Snow White with the Red Hair 2

赤髪の白雪姫 (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime 2nd Season)

8.0(218,203)

MAL Score

Ranked #823

Popularity #712

Drama
Romance
Medical

Episodes: 12
Duration: 24 min per ep
Aired: Jan 12, 2016 to Mar 29, 2016
Status: Finished Airing

Synopsis

Shirayuki and Zen Wistalia move forward after acknowledging their feelings, returning to the rhythms of palace life in Clarines. Shirayuki continues her work as an apprentice court herbalist, while Zen carries out his responsibilities with the support of his trusted aides.

That calm is shaken when Crown Prince Izana responds to an invitation from Prince Raji Shenazard of Tanbarun. Shirayuki is instructed to travel to Tanbarun for a seven-day stay, tasked with helping foster better relations with the same ruler who once tried to claim her as his concubine. The trip brings fresh complications as a mysterious boy named Kazuki begins searching for Shirayuki—despite the two having never met.

Otaku Consensus

Bones’ adaptation is strongest when Masahiro Andou’s patient direction, measured pacing, and attention to ensemble chemistry turn courtly routine into meaningful character development. The Tanbarun arc adds political pressure and gives Raji unexpected dimension, but its repeated endangerment of Shirayuki undermines the agency that made her so refreshing in the first season. It is polished, sincere shoujo rather than a reinvention of the genre, with atmosphere and emotional continuity doing more work than narrative novelty.

Why You Should Watch

Watch this if you want a courtly shoujo romance that treats affection as mutual respect rather than jealous games, and professional ambition as more than decorative backstory. The adult-leaning ensemble spends real time on herbal practice, palace protocol, diplomacy, and the quiet labor of being trustworthy. Bones and director Masahiro Andou favor expressive pauses and warm group chemistry over frantic comedy, giving the series a restorative rhythm even when the Tanbarun material tightens into danger. It scratches the gentler side of Yona of the Dawn: court politics, a capable heroine, and devoted companions, but far less action and angst. The romance is already emotionally grounded, so season two can examine distance, duty, and trust instead of manufacturing misunderstandings. Viewers frustrated by repeated damsel-in-distress turns should temper expectations; everyone else gets an unusually sincere, low-cynicism fantasy romance.

Key Characters

S
Shirayuki(VA: Saori Hayami)
Shirayuki’s appeal lies in competence expressed through study, work, and ethical resolve, making her career feel as central to her identity as her romance.
Z
Zen Wistalia(VA: Ryouta Oosaka)
Zen stands out as a gentle prince whose most persuasive romantic quality is his willingness to respect Shirayuki’s choices despite the power attached to his rank.
O
Obi(VA: Nobuhiko Okamoto)
Obi’s dry humor, watchful loyalty, and carefully contained feelings make him both the ensemble’s emotional pressure valve and its most compelling source of romantic tension.
K
Kiki Seiran(VA: Kaori Nazuka)
Kiki brings cool-headed professionalism to Zen’s inner circle, embodying the series’ preference for capable adult allies over noisy comic sidekicks.

What Makes It Stand Out

1
Studio Bones emphasizes restrained facial acting, body language, and polished palace environments rather than turning the medieval setting into a vehicle for constant spectacle; swordplay remains secondary to work, medicine, and relationships.
2
The Tanbarun storyline is the season’s defining dramatic stretch, expanding the political scope while developing Raji from an aggressor into one of the sequel’s most discussed and unexpectedly engaging figures.
3
Medicine functions as an ongoing profession rather than a magical convenience: training, responsibility, and practical knowledge continue to shape Shirayuki’s standing within the court.
4
The single-cour structure alternates external danger with quieter palace-life episodes, a rhythm that supporters find relaxing and atmospheric but detractors consider less impactful than the first season.
5
The opening theme is performed by Shirayuki’s voice actor, Saori Hayami, while Eyelis performs the ending, giving the season distinct vocal identities at both ends of each episode.

Fun Facts & Trivia

Fun fact 1: The 12 scripts are divided evenly among three writers: Hitomi Mieno wrote episodes 1, 6, 7, and 12; Megumi Shimizu handled 3, 5, 9, and 11; and Akiko Waba wrote 2, 4, 8, and 10.
Fun fact 2: Takebumi Anzai directed four episodes spread across the cour—1, 6, 9, and 11—covering both the premiere and several major later installments.
Fun fact 3: Saori Hayami performs the opening theme in addition to voicing Shirayuki, directly linking the lead character’s vocal presence to the season’s musical presentation.
Fun fact 4: The season aired from January 12 to March 29, 2016, and its reception is notably consistent across databases: 7.96 from 217,872 MyAnimeList votes and 79 out of 100 on AniList.
Fun fact 5: The anime adapts the work of original creator Sorata Akizuki, with Masahiro Andou returning as director and Kazuhiro Wakabayashi overseeing sound direction.