Ahh, if I haven’t been clear enough already, I love this show. I really do. It’s a fluffy shoujo, mixed with romance, comedy, a little action… all in all a nicely well-rounded series. And the soundtrack is gorgeous. <3
This episode was definitely one of the more comedic ones. ヽ(^◇^*)/ At least, I found myself laughing more than I usually do.
In a nutshell, this episode focused on the increasing need for Zen to pick a wife. As Lord Haruka points out to Zen, he must have at least a one-on-one interview with someone to show the people of the kingdom that he has not abandoned the thought of marriage. So Lord Haruka gives Zen a list of people who he can pick 
from to have a marriage interview with. Zen, who we know wants to marry Shirayuki, decides to stall his decision by convincing Kiki to be the candidate for the marriage interview, as her name is on the list. This will temporarily keep Lord Haruka off his back.
The kicker is that no one tells Shirayuki before the marriage interview who the candidate is. Zen intends to tell Shirayuki himself after the interview is over, but doesn’t account for the gossip effect. When the castle staff inevitably start whispering about the interview, Shirayuki only hears snippets and is left wondering what is going on. However it goes to show how strong her faith in Zen is because she as she admits to him later later, she was nervous but knew that he would eventually come talk to her about it, therefore she didn’t have a big freakout over the interview.
Perhaps the most important scene comes at the very end of the episode, when Zen and Prince Izana are having a drink outside on the balcony in the late evening. Prince Izana comes clean with his younger brother, telling him he will be taking a wife in the near future and that Zen will need to do the same. Zen firmly states that he wants to have Shirayuki as his wife, and Prince Izana finally says that since that is the case, he will become an ally to the path which Zen and Shirayuki are on together. Success!
I have to keep reminding myself that this series is meant to take place in an older time, when marriage existed in a land where men ultimately hold the most power. Shirayuki may return Zen’s feelings and consent to marrying him, but the final decision is (most likely) ultimately Zen’s. Thankfully this show is a modern creation, so at least some women are depicted as having positions of power within the castle (Garak as Chief Herbalist, Shirayuki as a court herbalist, and Kiki as a guardian to Prince Zen). I’m hoping the next episode will show more of Shirayuki’s reaction to a formal declaration of marriage from Zen.
If you’re looking for the comedy in this episode, I found the flashbacks especially amusing. Zen obviously has a lot of respect for Kiki, and it was pretty funny 
watching him attempt to talk Kiki into being the candidate for his marriage interview. And I really, really liked being able to see how Kiki and Mitsuhide met for the first time. Mitsuhide is… quite dense, lol. Zen and Mitsuhide were so baby-faced 5 years ago, ha. So cute. And watch for Obi getting in shit from Zen. Oh and the castle guard who ships Zen and Shirayuki’s relationship! xD
I feel like this is also the first episode of the series which is very direct in how Kiki and Mitsuhide feel about each other. I know there have been references in the last couple of episodes, but this time around it was definitely much more definitive. As a hardcore shipper this gets two big thumbs up from me. Again, as much as I’m loving this season, I’m looking forward to being done so I can marathon the manga and get caught up on everything that’s not included in the anime.
I’m really looking forward to what the big finale of the season will be. Will we get to see Zen & Shirayuki’s wedding? Maybe Kiki and Mitsuhide’s wedding?? Any thoughts on whether we’ll get a season 3?
Mitsuhide and Kiki DO have their own story arc in the manga, but I don’t think the anime will have time to cover it. Some of the flashback scenes with Kiki were taken from there though.
In one of your previous posts you mentioned parallels between the Yona and Akagami series. I think this is true for both works; both are highly character driven, focus on interactions and story pacing is slow and easygoing.
However, I think Yona’s more epic story means Kusanagi Mizuho’s character-focused storytelling style could alienate readers who are focusing on the epic plot, like Yona’s prophecy, who really killed Soo-Won’s father, Soo-Won’s endgame etc. (the mangaka admitted character development is her primary focus, and she wants to give it to EVERY character, even the secondary ones.)
Akagami’s peaceful backdrop means the main character development won’t be at risk from being overshadowed by other plot aspects
Whether a Season 3’s made depends on many things, but usually that depends on whether the anime Blurays and/or the source manga sell well enough to warrant making another one – no point throwing money at something that isn’t profitable. Sometimes it’s just timing – Working!!/Wagnaria S3 came out 4 years after S2, while Durarara!! S2 came out 5 years after S1. Or unless it’s crazy popular with the Japanese fans – Kono Subarashii’s anime immediately got confirmed for a S2 in the last episode.
Akagami’s mangaka has also posted the ages of the main characters in her side materials.
Snow White – 18
Zen – 19
Mitsuhide – 23
Kiki – 20
Obi – 21(?) / 21-ish
Ahh good points on the storytelling in the two series.
Oh neat, I didn’t know all the characters’ ages and just had guesses. Thank you so much for sharing that with me! 😀