something else, heartfelt and encouraging in a way I haven't experienced before. Everyone feels well-rounded, we warm to some of the villains, and the show is both funny and heartwarming, enough to propel tears. Complete with fantastic Japanese and English audio tracks, I can't recommend it enough.
In the kingdom of Tanbarun, a young woman by the name of Shirayuki works as an herbalist. Her brilliant red hair attracts the attention of the first prince, who decides he wants to have her as his concubine. Rather than bow down, Shirayuki chops off most of her hair and leaves it in the window of the herbalist shop, leaving not long after. Outside of the kingdom, a young man by the name of Zen stumbles upon her, and after she injures her wrist to show her healing balm isn't poisoned, the two form a connection. When Shirayuki is forced to go back to Tanbarun to retrieve an antidote for a poisoned apple set to incapacitate her, Zen, who took the apple for her, recovers quickly and reveals his own royal status: he's the second prince of the Clarines Kingdom. Shirayuki, realizing she can start a story all her own, decides to follow Zen to Clarines, hoping to become a court herbalist within the castle. As Shirayuki and Zen's friendship grows, some people in Clarines find Shirayuki's common status unfit to be associated with a prince, while others are drawn to her hair. But as some people turn over a new leaf and drama escalates outside of Clarines, Shirayuki's determination never wavers. She knows where she belongs, and this life is hers to decide.
Snow White with the Red Hair wouldn't be what it is without its protagonist. Shirayuki is a strong MC who tries to solve her own problems first, and this is encouraged by the people in her life. Her determination to see things through is infectious, and even if she finds herself tamped down by the hierarchy of castle life, she always finds a way to reach out to make sure everything's okay.
Although Shirayuki is Snow White with the Red Hair's anchor, this anime does have an ensemble worthy of love. The loving and compassionate Zen; the overwhelmed big brother figure, Mitsuhide; the snide and hilarious Kiki; the rambunctious but devoted Obi; the cunning and threatening Prince Izana; the serious and sweet Ryu; these are only a few among the cast, but they leave such a wonderful impression, adding more color to Shirayuki's world and bringing humor, questioning, and sincerity to the show, among other things (romantic tension, societal role criticism, and danger outside of Shirayuki simply getting kicked out of the castle). The best thing about the group is that they evolve over the course of the show. The villains at the beginning aren't the ones we see by the end, and their appraisal of Shirayuki morphs into genuine or begrudging respect. Each major or secondary character benefits from being well-rounded and growing from where they started. The journey is beautiful.
BONES's animation, while not their best work, accomplishes its job and still does wonders. The rich color palette and delicate drawing style help especially with capturing the romanticism present in this shojo genre piece. There's a lot of detail placed on a character, their expressions and movements carrying that while not revealing much. The splendor is also captured within the surroundings, vivid sunsets and rustling leaves and the beauty of nature unfurling before the viewer. There are some off-model moments and fighting animation experimentation that sacrifices cleanliness for fluidity, but since the emotional undercurrents of the anime are at its heart, it's not very bothersome.
On first watch, Michiru Oshima's score wasn't really captivating for me. However, there's a real beauty to it that perfectly compliments the make-up of Snow White with the Red Hair. Oshima's orchestral arrangements capture the swells of true love felt by Shirayuki and Zen, the goofy antics the characters get into on occasion, and the fairy tale-like/historical fantasy nature of this story (the title of this show, and its character's name in Japanese, references Snow White, so that may be quite obvious). It's a pleasant listen on its own and accompanied by the animation. Additionally, the openings and endings for this show are just as beautiful. To top it off, the voice acting is wonderful. Whether in Japanese or English, you're going to get passionate work from each actor in the show. On this particular watch, however, I watched the dub, which is incredible outside of one line (Zen teasing a friend in a flashback sequence that he's not "woman enough for [him]" rubbed me the wrong way). Generally, the English voices are pitched lower than their Japanese counterparts, which adds, in my opinion, further maturity and grounding to the show's emotional core. Josh Grelle's Zen is a powerful example of this, carrying the regality of Ryota Osaka's performance while digging deeper to create this fairy tale prince figure that captivates viewers on first watch. However, Saori Hayami and Brina Palencia's performances as Shirayuki are equally effective for different reasons (Hayami for youthful optimism and courage, Palencia for just being an emotive goddess in general), as are a lot of the other performances (I can rave about Ian Sinclair's Mitsuhide, Nobuhiko Okamoto and Austin Tindle's Obi, Todd Haberkorn's Raj, and pretty much every voice actor's performance on this show for hours). But what's so amazing about the dub is how enamored everyone seems with this show, and you could tell they, ADR director Cris George, and the adaptive script writers really pushed to make that possible. As such, there's some truly excellent work in the dub, so if that's more your speed, I highly recommend it. Both tracks hold their own weight regardless, but the dub is truly something special.
Snow White with the Red Hair is one of my new favorite anime on a re-watch, and for good reason. Its earnest storytelling and romance that showcases awesome communication and growth from mistakes (plus consent; thank you!) create a sincere experience that will melt the coldest of hearts. Add to that entertaining characters, spectacular voice acting, crisp animation, and a lush score, and we have a winner. Stream this if you're feeling a little down as quarantine season continues. I guarantee that it will cheer you up.
