Respecting boundaries and forming bonds.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Sorata Akiduki
Translation: Caleb Cook
What They Say
Shirayuki lays her life on the line to help Kihal and her bird, Popo, prove their worth to the kingdom—which leads Zen to kiss her for the very first time! Now she can’t get that kiss out of her head. Will she be able to keep her cool around the man she’s falling for?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The trap the Viscount has sloppily laid has not born out the way he predicted. Shirayuki is crazy enough to jump down into the pond to make sure that the contest isn’t sabotaged. She’s also lucky enough that her shadow is there to protect her from the others. They succeed in winning the contest for Kihal, and the birds are protected. Yet Shirayuki is worried Zen would disapprove of her rash behavior.
Zen’s panic at Shirayuki’s well being is obvious. He can’t hold back from kissing her, which he quickly realizes was unwarranted and he apologizes! A guy apologizing for not asking first? Even after she leaned into it?! Zen isn’t just a prince riding a white horse to rescue his love from a tower, he’s a goddamn unicorn.
The kiss results in Shirayuki doing quite a lot of avoiding and thinking. She doesn’t know how to respond to Zen’s love confession and needs to get her thoughts and emotions in order. Luckily she was a good wingman to force her to confront her prince charming.
Snow White might set the land speed record for a shoujo manga love confession from both sides. Zen’s confidence in his desires never waivers. Shirayuki has her concerns, and they were mostly voiced in previous volumes. If they do become romantically involved that is going to get even more pushback from the court. There’s another concern for Shirayuki though. The fear of the dynamics of their relationship changing. Ultimately she decides that her desires are romantic. Zen’s closest supporters back the couple up, and even Obi who seems to love to test and tease the couple is proven to be no obstacle.
Yes, Obi attempts to play the third wheel despite knowing how Zen and Shirayuki feel for each other. It’s clear that Obi is attracted to Shirayuki but isn’t about to break the trust either of the two have put in him. The desire clearly tempts him but he never oversteps his bounds. The gift of a hairpin would have created a spiral of jealousy and miscommunication in any other shoujo manga. Instead, Shirayuki discusses the gift with Zen who tells her to keep it and that it looks beautiful on her.
Yeah, Zen is too good to be real with his respecting boundaries and trusting his friends and Shirayuki. I remember listening to the English anime commentary for this series and the voice actors were beside themselves with how healthy the couple’s relationship was. It’s true, they are a role-model relationship.
This volume also puts some focus on Mitsuhide and starts to flesh out the other members of the cast. We learn how the solider came to be Zen’s aid and confidant. It also tells a story of how Zen had to learn the difficult lesson about trust. Being royalty, wanting to do the right thing, navigating the political world… Zen hasn’t had it easy despite his status.
In Summary
Snow White with the Red Hair is not a will-they-won’t-they tease. It’s a ‘how will they’ narrative about two people who are willing to make it work despite social norms. Shirayuki and Zen’s relationship is so respectful it defies conventions of the genre. Even events that should have been points of contention or jealousy are ultimately denied. It’s a refreshing change from the typical form these stories tend to take. The development of the side characters is starting to ramp up and we learn more about Mitsuhide and Zen’s past in this volume as well. I look forward to learning more about Kiki and Obi as well.
Content Grade: B +
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: November 5, 2019
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CN / £6.99 UK