todorokoo

I have arrived in defense of one of my favorite releases of the season. Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is dramatic, angsty, beautiful and SO shoujo. As someone who is a massive shoujo consumer, be it in manga or anime form, I can with confidence say that it has been a while since we got a shoujo adaptation that had a big budget and where the studio didn't seem to give up on it halfway through the season. This is a massive plus in my book because shoujo deserves GOOD adaptations as much the shounen and seinen demographic (don't even get me started on josei because welive in the trenches). The story of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is very dramatic but at the same time also very slice of life. Personally, I think that they balanced these two very well. There are some extremely annoying characters in this (Bridget, I hate you so bad), but also some very lovely characters. Our MC Ann is a flawed protagonist; she's a hypocrite at times, she's idealistic and she's very stubborn. These characteristics, however, are what make her interesting and multidimensional. We still have a lot to learn about Shall, as of now he's mostly a mystery to both the audience and Ann. I'm excited to see more of him in July. The side characters are less developed, but they all have their own quirks and motivations that we slowly see throughout the season. Mythrill Lid Pod might have been my favorite character of this series, his presence is delightful, and he brings lots of happiness to the show. The art and color palette are beautiful. The animation is smooth, and it is one of the best we have had for shoujo in recent years, J.C. Staff did an excellent job. Certain aspects of this show, such the slavery, are for sure problematic. Nevertheless, there's also commentary on these topics and they aren't just brushed off and never brought up again. Most characters are very flawed and the villains are sometimes just too corny. I do like how the story touches on e.g. sexism and misogyny, even if it is a fantasy setting. [SPOILERS FOR EP 12] The finale was definitely bittersweet, I may or may not have shed a few tears. This just shows that I have grown to really love Ann and Shall these past few months. I'm going to be honest, if this show didn't receive a 2nd cour it would have affected my opinions on it a lot. For now, I'm hopeful and look forward to their reunion. Based on what we have seen from Ann we can definitely expect her to not give up on Shall! Overall: I can 100% recommend this to fellow shoujo & josei fans and if you are new to the demographic, I hope you can watch this without bias. I'm so happy that the shoujo demographic has received a worthy adaptation, and I can't wait for the return of this show!

Rift_Warden

To say that the ending ruined the whole show is an understatement... This is a show of suffering. It should be called Sugar Apple Fairy Hell The show sells itself as quite a laid back and feel good anime, but at the end, I feel everything but this. I'm writing the review because it was a bitter ending, not sweet in the slightest, nor warranted. To start, characters who had committed irreperable deeds had been kept relevant throughout the show. There were constant feelings throughout of revenge and vengeance, but by the very people who were the perpetrators. Even the MC, who had suffered throughout the show,never showed signs of revenge, and if they were even slightly sane, probably a few annoying characters might be dead or in jail. The main character is extremely spineless when it comes to others, she battles to save them from simple situations, yet when she is in peril herself, overcomes insane feats, (maybe because she has the support of many and can't do anything alone) Anyways, the show has some nice points throughout, but one would expect it to mainly leave people feeling bitter