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Happy Sugar Life (TV).


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:50 am Reply with quote


Happy Sugar Life (TV)

Genres: drama, horror, psychological, romance, thriller
Themes: tragedy, yandere, yuri

Plot Summary: Beautiful high school girl Satō Matsuzaka believes she has finally found the meaning of love when she begins living with a younger girl. Previously, Satō never refused the advances of any guy around her, but that changes when she meets the girl Shio. The background and age of the mysterious girl are unclear. When Satō is with Shio, she experiences a very sweet feeling, which she understands as love. In order to protect that feeling, Satō is willing to do anything, even if it means committing murder. (from manga)
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Sunny milk



Joined: 22 Jan 2014
Posts: 695
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 3:43 pm Reply with quote
It's one thing that the episode looked ugly (was Satou supposed to be a beauty or Shio cute? cause they're not), that there was no build up for the tension, but to even mess up the chronology randomly won't make it somehow a good experience, just a very poor and desperate try.
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2062
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 6:20 pm Reply with quote
Episode 1:
This is a rare thing for me. I don’t read much manga, and when I do, it’s for series that I’m sure will not get an anime adaptation. So this getting an anime came as a shock to me. But since it’s here, I might as well see how it turns out as someone who has been following the original source material ever since the first translated chapter was released. For this first episode, besides three things, it was a great adaptation of the first chapter of the manga. The three things I’m noticing were relatively minor enough that I can understand the studio’s decision to do what they did in order to make the first episode presentable and well-paced for newcomers to get a solid idea of what they’re getting into. I won’t go too much into detail about those things unless anyone is curious and wants to know more, so therefore, if anybody has any questions about the source material, feel free to PM me anytime. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this series as it progresses and so far, besides, the solid transition from manga to anime, my favorite part of the first episode was how Kana Hanazawa does a great job with her voice acting of going from sweet and caring to dark and cold right when the scene calls for it. For those sticking around after this first episode, I hope that you can have a good time.
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Ampharos



Joined: 21 Jan 2014
Posts: 196
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:58 pm Reply with quote
Really enjoyed this first episode. Theron's review in the Summer Preview Guide hit the nail on the head as to what made it work so well for me. I feel like the pacing was off just a bit but I get the feeling that won't be a constant, and so far I am hooked.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15576
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:14 pm Reply with quote
Cute looking teenage girl, who dresses in a high school uniform, including bag, but does not go to school, works full time at a job to pay for her life with a little girl she loves and apparently found, in a house/apartment for only the two of them, but certainly does not look like something a teenage girl could afford. Oh, and added bits that Satou despite her age has apparently fooled around with boys in the past, while clearly feeling nothing from it compared to what she feels to the little girl that never leaves the house/apartment, and right before the greater reveal we see that there was another single person bed, adding on the strangeness of this situation. You could feel a bunch of things that did not feel right, and the biggest signs that she cared nothing for the guy kept as a sex slave, that the little girl is being reported kidnapped, and Satou indeed killed the previous tenants of where they are living, bring it all home this glorious mix of purposely overly cutesy and psychopathy.

The series title, Happy Sugar Life, seems to fit in its overly sugary sounding title, but that sugar is something that can be pretty unhealthy, with crashes after highs, and things like rotting your teeth. I think that I am into this twisted tale of something that looks sweet on the surface and rotten underneath. I am sort of reminded of School Live, which I always enjoyed the duality.
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:26 pm Reply with quote
Hmm, I think it's a cute but deceptive show. I do like the character chemistry between the two main leads (Satou and Shio) so far as there's definitely a connection that can be felt.

The episode has a mixture of horror gimmicks and also "cute girls doing cute stuff".

Visual quality looks good imo for a show that is made based on the manga and is faithful so far. Most of the psychological elements is evident coming from Satou. I'm also curious to see what love really means to her throughout the series. Definitely a keeper for now.
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2062
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 6:06 pm Reply with quote
Episode 2:
This episode has adapted chapters 2, 3, and most of 4, which I suspect the next episode will start with the end of 4. Other than a few minor things that I can understand why they were done in order to pace things in an optimal way, this week was another faithful adaptation and did a nice job executing all the important scenes. Most of the characters at this point in the story have serious issues and I find that the voice acting did a good job of delivering that sense of unstableness to the audience. The music gets the job done as well as imagery such as during Shio’s flashback, the character who is talking to her has squiggled black lines for a face was framed just as efficiently. Onward to the next episode and hopefully folks who are still here can continue to enjoy the ride.
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Ampharos



Joined: 21 Jan 2014
Posts: 196
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 7:22 pm Reply with quote
I actually sort of love where this is going. It's creepy in ways that test even my boundaries, which isn't all that easy. I wasn't expecting nearly everyone to be some variety of bugforkin' bonkers, but... I like Satou. I'm interested in seeing what all her dysfunctions stem from.

spoiler[I wish that poor boy's trauma didn't turn him into a creepy Shio stalker, but I'm hoping it will be handled in an interesting manner.]
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15576
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 11:34 pm Reply with quote
So Shio's brother forced pseudo vows onto her, which is where she learned them from? She does seem to have a fear of going outside, but whether this has something to do with some crazy thing with her family, like her brother and I will say mother at the mention of a "she", or just the grooming of Satou, is a little open, possible being a mix of gross. I do think it is interesting that one could think funny for Shio not being too good at housework, but it felt more horrifying for things like she did not know to plug a vacuum cleaner in, while Satou thinks of her the way she does. Hmm, I wonder if there is even more strange side to her we are not seeing, despite her appearing open.
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2062
PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:12 pm Reply with quote
Episode 3:
So this week, as I predicted, starts off adapting the rest of Chapter 4, then proceeds to adapt Chapters 5, 6, and most of 7, the end of which will likely start next week’s episode. Besides just one slight scene alteration which I suspect will be put back in the anime sooner or later for framing reasons, this was the most panel-by-panel recreation of the manga yet. I really liked the choice of shading for the colors in certain scenes that really emphasize how the characters are feeling and that it helps get across the pain and unnerving feelings they’re undergoing. The voice acting for Taiyo this week was bit more over-the-top than I expected it to be when I read the manga, but I feel that it works in the show’s favor thus far. Everything is moving at a nice and smooth pace, so I look forward to seeing the show continue doing its’ thing and seeing the happy times progress.
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Ampharos



Joined: 21 Jan 2014
Posts: 196
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 5:52 pm Reply with quote
Episode 3 was phenomenal. A wonderful mix of disturbing and heartbreaking. It's hard for me to be creeped out when I just feel so bad for all these kids...

...And then Mitsuboshi's inner monologue goes to some very scary hypothetical places and I don't know how to feel anymore. This show does its best to make you feel for characters who are doing or plan to do awful things, and in my book it's winning most of the time.

Edit: Also the past two episodes have ended at just the right moment to have me be like, "Wait, no, don't stop here!" Impressive.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15576
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:59 am Reply with quote
So, weird thing. When Shio was going outside I was like "oh no!", and then I remembered that she is a kidnapped girl, living with a psychopath that tells her the outside world is dangerous so she cannot leave. Looks like it was implied that Shio does not remember her mother (or at least sister) that took her out of abusive household and looked after her, but has them appearing like a ghostly figure of another part of her mind. That part of her mind could be good to help her get to a safe living situation, but I am wondering if we are about to see that Shio too can be a total psychopath, or at least act worse.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5936
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:39 pm Reply with quote
Considering the very beginning of the show, what if it wasn't Satou who killed the original occupants of that apartment, but rather Shio. Satou seems to react to those that go against her, i don't see her ambushing innocent people to steal their apartment (I could be wrong though). Just as Mitsuboshi was planning on bringing Shio to his apartment for some evil stuff, perhaps the previous occupant of Shio's apartment did the same thing, but instead of getting a victim, Shio did a Rena on he or she.

I think Mitsuboshi was probably already lost to normal society, before being imprisoned and abused by his cafe boss. Though that activity may have removed whatever good intentions might have restrained his impulses in the past.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4829
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:20 pm Reply with quote
After reading through the reviews, I can safely assume this series is definitely not for me. I am pretty disturbed by all the abuse and murder mentioned here....plus yandere have always been my least favorable archetype.

Shame because the characters look so cute. I'll just stick to AoD for my weekly dose of edge. Anime hyper
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2062
PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 3:20 pm Reply with quote
Episode 4:
This episode had adapted the rest of Chapter 7, Chapter 8, and added in the little omake that was included at the end of the volume 2. The minor thing that was left out last week was added in this week, and it looked like the staff wanted to stop at a certain point in the story to keep the cliffhangers they’ve been doing every week coming. I say this because Episode 4 added 2 things that weren’t in the manga originally. I’m fine with the additions, though, because those 2 things added some clarification in scenes that I felt was helpful and may have confused some people if left untouched. The 2 additions I’m talking about that were not in the manga, if anyone is curious, is Satou stabbing the guys’ eyes, and the very last scene with Satou’s co-worker going gaga with her clothes. I think with the latter addition, folks are going to have a good idea of what to expect next week. I look forward to seeing the next chapter being adapted and the people’s reactions towards it.
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