Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Snow White with the Red Hair
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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He always does things for a reason, but it's hard to tell what his reason is here. I have to say, it made me wonder about who her parents were Lol. Or it could be sarcasm. Or it could just be a way to remind her that if she's aspiring to that position she has a lot of work to do. I think it's that last. |
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mandisaw
 Posts: 140 |
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I'm up-to-date on the manga (ch 68?), but it was a 2-week blitz LOL. Still not sure which consequences/arc you mean and it's bugging me - a real head-scratcher. Feel free to spoiler-tag, but can you clarify?
So this reaction is probably why the series merged the Raj visit with Izana's intro the way they did. It would seem weak on its own. Think of this bit with Raj as a domino - both Shirayuki & Zen's comments set the piece, Raj, in motion, and we likely won't see the results until S2. But he did have to make an appearance, in part so we'd know that Raj wasn't an episode 1-only character. More importantly to the main chars, though, it's a chance to see just how freaked SY is about possibly having to leave the castle/Clarines/Zen, *and* how freaked Zen is about actually making a public declaration about his relationship with SY. That last part is one of the few real mysteries to me about this story. I kind of wonder if Zen has his own conflicting emotions - he has all the feels for Shirayuki, but he definitely takes his political responsibilities seriously. A political marriage and SY as some kind of career-girl concubine is a brutal solution (hurts to even type it!), but maybe it's bubbling deep down in the back of Zen's mind - I'm sure it's in Izana's. |
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mandisaw
Posts: 140 |
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To me, this is the real crux of not just the episode/flashback, but really the whole Izana & Zen relationship. Zen naturally looks up to Izana, both as his brother and as High Prince, but realizes at this point that you can't fit a Zen-shaped-peg into an Izana-shaped-hole, and more importantly, that the country needs both sorts of leaders. If Izana is the brother-as-father who taught Zen to value his intelligence and position, and how to be a shrewd politician, then Mitsuhide is the one who taught him to value his empathy and compassion, and become a beloved ruler. It may be main-character bias, but I get the feeling that most folks in the castle obey Izana out of respect+fear, but they seem to really love Zen (the Prince you want to have an ale with LOL).
Judging only this episode, it's a combo of obligatory framing-narrative and "what's up with Shirayuki this week". Yes, they could've dropped it, but I prefer we get the sense that SY is hard at work somewhere, not waiting in a room for Zen to show up. Judging in full context, I will admit to a bit of fangirl squee at the start of a new dynamic  Obi is the only character with any mystery to him, and the most room for character development. Even from this episode, he sort of acts as the trickster in what otherwise would be a pleasant, but fairly static, story. (In my headcanon, Obi totally noticed Zen & Mitsuhide within earshot, and was hoping to provoke some kind of epiphany/development for Zen and/or Shirayuki with his question.)
...And now I get what you meant. Somehow I totally blanked on the spoiler[revenge] motive and just focused on, "oh, well that's one way to start a democracy...". |
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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Perhaps it's worth noting that the series has been green-lit for a second season in January.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18226 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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That's good, because right now the series doesn't feel like it's on a road to anywhere.
While I do still enjoy the series, it sometimes seems like it's on too much of a low burn. Also, the "straight out of an old Hollywood romance" kind of musical score may have been the angle that the series was going for, but now it is starting to annoy me. I definitely agree, though, that Obi is increasingly seeming like a worthwhile character. |
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mandisaw
Posts: 140 |
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I would almost have felt cheated by this episode, except for this. It's easy to get so caught up in the action (politics! medicine! parkour!) that we miss the cute breather moments.
I love watching Obi watch Zen & Shirayuki He calls them out or pulls them into hard reality when necessary (that was a slick takedown), but mostly I feel like he's losing his cynicism/lone-wolf with each smile from SY or Zen. Obi adds the right amount of salt to Shirayuki & Zen's sweet.
No (explicit?) spoilers here, but seriously my first thought from the ep preview was, "finally, the freakin' birds!". As Alton Brown would say, your patience will be rewarded
This first season they've been playing around with the pacing a bit, but it is usually a slow series as-written - good, but slow*. I'm glad there's only a short wait until S2, because that should have a much more cohesive, and faster-paced story arc. (Or two arcs... does anyone know how long the second season will be?) *Mind you, I've been following Skip Beat since the anime ran back in 2008-09, so my tolerance for dribbled romance may be high... This is nowhere as painful. |
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vonPeterhof
Posts: 729 |
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sunflower
Posts: 1080 |
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I really can't see this as Donkeyskin-like, but maybe that's because I've read some pretty horrific versions of it. I think that the relationship of this story to fairy tales is that it starts with an idea rooted in our pasts and but instead grants us a new fairy tale, rooted in more modern sensibilities. It still has morals and lessons to be learned, but they're about what is important to us now. It never really was about *that* Snow White.
I loved this episode so much. It was full of character moments for Zen, Mitsuhide, and especially Obi. I realized how fantastic his seiyuu is listening to the nuance in what he says. I thought the animation was lovely for the little details during those quiet moments. Romance needs character moments to build convincing relationships, because romances only feel real when those in them do. This mangaka and director get that. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2617 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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It's not Donkeyskin-like in the strictest sense, meaning that it follows the exact plot of Perrault's horrifying version, but more in that it has many more elements of AT510B, also known as "Cinderella B," with the Cinderella character working in the home of the prince before marrying him rather than the ball or the glass coffin scenarios of Cinderella and Snow White. My favorite versions of that tale are the British Cap'o'Rushes and the Egyptian Princess in the Suit of Leather; I see elements of Cap in this story.
You're probably right that this is just a modern literary fairy tale, using elements of folklore. But with "Snow White" right in the title, obnoxious fairy tale people like me are going to try and make it into a real retelling. 
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zensunni
 Posts: 1294 |
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When you consider that my favorite manga and anime are both the one that really brought me into the genre, Ah! My Goddess (or Oh My Goddess, depending on the version...), you may guess that slow-burn romance is something I truly enjoy. This show is certainly a winner in my book.
I wasn't quite as taken with this episode as I was with the previous few. Partially because I kept waiting for the "Obi has obviously fallen in love with Shirayuki" shoe to drop with the trite and obvious complications that would engender. The fact that, other than a few intakes of breath and a couple of looks, Obi has not actually shown any indication that he is enamored with our young heroine, unlike her younger supervisor at the Court Herbalist office, is actually quite refreshing. I applaud the mangaka, so far, for avoiding this overused trope. (I'm still reserving judgement on whether it will occur or not...) |
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HelloBucket
 Posts: 477 Location: Upstate New York |
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Perhaps not overall, but I think they nailed Shirayuki's drunken movements. |
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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LoL. I hear ya! I do a big catch-up whenever I remember to do so and yeah... Close calls but not much progress. At least it's still fun, and I think Shirayuki is too even though not much happens. I suppose it helps to watch several things during the season. Would probably go nuts if these kinds of series were the only show I were watching at any one time. |
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mandisaw
Posts: 140 |
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If we go with the "Ryuu is autistic" interpretation, then I would say his feelings for Shirayuki are more like awe of her ability to navigate socially, and seeking a friend/peer relationship. It's easy to mark him as shota-bait for the audience, (*cough* King Livi *cough*), but I never pegged him as a love interest. Obi, on the other hand... Without spoilers, I'd say the author has been very good thus far at subverting and playing around with shoujo romance tropes, so there's every reason to have faith in her on this point. With spoilers, spoiler[it's a mix of romance, respect, one-true-trio - so a YMMV situation ]
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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Does anyone worry that having Zen's trusted knight being named Mitsuhide might suggest darker complications between them down the road?
Historians place the events resulting in the assassination of Oda Nobunaga at the feet of his trusted general Mitsuhide Akechi. He uttered the famous line, "The enemy awaits at Honnō-ji!," and turned his forces toward the shrine where Nobunaga was encamped. Akechi burned Honnou-ji to the ground and Nobunaga was found dead. The Wiki article offers both seppaku or "during the fighting" as possible reasons for his death. The anime and manga Hyouge Mono presents a third alternative though I doubt it is a truthful recounting. In Kill la Kill, episode 20, Sanageyama repeats "The enemy awaits at Honnō-ji!," annoying both Nonon and Inamuta who wanted to utter the line first. |
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mandisaw
Posts: 140 |
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Love a good historical shout-out  I wonder though if we follow this line, wouldn't it be more likely to herald a confrontation between Izana and Mitsuhide? Izana's the Crown Prince after all, and we've already seen that whatever "broship" Mitsuhide and he had has been supplanted (in whole or in part) by his admiration for Zen.
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