CONTENT WARNING: Happy Sugar Life contains depictions of kidnapping, misogyny, pedophilia, and other objectionable acts. Reader discretion is advised.
Meeting Date: 7/22/2018
Disclaimer: The Herald Anime Club discusses shows as they’re airing. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!
Samantha Ferreira: Hi everyone, and happy Sunday! It’s time for the Herald Anime Club. I’m Samantha Ferreira, and I’m here with L.B. Bryant this week.
L.B. Bryant: Hello!
Samantha Ferreira: Tonight, we’re continuing down the rabbit hole to insanity with Happy Sugar Life. This week is episode 2: With regards to Nobuhiro Watsuki
L.B. Bryant: I don’t even know where to start with this episode.
Samantha Ferreira: First, I have a question. Is EVERYONE in Tokyo a pedophile now? Like… We have Satou-chan, we have the teacher, and now we have the blonde guy.
L.B. Bryant: And it seems that the guy who is looking for Shio is also a creeper.
Samantha Ferreira: That too!
L.B. Bryant: So yeah, it certainly feels that way.
Samantha Ferreira: It seems that the general rule going forward is “if they’re over 10, they’re looking for kids”
Samantha Ferreira: Also: WAS looking for Shio – I don’t think he’s going to survive that crowbar
L.B. Bryant: I think the blonde guy is going to walk in at the last second to keep it from happening.
L.B. Bryant: That being said, there were so many reveals in this episode.
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed.
Samantha Ferreira: We had the stalker at the beginning, the teacher who’s ALSO a stalker, the coworker, the fact that stranger danger creeper teacher has a family…
L.B. Bryant: Also Shio vaguely remembers her real family which was the one that really stuck with me.
L.B. Bryant: I’m genuinely interested and concerned to know what’s going to happen when Shio remembers her family fully and wants to go back to them.
Samantha Ferreira: Yeah. And she’s starting to get depressive episodes from being confined
L.B. Bryant: Yups
L.B. Bryant: It’s weird to me how this series can be so sickeningly wrong and yet strangely compelling at the same time. I have to openly admit that I’m genuinely curious how much further this series is willing to push the boundaries of taste and decency.
L.B. Bryant: It’s like a bad accident.
Samantha Ferreira: That’s the weird thing… I genuinely hate this show, but I’m still tuning in each week, because there’s ENOUGH of a compelling thread to keep me watching
L.B. Bryant: Indeed.
Samantha Ferreira: Like… I was just disgusted by the part where they basically fetishized the teacher’s humiliation – I was horrified when I saw the blonde guy literally start drooling and screaming “I LOVE LITTLE GIRLS” mid-episode
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, the latter of which really squicked me out.
L.B. Bryant: I had a really hard time with that.
Samantha Ferreira: I think this is a genuinely bad show… I don’t hide that. But then I see those little segments, where Satou gets the teacher to dispose of the bodies, or the moment where Shio starts to spiral into depression, and it’s like “there are these little nuggets of a good show that are buried under the mounds of problematic tripe”
Samantha Ferreira: It’s like a car crash
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, I feel pretty much the same way.
Samantha Ferreira: And something tells me that we’re going to have that be our byline. XD “We hate it, but we were strangely compelled.”
L.B. Bryant: lol probably
Samantha Ferreira: I mean… that’s the thing – like, I can’t liken this to Seiren, because Seiren was irredeemably bad. I can’t liken it to CotE, because CotE was boring and inconsistent. This, though – it’s a show that’s just revolting and vile, but at the same time, it just owns that. I don’t know how else to put it.
L.B. Bryant: Well, I think from the very beginning from the moment we got the promotional videos we knew what we were getting into. It’s never tried to hide what it is and makes no excuses. It’s very much a “Like it or not, here it is.” kind of a show
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed. I’m just wondering how far down that rabbit hole it’s going to go. I mean… it’s going a bit over-the-top with the pedophile count again. Like… 2/3 of our main cast is made of Nobuhiro Watsuki cases now.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah and I’m guessing we’re going to get more by the time the series is done.
Samantha Ferreira: On another note, we now have one bag of remains disposed of. What do you think will happen with the other two?
L.B. Bryant: Good question.
Samantha Ferreira: Especially since, as pedoteach noted, they’re starting to decompose
L.B. Bryant: Yeah true. I’m not entirely sure. If I had to guess, Shio is going to ask questions once the smell starts to seep out of that heavily locked door.
Samantha Ferreira: That’s what I’m thinking. They already referred to the door when she couldn’t open it.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, that’s just my guess though. :)
Samantha Ferreira: With each episode, I really want to see the real world intrude on Satou’s little hostage refuge. I do want to see what happens when things just start breaking down, given that the series begins with Satou and Shio standing on their burning building
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, I hadn’t even thought about that.
Samantha Ferreira: And Shio pushing her to her death
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, I’m curious to see what leads to that point.
Samantha Ferreira: Same.
Samantha Ferreira: Now, my question is “Oh god, what are they going to do with the one seemingly normal person in this show so far?” – Satou’s friend has been, like, that one grounding bit of normalcy it seems.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, can’t have that so I’m guessing she’s going to die soon.
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed. That or she’s going to be just as evil as the rest of the cast.
Samantha Ferreira: Hard to be say, so far.
Samantha Ferreira: Por que no los dos? (shrug)
L.B. Bryant: lol
Samantha Ferreira: but yeah… at this point, I genuinely dislike this show, but I’m still somehow compelled to keep going. I can’t explain it.
L.B. Bryant: I don’t blame you.
Samantha Ferreira: Anything else that we should go over this week?
L.B. Bryant: I think that about does it for me.
Samantha Ferreira: Same… My big questions are “what happens next,” and “where does the Shio At Home (TM) saga take things going forward.”
Samantha Ferreira: But anyway, I guess that wraps things up for the week. ’til next time, remember Martha Stewart’s tip: store those corpses in bodies decorated with festive ribbons – it’ll brighten the room up and keep that pesky detritus contained!
Samantha Ferreira: Have a great night!
L.B. Bryant: Laters!
Shortly After the meeting…
Samantha Ferreira: I still don’t get this show. Like… it’s repulsive, but I can’t stop watching.
L.B. Bryant: Maybe that’s the point.
Samantha Ferreira: Maybe.
Samantha Ferreira: I wonder how things will progress… like, I’m partly expecting the cops to come in at some point
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, that would be an interesting twist :)
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed.
Samantha Ferreira: I just kind of want to see that – like “A man was knocking on the door!” “You mustn’t answer! :o” then the cop comes by in the evening and gets the whole “The fuck do you want, it’s my aunt’s house” treatment. You know, with the whole dutch camera angle on Shio, compared to a normal perspective on the officers. That would be horror movie territory!
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, that could lead to an interesting new dynamic if the cops get involved but we’ll see.
Samantha Ferreira: Exactly.
Samantha Ferreira: Argh. See what I mean?! It’s a show that’s repulsive to its core, but I can’t stop talking about it!
L.B. Bryant: lol
Samantha Ferreira: lol
Samantha Ferreira: But yeah… I’ll gripe and whine, but I’m compelled
Samantha Ferreira: I can’t say that often
L.B. Bryant: hehe
