Boxset Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Part 1

By: Rae

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Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Tanbarun, there lived a young herbalist named Shirayuki… Blessed (or cursed, depending on how you see it) with bright red hair, eventually Shirayuki attracts the wrong kind of attention. The prince of Tanbarun – the rather unlikable Prince Raj – orders her to become his concubine. Desperate to avoid such a fate, Shirayuki flees to the neighboring country of Clarines. There, she comes across the handsome Prince Zen, who takes her into the safety of his castle and gives her the opportunity to take on a new life – one as a court herbalist.Snow White with the Red Hair came highly recommended to me, which was extra exciting – I’ve gotten a lot of obscure titles to review, and while those are fun, it’s kind of nice to go in with expectations of grandeur once in awhile.Unfortunately for me, while I did enjoy Snow White with the Red Hair, I didn’t really love it – mostly due to Shirayuki, who I just couldn’t warm up to. Overall, the show is fun, interesting, and pretty lovely to look at. But often it felt like Shirayuki’s independence is being shoved in the viewer’s face. It’s in the show summaries, and the focus of a number of voiceovers. But at the end of the day, Shirayuki doesn’t seem that independent.And really – that’s okay! Not everyone is out to shape their own destiny and not everyone can fight for themselves. I’m okay with having a character that depends on Prince Zen to take care of her. It just started to feel a little tired when the show is trying so hard to tell you what the character is, instead of showing you. Especially when it’s telling and showing two different things.Beyond that, the colourful cast of characters is pretty enjoyable. And even better – everything is quite literally colourful. Where the animation occasionally fails, the art and colours are still lovely to look at, and everything felt fresh and alive. Perfect for a mostly happy fantasy escape.The storyline is pretty engaging. Shirayuki and Zen are constantly in a “will they or won’t they?” dynamic, while the everyday challenges and intrigues of the kingdom go on around them. We get to see forts, villages, and the castle life, and the world feels real enough. Even while focused on the castle, Snow White with the Red Hair feels a little bit like an adventure.The openings and endings – particularly the ending – were probably among my favourite anime themes I’ve heard lately. The music of the series isn’t anything shockingly amazing, but it’s a nice compliment to the episodes.Overall, I didn’t super-love the series, but I enjoyed it and look forward to experiencing part two. My primary issue is the attempt to tell us who Shirayuki is – I’d be really happy if this was a little less obvious throughout the next set.The boxset itself is quite pretty, somehow managing to be both really colourful and just muted enough to not be too colourful. Extras are the usual Funimation offerings: Episode commentaries, promo videos, commercials, trailers, and textless opening/ending. It’s always nice to see episode commentaries included – I talk a lot about how the boxsets are a little bare bones, but episode commentaries can be a pretty enjoyable bonus. If you like the show, you’ll probably like the boxset. However, at a premium of nearly $50, it would be great to see something included in some of these boxsets. Art inserts, bookmarts, posters… there are lots of cheap options that could add a little value in the internet age.Ready to buy? Find Snow White with the Read Hair, season one, on Funimation!