AKAGAMI NO SHIRAYUKI-HIME

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaAkagami no Shirayuki-hime
ANIME DramaAkagami no Shirayuki-hime 2nd Season
OVA DramaAkagami no Shirayuki-hime: Nandemonai Takaramono, Kono Page

REVIEWS

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  Naxhi

  100/100
  A wholesome plot, a stellar female lead, and a great cast of characters makes for one of the best romance shows

  __Introduction__

  I am a newbie anime watcher. I started watching anime in 2017 and I have gotten through less than fifty shows at the time of me writing this review. The first two shows I remember watching were Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (up to Season 1 of Stardust Crusaders) and Ganketsuou, an action heavy show and a heavy drama show based off my favorite piece of literature respectively. Upon completing both, I wanted to watch a lighter show for my third show, a romance or a comedy, that would break up the super heavy drama and action that I was used to at this point.

  I don't know why I was drawn to Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (I'm just gonna call it Akagami from now on), but for some reason it interested me. I asked a buddy of mine if it was good, and he gave me a resounding "yes" for an answer, making me want to watch it more. So I did...

  Two days later I had completed both seasons. This was the first show that I really binged hard on. The reason why was because it was fantastic. It hit every good feeling I could have from a show, and it helped define what kind of shows I really liked. It was wholesome, it wasn't over-dramatic, it didn't have cliches driving it along. It had a great cast of characters, a great couple-dynamic, and a great plot. It, in other words, became my #1 anime, and it still reigns on my list as my #1.

  This show is fantastic, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a stellar romantic anime.

  __A Wholesome Plot__

  The plot of Akagami is, and some aspects, similar to that of a Disney movie. It has a smooth development and doesn't let cliche things bog it down for the sake of filler. The characters of the show and their relationship with each other makes the story very enjoyable to watch unfold. The plot though is not really one united “arc” per-say in Season 1 (though this does change in Season 2), its more-so a bunch of different stories combined together to make the plot progress, with the main thing unifying all of them being the relationships between the characters developing over time, especially in regards to the two main leads. The plot isn’t really a major focus of the show however, it’s more there to develop the characters along. Yet, it’s still enjoyable to watch unfold.

  __A Stellar Female Lead__

  What is there to say about the red-headed protagonist of this show?

  Shirayuki, the red-haired medieval pharmacist and lead of the show, is a prime example of how to do a strong female lead in a shoujo series. She is a kind soul, intelligent, and gets along well with basically everyone she comes in contact with. Now, in most shows with a character like this, the “cute face that cannot do wrong” character type tends to usually become a rug that everyone walks over with no regard. They are kind characters and are very likable, but they aren’t strong and tend to be pushed aside/around quite easily. Worse, if that character ends up being the female lead of a romance show, they usually always have to get bailed out by the male lead when in trouble. Shirayuki though is in the category of “likeable” characters that don’t take crap from people, and are very independent and strong on their own. She is a “get stuff done” kind of character, with many of the problems she encounters in the plot being tackled by her directly and head-on instead of floundering about waiting for the man to come in and take care of it. In-fact, when Zen actually does have to bail her out, it’s because of the fact she exhausted all options and avenues prior to the fact, and it’s more of a “You need a hand?” then a “Don’t you worry your head, I will take care of it all!” deal.

  In short, Shirayuki is a female lead who has both a great personality and a very independent mindset when it comes to problem-solving, much more-so than many other female leads in other romance shows

  __A Great Cast of Characters__

  There are a lot of characters in this show, and their relationships and interactions with each other propel the story forward. In-fact, the characters of this show and their relationships is one of its strongest points. I can go into depth about all the characters, but I just want to focus on two.

  Let’s start with Zen, the main male in this show. He’s royalty, second-in line to the throne, noble up-bringing, etc. Yet, from his first introduction he’s a bit of a rebel and more lax about his duties. He cares more about meeting the people in his country than the essential task of bureaucracy that comes with his role. He kind of starts off with his relaxed state being taken for a “smug prick” personality. Though, he is quickly exposed as the kind of noble who actually gives two craps about the people on his land, and isn’t just a lax arrogant noble. Shirayuki also positively impacts him by getting him to actual go in and tackle the more boring aspects of his job (seeing how she tackles her job) and actually work to be a respectful person in her eyes. Self-improvement for the sake of another is a very common theme in this show, and one that I will gladly support in this media.

  Then we have the bestest medieval ninja boy, Obi. Besides being one of my favorite characters in an entertainment medium (not just in anime), Obi is what I describe as the quintessential “wing-man” character. I won’t go into much detail to avoid spoilers since Obi doesn’t appear right away, but Obi is basically a great supporting character. He is humorous and relaxed 90% of the time, but when push comes to shove, he is there to back up his pals, like any great buddy would. If you want to see how that plays out, all I can say at this point is watch the show

  I can go further on with the other characters too. I can talk about Mitsuhide, the closest thing to a father-figure in this show. I can talk about Ryu and the mentor-student relationship he has with Shirayuki despite being a little kid. I can talk about Zen and the relationship he has with his brother and how both are contrasted and compared throughout the show. Yet alas, I have a limited word-count and I would be here for a long-time talking about that.

  __Conclusion__

  So yes, this show is a great romantic anime. The plot is nice and enjoyable, the relationships are realistic and grow over time, the characters and their interactions are some of the best I have personally seen, and the female lead is one of the better ones in anime.

  I skipped out on talking about the romantic parts of this show to avoid spoilers, but I will say that it is well worth watching the show for, and super adorable.

  I give this show a “Highly Recommend” and encourage you all to watch it.

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• 

  HidamariSeashore

  92/100
  A beautiful shoujo romance anime.

  Mirror, mirror, on the wall, what anime is among the most romantic of them all? Could it be one where the protagonist is a girl with hair the color of apples, and she falls in love with the second prince of a country that is not her own? Oh my, I'd say that's very romantic! How could I have encountered it other than it being among the July 2015 anime I missed out on and deeply regret doing so? More importantly, now that I've watched it, what do I think of it?

  Well, you shall find out by reading my review of season one of Snow White with the Red Hair, known in Japanese as Akagami no Shirayuki-hime.

  Snow White with the Red Hair follows a girl named Shirayuki (meaning snow white), who is an herbalist with bright red hair. She ends up catching the attention of Prince Raji, the prince of her country of Tanbarun, and he tries to make her his concubine. Shirayuki responds by cutting her hair and escapes to the neighboring country of Clarines. She ends up meeting the second prince of Clarines, Zen, and his two aides, Mitsuhide and Kiki, and she ends up being saved from Prince Raji by them. It is then that Shirayuki decides to become a court herbalist for Clarines. As Shirayuki aims for a new life in Clarines and Zen tries to become a worthy prince, they support each other, and a romance blossoms between the two.

  I should start by saying the animation is among the most beautiful I've ever seen. Bones has done great animation before, like in Space Dandy, Noragami, Ouran High School Host Club, and more, but the animation in Snow White with the Red Hair is definitely up there with the best. I've fallen completely in love with the opening theme, "Yasashii Kibou" by Saori Hayami, and the ending theme, "Kizuna ni Nosete" by eyelis, is a very good song, too. I watched this anime's English dub, and I'd say that Funimation has nailed yet another dub. The voice actors had performed very well, especially Brina Palencia as Shirayuki and Josh Grelle as Prince Zen.

  The story was quite an easygoing one, but it definitely provided a lot of character development. Speaking of characters, this anime had a lot of great characters. Shirayuki is a strong protagonist, and it's admirable how she always works hard. Zen is equally as likable, if not more; it's clear that he really cares about Clarines and its people. I honestly didn't know how to think of Obi, who works for Zen, at first, but I eventually grew to like him. There are also a lot of interesting side characters, but I think the side character that stood out to me the most was Mitsuhide; I really liked his friendship with Zen.

  What could be the best part about this anime, though? Well, it doesn't take a detective to figure out that I'm talking about the romance between Shirayuki and Zen! They had a very strong bond as friends, but whenever they would have those tender, romantic moments, I just can't help but smile. This is probably going to be a bit of a spoiler, but the best part is that they actually confess their feelings for each other instead of letting it drag on for too long! ....Okay, I lied; it was very late in the season when they confessed. Hey, thank God for the currently-airing-at-the-time-of-this-review season two, right? This means we'll actually get to see them as a couple, albeit in a different season.

  Overall, Snow White with the Red Hair is off to a fantastic start. I'd recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a great romance anime. Be warned, though, not to bite into the apple that makes you think it's anything like the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", because although there are two references in the first episode, it's poison not to think of it as anything less of its own story.

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• 

  Kaiser

  70/100
  Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is a refreshing and delicate romance that will take you for a short but fascinating ride

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  As time passes, the enforcement of exaggerated tropes in the ever evolving industry of anime might turn the simple act of watching the media into a bit of a drudgery. This is when a production like Akagami no Shirayuki-hime may enter your life as a breath of fresh air.

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  Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is a very simple narrative that follows a strict roll of rules set throughout the series: a girl of common birth, Shirayuki, meets a kingdom's prince, Zen, and they get to explore romance together. All the while respecting what this implies: his birth means duties, boundaries to be respected and consequences to whatever happenstances befall him, be it from his actions or others'.

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  What we get from that is no deformations in how the characters are layed out in the narrative. These constraints set by the author might make her work harder, but it pays off immensely in the form of a credible, sensible tone and quieter, tender scenes, as these aren't built upon whatever absurdities the industry was trying to sell at the moment.

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  Shirayuki, our main character, although quite basic as the strong-willed and free-spirited shoujo protagonist she is, really plays well along the suave curves of the drama. She is not in the passenger seat of the series and is aware of who and where she is.

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  Surprisingly enough, though, Zen, our male lead, does not antagonize her and has a lot to share with Shirayuki as a character. He is also very dignified and conscious of his status, all the while being in the other side of the spectrum, as a high ranking noble. This is explored sparingly along both seasons of the show.

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  The shared awareness of the main couple brings out the dynamics that makes this show actually good. They are not your typical shoujo couple where one does all the pushing and the other just exists in the receiving end, the latter usually being the girl. They have independent emotions and are able to share them assimetrically. Their love is not built over hardship only, but mostly through spoken sentiment. This, allied with the charismatic side characters that help tender and sauce the plot, makes Akagami no Shirayuki-hime one of the most sincere and efficient romance centered anime in a while.

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  For what romance anime has made itself known for, perhaps a show like Akagami no Shirayuki-hime may appear to sit unsquared in the genre. The absence of by-the-corner plot twists or outrageous misunderstandings makes this whole series a small, yet extremely polished gem. Both seasons of this show will offer a full meal for those who pine for a non-delusional and delicate love story. Be my guest and watch it.

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  Thank you for giving me your time.

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