The competition to become Queen of the Magical World is heating up–and the rivalry is destroying the friendship of witch girls Chocolat and Vanilla. Tired of living in Chocolat’s shadow, Vanilla has fallen under the influence of Pierre, a charming boy who is also the secret leader of a band of evil outcasts from the Magical World. When Pierre gives Vanilla a taste of the power that can be collected from angry hearts, Vanilla changes–and turns against Chocolat. Homeless and without a best friend, Chocolat finds help in both the Human and Magical worlds. Yet two problems The all-important Spring Exam is coming up, and Chocolat has her own feelings for Pierre!
Moyoko Anno (安野 モヨコ) is a Japanese manga artist and a fashion writer, with numerous books published in both categories. Her manga and books have attained considerable popularity among young women in Japan. Though she primarily writes manga of the josei demographic, her most popular series, Sugar Sugar Rune, (serialized in Nakayoshi) is targeted at primary school-aged girls. In a recent Oricon poll, she was voted the number eight most popular manga artist among females and thirteen in the general category. Her manga Happy Mania was made into a television series in 1998, followed by Hataraki Man in October 2007. Sakuran was made into a movie in 2006. In the movie Japan Sinks, she has a cameo role alongside her husband; their characters were also married. The movie was directed by Shinji Higuchi, who, like her husband Hideaki Anno, is a co-founder of Gainax.
Anno won the 29th Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2005 for Sugar Sugar Rune.
Third volume out of the eight: 3 stars Well, Vanilla is one hell of a dumb witch. This kid deserves some slaps to get her out of that emo/angsty phase, this is getting annoying. She has the charisma of a wheelchair--and that'd be an insult to wheelchairs. That last chapter... I've said enough said.
The story doesn't make any sense?? I feel like the chapters are not in the right order or something important is missing. Characters' reaction to the plot is unrealistic and everything goes too smoothly. I don't get it... the author created a nice conflict but it feels like she doesn't know how to exploit it. Also, I'm getting really curious about Chocolat and Pierre's relationship; it's so ambiguous, but I also love Akira and I want that smol child to be happy with Choco too. But obviously, we already know who she'll end up with.
The problem is I don't really care about the characters or their problems. It's a cute diversion during the times my brain won't concentrate on a novel (especially since I can't afford to buy the manga I want right now and this is all my library has in a [nearly] complete series), but not much else. Some of the characters look really pretty in certain panels (males AND females), but overall, I'm not wowed by the artwork.
This volume got much more interesting. You got to see some more of the politics of the magic world and Vanilla went over to the ogres and got blackness put in her heart. It's really a competition between Chocolat and Vanilla now. Also Woo and Soul, Chocolat's two guy friends from the magic world come to earth to protect her as her knights.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
somehow this series hooked me. can't really explain it. the art is realy cute once you get used to it. stayed up all night finishing the series, and i really mean that. i went to bed at 8 this morning after finishing this.
Things get complicated for Chocolat and Vanilla in this third volume!
Chocolat’s best friend lets herself be influenced by Pierre, who turns out to be an ogre. I felt she gave in a bit too quickly instead of talking it through with those around her, but it also reveals how fed up she is with being sidelined and undervalued. That speaks to the character depth in this manga, beyond simple archetypes.
I still adore Chocolat as a character. She is authentic and funny, especially when she burns through the hearts she has collected on frivolous purchases.
The artwork is polished and detailed, and I often found myself lingering over certain pages. The setting is adorable too, with a magical world where New Year’s is celebrated with candy showers and fountains of sweet drinks.
This volume also brings Woo and Soul into the human world, easygoing twin allies who support Chocolat. I think they are a great addition, with their relaxed, slightly teasing vibe.
That said, Vanilla’s sudden change of heart irritated me. I also found the timeline too compressed. We jump from New Year’s to Valentine’s Day in a blink, even though the rift between Chocolat and Vanilla still felt very fresh.
All in all, an excellent manga that I am happy to be rereading as an adult.
Le monde de Chocola (et ainsi le nôtre, forcément) commence à basculer.. C'est un tome avec plein de revirements, sans oublier l'examen de printemps des sorcières, qui m'a fait penser aux examens dans Doremi Magique. Ou encore le Nouvel An et la St Valentin, qui sont des fêtes toujours sympas à retrouver dans un manga.
Par contre, comment Chocola peut-elle dire aimer quelqu'un, alors qu'il y a 0 interaction dans ces deux tomes ? Pas bien grave mais ça devient presque pénible.
Un sujet intéressant est abordé : chaque cœur possède un minimum de noirceur, que la magie noire va décupler pour la rendre omniprésente et rendre un cœur noir. Pour l'instant je ne sais pas si les personnages vont essayer de combattre leur noirceur, ou au contraire l'accepter, mais j'ai espoir !! Jusqu'à présent, je trouve cette saga assez mature.
🌑 “A volte l’oscurità arriva proprio da chi ami di più.” Perché l’oscurità si insinua ovunque, e tutto si fa più incerto. Sapevo che Pierre avrebbe trascinato Vanilla dalla sua parte, anche se l’avevo già visto nell’anime, leggere quel momento nel manga ha avuto tutt’altra intensità, ma vederla davvero contro Chocola… mi ha spezzato il cuore. 🍫💔 Questo volume di Sugar Sugar Rune è un mix perfetto di dolcezza, ironia, malinconia, magia e dolore e una crescente oscurità che minaccia ogni equilibrio. Le tavole sono semplicemente splendide, curate e dettagliate e ogni approfondimento sul mondo magico è una piccola perla che arricchisce la storia. ✨ La frattura del legame tra Chocola e Vanilla è straziante, la loro distanza emotiva fa male, ma allo stesso tempo ci mostra quanto Chocola sia disposta a lottare per lei. 📚 Un finale in sospeso… e un’amicizia messa alla prova in modo crudele.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
J'ai espéré longtemps pour lire cet tome mais... j'ai toujours peur de lire manga (ou livres) en français parce que je crains de ne pas connaître assez de mots pour le comprendre. J'avait acheté toute la série parce que je n'avait pas réussi à trouver la série en italien pour un prix raisonnable.
Le développement de l'histoire m'a étonnée et je veut continuer la série même si je n'aime pas trop les dessins.
Je serai courageuse et je lirai toute la série en français avant de la lire en italien.
I give it 3.5⭐for it. Hmm, vanilla thinks she's the ogre lost princess, that she's been swapped since birth for some reason & Pierre seem to get through her head n support her to beat Chocolat team. Woo is good looking dude who always there for Chocolat as knight to protect her. Pierre eat chocolate from Chocolat..so cute. Akira guy seem to like chocolat but doesn't want to admit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don't know why I waited so long to read the next installment of Sugar Sugar Rune, but I did. I'll tell you what . . . I shouldn't have taken so long to read it. Why? Because the book is quite entertaining, that's why.
What's funny about this book is that although Chocolat has never been evil, she was always more of the rebel-type and Vanilla was the nice one. In Sugar Sugar Rune: Volume 3, things change and now Vanilla is the bad one while Chocolat is the good girl. Weird, huh? I thought so. So, now I find myself liking Chocolat more than Vanilla. Of course, Vanilla is under the evil spell of Pierre and believes herself to be an ogre, which has totally changed her personality. I'm still not sure if that is true, but I bet we will find out soon.
The artwork by Moyoco Anno is good and the storyline is entertaining, and young girls are sure to get a kick out of this story.
So, if you are looking for a story full of heart-stealing witches who want to be Queen of the Magical World, why, you have found the right series. I wonder what trouble Chocolat and Vanilla will find themselves in in Sugar Sugar Rune: Volume 4. Should be interesting . . .
The battle for the queenship is indeed heating up as Vanilla (unfortunately) has seemed to fully embrace the dark side. A more complex story develops as Pierre recruits Vanilla for the ogres' side, and meanwhile Chocolat is doing her best to understand her friend and win her back. Still though, it's hard to do that when they are rivals for the same prize and Vanilla's complexes only get worse and worse as Chocolat progresses.
There are a few cutesy chapters interlaced in this volume to wear the edge off, but by now we're deep into the story and have no way of knowing what's going to happen next, just that it will be big and important.
Next volume, if I recall correctly, has some surprising developments, so I'm looking forward to those.