Encountering… A Colour for the First Time

Synopsis

With the aftermath of the kiss, Shirayuki’s attitude towards Zen becomes increasingly awkward, enough so that Obi, Kiki and Mitsuhide realise something must have happened.

Zen leaves the castle to accompany Kiharu to her island regarding the birds and convinces Kiharu’s ‘people’ to accept his offer of protecting them by using them as a ways of communication.

Zen stays for the night and Mitsuhide manages to find out what happened between him and Shirayuki.

Meanwhile Shirayuki busies herself with her training to distract her thoughts. She wants some time to gather her thoughts and heads to the forest with Obi. But they run into Zen as he returns to the palace. She hides behind Obi and he tells her to run for it and she heads to the forest.

Zen eventually catches up and after a heartfelt chat where the two finally understand each other, Shirayuki is able to reply Zen’s feelings in kind.

Thoughts

Whilst hiding behind the story of the last episode regarding the bird situation, the romance story also gets a happy conclusion. As much as I wanted to see those lovely birds saved, I think we all wanted to know the ‘result’ of Zen’s boldness.

As much as I’m glad Shirayuki returned his feelings, and this being a mainly light hearted shoujo it’s likely that everything will turn out fine. But I still assume there will be troubles ahead. Troubles that we are all too familiar with like the discussions I’ve had previously revolving around the fact that this is a ‘peasant’ in love with a prince. Yes the over discussed status differential point.

Although the anime will likely follow a similar pattern of Shirayuki talking them down and swaying the judgment of others through her tenacity. Either way, it’s a hard road ahead and it’ll be a journey that will surely make the two of them stronger and develop even deeper feelings for each other. As long as they don’t break, and can get back up every time they fall.

However, one watching this romance develop can’t be help notice the possibility of another emerging romance between Obi and Shirayuki. Although that is clearly unrequited and probably won’t have any big implications for the rest of the series. Unless it gets to a point which may threaten Zen and Obi’s relationship. Which will be quite the test for them that actually would be something I’d be interested in seeing if it takes that route.

If I’m honest, I found the scene at the end of the episode a little cheesy. But only a little, mainly because I feel the rest of the episode did well to move in a less predicted way and anyways, I don’t mind a little cheese if it’s nice cheese. And this was nice cheese. One way to put it was that it was ‘pink and fluffy’ and ‘warm and fuzzy’ and all that goodness. The only reason I felt it was cheesy was because it was predictable and I also felt it went a little ‘too well’. A passionate embrace would’ve done me, mainly because the kiss seemed to awkward the first time, but I guess they really wanted to solidify this relationship down this episode. Maybe an embrace if next episode was the one to clear up the relationship, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

So with one episode left and another season in production for next spring, when I don’t have exams, what kind of cliffhanger will they leave this at next episode. This episode would’ve been a great cliffhanger to leave it at already, with the romance of the series ‘resolved’ and with the next series focusing on the hurdles in their way. But perhaps they’ll be another story taking place and next episode will set up for it in a way that will make everyone still want to watch it in a season’s time.