Every now and again, two stories come out that bear a striking resemblance to each other, either because of current genre trends or because of sheer coincidence. Between 2014 and 2016, two shoujo manga, Yona of the Dawn and Snow White with the Red Hair, both got anime adaptations and in retrospect, both had some funny similarities.
Yona of the Dawn was written in 2009 by Mizuho Kusanagi and later adapted to animation by Pierrot (Naruto, Tokyo Ghoul) in 2014. Snow White with the Red Hair, or Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, was written earlier, in 2006, and received the first season of its anime in early 2015, produced by studio Bones of My Hero Academia acclaim. Both of these shows and their manga have been looked back on favorably for their romantic and dramatic stories and how inspiring the female leads are. And these stories are similar in ways far more plentiful than just the leads being redheads. This comparison is not meant to belittle either story, but rather to appreciate how the things these stories share contribute to wildly different kinds of adventures.
A Peculiar Pattern
To begin, here are the most glaring similarities that play a role in the narratives of both stories.
- Both are stories about red-headed young women who live simple lives until an event forces them to leave their homes.
- The inciting incidents lead the protagonists to cut their hair in an act of defiance against a controlling aggressor.
- The leads join together with a male companion to escape from danger and go to a land far away.
- Over the course of the adventure, characters meet the leads either as allies or foes who will eventually be won over by their kind hearts and become part of the "team" as it were.
Funnily enough, both anime were a total of 24 episodes before the anime adaptations ceased, leaving anime fans champing at the bit for more (Yona had one season, Shirayuki had two). Apart from these similarities, and such specific ones at that, the way that these shows go about their stories is quite distinct. And it begins with how the audience comes to understand the leads.
A Certain Young Woman
The biggest difference between Yona and Shirayuki is their upbringing, as the former is a princess, while Shirayuki is a small business owner. Yona is a privileged princess unaware of the politics that put her land in a precarious spot until an act of treason brings her whole world crashing down.
Shirayuki on the other hand is a working woman and herbalist, loved by her neighbors in her home country of Tanbarun. However, when she catches the eye of Prince Raji Shenazard, it is demanded that she become his concubine. Not wanting any of that, she chooses to run, leaving a lock of her hair and envelopes with medicine for all her clients.
The characters have widely different views of the world and stations that imply vastly different experiences and discipline, which proportionately influences the kinds of journeys they have. Namely, Yona's story is one about self-improvement and discarding naivety, while Shirayuki's is about conviction and finding the best in people.
The Two Extremes Of Heroes
Sometimes characters are criticized for being "too perfect" and rarely being flawed people, without the flaws being that they "care too much" or something like that. It's a big reason why many people find Superman boring and why sexists label female characters who don't have huge glaring flaws as "Mary Sues."
The truth is, sometimes characters need to be better than us, so that audiences have a figure to look up to and aspire to be, and that's generally how Shirayuki is. She struggles for certain, put in positions where she lacks the conventional strength to overcome, but she never lets it get to her and uses her intelligence to overcome obstacles.
Shirayuki's story isn't about trying to improve or get stronger, and in fact, the conflicts involving physical threat are rarely the impetus for character growth. Shirayuki-hime is a show about her falling in love with a prince and opening up to them despite how difficult it is to balance life. Where other love stories might have the lead choose love over their career, Shirayuki's story is about finding love without compromising your dreams.
Shirayuki is a character with a working-class background that is theoretically more relatable, yet a personality and kind heart that makes them so inspiring as to be a character the audience can look up to. On the flipside, Yona was always an entertaining protagonist because of how they grew as a character. Despite her status, her naivety and her struggle to face her changing world make her a relatable character.
Yona, too, possesses a kind heart but has to strengthen herself to survive, so she can take back her homeland with the help of her companions. On that path, she might not become a warrior, but she wields a bow and arrow like the best of them and carries herself like a leader. Who she is at the start versus the end is night and day.
Love & Companionship
Yona's story is written as a saga chronicling her growing reverse harem of pretty boys who ally themselves with her, both because of a prophecy and because they like her so much. Yona is much more of a fantasy series with magical elements and huge battles, so her harem is filled with charming badasses and lovable misfits with candy-colored hair.
Shirayuki's world is grounded more in reality and her companions are coworkers, her partner's bodyguards, or past acquaintances who wished to stay by her side. The closest the show gets to a harem is Obi, a rogue who clearly has feelings for her, but accepts that he's already lost to Zen, the main love interest.
Both shows are romances, although Shiryuki-hime leans far more into that element. Yona's loyal bodyguard Hak is the primary love interest in Yona of the Dawn, a classically strong and caring type. But while love is only one part of what makes Yona such an exciting adventure, the romance in Shirayuki-hime between Shirayuki and Zen is a whole different beast.
The English voice actors of Shirayuki-hime have gone on to praise the show looking back for its love story and how healthy and nuanced it is. Their love story begins so simply and honestly, with neither of them realizing how they truly feel, and the story is committed to this methodical buildup without it feeling drawn out.
Two Different Takes On Empowerment
Yona of the Dawn is a 24-episode saga showing the growth of one woman shunning her naivety and taking on the responsibility of saving her kingdom with the support of her friends. She struggles, she cracks under the pressure, but in the end, she proves herself powerful in her own way.
Snow White with the Red Hair chronicles the adventures of a young woman who wants to connect with people, even if they don't get along at first. Although things get tough, she shows the importance of never compromising one's dreams and strives to find love and fulfillment in a career where she can help people.
Both stories share completely different approaches to good fantasy storytelling, romantic plotting, and ways to write empowered role models for women, and it's hard to say that either is better. However, both anime adaptations are technically incomplete, and eight years later since Yona with no anime continuation, it's unlikely to get one.
Shirayuki-hime was fortunate enough to end at a sweet spot not conclusive enough to feel super grand but happy enough that it left fans smiling through the credits, and wasn't that what it was really about? Regardless, both shows deserved more than they got.
The music, animation, and direction of these anime went above and beyond and deserve recognition. As shoujo anime is making a resurgence as of late, here's hoping there are more stories like this on the horizon, with inspiring leads to captain them.