Sugar Sugar Rune

Summary: I watched it and hated it, but I suppose that being a 26-year-old introverted girl who has seen a lot of much better anime has a lot to do with my profound lack of enjoyment of Sugar Sugar Rune. I wish I could say I would recommend it to at least 8 to 12-year-old girls but honestly I can’t say I would: this will be a negative review. Anyone who’s interested in the show’s positive points, please look elsewhere. So, Sugar Sugar Rune. I somehow missed the Sailor Moon craze when I was still a small kid so I actually don’t have a lot ofbackground in mahou shoujo, which I attempted to remedy by picking up this show. The reviews were pretty good, promising a surprisingly nuanced, slightly dark twist upon the genre so often accused of being rife with overblown drama, too much saccharine and self-righteousness. I was instantly attracted by the series’ premise: two young witches who are childhood friends vying to become the next heiress to the Magical Kingdom’s throne. Both have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, ultimately challenging and completing each other in the new and unfamiliar Human World. Will their friendship endure under the pressure to compete, especially when a mysterious bishounen is thrown into play? The biggest disappointment for me will have to be the wasted character potential, translating into wasted plot potential. Ostensibly we have two main characters who balance each other out, and around whose interactions, trials and tribulations I expected the show to be built. First, we have Chocolat Meilleure, an extraverted, bright, spirited, feisty young girl. She is strong and fearless, and while she may be a bit stubborn, brash and strong-headed, she always means well and she’s not afraid to admit her mistakes. She is very open and spontaneous which helps her to make friends, and to those friends that she makes she is fiercely loyal. Her temper and foul mouth are considered to be good qualities in the witch society and a lot of show’s plot revolves around how that clashes with what’s considered good behavior among normal humans. Her opponent-cum-best friend is Vanilla Mieux, a lovely, nurturing, gentle and kind girl. She’s introverted, shy, and scares easily, but she makes up for it by being very studious, hard-working and smart, and while her timid demeanor made her unpopular back in Magical World, she has the chance to blossom now that she’s in the Human Realm. Thus, the show had an excellent chance to show how two very different people can walk towards the same goal each in their own way, relying each on their own strengths of character, and still be friends, working together despite all that divides them. “Being friends with someone who isn’t like you isn’t only possible, it’s exciting and opens a lot of possibilities and manners of thinking before you if you’re open-minded and want to make it work”. “If you believe in yourself, work-hard and embrace what makes you unique, you can achieve anything you want”. I thought Sugar Sugar Rune would be about this, or at least something in a similar vein. Welp, forgive me for having high expectations. The penultimate quest that drives the plot of this 51-episode series, the mystery of who’s going to ascend the Magical World’s throne proves to be solved in the very first episode. Just by watching the opening and looking at the mid-episode commercial break screens can you accurately say who’s going to be the next queen by the end of the show, roll credits, everybody can go home now. From the very beginning of the show it’s just “Chocolat!” over and over again. My question is: why bother with the pretense of having two main characters, if you’re not going to give the other one equal attention, screentime or development, or any meaningful role at all? Right off the bat you see Vanilla fulfilling just three functions, and those three won’t change at all during the course of the series: a) damsel in distress, b) Chocolat’s caretaker and cheerleader, c) a background off of which Chocolat’s character is constructed and supposed to shine that much brighter. That is to say, the show’s true heroine is Chocolate, and to rub it in we have Vanilla. They are supposed to be these childhood friends with an indestructible bond who complete each other and balance out each other’s flaws but all I have seen is codependence and Chocolat mooching off Vanilla’s goodwill and support. I won’t lie: I have major issues with the brattish character of Chocolat, how they pit her against the gentle Vanilla and every step of the way tell us “Vanilla is okay, but Chocolate is the real star”. They aren’t subtle about it in the least, even their surnames speak volumes: while Vanilla’s means “better” in French, Chocolat’s of course, is the superlative “best”. It seems a bit like a misguided attempt at feminism in the deeply patriarchal Japanese society – choosing a strong and confident girl as the main character above the meek and domestic one is certainly far from traditional and I would applaud it if not for the fact that Chocolat doesn’t have much going for her besides being the not-your-run-of-the-mill magical girl character. She’s brave and strong, okay, I get that and I admire that, but she’s also ridiculously stupid, clueless, annoyingly rude and if not for the help of her friends she would’ve been dead or disqualified ten times over. She’s the focus of the story from day one, and while you would initially sympathize with her because she unwittingly antagonizes everyone in the Human World with her brashness, isn’t good with studies and has no parents or backing in contrast to the well-mannered and well-read Vanilla whose mother is the reigning queen and who enjoyed the life as a princess up until now, you quickly come to realize that Chocolat’s the over-privileged one here. Girls idolize her, boys adore her for being a great pal and occasionally swoon over her tsundere-ness, she has a loving family of aunt, uncle and grandfather, she is super-popular in the Magical World, she has two loyal knights who have been in love with her since back when they were kids (who worship the ground she walks upon and whom she strings along just like that), the mysterious bishounen is head over heels for her and everyone, including Vanilla’s mom queen Candy never shut up about how her courage and strength are exactly what they need in a future queen. Not to mention it turns out that she has some kind of super-special power to purify evil and her supposedly deceased mom is actually very much alive. Vanilla, for her part, has been shunned for her meekness in the Magical World for as long as she remembers, never had any friends besides Chocolat, and while the Human Realm seems to be the place where she can finally be herself and be appreciated for that, it turns out that all the girls hate her guts, and while she seems to do well among the boys, no recurring character of any importance seems to care about her. She has two boys who are shown to be smitten with her, but they are so unimportant we never even get to know their names. She finally seems to get a chance towards more agency and character development near the end of the series with the short-lived Ogre Princess arc, where she decides to quit being on the sidelines and take Chocolat on, embracing her dark side, but even there she’s relegated to being mysterious bishounen Pierre’s second choice and the victim of his machinations. No one seems too worried about her when she crosses over to the dark side, no one makes any persistent attempts to get her to change her mind besides Chocolat. If anything, all the other characters either tell Chocolat she needs to focus on the becoming the queen instead of trying to get Vanilla back, or they want to help Chocolat, but just because they can’t bear to watch her being sad, not because they actually give a damn about Vanilla. She ends up being “rescued” by Chocolat from being the Ogre Princess which is very ironic because it was something that she chose for herself, for the first time in the series. The power of friendship prevails, so to speak, which again would be great if they actually showed us why or how the two girls became friends in the first place and what makes them so irreplaceable to each other, but all we get is “they are and have always been BFFs, just because”. Oh-kay. Sugar Sugar Rune is profoundly underwhelming because it flirts with so many interesting themes and then dumps them. The Ogres are the apparent main antagonists, but wait… They aren’t actually that bad, they’re just misunderstood and wrongly oppressed so they have no choice but to fight back? Nah, well, it’s all true but they’re still evil, because damn, we need someone to be a baddie! The witches have hearts, the very essences of their being that they must under no circumstances give away lest they die on the spot? Oh, it turns out that the Ogres can implant black hearts of envy and hate into the witches which let them harness the humans’ negative emotions too, which they normally can’t do AND they get an extra spare heart! Cool, right? Well, turns out it isn’t because the black heart will fight with the witch’s original heart and cause her a great deal of pain. So, the black hearts that represent the negative emotions are supposed to hurt witches, but unless someone sticks the actual thing into their breasts, they can feel sadness, anxiety, jealousy et cetera just fine without any complications or pain. And can I just say one thing about the series’ main love story? When was it exactly that our brazen heroine started falling for the gallant Pierre? Well, kids, it all happened that day when *drum roll* he ate soup with carrots to impress her, and he HATES carrots. Is that super romantic or what? With ridiculous, filler-laden plot, two-dimensional characters, lackluster animation and entirely forgettable music, Sugar Sugar Rune is just meh. It might have an interesting premise and a pleasing aesthetic, but with its only message being “you gotta be strong and brave, because if you are nothing else really matters and everyone will suddenly start loving you” it just doesn’t do it for me, as I don’t think it will for anyone with half a brain. It’s just frustrating to watch.

Ahh...Sugar Sugar Rune is probably one of the best anime I have ever watched partly because it is such an enjoyable anime. I love ALL the characters especially Chocolat and not to mention, the ever so sexy Pierre with his sexy chants (Don't you think he sounds so omfg hot whenever he casts his magic spells?) I thought that the animation and artwork was OUTSTANDING. Seriously, in this anime, I noticed they use less chibi art and express more emotions in the characters faces and that's what I love about it. I LOVED how deep the story is and how Chocolat seems to think morethan she acts - making me think that she's a really brave and mature girl who's not afraid to act what she thinks. The friendship between Chocolat and Vanilla is SO real that it sometimes brings tears to my eyes when I see them fighting. Sometimes, I really do envy their relationship - that's how REAL their friendship is. As for Pierre - he is my absolute favourite. I loved him. Why isn't there a guy like Pierre? Pierre's dark, deep and mysterious which explains why I love him. I like watching how his feelings for Chocolat grow - slowly...and eventually so strong that he's willing to....*watch the anime to get it* ^_^ Even though these girls are just 10 year olds, they definitely do not act or think the way a 10 year old think. Makes me wonder why was I playing with Barbie when I was a 10 year old -_- The characters' sound perfectly fitted the roles of the characters. I love it. The person who played Pierre had a very sexy and deep voice - exactly like how Pierre is. As for Chocolat - very cute and angry sounding :P As for Vanilla, KAWAII ne! Let's not forget the supporting characters, the familiars, Duke and Bianca - ONE WORD. FUNNY. I love how Duke goes kero and Bianca goes chu chu - it's so so cute! Waffle is a great addition to the story as well as she makes the whole story less serious and funny. Robin is wonderful as well. Cinnamon is very special looking and somewhat attracts me a lot. Although the anime is WAY different than the manga, I can honestly say that I would prefer the anime because of it's striking colour and fantastic animation. Although I'd prefer people to read the manga to get the REAL story of the battle between the Ogres and the magical world. Very deep - in the manga, less deep in the anime. Overall, the storyline is good - I mean hell!! What a creative and original storyline if you ask me. The characters - are beautiful and different. Sigh. I just adore Pierre. Do excuse me. :3 I'd recommend EVERYBODY to watch it because I seriously tear up in most of the episodes. You HAVE got to love Chocolat. Love the way she thinks and how strong she is. Makes me admire her a lot. SUGAR SUGAR RUNE FTW! My blog: http://27lily.blogspot.com/

It was really cute to watch...actually ultra cute! heh heh heh! It's about these witches on ajourney to become queen, by winning hearts! There are some moments where you want to laugh out loud, and roll over on the ground. Then there are some ultra cutsie moments where you're like I wish i could draw super cute pictures like that! Then kaboom! You sometimes get to these parts that are so exciting you can't stop watching! it's fun to watch, and addicting! It's anime, It's good, It's fun! Soi go ahead and watch it, see for yourself!!!

Part 1 Chunk: (Please forgive me for basically writing an essay. I need to find another hobby.) What show could fit your mood if you're looking for something simple yet fun? This show. It is nothing more than a children's show, but it is far from being boring. Sure, it can get rather repetitive, but the repetitive parts I found hard to outright hate, actually. I do dislike a certain character who is purely there to create filler, but even she ends up better in the end. If anything, this show stole my heart AND if you think stealing hearts isa bad thing, this show will do it anyway with magic potions, love charms, hugs, smiles, and kisses. Two Witches named Chocolat Meilleure and Vanilla Mieux are Queen Candidates who collect valuable different colored hearts can only receive them by wooing Human boys. ("Gotta catch 'em all! That is their master plan.") Yes, Humans and Witches are two different species pretending to date, but Witches are not allowed to fall in love with Humans no matter what (i.e., their hearts are not allowed to turn Red). Does it get really hard not to wish they could reciprocate a Humans' feelings fully at times? Sure, but if anything that just makes Witches desire to understand and observe the ways in which love works like scientists more. However, they aim to gather experience in the Human world so that they can learn the best from both worlds and apply that to their futures in Magical World politics or in whatever else they choose to do. It's supposed to be a Win=Win situation, despite Witches not being able to fall in love with Humans, in general. The show, however, throws its biggest hurdle at the Queen Candidates with the introduction of a group called the Ogres. Since Chocolat and Vanilla are fairly young and naive, they learn the hard way about how they already have enemies out to get them because of their royal status. If the Witches are dedicated to pure love, the Ogres are dedicated to all that is evil and/or taboo, such as forbidden love, etc.; in other words, they are natural born enemies. One particular character, who attends school with the Queen Candidates, is very interesting because he is supposed to be an Ogre, yet he is very innocent in appearance (I will not say who, but it should become fairly obvious early on). He believes that if Witches and Ogres aren't supposed to love Humans, they are meant to be taken over. So, if the girls represent the essence of pink, BOY, does he embrace the essence of the color black. His presence is said to be full of "Noir." So, while this show is very simple, the way everything is set up the characters are going to have to grow A LOT (especially Vanilla who is a shy, frail, polite, bundle of nerves; as opposed to Chocolat who is brave, stubborn, and outgoing but has poor manners). In fact, the ending is a fantastic example of how having the will power to do what is right can transcend most if not all of the conflict, confusion, and uncertainty thrown their way. As predictable as the outcome may be, it is never boring to watch it when it feels like a theater play whose leads try to perform with their heads held high and their hearts gleaming (very pretty, shiny hearts). Part 2 Chunk: Sugar Sugar Rune has a very European flavor with lots of eccentricity added to it and some goth touches, so no setting could possibly fit it better like a glove! The Magical World, however, looks like Halloween Town and Candy Land put together! It's important to mention the food, too, after mentioning Candy Land, right? Well, it's completely Western/European, very appetizing, and, also, consists of tons of desserts and candy! A fun quirk is that many things are given a French name. Although, the French is really simple and is nothing like the lengthier phrases used in, say Maria-sama ga Miteru, for example. Some of the spells Chocolat uses, for instance, are "La Fleur Spirale," "La Étoile Brilliant," "Agrandizement," etc. This show, also, loves bubble baths, fragrances, pearls, jewels, charms, stars, the Moon, or any kind of mysticism that Witches might love. Creativity is certainly not something this show lacks, nor foreign, exotic, or paradise scenery! Aside from everything else, I could draw a good amount of similarities between Sugar Sugar Rune and Harry Potter, such as a flying car, flying broomsticks, Mandrake, dragons, big spiders, unicorns, an invisibility cloaking object, etc. The art in the show is quite good. Although, I think it could've been done better, especially if you compare some of it to Moyoco Anno's gorgeous art in the manga. The animation varies from average to very neat and exciting, such as the Witches falling from the sky in the 1st episode, and the ending of the 4th episode is wow! Pretty is all I can say. The animation in the 37th episode, and plenty of other episodes is surprisingly top notch, also. The music in the show is quite memorable, in fact, some of the songs are playing in my head right now. The best song is, of course, the opening! It is a song that pays homage to "Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son" by France Gall and is probably one of the most fun songs I've heard as an anime OP as of yet (except for Azumanga Daioh's OP, maybe?). I think I've watched the opening 100 times already, but the two ending songs are really pleasant, too! Who has the best seiyuu? Honestly, I cannot choose, since all of them did a fantastic job and sound very cute saying little phrases in French. Robin - His seiyuu has an incredibly silky smooth voice, and he sings great! (Listen to Robin's seiyuu sing "SUPERSTAR" and "DON'T CRY.") Chocolat - Her seiyuu gets some of the best lines. Even though everybody in this show seems to have a catchphrase, hers are the best. Vanilla - Her seiyuu is fitting and sounds like she's going to cry all the time; although, it could get on some peoples' nerves a little bit. Duke and Blanca - They're opposites, and they fight and argue a lot so that's done very well. Saule and Houx - They sound like teenagers for sure, but they are very unusual for twins in quite a few ways. Pierre - His seiyuu has a handsome voice; however, he sure likes to inflect some harshness and increase volume later on. Rest of cast - no complaints there, except for Waffle, who is just annoying. If you'd like an easy to get into show with an interesting characters and magical world set up, Sugar Sugar Rune is definitely worth checking out. I don't think it'll ever become more popular than Shugo Chara! But it definitely gives it a run for its money. It's one of the cooler magical girl shows that's for sure!