Crafting confections from silver sugar is a sacred art first practiced by fairies but now accessible to humans too, and Anne is aiming to become a master of it, just like her late mother. As she sets out to compete for this title, jerkface village boy Jonas tries to stop her, but she brushes him off. While passing through another town, Anne witnesses a fairy slave being abused and intervenes. With mixed feelings, Anne herself purchases pretty-boy warrior fairy Shall Fen Shall to guard her on her journey. She promises to free him at the end of the trip. Interestingly, Shall calls her out for her naivete as she tries to be friendly toward him, pointing out how unreasonable it is to be “friends” with a slave whose dismembered wing she possesses as a means of control. During the trip, they encounter some bandits, whom Shall easily dispatches.
This is an adaption of a light novel, with visuals that evoke a storybook, fitting the fairy tale vibe it has going. I should also mention that there were some pretty funny moments. The most interesting part of this episode is the way it addresses slavery. Shall won’t let Anne get away with the sort of whitewashed mythical happy slavery found in some anime. He forces her to confront her conflicted feelings and wrestle with what it means to be the master of a slave, and to own up to what she really wants from their relationship. This opening episode didn’t blow me away, but it is a solid start, and I’ll definitely continue to tune in.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is streaming on Crunchyroll.
[…] Read More […]
It sounds interesting. A lot of fantasy stories have the protagonist doing questionable things, but it always works out and no one questions them on it. I will at least check it out.