Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

Although her name means "snow white," Shirayuki is a cheerful, red-haired girl living in the country of Tanbarun who works diligently as an apothecary at her herbal shop. Her life changes drastically when she is noticed by the silly prince of Tanbarun, Prince Raji, who then tries to force her to become his concubine. Unwilling to give up her freedom, Shirayuki cuts her long red hair and escapes into the forest, where she is rescued from Raji by Zen Wistalia, the second prince of a neighboring country, and his two aides. Hoping to repay her debt to the trio someday, Shirayuki sets her sights on pursuing a career as the court herbalist in Zen's country, Clarines.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime depicts Shirayuki's journey toward a new life at the royal palace of Clarines, as well as Zen's endeavor to become a prince worthy of his title. As loyal friendships are forged and deadly enemies formed, Shirayuki and Zen slowly learn to support each other as they walk their own paths.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Shirayuki Main

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Obi Main

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Wistalia, Zen Main

Oosaka, Ryouta Japanese

Seiran, Kiki Main

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Rouen, Mitsuhide Main

Umehara, Yuuichirou Japanese

Ryuu Supporting

Sanpei, Yuuko Japanese

Wistalia Clarines, Izana Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Shenazard, Raji Supporting

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Gazelt, Garack Supporting

Kaida, Yuuko Japanese

Toghril, Kiharu Supporting

Saitou, Chiwa Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Matsuda, Akio Producer

Fukuda, Jun Producer

Itou, Yukihiro Producer

Reviews

Feb 20, 2025

jennisiaria

Recommended

Snow White with the Red Hair is like if you took a fairy tale, gave it a fresh makeover, and added a dash of royal drama, a sprinkle of awkward romance, and a whole lot of hilarious miscommunication. It’s a magical world of beautiful hair, sword fights, and just enough awkward moments to keep you on your toes while giggling like a school kid.

At the heart of this story is Shirayuki, a red-haired herbalist with hair so vivid, it might as well be its own character (because let’s be real, her hair is basically a second protagonist). Shirayuki’s life is going pretty well until, one ... day, a prince—let’s call him Prince Idiot Raj—decides that he wants her as his personal hair accessory. Shirayuki, being the absolute boss that she is, isn’t having it and cuts off her own hair to escape from his advances. Like, why settle for being a prince’s accessory when you can be an independent herbalist with way better hair than anyone in the kingdom?

Enter Zen, a prince who’s probably the most chill royal you’ll ever meet—like, he’s not looking to kidnap red-haired girls or start a hair-stealing cult. He’s here to help, be kind, and (for some reason) get tangled up in Shirayuki’s life. Zen’s got his own share of royal responsibilities to dodge, but he’s just too cool for all that nonsense. He’s more into casual heroism and emotional growth—and yes, sometimes he awkwardly flirts with Shirayuki, but that’s just part of his charm. Seriously, this prince is like the prince of awkward-but-adorable romances.

The best part? Zen and Shirayuki’s relationship doesn’t feel like your typical shoujo anime fluff. There’s no “I love you, but I can’t tell you” drama—thankfully, they both have enough maturity to know how to communicate… sort of. They make mistakes, they learn from each other, and honestly, watching them interact is like watching two puppies figure out how to not crash into furniture while being excited.

Shirayuki, though, she’s the real MVP. She’s independent, confident, and doesn't take any nonsense from anyone. She's got this whole “I’m not just here to be the prince's love interest” vibe that we all secretly want in our own lives. She’s got goals, skills, and a whole lot of herbal knowledge (seriously, I’m now questioning why I didn’t pay more attention in science class). And Zen? Well, he’s there to occasionally help her with her problems and, let’s be honest, look cute while doing it. It’s basically like watching the ultimate team-up—they’re not just in a relationship, they’re like royal Avengers of cuteness and teamwork.

There’s also a nice supporting cast of characters who are just as charming as Zen and Shirayuki—there’s Kiki, the sword-wielding girl with serious loyalty, and Mabo, who’s a bit of a mess but makes everything so much better with his chaotic energy. They’re like the quirky sidekicks you never knew you needed in your life but now can’t live without.

The drama in this anime? Nothing too crazy—more like “lighthearted misunderstandings” rather than life-threatening betrayals. So while Zen might look like he’s in danger of getting into trouble every 5 minutes, it’s all pretty low stakes compared to your usual “the kingdom is about to explode” plotlines. And yet, you still find yourself emotionally invested. Like, why do I care so much about this not-that-dramatic story? Oh, right, because I’m invested in their hair drama and slow-burn romance.

In conclusion, Snow White with the Red Hair is a sweet, funny, and charmingly low-stakes anime that you can watch without any major emotional breakdowns (well, except when Zen looks at Shirayuki like she’s the most precious thing on Earth). The beautiful animation, adorable characters, and quirky romance will have you grinning from ear to ear, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll start reconsidering your hair color.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Nov 23, 2024

scy318

Mixed Feelings

For a pretty old anime, I didn’t expect such colorful and vibrant animation. It gave me the same homey, fantasy vibe as the SoL episodes in Frieren (also how Zen is much like Himmel). The protagonist, Shirayuki, is introduced as a strong, capable, and independent female lead. She shares a lot of similarities with MaoMao from The Apothecary Diaries, in that they both work in medicine and advance to become aids to people in powerful positions. It feels strange to talk so much about other shows when writing a review for Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, but this is where one of the main setbacks with the ... series comes from. All the mentioned series feature powerful and complex female protagonists, which Akagami no Shirayuki-hime strives to do, but falls short of. In creating Shirayuki, the writing borrows inspiration from her damsel-in-distress namesake to have a character that tries to balance uniqueness with traditional shoujo tropes. However, the issue with this “happily ever after” aspect of the show is that it inhibits Shirayuki’s characterization and gets in the way of her doing anything. 

A main plot point of the show is that Shirayuki’s hair is unique and stands out so much that it gives her trouble. This is further expanded to touch on how people treat a woman who is seen as desirable to have. However, it’s just a little questionable that EVERYONE in this fantasy world wants Shirayuki and her hair (you’re reminded of how her hair is so special about every other episode), but for the show and the message it’s trying to convey that’s acceptable. Up until this point, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime was pretty interesting and a fun watch. 

You can probably imagine my disappointment later when time after time, Shirayuki ends up in situations on account of her hair and needs (very conveniently) for either the male lead or one of her friends to save her. Shirayuki ends up in this awkward place because while she tries her best to deal with her situation, she never gets anything done. In one of these situations, Shirayuki clearly shows to us that she can fight back by herself. However, the plot being what it is, her enemy recovers instantly, cueing Zen to miraculously appear and save Shirayuki (not like she couldn’t have saved herself). This is the rough structure of the entire show. Something happens to Shirayuki, she then voices her opinions and takes action but it fails, and then Zen needs to come to her aid and actually get things done. 

Shirayuki's pairing with Zen is justified heavily by the show because apparently he has some sort of inferiority complex with his brother and needs to find people of his own to protect. This is alright, but the show pushes this point so much that Zen frequently has to drop EVERYTHING to go and save Shirayuki. Sometimes it feels so contrived, just to make room for romantic/melodramatic moments. It's frankly disingenuous that this show presents an independent female protagonist but then willingly undermines her agency at every turn. This is not to mention how Shirayuki is wholly devoid of flaws. Clearly, the only bad thing about her is her unique hair (pointed out multiple times). Some other reviews have mentioned that she is a Mary Sue, and this is very accurate. 

Nevertheless, I liked the show and it was still nice to watch with the beautiful, cozy backgrounds. This review functions for seasons 1 and 2 because season 2 is simply more of the same “damsel in distress” storyline. Don't be like me and get fooled by the premise: this anime is one that you should go in with no expectations and you won’t be disappointed. There’s a likable cast of characters, and the dynamics between them are fun to watch. And although Zen has that habit of constantly saving Shirayuki, that doesn’t mean he’s any less of an adorable sweetheart. Akagami no Shirayuki-hime has a nice fantasy setting (albeit without much world-building) and a little drama with a happy ending, so if you want to watch something cute, this is for you.

Final Rating: 6.5 rounded up to 7

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Mar 26, 2024

FLASHY_WOLF_

Not Recommended

Hear me out!!This anime is not bad but it can be really predictable and tough to watch plus there is nothing to look forward, everything is crystal clear from the start,how the characters will end up, how the show will go forward etc.This is the type of romance anime I would recommend for new anime watchers who are seeking to watch a romance anime to watch. As for me I found the show to be too much predictable, but this is definitely the kind of anime I would have loved to watch when I just started watching anime, instead I got recommended to watch Sword ... art online, which I really regretted.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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