Figure 1. Depiction of Shirayuki (Snow White) from Snow White with the Red Hair. This image details her hair flowing as she runs down a hill, indicating the red hair as a strong emphasis.
Let's start with the main character, Shirayuki - she is shown in Figure 1. Voiced by Saori Hayami, the character is expected of an awesome performance. And she did not disappoint here. Naturally, Shirayuki has gorgeous red hair (and lovely green eyes), which serves as both a literal and a metaphorical thread. In that sense, I enjoyed how this show could pull together seemingly minor details into a web of characterization. From the opening scene, we see Shirayuki as a vibrant, dynamic person who continuously demands our attention, though she seems a little obsessed with being meta and talking about stories.
The aesthetics....are very obviously Disney-inspired. Especially the first scene (again) where we see hazy lighting and great amounts of lush green vegetation, mixed with that fluttery flute that seems to appear in a lot of Disney films. However, seeing Shirayuki jump out of the forest, reveals that energy and love for nature and the world that I would say characterizes some of the Disney princesses. In some ways, I would say it conjures up an image of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Unlike Belle, Shirayuki is able to stand up to Prince Raj, delivering a slap (though there's still a difficult question of female agency going on here). So, in a sense, one could see her as a superior version. It is difficult to avoid doing some sort of feminist reading into Shirayuki - she's a herbalist, both identifying as a professional and engaging in true work that isn't house maintenance, who does not want to be tied down by other's wishes. To this end, she slices off a veritable half of her hair, even offering an apology to it.
I feel that she also captures that "love of nature" that is so ostentatiously thrown about in Disney's Snow White - in short, an emphasis on birds flying and chirping. Thankfully, there were no musicals here. For the first time in forever, no singing in a Disney thing, right? Also, do you want to build a snowman? But instead, Shirayuki would rather make a potion. (I gotta say that Frozen is not an apt comparison at all because Shirayuki so obviously lives in a nice temperate forest area.) In this sense, I can fully see this show as a fairy tale, even as it makes efforts to break from formula - in many ways, it fails to elude detection as a fairy tail, even if some details may change. For example, Belle tries to demand the Beast release her father but ultimately is shown as incapable of using anything but seductive promise to help her father. Shirayuki is similarly forced to use this "seductive promise" to get Zen the antidote for the poisoning he had suffered. At the same time, I do not want to give the impression that this format is all bad - it provides exploration of themes, in particular those regarding nature, even if they are dogged by certain depictions of females.
The music jumped out to me as being very fairy tale - lots of woodwind, and quite a bit of calm piano. Some very "sweet" and high-pitched sounding violin music as well, clearly jumping in that way. I was reminded of "Reminiscence" from the Chrono Cross OST and "A Tender Feeling" from the Sword Art Online OST. However, this show's music tends to consistently create an upbeat fantasy sound that is admittedly quite sugary - clearly, the composer favored the violin sound over a cello or an upright bass. Unfortunately, that can lead to the music seeming a bit sparse in terms of instrumentation - often there is not much in the way of layering or sound dynamics, but it gets the job done. I found it interesting that the music often would not speed up, even when there was some sort of imminent danger here. Chrono Cross OST and Sword Art Online OST, both of those would probably leap for something a bit more atonal, sinister, but not in this show. It's that orchestral sound that sounds cringeworthy in Ash's "Candy" and Lana Del Rey's "Born To Die" but here it sounds fitting albeit a bit samey and simplistic. The music doesn't really add further character or depth to what happens - rather the music is there as a tourist itself.
One concern I have is that the show presents a high volume of information during the first episode - we meet several people, many of whom are established as important recurring characters. There are still many minor characters who appear at well. However, the story here is simple, so one can generally follow along. I believe that this concern should be allayed as the show wears on. This blemish doubly plays as a strength, allowing for one's interest to remain intimate. Another blemish that isn't totally a blemish is that soundtrack that does not seem to add much dimension to the music. I am also still not totally convinced that Shirayuki is as empowered as she should be; she is given chance for control, but her agency only stretches so far. Shirayuki feels so constrained by her circumstances, especially compared to the male characters.
Though I was rather critical in a few dimensions, and poked fun at the Disney resemblances everywhere, I rather enjoyed this episode - I could go as far as describing it as very good, or great even. Given the appropriate plot structure, sets of character interactions, input from music, and whatnot, this show could prove to be very satisfying. I believe that Shirayuki's decision at the end of Episode 1, that of joining Prince Zen and his band of doofuses, will grant her that chance at personal growth, even if that choice itself could be seen as weak in context. In spite of its flaws, this show will certainly be a blast to watch, as long as Bones retains impeccable control, and I can't wait for episode 2.
Score: 85/100
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