There was just the one anime review last week, that for Snow White with the Red Hair Season 2. As I mentioned for Season 1, conventional romance is somewhat underrepresented in anime, simple boy meets girl stories, so Snow White with the Red Hair came as a pleasant addition to the UK scene when it was released. Taking the fairy story and loosely adapting it, it became something of a fantasy slice of life show with little hints of romance, a light, but entertaining piece of whimsy. This second season continues the story, and tries to add some momentum to the romance between Shirayuki, the titular Snow White, and her prince charming, Zen. But in the process, the show loses something fundamental.
This Week I’ve Been Mostly Rewatching...
Pet Shop of Horrors. There used to be a lot more in the way of OVA series back in the nineties and early 2000s, a way to trial run a manga adaptation before investing in a full series run. Some shows like Bubblegum Crisis, Tenchi Muyo, You’re Under Arrest, and Vampire Princess Miyu developed into full length series, or even ongoing franchises, but for each one that succeeded, some ten fell by the wayside. What’s surprising is that Pet Shop of Horrors was one show that never got past its four episode OVA. Its supernatural spookiness plays in the same vein as Vampire Princess Miyu, but there is a greater degree of playful antagonism about its main characters. Count D sells all manner of strange creatures to discerning pet owners, albeit with three arcane rules (very Gremlins) which are invariably broken, resulting in gruesome tragedy. Leon Alcott is the cop who investigates and gets drawn into the weirdness.
The first couple of episodes were fairly pedestrian, setting up the premise and introducing the characters, but the final two episodes gave some idea of what the story was capable of. It’s just a shame that Pet Shop of Horrors never got a full series. Here’s my review of the 2010 MVM disc, which is still available to buy today if you’re interested.
Funimation release Snow White with the Red Hair – Part 2 on Blu-ray today.
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