Yeah, I’m officially sticking with the Happy Sugar Life Episode Reviews. It was a close call but I’m having fun so hopefully it’ll stay that way.
I’ll admit: this anime has me pretty curious what its endgame will be. I suppose it gave it away a bit with the burning buildings from the very first episode’s cold opening but the question still remains. Will things end horribly for Satou or will she succeed in a twisted yet glorious escapade? Happy Sugar Life could really go either way.
Whichever route it takes, a number of alarming developments took place this episode. I was especially stunned to find Satou writing to Mitsuboshi if he wants to meet Shio. Nothing could convince me that this is a friendly gesture. It has to be a plan to lure the crazy boy out. Whether it’s to manipulate him or kill him I’m not entirely sure. Surprisingly, Satou has been 50-50 about who she kills.
Then you have Kitaumekawa-sensei who’s become convinced that Satou killed her aunt (which to be fair, is a fair assumption) and hopes to find evidence he can use for blackmail. That might be hard to do if the bag he burned was actually the remains of Satou’s aunt but whatever, the teacher’s back to being a threat. Considering what kind of protagonist Satou is though, it’s hard to imagine this girl falling right into Kitaumekawa’s hands. There has to be something more to this.
What I’m most intrigued with though is the role Shouko is currently playing. I’m amazed that she has remained one of the few sane characters in this story, especially as one who has become so relevant. She does have one issue in that she’s afraid of meddling in something she suspects to be troublesome but that’s a fear anyone could have. In general, she is in fact, a decent human being who’s willing to lend a helping hand and express concern because they’re the right things to do. Her scenes with Asashi attests to those qualities as she brings food for him and asks him what’s wrong. On top of that, her increased interest in Satou’s life is understandable. She’s simply afraid that her friend is putting distance between them and that this bond that she genuinely values is falling apart as a result. It’s an insecurity anyone can relate with.
Sadly for Shouko, she’s a character in Happy Sugar Life which means all her decency is putting quite the death flag on her. She still hasn’t suspected Satou of abducting Shio but her desire to know more about her friend is putting her dangerously close to the secret. And I don’t know what it is about Shouko but anything that involves her with a house apparently doesn’t bode well. First, she stumbled upon Mitsuboshi’s creepy crush on Shio. Now, Satou invites her to her apartment and we’d all have to kid ourselves if any of us honestly think it’s just going to be some fun slumber party.
To be honest, there’s a part of me that hopes that there’s more to what’s at play here. It would be much more fascinating if Satou actually does consider Shouko her best friend and that in turn, makes her less willing to bring out the axe. Having someone other than Shio who can appeal to her humanity would even be refreshing at least. Of course, that could just be wishful thinking on my part. The reality is that I should prepare for the worst-case scenario for Shouko.
Other Thoughts:
- Uh, what happened to Sumire? She flat out disappeared this episode and Satou’s response is “It couldn’t be helped”. Satou, what did you do?
- Something about the plan Asashi plots with her mother leaves me mighty suspicious of the latter. Maybe Shio’s repressed memories of her has left me predisposed but still…
- I’ve grown mixed about depicting Asashi and Shio’s dad as some shadowy and scribbly entity. In an anime that has no restraint in showing how ugly people can get, singling out this one character as a monster started to feel wrong tonally.
Thanks for reading!
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For all of my Happy Sugar Life Episode Reviews, check out the show’s archive page!
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