Akagami no Shirayuki-hime S2 – Episode 11 [The Future Because of Who You Are]

Funny how a slight change in translation can make all the difference, no? In the last episode, Prince Izana told Zen, “If that’s the case, then I will become an ally on the path you and Shirayuki follow.” However in the recap at the beginning of this week’s episode, Prince Izana supposedly said, “If that’s the case, then try making me an ally on the path you and Shirayuki follow.”  Hmm? More than a slight difference there, ne? :/

Anyways, I’m rambling. This episode didn’t go in the direction I thought it would, but I feel like overall it tied up a couple of remaining plot threads quite nicely. And remember how I was harping for more of Shirayuki’s point of view regarding her wedding to Zen? We did get a little of that this week. 

In this second to last episode of the season, Zen is injured when a castle employee accidently drops a heavy blanket on his head from the floor above. Thankfully it’s just a sore neck, nothing which will last too long. Mitsuhide leaves to find Chief Garak to tell her what happened, and while moving through her office he accidently knocks over a bottle of purple liquid. When he moves to clean up the mess, he undergoes a transformation: the liquid has hypnotizing properties, allowing deeply hidden aspects of Mitsuhide’s personality to come out of hiding.

What follows is much hilarity. Zen and Mitsuhide fight like an old married couple, and it’s fucking hilarious. Also, the aura of sparkles which surround Mitsuhide whenever he turns on the charm to Shirayuki or Kiki is pretty funny too. Because Mitsuhide becomes more loyal to Zen after falling under the yoikagari liquid’s spell, he follows Zen everywhere and becomes super protective of his master, leading Zen to become frustrated and lash out at Mitsuhide. It is only when Zen speaks to Shirayuki that she gently points out that he needs to be less prideful and put Mitsuhide before his ego, resulting in Zen leaving Mitsuhide’s care up to her.

Shirayuki stays up late studying and reading, trying to find a cure for the yoikagari’s effects (don’t think I missed the sappy look Obi gave her when she wasn’t looking either!), but it isn’t until she takes a chance and puts its petals under the moonlight that she figures out the cure. She administers the medicine to
Mitsuhide, who becomes drowsy and falls asleep. But before he does, he has some honest words for Shirayuki. Namely, that if she decides to marry Zen, she will follow a path that she will only have to take because he is royalty. And as we see in the flashback at the very end of the episode, Mitsuhide asks Shirayuki to consider whether this is something she really truly wants. We never get a verbal answer from Shirayuki in this episode’s last moments, but I think it’s pretty clear from her body language and the way she looks at Zen what her answer will be.

Shirayuki successfully cures Mitsuhide and he returns to normal, save for the lapse in his memory from when he was hypnotized. Zen is less than pleased that he had to endure Mitsuhide’s overprotective behaviour for nothing, but Obi is quick to step in as comedic relief and (mis)recite some of what Mitsuhide said to others while he was still drugged. However there is another happy ending to Mitsuhide’s trial with the yoikagari – Chief Garak uses it as Shirayuki’s final exam after all. This means that with the curing of Mitsuhide, and Shirayuki’s accurate report, she is now an official court herbalist! Yay for Shirayuki! She successfully made one of her dreams come true. 🙂

It looks like next week might be Shirayuki and Zen’s wedding, and I’m assuming it will be a typical shoujo happy ending. Hopefully there will be a surprise or two mixed in. And then once the season is over, it’s off to the manga for me! I’m excited to see how this show will wrap up this season.