Herald Anime Club

The Herald Anime Club Meeting 77: Happy Sugar Life Episode 8


CONTENT WARNING: Happy Sugar Life contains depictions of kidnapping, misogyny, pedophilia, and other objectionable acts. Reader discretion is advised.

Meeting Date: 9/2/2018

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 welcome to the Herald Anime Club! I’m Samantha Ferreira, and I’m back with L.B. this week
L.B. Bryant: Hello!
Samantha Ferreira: This week, we’re talking up Happy Sugar Life episode 8 – “Reminder: this is still a show about pedophiles.”
L.B. Bryant: Not that anyone needs that reminder.
Samantha Ferreira: Well no, especially when one of them literally starts drooling and sniffing a kid’s sock on-camera.


L.B. Bryant: I will say this… I adored the direction in the first half of the episode. Letting the episode focus squarely on the MC the whole time with no audible interruptions was a really artistic choice.
Samantha Ferreira: Likewise. The first half was brilliantly shot and framed
The entire narrative was tight, clean, and it just rocked it
Then… “here’s her sock, doggy. Sniff it.”
L.B. Bryant: Yeah… that kind of ruined what was otherwise a good, extended moment in the series.
Samantha Ferreira: It really did.
It’s like Classroom of the Elite in that regard
Two steps forward, ten back
Every time there’s a glimmer of hope, a moment of brilliance, the show cuts out this loud, angry fart that ruins the mood


L.B. Bryant: Indeed.
Samantha Ferreira: Like… last week: Evil Belldandy – AMAZING
This week: Quiet moment to open up – “hey, they could be getting better!”
Then… pedophiles
L.B. Bryant: So, who is the next one to get murdered? The brother or the friend from work?
Samantha Ferreira: The brother
Then the friend from work
Probably in the same episode
L.B. Bryant: Maybe. HSL has been super careful about spreading the murders out. I don’t really see them suddenly having two at once.
Samantha Ferreira: I’m being glib, but I do see them coming up fast
We’re down to the last few episodes
So we need to:
1) Kill people
2) Set the building on fire
3) Kill Shio and Satou
per the opening scene


L.B. Bryant: I’m pretty sure that the brother is going to get axed. Probably Taiyou too. Starting to wonder if the friend from work is going to survive to the end. It would make for some nice poetic justice… the one person in the entire show who doesn’t deserve to die actually lives. What a novel twist for a 2018 series.
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed
Also evil Belldandy
because Kikuko Inoue will find a way somehow
L.B. Bryant: My prediction there is that either her or Shio will be the one to accidentally start the fire.
Samantha Ferreira: That’s my guess.
L.B. Bryant: There’s no way that twisted auntie won’t be coming back at some point.
Samantha Ferreira: God I hope she does. She was the one great spot on this dumpster fire
L.B. Bryant: It would be criminal for them to introduce a character like that and then not do anything with her.
Samantha Ferreira: …This is Happy Sugar Life. They leave characters like corpses littering a dirt road at this point
L.B. Bryant: Fair point.


Samantha Ferreira: And, well… yeah. Like Classroom of the Elite, this is a show that promises nothing and delivers less
OK, I’m lying
It delivers fucking PEDOPHILES
L.B. Bryant: In droves, yes it does.
Samantha Ferreira: And it tries to get you to empathize with them
Because that’s a thing we do now
But let’s give a quick rundown so far:
Satou
Blondie
Teacher
Boss lady
And …I thought there was one more
L.B. Bryant: There probably is but to think that hard about it would make me sad, lol


Samantha Ferreira: lol, fair enough
I’m at that point where it’s like, “yep, pedophiles, sadness, they want me to feel bad for them, but no.”
L.B. Bryant: heh understandable
Samantha Ferreira: So, with that said, we have a few dangling plot threads – namely, the teacher and the cops.
L.B. Bryant: Well, we have four episodes left for those to come full circle.
That doesn’t seem like a lot of time but for HSL it’s more than adequate.
Samantha Ferreira: True enough. Any predictions for the last episodes?
L.B. Bryant: For now I’m sticking with what I’ve already stated:

– Either Shio or crazy auntie is going to cause the fire
– friend from work is going to survive to tell the tale
Samantha Ferreira: Sounds good… and the picture of the mom in the closet?
L.B. Bryant: That’s still a big unknown for me.


Samantha Ferreira: Same…
I’m thinking Satou finds it eventually
but what she does with it…
L.B. Bryant: Is really anyone’s guess at this point.
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed.
We’ll put a pin in that, I guess
Aniwho, I think that about wraps it up for this week. Any closing thoughts?
L.B. Bryant: Nothing here. :smiley:
Samantha Ferreira: Likewise! So, with that in mind, now is a good time to stop. ‘Til next time, we’ll be here hoping evil Belldandy comes back
L.B. Bryant: Night everyone!
Samantha Ferreira: Have a great night!

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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