Snow White with the Red Hair Review (Anime)
Yes, yes, I didn’t like Yona of the Dawn. I know. I’m not going to like Snow White with the Red Hair either, right? Fear not, readers, as I quite enjoyed Snow White. Shirayuki’s development and the other colourful cast members, and its world, make this an entertaining watch.
Shirayuki lives her life as a talented herbalist but with a notably unique feature – she has bright, red hair. This is unheard of in the kingdom of Tanbarun and when Prince Raj demands that Shirayuki becomes another one of his concubines, she steadfastly refuses. Not taking no as an answer, Shirayuki decides to cut off the majority of her hair and escapes.
A pleasant watch.
On her journey, she meets Prince Zen of Clarines and his friends and when Zen is poisoned, Shirayuki is able to treat it. Zen offers Shirayuki a place in his palace as a herbalist, and they quickly become close friends. This is a shojo anime, so of course there’s a little bit more than that despite their difference in social class. It’s a pleasant watch with likeable characters, and plenty of humour sprinkled across its 24 episodes.
If you’re not a fan of shoujo titles then Snow White isn’t going to do much to change your mind, and you’re best off not watching this one. Snow White does what it does well, and it’s no wonder that it’s been going on for 17+ manga volumes. It’s pretty predictable and doesn’t shake up the formula much, but it’s still enjoyable and well-executed. Shoujo fans will be pleased, but it’s a show that knows its market.
Studio Bones have proven that they know how to anime in the standard shoujo style with Snow White, although they’ve worked on similar before with Ouran Highschool Host Club, and so you can expect a lot of colour and pretty faces. A few action scenes are sprinkled in and these are also pretty standard by shoujo expectations, but they’re well-woven into the overall plot.
Snow White‘s home release comes with both English and Japanese voice-overs, and you can’t go wrong with either one. The English dub features the talents of Brina Palencia, Josh Grelle, Jamie Marchi, Ian Sinclair and Todd Haberkorn, and it’s a solid voice-over. The soundtrack is decent with catchy opening and endings, and, as I’ve mentioned a few times now, the soundtrack is very fitting for a shoujo.
A show that knows its market.
Snow White with the Red Hair doesn’t break any new ground but it doesn’t need to, as it’s achieved what it had set out to do. I found myself rooting for Shirayuki and hoped that she would find peace in her new life, where she’s not fawned over because of the colour of her hair. Despite not adapting the entire manga, which it obviously cannot as it’s in publication, the anime ends on a satisfying note. It seems unlikely that there will be another season, and sadly the manga isn’t available in English, so thankfully there’s no looming cliffhanger to leave the anime feeling unfinished.
- Super Mario Odyssey Celebrates its One Year Anniversary - October 28, 2018
- Dragon Ball Z KAI Final Chapters Review (Anime) - October 28, 2018
- Resident Evil 2 Remake Gets a Steelbook Edition in Europe - October 24, 2018
