LogFAQs > #969718704

8. Snow White with the Red Hair
https://myanimelist.net/anime/30123/Akagami_no_Shirayuki-hime
Summer 2015 (12 episodes), Winter 2016 (12 episodes)
My Score: 10/10, MAL Score: 7.76/10 S1, 7.98/10 S2
Best Character: Shirayuki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjtTsCCTZUY

Premise: Shirayuki flees after her countrys prince tries to make her his concubine. Thanks to a chance encounter with another prince from the neighboring country of Clarines, Shirayuki moves there and begins working towards becoming a court herbalist.

The Good: Snow White with the Red Hair is a drama/romance anime. The two main characters are Shirayuki, a red-haired girl with training as an herbalist, and Prince Zen, the second son of the king of Clarines. Theres a huge gap in their social standing, but they meet after a chance encounter. From that point on, the two are drawn to each other.

There are a lot of reasons why I love this anime. I always find things like collecting herbs and using them to make medicines interesting. The setting is also really refreshing. Its a medieval world that isnt based on our own, but theres no fantasy or magic. Still, the best thing is the two main characters and the blossoming romance between them. Shirayuki is just so cheerful and proactive that shes always fun to watch. Even when she gets into trouble, she does her best to solve it herself. She also refuses to use her connection to Zen for any unfair advantage, preferring to forge her own path by using her skills to become a court herbalist. Zen is great too. He isnt just some hunky dude for the main girl to swoon over. He works hard to be the best prince possible. Its great watching Shirayuki and Zen support each other, and lots of moments between them are super cute. I like the side characters like Obi too, but these two are the main draw.

The Bad: Ive said this before in the top ten, but Im sad this never got another season. Its a good sign when the worst thing I can say about an anime is that I wanted more of it! At least Snow White with the Red Hair still ended at a good point, not a dumb cliffhanger or something.

Overall: Snow White with the Red Hair is my favorite romance anime. Thats a genre which is fraught with stupidity like harems or fanservice or melodrama that could easily be resolved if the characters just talked to each other. This doesnt have any of that, and its such a pleasant story by comparison. It has a lot of arcs that are great on their own, but it also builds a wonderful overall story with the politics of the kingdom and the relationship between Shirakyui and Zen.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/1/3/AABz_zAAD7OV.jpg

CHARACTER: Shirayuki (Snow White with the Red Hair)
https://myanimelist.net/character/18323/Shirayuki
Voiced by: Hayami Saori
TOP 100 RANK: 5th

SPOILERS FOR SNOW WHITE WITH THE RED HAIR

(I couldnt find a good video for her)

Shirayuki is one of my favorite anime characters. Im a big fan of herbalists, for one thing. Everything involved in growing plants or searching for ingredients or figuring out their properties and using them to make potions or medicines, all of that stuff is captivating for me. Being an herbalist isnt the focus of the anime, sadly, but there are still lots of great moments where Shirayuki uses her skills. I loved her court herbalist exam where she realized the water was tainted. Then she went above and beyond to replant the entire garden, which even shocked the people running the test because she wouldve passed just by noticing the issue and making a note of it. I also really loved small arcs like the one where she realized a mysterious illness at an outpost was caused by the poisoned wood they were burning. Shirayuki is such a driven and intelligent person, it was great seeing her skills at work.

Her romance with Zen is still the most important part of the show, and I adore that too. I like that it avoids all the usual pitfalls of a crappy anime romance. They dont fall madly in love right away. They catch each others eyes when they first meet, sure, but it takes a lot of interactions beyond that before its clear theyve fallen for each other. Zen is a prince and Shirayuki is far below him in social status. This is a realistic problem, and both of them acknowledge it. However, I love how this is never a big source of drama. Zen is steadfast in his desire to be with Shirayuki, so there are no love rivals on either end, and no one gets far when trying to drive them apart. They have such a healthy respect for each other. Its one of the best romances Ive seen.

Im sad this never got another season because I know the source material is still going. Still, it picked a great moment to end on. Shirayuki managed to befriend the prince from her own country, the one who forced her to flee in the first place, and she gained something like a royal title because of it, which narrowed the gap in social status. Zen is also working hard to convince his brother that hes serious about wanting to be with her. The two still had a long way to go, but it was clear they were on the right track and will get there eventually. Im not ashamed to admit that the kiss they shared at the end of the second season (plus all of the earlier kisses) made me giddy. I love Shirayuki as a character a lot, and her and Zen have the perfect romance.