The Summer 2023 Anime Preview Guide

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Season 2

In the Kingdom of Highland, a special kind of sugar apple is refined to make silver sugar. Specialized confectioners, known as silver sugar artisans, craft beautiful sculptures from it, and the best among them are known as Silver Sugar Masters. Fifteen-year-old Anne Halford is determined to win that recognition, and she sets off to the capital of Lewiston to compete, along the way freeing the enslaved fairy Mithril Lid Pod and regretfully purchasing warrior fairy Challe Fenn Challe to protect her on her journey. As they get to know each other Anne and Challe form a bond, and when Anne frees Challe as promised, he opts to remain with her. Although Anne – because of being double-crossed by an acquaintance named Jonas – doesn't win the title, she does gain the opportunity to try to please the angry and grieving Duke of Philax with her skills. When the next year's competition rolls around, Anne is forced to help out at Jonas' family's sugar workshop due to a shortage of sugar apples. Although Anne is more capable than most of the men, she is put down constantly because of their misogynist views, nearly resulting in her failing the competition yet again. But Challe is determined to help Anne succeed, and he sells his freedom to buy her her best chance. Now Anne is a Silver Sugar Master, but she's lost Challe. Is there any hope of reuniting with the fairy she's come to love?

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Season 2 is based on Miri Mikawa and aki's Sugar Apple Fairy Tale light novel series. It streams on Crunchyroll on Fridays.

Even if we don't consider how happy I am to have the continuing adventures of Mithril Lid Pod, this first episode of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale's second season showcases one of my favorite things about original author Miri Mikawa's writing: people have a reason for being who they are. Bridget, you may recall, ransomed Anne's silver sugar for Challe's wing in one of the worst final episodes I've ever seen. While we could make educated guesses about her reasons for being an unreasonable brat, we didn't have solid answers. Now, however, we do: Bridget acts out like a spoiled child because that's the only way she has to express herself. Her father refuses to let her learn sugarcraft, her husband has been picked out for her, and she has no recourse to make herself heard. The only thing she can do is throw a tantrum or make an unreasonable demand.

In some ways, that makes her a direct parallel to Challe, although without the actual slavery bit. Challe makes it clear to Anne that he's chosen his path because his body is the only thing he has of value. Using it as collateral is the only choice he's allowed to make. Bridget sees herself in the same position but without Challe's dignity. Challe is the first “thing” she's ever had the means to acquire, so acquire him she does, by hook or by crook. That Elliott lets her is a thornier issue because he understands where Bridget is coming from, but he's more invested in having the leverage to make Anne work for the faltering Paige Workshop. Everyone's competing desires are at the crux of this storyline, and compromises must be made.

The thought of that apparently makes Hugh giddy, which is worrying in and of itself. Book knowledge gives him a slightly more sinister edge, but even without that; we should wonder why he's so happy that Anne is separated from Challe and off to the Paige Workshop, especially since he's made it clear he'd like her at the Mercury Workshop he heads. Yes, he's pleased that he won a bet with Kat, but that doesn't explain things enough. We should keep an eye on him more than anyone else in the series – he's much more powerful than Bridget and less open with his motivations.

The highlight here is, of course, when Challe defies Bridget to see Anne. That she wants to save him is striking to him on several levels, the most important of which is that she's treating him like a person, not an object. She doesn't say she wants to “retrieve” him or “get him back.” She wants to “save” him, which implies personhood. No one's ever done that for him before. There may still be unpleasant underlying issues with this relationship, but it's still a beautiful moment, and I want things to work out for them. It will be a bumpy road, though, so buckle up and get ready to enjoy the ride.