Why I love Sugar² Rune!
I fell in love with Sugar Sugar Rune already after the first chapter. The artwork was a bit different from the series I usually read (it felt a bit "unfinished" at first and not so cute as I was used to), but now I just adore it. The characters with their costumes and beautifully drawn, and so creative! There are so many original looks here. And not to mention the inhabitants of the magic world having pointed ears and little fangs! The scenery too, both outdoors and indoors, is also original, and all the details help create a really unique atmosphere. Generally, the details are really important here. Small things such as two owls sitting on a branch, an old-fashioned street lamp, leaves falling from a tree, a tea pot pouring tea all by itself.. all help create this magical atmosphere. The story takes place both in the magic world and the human world (Japan), but it's not really the average Japan that we see. For example, the school that the main characters, Chocola and Vanilla, go to is a private school, a gorgeous building with a fountain, garden with statues, an old-fashioned library and so on. Chocola and Vanilla's house isn't exactly your standard narrow, worn out Japanese house either - it's more like a small mansion on the roof of a 54 story building. The interiors are drawn in such detail, it's really the kind of house that makes you want to live in it yourself ^^; In general, the town looks more pleasant than most Japanese towns - it actually looks more like an old European town.
The plot is another reason why I love this manga. There is never a boring chapter. Something's happening all the time, new mysteries are introduced, and we gradually get to know more about the past. The past is important here - the plot is really complex and the story goes back in time. Many things are not as they seem to be at first. The characters are really complex too. None of the characters are simple "good" or "bad" characters, they all have their flaws and they develop and change. I really like both Chocola and Vanilla, but I get annoyed at Chocola sometimes, for doing things that will obviously get her in trouble, and for being mean to Duke, and I get annoyed at Vanilla for being self-centered and paranoid ^^;. This of course make them seem all the more real, and I get more interested in their problems and activities. There are just so many characters to be interested in here - both the main characters, and characters surrounding them such as Rock'n Lovin (the outrageously dressed 70s-style rock star) and Duke (the best magical helper ever!) In addition to all of this, this is of course a story about magic, which is a good starting point for me to like any story xD I really do enjoy stories about witches and wizards, mysteries, magic and drama, and the SSR story has all of this, told with originality, sensibility and a good dose of humor.
