Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

One of the more underappreciated 2023 anime releases, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is an anime that really feels like it's earned its title. I haven't watched a show that's felt quite as much like a old classic fairy tale in years, and that has more to do with its setting, intent, and overall vibe than just the fact that the show has fairies in it.

Elsewhere in the multiverse, Denzel Crocker is crying.

The story revolves around Anne Halford, an up and coming "silver sugar artisan" who makes beautiful sculptures out of refined sugar. This is a common and presitigious profession in her world, which means if she's going to attain her dream of being recognized as a silver sugar master, she'll need some experience taking commissions from regional contests and rich aristocrats. After the death of her mother, with no other family to speak of, Anne decides she'll also need a guardian to help keep her safe on the road ahead, and buys a fairy from a shady merchant in town.

I'll give you one guess whether this is the shady merchant or the fairy.

Let's back up for a moment. Yes, fairies exist in this world, but they've been domesticated into servitude under human rule. Wild fairies appear when certain random phenomena happen in the world, and typically get immediately snapped up by humans. In order to assert "ownership" of them, humans remove one of the fairy's wings, as squeezing the detached wing can cause the fairy immense pain, essentially forcing them to obey. Sometimes it doesn't even come to that, since many fairies don't even know that freedom is an option, and just assume that living in servitude is a normal thing for their kind to do.

Not to condone it or anything, but making sugar sculptures DOES sound pretty fun, so I can't blame the fairies for going along with it.

Fairies come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and this particular one that Anne buys is a Warrior Fairy by the name of Challe fenn Challe, one who is actually huge by comparison, both to other fairies and to Anne herself. Unlike other humans however, Anne doesn't want a slave or a "personal companion", she just wants to "hire" Challe to escort her on her way, offering to simply give him back his own wing once she arrives.

Fending off a murder of killer crows is unfortunately the least threatening thing they have to worry about.

Now if that were the entire focus of the plot, this entire show would easily come off as a heavy-handed story about slavery, but the anime quickly establishes that's not really the fairy tale it wants to tell. Anne makes it clear she just wants Challe's protection, and doesn't like the idea of "owning" him. Maybe not all humans are bad, etc, etc. But now let's focus on what REALLY makes this show interesting.

Sometimes you just gotta slap a bitch.

Anne isn't just a highly skilled sculpter. She can make incredibly complex and detailed art pieces, sure, but her real talent lies in the process of making it, not just getting to the finished result. When asked to create a sculpture for a client, she doesn't just ask what they want. She sits down and gets to know each one, asks about why they want this art piece, and why it matters so much. And when the time comes to sit down and begin crafting it, she always comes up with a concept she knows that person will absolutely LOVE. Because at its heart, this is a show about the joy of creating things, and especially the joy of creating things for others.

The actual sugar sculptures are characters all on their own, and the artists and animators did a phenomenal job detailing how gorgeous these things are.

In this modern age of the gig economy, hustling to turn hobbies into profit, and AI image generation killing the creative process in favor of cheap, shoddy results that only get posted for instant gratification, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale GETS IT. This show really drives home how delightful the creative process can be when applied to making art, especially by commission. Watching something take form by your own hand, and seeing the recipient light up when they see what you've made for them. That's the real stuff right there. And this show NAILS that. It's downright lovely.

It isn't just about working hard. It's about doing what you love because you love to do it, not because you have something to gain or something to prove.

And sure, there's still a cool story about magical fairies, political intrigue, the evils of slavery, and a murderous rogue fairy who wants Challe to join his side and fight in the impending Fairy War Against Humankind or whatever, but in my opinion, all that's just the set dressing for the real story. Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is about the joy of creation, sitting down and listening to people, and the community of creating art with a purpose. It's not a particularly heavy story, but this message came through loud and clear for me.

I hope more people out there will give it a chance!

Also I hope you weren't expecting them to kiss at some point. This show is far too shy for anything other than meaningful hand holding and distant sparkly eyes. And there's nothing wrong with that.