Sugar Sugar Rune 1 [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I personally love this manga, and I don't think that it tells girls to be quiet and demure to get boys. Yes, initially the shy and delicate girl gets all of the boys. But she's not the heroine of the story, and if you read more than a few chapters you see that she's much more likeable. Unlike her manipulative, paassive-agressive friend Vanilla, Chocolat is brave and loyal. Yes, she has trouble in Japan because that's not what they expect in girls, but over time she starts to become more popular. Since Moyoco Anno is known for her satire I wonder if perhaps making the outspoken girl the heroine is a way of criticizing society's ideals that say women should be meek and cute.

A lot of people seem to look at this and immediately write it off as a drippy romance with sparkles and flowers. It is about romance, but there's so much more. Yes they're having a competition to steal hearts, and maybe it does sound vaguely like a wierd cross between Pokemon and Sailor Moon, but at the heart of it all Sugar Sugar Rune is about love, friendship, loyalty, and discovering one's own place in the world. From Chocolat's quest to learn about her mother to Vanilla's self-identity crisis, each character has a problem they need to work past and Moyoco Anno handles their problems with humor and sympathy. Maybe I'm being too serious about this comic, but it just pains me to see people write off a great manga series just because they can't get past the surface.

At first sight, SUGAR SUGAR RUNE looks like nothing more than its title implies: a collection of the lightest, fluffiest, most nauseatingly saccharine clichés in the shoujo manga genre, prettily presented in artwork featuring the usual huge eyes and floating stars and sparkles. Two young "magical girls" (witches, in this case), one sweet and passive, the other tough and forthright? Check. Friends, but competing against each other to become queen of the magic world? Check. Oh, and the contest involves - literally - capturing the hearts of young human boys, so cue sentimental mushiness and romantic misunderstandings: what else did you expect? However, when the author/artist concerned is Moyoco Anno, who also created the satirical sex comedy HAPPY MANIA, it's worthwhile taking a closer look.

To begin with, it does seem as if Anno's simply reinforcing some of the most traditional Japanese stereotypes about the proper behaviour for young girls: quiet, shy Vanilla has no difficulty capturing hearts at their new human school, while Chocolat's aggressive bluntness scares both girls and boys. As the story unfolds, however (and with the help of some wise advice from Vanilla's mother, the reigning queen) they realise that they have to both stay true to themselves and to change: Chocolat needs to become more sensitive to others, Vanilla has to grow a spine. They begin to question the terms of the contest, too: what good is a boy's heart glowing with love if he loses all feeling for you the moment a spell has captured it? In any case, what kind of world demands that its inhabitants take others' hearts, but never surrender their own? Behind all the pink-sugar-candy flourishes and jokes about the Magical Artifacts Mail-Order Catalogue, Anno seems to be setting up something with rather more substance than usual for the pre- to early-teen crowd. Meantime, thanks to Del Rey's usual impeccable presentation and generally smooth translation, the rest of us can enjoy an agreeable diversion as well.

This story is a must-read!! Really fun fantasy, comedy, with light drama. Different from the anime series, too. Best friends and witches Vanilla and Chocolat from the magical world find out that they'll be competing against each other to become the next queen! It's exciting and scary at the same time! Chocolat thinks that this'll be a piece of cake, but she finds out things are not the same in the human world like they are back home. Culture shock! Vanilla catches a break because things turn out to be a bit less frightening, but she still finds herself relying on Chocolat like she has since they were kids. There are more details than the anime and different aspects of the story are told differently, but it's just as enjoyable. If you watched the anime, sure there are pink, orange, black, and "pissu" -colored hearts, but don't you want to know about purple and green hearts, too?? Don't you want to know more about Chocolat's mom's diary? About who Pierre really is? I thought so! Have fun reading. I sure am!