A nice, sweet little shoujo manga that's so slice-of-life it's barely a fantasy, and the name of the heroine and the semiotics of apples are really the only connection it has to 'Snow White'.
But 'Snow White with the Red Hair' is a lovely, episodic fairy tale manga with inner strength and dimensions.
Manga, manga on the wall, what themes are contained within most of all?:
Devotion, dedication, gratefulness, friendship, and a blossoming romance link everything together.
Rarer than any red hair tone is my capacity to wholeheartedly care about a romance. And I actually like the two main leads and their relationship in 'Snow White with the Red Hair'. Zen is a handsome, charming, sensitive, brave and friendly rebel prince. And Shirayuki...
Let's talk about Shirayuki:
To all appearances she is a typical pretty, demure, frail, and helpless shoujo female lead. But this graceful girl who's not a princess has depth. The story starts with her refusing to become a spoiled, stupid prince's concubine - her rare apple-red hair has been a bane to her her whole life, but she pushes forward and rises above it in optimism - and just before she runs away from her village, she cuts her hair and has it delivered to the prince (who fills in the role of the evil queen here, I might add), because, and I quote, "If I agreed... I'd be no more than an apple he bought at the market... I left him a bundle of my hair... to stare at until he's sick of it."
Sure, a few times Shirayuki is a damsel in distress, but she manages to save herself, without really needing Prince Zen, whom she's dedicated her path of destiny and happiness to, to come and rescue her. She's angry and/or aggressive only when she needs to be.
Her ambition throughout the story is to become an herbalist - a chief herbalist at the court now so that she can be together with Zen, yes, but at this stage it's out of gratefulness to him and to ease his loneliness at the palace. A caring, thoughtful personality does not make a weak heroine.
Shirayuki is smart, well-educated and well-read for a peasant girl, and she's determined, assertive, sarcastic, and possesses sass - and it's subtle. Behind a gentle shell there is bravery and defiance beyond compare. No death threat can stop her. Zen doesn't need to be so overprotective of her, and he'll learn this.
There's a critique of class, royalty and the monarchy, and privileged upbringing in 'Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 1'. Also contained within this calming, beautiful gem of reflection are: a female bodyguard named Kiki, a female chief herbalist named Garak, two hilarious royal palace guards, and a collectively sweet and pleasant atmosphere, even with the threats to Shirayuki.
Recommended to any shoujo manga fan, or anyone who wants a short, relaxing break time. Like reading a visual, fairy tale version of Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten'.
"This is the path I choose. And I won't allow my story to be written by another."
Final Score: 4/5
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