Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Season 2

Episode 17

There are so many suspicious things going on in this episode of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale that I almost don't know where to start. Even before Hugh (who I still don't trust at all) shows up to tell the Paige Workshop that the church is hedging its bets by also commissioning the Mercury Workshop and having Hugh do surprise inspections, the very fact that they've decided to house the artisans in the manor house of a ruined family doesn't bode well. Holly Leaf, the seat of the deposed Chamber family, is in a sad state of disrepair. Even if we discount the fact that expecting the candy crafters in charge of a major national commission to live in a filthy building (that even still has the old sheets on the beds) is a jerk move, there's also the issue of the sugar sculpture itself. How can something ostensibly edible be manufactured in a dusty, grimy environment? When you factor in the needed light – which in turn requires a degree of sugar purity to function fully – it seems almost like the Paige Workshop is being set up to fail.

That could be too harsh an interpretation of what's going on, especially since it isn't likely that the Radcliffe Workshop was involved in the housing effort. But we already know the rampant misogyny in Highland's culture, so it wouldn't be surprising if someone took exception to Anne being Head of Artisans. It also may be as simple as a test to see if the Paige group is up to snuff; after all, if they can't maintain a clean workshop, they don't deserve the commission. But there's still something off about the entire thing that makes me think there's more going on than merely needing a closer place to house the artisans.

Whether or not that has anything to do with the fears some of the crafters have about the building being haunted is up for debate. Again, it could just be a casual cruelty on the part of someone highly placed, but Challe can't be the only person to have noticed someone lurking in Holly Leaf since the rebellion. Honestly, I think it's much more likely to be a fairy who can turn invisible than a ghost: even if the comments about silver sugar didn't suggest it, the fact that one person's portrait is oddly dust-free might indicate that a fairy who belonged to/worked for/was fond of a member of the Chamber family is still hanging around. Challe is certain that it isn't a ghost as well since, as he points out, ghosts don't tend to leave footprints, depending on the mythology, and I'd trust his opinion on the subject more than Mithril Lid Pod's.

More, or perhaps most, concerning is Gladus, the new fairy Bridget has brought with her. As a character, Bridget continues not doing herself any favors, and it's becoming increasingly clear that while we can absolutely feel sorry for her, that doesn't mean we have to like her. She is inarguably struggling with the situation her father stuck her in: denied her wish to make silver sugar candy, betrothed to someone she doesn't like (and who plainly dislikes her), and acting out as her only recourse. She may even realize she's being a brat, as we see when Anne finds her standing outside at night. But excusing her actions doesn't mean agreeing with them, and using the money Elliot gave her for a carriage to buy a “companion” fairy isn't a good look.

Of course, nothing says that Gladus didn't somehow finagle the whole thing. He's also a fairy born of a jewel (an opal, Challe thinks), and he may be lying about his warrior abilities. Maybe he isn't the fairy from the road since that one was very clear about having both his wings and using a different weapon, but there are still ways around those clues, such as lying or turning himself over to a merchant to get closer to humans that way. (And opal is a “soft” gemstone, so the wires used by the other fairy would make sense as a weapon.) And if he is a different person, that finger needle would make him a very good assassin.

Either way, this is a building block of an episode. The stage is being set for whatever comes next. While it does a good enough job of that, it isn't quite as engaging as what came before it, especially with Anne's descent into silliness in the middle and some of the blatantly reused animation. But it does look like it will be the foundation for something solid, so we'll have to wait and see what comes next.

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Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.