Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 7, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 22.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! The prince from the neighboring kingdom, Zen, rescues her from her plight, and thus begins their love story.

Finally rid of the Claw of the Sea, Shirayuki and company return to Clarines—just in time for Palace Exhibition Day, the one day the palace is open to the public. But as Zen, bedecked in fancy garb, performs his princely duties, Shirayuki realizes how wide the gap between them truly is.

 

Review:

 

Now that all the chaos of being kidnapped and then kidnapped from the kidnapping has concluded, things finally start to calm down for the group. Shirayuki gets a surprise reunion, which is actually really sweet. And then they get to go back home, back to their somewhat normal routine.

Shirayuki has gathered a nice group of friends now, including pirates and prince Raj. And, of course, she always has Zen there for her.

There's some nice easy chapters for most of this volume. They finally get to have the banquet, and they get to go home. Shirayuki is reminded, though, that Zen is a real prince, and that's a much higher status than her, and yet she wants to stay by his side. They get to have a conversation about their relationship regarding that, and unsurprisingly, it's all very sweet and mature. Because this couple definitely has that mature, pushing each other to be better and loving each other for it, kind of relationship. It's really nice to see that growing, too.

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 6, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 22.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! The prince from the neighboring kingdom, Zen, rescues her from her plight, and thus begins their love story.

The banquet in Tanbarun arrives, and Shirayuki and Obi are dressed to impress. But it’s not all frills and lace, as Zen learns those aiming to kidnap Shirayuki have pinpointed her location. Against his brother Izana’s wishes, Zen rides for Tanbarun! But will he reach Shirayuki before danger strikes?

Review:

Everything seems to be going well, the banquet is coming up. I was clearly underestimating the importance of this guy coming after Shirayuki, because he shows up, and things go down real fast.

Zen has to make an important decision for himself and his standing when he realizes how in danger Shirayuki is. And when Shirayuki is put in such a difficult place, all by herself, she has to be strong and not let herself get upset. Since they got together so quickly, it makes sense that other important plots had to be thrown at them. But also, I think this also proves how strong as characters, and as a couple, they are. They're very strong on their own, and knowing that they have each other only pushes them to be better and stronger, knowing they can lean on each other but also do better for each other.

Near the end, when Shirayuki realizes what Zen did for her, knowing what it means for him as a prince, is so perfect. It's strong and sweet, and it means so much.

There's quite a lot happening in this volume. There also appears to be a bit of a harem forming, which I'm intrigued but also confused by. Zen and Shirayuki don't need that kind of drama.

This was a very dramatic change for me, cause while I was enjoying this series before, now I'm all in. I want the next one now, I'm ready to get caught up.

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 5, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! The prince from the neighboring kingdom, Zen, rescues her from her plight, and thus begins their love story.

When a banquet invitation arrives from Prince Raj in Tanbarun, Izana tests Zen and Shirayuki’s budding relationship by forcing Shirayuki to accept. But before the young lovers can cope with their impending time apart, a new threat arrives in Clarines—and he’s got our red-haired heroine in his sights!

Review:

Shirayuki and Zen get two pieces of surprising news in this volume. One includes a new character searching for her, and it's hard to tell at this point if it's good or bad news coming for her. I kind of think it could take the story somewhere fun.

The main part of the volume focuses on the other news, though, and that involves Shirayuki's hometown and the prince she ran away from. Zen doesn't quite like it, but Shirayuki agrees to go to a banquet in his kingdom, though she hopes to improve herself and her relationships by going.

This is an interesting plot, and seeing Shirayuki and Raj interact is actually quite fun. Raj is worried about Zen threatening him, but he's also a contrast to him. He's grown quite a lot since we first met him, and I'm glad we're getting to see that progress here. Similarly, it seems like we're finally starting to see some humanity in Izana in this volume, and I'm curious by his character. On the other hand, while we're getting some ominous hints regarding Obi, it's hard to tell whether anything big is going to happen any time soon with him.

This series is slowly growing on me. There were a few moments in this volume that were just fun to read, plus we're getting some interesting character development. I'm enjoying it.

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 4, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally—the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

Shirayuki is determined to help Kiharu and her bird Popo prove their necessity to the kingdom. She even goes so far as to risk her life to see Popo home! When she succeeds, Zen kisses Shirayuki for the 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?

Review:

I didn't expect the romance to happen so quickly. Both characters know how they feel, really, and they've been flirting around it since the beginning. It's kind of nice to get it out in the open so quickly, and it's a really sweet way that they do it, too.

This series takes its time with the important moments, but also with how it progresses the plots. It's a thoughtful, pretty slowness, an ease of pace. It's taken me a bit to get into it, but it's starting to grow on me.

There's still the hint of a triangle forming, though at this point they're ignoring it, I think.

I still want to get to know the side characters better. We get to see some of Zen and Mitsuhide's past, how their friendship started, and it was nice. Kiki is still a bit mystery at this point, though, and I would like to know more about her.

This series is growing on me a bit. I'm getting there, I think.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 3, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally—the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

Shirayuki’s life as a court herbalist in Clarines seems to be going well. She works hard at her job and gets to spend her free time with Zen. But when Zen’s brother, crown prince Izana, returns to the castle, he has a lot to say about his brother’s new friend. Will Shirayuki be able to overcome this new obstacle in her relationship with Zen?!

Review:

Izana tries stirring up some real trouble for Zen, but luckily he has things handled. And, despite his attempts, Shirayuki isn't easily rattled or swayed, either.

Izana is a bit of a jerk, but honestly I feel like he's being put on as a lot tougher than he is. We get a glimpse of his and Zen's past, and it makes Izana look even worse. But also, he's not much against Shirayuki, really.

In the second half of the volume, things get a bit more easy-going. Shirayuki has caught some public attention, and so she gets a bodyguard. It feels like a triangle is being attempted here, but I'm not really into that, and it's also not very strong at this point.

We get to meet a new girl, there to fight for her land and birds against a new viscount taking over her land. She hates nobles, but hits it off with Shirayuki. Their meeting is a bit one-dimensional, which I think this series has suffered from a few times.

This volume was okay. I've warmed up a little to Shirayuki and Zen, but still some of this series just hits meh for me. I really want to like this series a lot more than I do.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 2, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally—the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

Shirayuki begins her duties as a court herbalist apprentice in the castle, but her mentor is a bit odd. He’s quiet, shy, moody and…a child? Her first official duty is to accompany the prince to help quell an illness going around one of the forts that house Clarines soliders. Will she be able to discover the cause of the outbreak in time?

Review:

I had a hard time getting into the anime for this series, and I wasn't all that impressed with the first volume. I'm happy to say that this volume was better.

The first half was still very ehh. Shirayuki is getting into her role as herbalist, and Zen is the prince but also staying close when he can, trying to be around her without showing too much favoritism. They go on a trip that turns into Shirayuki helping him cure a town of sick people, in which they both have to understand their roles and do what's right. This was actually interesting in the second half.

We got a little more characteristics from his guards, but they're still just kind of background right now, there for some friendship fun moments.

But in the second half, Zen's older brother shows up, and that adds some drama. Izana and Zen don't quite get along, though I think we'll get more of that story in the future. Right now, this causes some issues for Shirayuki, as it's obvious Zen likes her and thus is a weakness for him.

This volume ended on a small cliffhanger that actually has me intrigued to read more.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 1, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally—the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

Review:

I really, really want to like this series. I've heard a lot of hype for it, and I know people love the anime, but for some reason it hasn't really stood out for me.

Shirayuki has very unusual, bright red hair. So the prince of her kingdom demands her as his concubine. Receiving this offer, she immediately runs away, only to stumble upon a cute boy, who is of course, also a prince. But, not knowing this, she befriends him and he helps her out.

I understand the whole theme with Shirayuki, of letting her be her own person, not making her decisions for her, giving her her freedom. It's pushed a little heavy, though, and hit a little artificial for me. Maybe it was just too heavy.

Zen is cute, and I don't mind their friendship. Their flirtation is actually a bit more obvious than I expected this early, but I don't mind that at all. I appreciate that Shirayuki has a career path in mind, and makes progress toward accomplishing it in this volume. And I don't mind the side characters so far.

This just felt very meh for me. It was an okay read, but I'm not particularly attached. It all felt very surface. I want to be, though, so I hope it gets better.


A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!