Snow White with the Red Hair

Episode 3

It is very tempting to compare Snow White with the Red Hair to that other fantasy shoujo series with a red-headed heroine, Yona of the Dawn, but in reality, this is a lot more similar to The World Is Still Beautiful. This third episode cements that fact with a story that is driven more by the characters' personalities and positions than by anything that actually happens. The plot of the episode is simple: Shirayuki goes to visit Zen at the palace and Lord Haruka, a courtier, notices that she's been there a lot and isn't exactly upper-crust. Therefore he and his ninja (for lack of a better word) Obi try to make it difficult, if not impossible, for Shirayuki to ever return to the palace again.

Now the funny thing about telling a stubborn person that she cannot do something is that it usually makes her more determined than ever to do it. (I admit nothing.) Shirayuki, it turns out, is kind of stubborn. While it may seem like we already knew that, I'd say that previously we understood that she was strong and determined, but given that she's just on her way to pick up a book she left by accident, I'd say that her refusal to stand aside when swords and arrows are involved qualifies as more of a stubborn act. Gutsy, yes, but motivated more by a sense of “says who?” than anything else. (Saori Hayami's delivery of Shirayuki's lines adds to this.) It's also interesting because Zen's reaction when he finds out what's going on is much more heated, more similar to how Shirayuki behaved in episodes one and two. He definitely feels like the more emotional character right now, which is a nice reversal of how shoujo usually plays out. We do get more of a hint that Shirayuki might have romantic, or at least warm, feelings for Zen this time, but that his are stronger remains clear; even their body language when they're sitting on the window seat shows Zen lounging and fully turned towards her while her body is angled to face the room, so that she has to almost look over her shoulder to see him. Some of this can of course be attributed to social norms of how men and women are supposed to sit, but she still could have angled herself differently without spreading out as he has.

This episode introduces the vaguely feline Obi, whom I suspect will become a recurring character, as well as the snooty Lord Haruka, whom I hope will not be. This is mostly because Lord Haruka simply comes off as the kind of uptight older man we've seen with relative frequency in shows of this nature, while Obi, although also a stock player, has more potential for interesting plot twists. Next week we're going to meet the Royal Herbalist (whom we've glimpsed before), so the show still has a feeling of building up to where it wants to be. Hopefully, however, no male will try to do Shirayuki harm in the next episode, as that's beginning to get a little old – we're already three for three.

Snow White with the Red Hair is not necessarily an action-packed show, and this episode is the slowest we've had, but it's still engaging. Both Shirayuki and Zen are interesting characters who compliment each other nicely, and Shirayuki's determination remains impressive. She's one of the more scholarly shoujo heroines, and in this episode we see her working very hard, both at her desk and in the field, making it clear that her academic pursuits are a large part of who she is. (The only other heroine I can think of where that is the case is from Maki Enjōji's Private Prince, though doubtless there are others.) Not much may have happened this week, but the show does still manage to develop the characters' world and relationships accompanied by beautiful animation (including a Miyazaki-style hair-fluff when Shirayuki gets upset) and pleasant music. If you don't mind taking things slow and watching for the details, this week is still a good time.

Rating: B+

Snow White with the Red Hair is currently streaming on Funimation.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.