Happy Sugar Life: A Study in Sympathy

Happy Sugar Life is one of the more popular shows from the Summer 2018 season, but how did it manage to appeal to so many people despite its highly objectionable subject matter? Let's do a deep-dive into the writing tricks used to make the main character sympathetic, even when she is clearly an irredeemable person.
Support me on Patreon: / explanationpoint
Follow me on Twitter: / expoint140
My gaming channel: / @questingmark
My music channel: / @sidenotes175
My podcast: / @hallwaychats7607

[@mattherson7877]

POP QUIZ: For the past 15 minutes, a KZbinr has been praising an anime about a high school student molesting an eight-year-old that they found. In a just world, how should this end? A. KZbin addiction intervention, B. Murder/Suicide, C. A fairy-tale ending wherein the viewer and the streaming platform of their choice can spend ~5 hours together, watching the anime in peace and enjoying it, happily ever after, or D. The Treaty of Tripoli, 1797? *Jeopardy theme plays* If you picked "C," congratulations! you've been fooled by Explanation Point, one of the more interesting experiments in anime YouTubing to come out in the past two years. Bryant is an unambiguously talented person, and the fact that anybody would be able to convince themselves to watch _Happy Sugar Life_ for even a moment speaks to the quality of Explanation Point's writing. This shallow, uneven, incoherent, ham-fisted anime - with a poorly-directed/well-directed ratio that rivals most professional _Hand Shakers_ productions - would be an almost comically terrible topic for any other KZbinr. But Explanation Point somehow manages to convince the viewer not only that _Happy Sugar Life_ is kind of okay but that they should want to watch it for 12 episodes even when they know from Act One Scene One that nothing is going to be all right.

[@ExplanationPointAnime]

Full points.

[@BigT.Larrity]

This is cute and all, but I still think it was a good watch.

[@MiyaoMeow588]

Joke's on you, I didn't need him to convince me the show was good and worth watching, ha!

[@AntiNihilist]

1. Handshakers is WAY worse than the first 2 episodes may lead you to believe 2. Happy Sugar Life is in the top 10% of all anime when it comes to pacing. Right alongside Fate/Zero and Planet With; and above FMA:B and Death Note. Pacing can outdo story, especially when it's short and has many genuine mysteries that don't get foreshadowed for no reason.

[@mattherson7877]

@ponquinful I make no claims about _Happy Sugar Life_ 's pacing, at least for now. However, if you think _Fate/Zero_ has good pacing, then you clearly haven't even seen the first episode. Or maybe you have, because it certainly contained a lot of pacing. XD

[@Elmithian]

"You can understand why someone did something evil, but you should never excuse it" That is something that comes to mind when watching that show.

[@SonicmaniaVideos]

That should come to mind when watching a lot of shows....especially shows with sympathetic villains.

[@SpiderandMosquito]

@@SonicmaniaVideos yeah sympathetic villains something I've noticed a lot of people use other than immediate shorthand to completely excuse reprehensible Behavior such as.... okay let's put it this way people think Gaston from Beauty and the Beast is actually the hero of the story. I bloody hope most of them are joke articles but look it up look it up look it up why I don't know I don't know he's not even sympathetic the sympathy you find from it is something you have to fish for and you completely rewrite the character did justify it. If a character can be completely recontextualized by a subset of absolute weirdos who are honestly watching the movie Wrong imagine what happens when you actually do write a sympathetic character as a villain. They will turn them into a messiah!

[@SonicmaniaVideos]

That's one extreme. The Beast's only sympathy comes from how...well "why" he got cursed, not from anything he does in the story proper. If people can value his character based on that, they aren't technically watching the movie wrong. People misunderstand characters all the time, it's whatever.

[@Elmithian]

@@SpiderandMosquito The beast is definitely not a "good guy" either though. If the "beauty" hadn't gone out of her way to find her father the beast would have kept him down in that dungeon indefinitely. That doesn't sound like something a good person would do.

[@SpiderandMosquito]

@@SonicmaniaVideos it is an extreme example yes but it is something worth noting. Beast is not very sympathetic but he goes through a transformation to the point he becomes a radically different person worthy of your sympathy.... literally at the end. The point is that in my opinion that lying to yourself or others about the content of a story is not simple misinterpretation but flat out lying. But on to the topic at hand it's very easy for some viewers to allow the smallest of humanizing qualities to instantly mean justification and Redemption even when the story does not intend for that. It is worth noting that he is not wrong Brian is not wrong in his examination here that the story does successfully allow you to sympathize for its protagonist and treat her as heroic as you can in this context but that doesn't mean that she was a good person or that you should be forgiving her for her actions and that this is not a normal situation that we should be viewing it as

[@Seiza25]

WHEN THAT "BUFF DUDE" TURNED SIDEWAYS AND BECAME A LINE I LAUGHED SO HARD

[@angeldude101]

Same. I'd totally watch it if he looked like that and still only cared about Shio in a parental fashion.

[@WadcaWymiaru]

No one would buy manga and watch the anime :\ Japanese aren't stupid...

[@WadcaWymiaru]

Like Ramune? STOP FBI will swarm your house...

[@alias4795]

Ikr lmao I literally couldn't breath

[@moneybxndz161]

SAME 💀

[@gystes_]

So what happens in 4~8 years when Shio beings developing sexual desires/needs? One of the (many) problems with this relationship is that it based on the concept of purity. Shio fundamentally can’t stay pure forever, and once this happens what’s going to happen to her. Shio’s safety is ONLY assured in the short term and is ACTIVELY being threatened after that.

[@victoriauwandu3858]

True

[@gregjayonnaise8314]

That’s one thing I’ve been considering. The nature of the relationship is somewhat sustainable (only in the sense that Shio is not being actively abused I guess) but after a certain time, Sato will start being confronted by Shio’s sexual interests once she hits puberty. This leads to a few equally creepy options: 1. Sato will begin engaging with Shio sexually, which, since Shio is 5, and will likely hit puberty by around 12, will make Sato an adult at that point (which will explicitly make their relationship statutory rape and grooming). 2.the likelier option is that Sato will reject Shio’s desires and instead become the antithesis of her aunt; rather than expose Shio to sex too early, she will put a chokehold on her growth and smother her individuality, basically like an overprotective mother, in order to keep her “innocent” and dependable on her. She already has no problem isolating Shio and keeping her from other people. 3. Sato, realizing she can’t keep Shio’s “innocence” intact, may decide to commit a murder-suicide to “protect” Shio from losing it and to prevent herself from living without her “true love.”

[@horserider3008]

shio already acknowledged with taiyo that she wasnt pure, right in front of sato, so it's unlikely she'll see it as something that taints her. they just make each other happy

[@badlie4858]

true. i imagine if their plan had worked out and they'd successfully escaped, in few years Satou would become this horrible posessive overprotective parental figure that basically prevents Shio from having anything resembling a normal life, because she wants to keep her "pure". and then the cycle of abuse would just make another round.

[@nasinnarcotics]

Honestly, once Shio stops being a cartoonishly adorable little girl, Satou probably abandons her back to the streets. Maybe picks up another kid and repeats the cycle.

[@ItsJoeverMan]

I Never thought I wanted to listen to a man talk about a pink haired anime girl with sociopathic tendencies so badly until today

[@kellamyoshikage286]

Well hey, now Yuno.

[@larrydavinci2844]

Sociopaths need a hug, too.

[@shironasama0445]

jackson hutchcraft Same here.

[@alicetrentin7546]

"Satou is actually a good partner for Shio" you know who else would be a good partner for Shio? CPS

[@rachelgardnerray9977]

No other characters from her world wouldn't be good partner for her only Satou

[@othzy6149]

@@rachelgardnerray9977 that's the thing though if Shio stayed with Satou she won't be able to survive in the real world. Everyone is forgetting that Satou literally forbids her going outside and because of that she probably won't ever learn how to do maths, how to write, read or anything needed to function in society

[@andrewgoehring9108]

@@othzy6149 At least for now, in the story she is hiding from the brother was it? and everyone else cause yes they are far worse. I start to wonder are there any good people in that whole town. I could see a world where shio goes to school like normal, but it would have to be in a very safe space(according to satou) and she has got trust issues in all that baggage so I'm sure it's a long road to better.

[@othzy6149]

@@andrewgoehring9108 at least her brother never killed anybody.

[@andrewgoehring9108]

@@othzy6149 .....Sure. That dude's got the same yandere levels of will do anything for my love. I might be mistaken but I thought he did or at least tried to kill some guys in a park at some point.

[@Midnight-Starfish]

*HOW DARE YOU DISHONOR THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY NAME THAT HAS BEEN PAST DOWN FOR GENERATIONS!!!*

[@ILiekFishes]

it would be hard to have a family name that wasn't passed down for generations

[@KIYOKO_006]

Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood?

[@MegaE25]

I never really ever even came close to wanting Satou to win because she was emotionally manipulating Shio as evident in the final scene where Satou ideals had tainted Shio to becoming something completely different then she once was. Personally I rooted for Asahi because he was willing to go the same lengths as Satou to accomplish his goals of making Shio happy but she was so messed up that she didn't even recognize him. But in the end no one really won, Asahi may have gotten back the person that mattered most to him but her mind had been twisted and warped by Satou sociopathy.

[@adrieltinghenghui6205]

That sounds sad

[@yueliadragonflavour731]

Indeed i give an answer a year later but in the manga when Shio has to choose between Asahi and Sato she remembers all past good times she went through with her mother and bro before deciding to get to Sato....so in the manga her choice appears to be more hers than in the anime...dunno if you knew that, if you see that reply sorry for disturbance ( wanted to just make aware) and have a nice day

[@concerned7563]

Fucking agree!! Exclamation point has a point where I did think Satou was the best option, but I really hoped Asahi would get her back because he would be the only one in her life who didn’t take advantage of her in a weird way.

[@ccpmustfall6445]

She is not even exploiting Shio's mind though... But yeah Asahi is like one of the few sane ones throughout the anime ;_;

[@derpyy3689]

@@ccpmustfall6445 how? she literally just convinced a 8 year old murder is okay if you love someone.

[@zeemod1556]

Murder > Murder of Crows > Crows = Karusu > The Main Haikyuu Volleyball Team Good Job! (insert end of Evangelion TV anime gif)

[@OneQuackyBoi]

I just saw that. Damn that was a good reference xD

[@LarsisLP]

I was wondering about that.

[@furyberserk]

But I'm still not interested at all.

[@fortunesfavor8894]

Yeah, took my a second to get that one.

[@TheLastAdvacado]

The show's theme depicting a horrible child-abuser such that the audience can't help but sympathize with them actually reminds me of Vladimir Nobokov's Lolita (where the term "loli" actually comes from, funnily enough). The parallels are so numerous and strong, actually, that I can't help but feel that Lolita must have been direct inspiration for this show. This also made the comparison between having a cute anime girl child-molester being easier to digest than a large adult man extra relevant, since that's exactly what happens in Lolita (instead, Humbert has to rely on creative and narrative-establishing prose to take his actions that are monstrous on their faces and spin them into a compelling romantic-tragedy to garner sympathy). Cool video about an anime I'd otherwise have never heard of!

[@LolitaCraft]

I was actually about to make a comment about how I noticed similarities: ie the use of an unreliable narrator/protagonist that people unintentionally root for because, like a lot of abusers and predators, Humbert and Satou effectively manipulate the audience/witnesses to side with them by trying to garner sympathy or making themselves seem like what they're doing is for the sake of their victim or doing what they do out of 'love.' It's easier to see through the facade in Humbert's case, because as he explained Satou is able to get away with more because she's a cute anime schoolgirl and most of us will subconsciously root for her because of her innocent appearance. And while Satou may be the 'lesser' of the various evils in the show, it's still evil no matter how you spin it. Plus you've got the fact that Shio has been groomed into loving, trusting, and depending on Satou (basically Stockholm syndrome) so while she appears to be happy in this relationship, she's still been abducted by a dangerous and predatory person. I haven't watched the anime for myself, but that's what I got from this video and other people's descriptions of it. An interesting analysis.

[@nonnonsense1]

yes thank you.There's a lot of value in this show for going this direction. also Episode 7 bares some resemblance to the Obluda children's book episode in Naoki Urasawa's Monster. The direction, some of the symbolism, it's there.

[@arphangh5409]

There is a big différence between the two : In Lolita the protagoniste is an ADULT (so it's pedophilia) who sexualy abuses a little girl those who are romanticizes by the movie, in Happy sugar life : the protagoniste is a 14 years old kids (so it' s not thecnically pedophilia) having a romantic relationship with a little girl Who have apparently 6 years old without ever having sex

[@Xedllin]

@@arphangh5409 Satou being a highschooler puts her at around 16~18... also one point in the series that is always being forgotten by people is that it wasn't really Satou that wanted to take in Shio... it was actually Shio that coerced Satou into taking her home I haven't really seen anybody discuss Shio's mentality considering she realizes Satou is emotionally broken(symbolized by the cracked jar) immediately and how she decided that she can "fix" Satou by filling her with happiness that's also after Shio decided that her mom's "jar" cannot be fixed as long as she's with her(hence why she didn't want to come with Asahi)

[@vruuumvruumm1355]

@@arphangh5409 still child abuse

[@alterluin6623]

Okay, the point for the Halo effect demonstration was lost on me because I was busy laughing at the "Manly Laugh" you gave him to replace the MC's laugh

[@alec8485]

"Happy Sugar Life is one of the more popular shows from the Fall 2018 season" Maybe it was, but I don't actually remember hearing anyone talk about it at all.

[@seg162]

Would *_you_* actively talk about watching a show where the protagonist is an actual child predator?

[@alec8485]

seg162 probably if it was worth talking about, but I see your point I suppose.

[@davidliu5]

it from the summer

[@kimcuongvuxuan7413]

@@seg162 1 "small" issue: Satou is a child too. Also, us weebs do talk about weird shows all the time. I like Happy Sugar Life and have been following the manga a year before the anime came out, but I think the anime is just not too popular for some reason - it being on Amazon is probably one reason. The anime did do the source material justice, just that may be not enough people watch it in the first place it seems.

[@sofftskies3769]

@@kimcuongvuxuan7413 you're splitting hairs and making excuses. she's still behaving in a predatory manner towards a child. shes a child predator.

[@ToastyMozart]

I feel like a lot of people don't quite get the distinction between having sympathy for a character and thinking they're even slightly a good person... Anyways the MTG video is one of my favorites, so more stuff like that between the big complicated uploads sounds fantastic.

[@ErebosGR]

It's like all those people's brains never developed past the age of 3 and can't comprehend other points of view than their own.

[@SonicmaniaVideos]

They literally don't. Like in actuality, the moment you see someone think that sympathizing or even just understanding why someone did a bad deed is the same as justifying or supporting...just end the discussion there. Hard coded stances are actual blocks to discussion.

[@jilliancrawford7577]

Maybe it's just me, but the fact she is so unassuming unlike the stereotype is what makes her so much more terrifying. Her cute and safe demeanor makes her actions infinitely easier for her to get away with. If a character or person knows that they have the features that would work to their advantage like this only amplifies that. I would be creeper out by some neckbeard stereotype doing the same things, but knowing how quickly people would suspect him if he were to become suspicious makes me a little less anxious and tense than when you have a cutesy teen girl with being eyes and friendly smile instead.

[@ramirezalfarokevineduardo3]

Sumamente terrible

[@afraidoftrees8360]

Ok this is going to be long rant but hear me out. This is one of my favorite videos on this anime, you have discussed a lot of interesting points on it that I haven't seen in any other videos about Happy Sugar Life. However, I don't think that Satou was romantically in love with Shio. She most definitely thought that she was for a long time and it was wrong that she should continue such a relationship while thinking of her as her lover. But let's start from the start. We have to understand that Satou doesn't understand what love is, or what it feels like. When she was young, the only thing she had to base the concept of love on, was from her Aunt, who I believe molested her. I think this because of a certain scene that quickly appears in the first episode, but it's also in the manga and you can see it a lot better in their. In this scene we see a small Satou standing inside a dark room with her Aunt, who is half naked and offering to "absorb all of her desires". This place is the same room that we know she takes all her lovers too, where she offers them the same thing. It would not be the first time that she has raped someone underaged. Also in the scene where Satou is asking for her help she says that her Aunt needs to "take responsibility for tainting her with her love". And the way she got so protective of Shio when they were going to escape... I don't know it just gives me a weird feeling. This is why I think she is so heavily insulted when someone talks about their love and it doesn't fit her ideals, because almost everyone who does talk about it has lustful feelings included in their definition of that, and she doesn't feel any of that for Shio. She just feels "light and happiness" when she is with her. I think that Satou genuinely had only motherly feelings for Shio, but since she has never had a mother and doesn't really know what love itself, she just assumes that it's romantic love. The wedding scenes were all (from what I can tell) Shio's idea, the wedding vows appeared to be something that she and her brother would say together, which would mean that Shio doesn't truely consider their love to be (at least our definition of it anyway) romantic love. I believe that Satou realizes this when they jump off of the building. Because in tragic love stories, the lovers would die together. However only a mother would sacrifice herself to protect her child. And that, as Satou describes It, is a much deeper love than she originally thought she was feeling. I also want to point out that I watched this series with a good friend of mine who is Japanese, who is able to understand all the nuances in the language and she told me that she agrees with me and that it is more of a familial love, rather than romantic and the only reason it appeared otherwise was for the purposes of the story. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[@mutsu2161]

oh my gosh thank you so much for this comment !! i know this is old but omg you said everything ive been thinking reading the manga and more i thought i was the only one >

[@goatskin4487]

@@z2yn Did you even watch the end of the anime. At the end shio is mentally broken because of sato.

[@jtamiing559]

@@goatskin4487 did u use that brain of yours? she was screwed either way, Asiha and his mother aren't able to take care of shio, her brother was already on the verge of becoming just as violent as his dad, her mother was already downhill the moment she slappped and abandoned shio, shio was already broken the moment her mother abandoned her, sato BY HERSELF was able to maintain a job (ulike shio's mom) , smart enough to use her appearance and diligence to manipulate peopleor fend off against enemies, but because shes still naive and trys to do everything herself or with shio (the auntie was explaining it), they can only last so long before they're sins catch up to them, like he said in the video and also through out the series that sato was a better care taker, but is a bad person and the anime and manga made no one a protagonist

[@AuroraLalune]

@@jtamiing559 True enough

[@jesuschrist9933]

Underrated comment.

[@pharaohnefertiti9642]

The best case scenario was for Shio put in the adoptive system and find a family that truly cares for her.

[@whygiveup11]

Not once did I root for Sato Matsuzaka she was a crazy nut job I was rooting for her bro to get her back the whole time

[@satunbreeze]

Tbh with how long it is between videos I don't mind the 4 day wait at all, people mightve forgotten about this channel so it might take that long for most people who want to watch, to see this premiere. Glad to see the new video is coming!!

[@aidengray3998]

Forgotten? Did you comment on the wrong thing? This is Explanation Point, One of the grastest on the platform.

[@gorade1901]

@@aidengray3998 well he may be one of the "grastest" but there are plenty of casual watchers who aren't so invested in his stuff, who would most likely forget for a while before checking back cause of the lack of recent content. I mean, Christ, I can't even remember the last video he did. It might've been the bullshit April fools joke video (seriously, dude, I appreciate that ya tried, but with your mostly understandable content gaps I don't wanna see what appears to be an actual analysis video in a language I don't understand, only to find out via subtitles that there was nothing there to begin with than a dumb gag anyway)

[@ShionKenobi]

@@gorade1901 Casuals gonna casual. I dont want this channel to be become episodic/chapter "reviews" of ongoing seasonal anime. Those channels are vapid, and there's so much of them. Would get him more ways more money, but I am here for analysies of themes of completed shows.

[@gorade1901]

@@ShionKenobi That's not what I want either, nor is it what I suggested. I only stated that there's a good chance people would've forgotten to check for new content.

[@Sofi5252art]

I can't understand how so many ppl missed the point of this video or even the whole show... No one is trying to say that satou's actions are forgivable or that she is good for shio. It's that the anime tries to show her as a sympathetic character. There are lots of shows where a murderer is the "good guy" bc it's interesting to see these characters as humans and get into their heads. This isn't an different for satou, her crimes are just different.

[@DesertAvenger]

Funnily enough, I never rooted for Satou once in the story. Granted I read the manga instead of watching the anime but it makes no difference. After every chapter I just wanted Satou to go down harder, especially after she kills the only good person in the story. I guess all of the tricks that the story tried didn't work on me. At this point I'm just waiting for the police to take her down and for her to suffer as she deserves.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

I think the huge difference between Manga and Anime adaptation is how the showed us more about the background story of the other characters in the Manga and how they used more visuals to to show how sweet their love is and how creepy the world is that the actually see in the Anime. I was more freaked out by the Anime and how the painter became insane in first person view.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

I don't know if you only read the Manga, but it seems like you didn't watch the Anime. FYI, the Anime did already have an ending. I don't know if it's canon or not since the Manga I read is not finished yet.

[@AuroraLalune]

I heard that in the manga they.. consummate there "relationship"? I'm too afraid to read it because of that. I am a survivor of... Things. Like- I know the damage it leaves and especially when your older and understand better and more about it. My better half, to this day never told his adopted mothers son that because she was a pedo etc that at 8 years old he might have fathered his "brother". Has literally spent most of his life haunted by this. Never had it left his mind in nearly 40 years since. He wouldnt even do normal things boys do when they hit puberty because it just wasn't safe and never felt safe. She would come in and want to touch him and would threaten to tell his adopted dad some bullshit about him being in trouble if he didn't wear speedo's and shit swimming. This is just- If that bitch ever comes around my adorable stepson/nephew(who is about the age his dad was then- to be fair his dad and I have been together almost as long as he has been alive and kiddos mom and I had no idea we were related and as far as I know of she still doesn't- so that part of things isn't related to the other crap but is more that my dad was a man hoe and I have a couple dozen random people out there somewhere im related to and have never met and wouldn't know from anyone else- so it was genuinely a surprise- my dad was a great dad to me before he died but lets face it- he basically lives like a cute sweet talking rabbit trying to repopulate the earth by any means necessary when it came to women-he never did right by any of the mothers so mine was no different complete with that she both loved and believed him before she found that shit out) it's not hard to imagine the lengths I might go to stop her from being anywhere near this adorable and loving little boy. The fuck imma let her anywhere near him after what she did to his father. They adopted him because they had been unable to have children and his adopted mom wasn't really the issue. Despite the odds its possible and that is enough to cause great distress. He was close to his brother before his adopted dad threatened him not to contact anyone of the family brother included while he was in the military. Personally I sometimes wonder if he knew or suspected and instead of placing the blame where it went lashed out at the little boy who literally was a victim in that situation and not at all at fault. This has basically tortured him most of his life(since it happened). The emotional troubles pedophilia causes the child survivor inside for the rest of there lives is... Really bad. Also it can make these REALLY fucked up situations. My younger sisters father tried to condition me by love bombing etc and trying to get me used to things... Grooming basically. I was being groomed. Then suddenly im six being told i want to see something I dont want to, frozen still and scared shitless while he lives this delusion where I understand why he is showing off his erection to six year old me or literally what an it even is or why it does that etc but also really scared when he tried to make me touch it. Later he would attack me more directly and my mom would walk in and beat the living crap out of him and kick him out(only for a social worker to threaten to take us if she didn't take him back- right in front of my younger brother and I by the way- shes dead because of this btw). Im about to hit middle age and this shit can still be haunting as hell. There is nothing good about pedophiles but the illusion they fill there own godamn heads with. Period. So... Yeah. Really just not capable of rooting for her. I cannot imagine the little child would react that way. As someone who has been through it... Younger children dont understand to feel anything but wrong about certain things even when some end up doing things(lots of therapy puts you in touch with others who have survived... Things like that) and its usually because they think they have to and it is being treated the same way as of they did something really good- they simply believed the adult at the time even if it caused them immense emotional harm all the more for having believed it- that comes with a whole bunch of its own specific baggage not all that unlike when a woman is raped by someone she trusts while she still trusted that person in one capacity or another. Yet also different because the child doesnt even understand anything but that a trusted adult is hurting them and they dont know what to do or why it is even happening. So after being told the manga went... Further... I couldn't read it.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

@@AuroraLalune I'm not sure who told you that about the manga, but I'm not sure if that's the case. I mean, the manga I read is not finished yet, so I can't tell for sure if the ending will be the same, but until now, it was almost exactly as the Anime. Although they gave people like the mother of Shio a background story and showed why she was that psychotic in the first place. I don't think they "consummate their relationship" in that way, since Satou didn't look at her in a sexual way. In that case, "Banana Fish" would be worse, since Ash was literally raped his entire childhood and lost his trust into adults. And even when he was 17, he still needed to be the b**ch of the guy who made him into a child p*rn star. And your story sounds awful. The only thing I hate more than pedophiles, who actually hurt children without thinking about the consequences of the child, are the people who know about this and do literally nothing.

[@AuroraLalune]

@@misheru-senpai1038 A lot of people do nothing about a lot of things. Some know and blatantly support it. That would honestly be more my fear with this sort of angling. I suppose knowing that fear is there would be why it would be important to ask the people behind it what there intentions were in that regard. It probably speaks terribly if myself that the world of happy sugar life didn't seem exaggerated to me at all. Worse exist. Rather it seemed more like some characters put into a story to me. Like any other. The again therapists have told me this is at least somewhat normal. It is a minority whose voices are heard so what is normalized is not necessarily normal. Pedos are not normal but they go free and get away with it enough they hurt many. They are not the only evil. Many evils pretend to be good. Hiding behind the notions of being helpful while getting drunk off of the positions of authority they reside in. Most of the people who are complacent make there own excuses to be such. Pony the blame. Put it off on someone else. After I lost my mother and was separated from my siblings some pretty fucked up shit happened. The only thing these stories aren't addressing is how people immediately go to the term "mental illness" or how that is both excuse of ones own lack of actions in a situation denoting responsibility onto someone else to deal with "because mental illness is involved" and also a way to invalidate a persons existence. It can be used as a tool to invalidate the victim, excuse a perpetrator(and thus feed such peoples parasitic "need" to feel powerful rather than dealing with themselves and admitting evil isn't an illness but a choice- therein avoiding what they find uncomfortable in there projections), even excuse the bystander that does nothing. I have ptsd. Despite that it doesnt cause psychosis and is basically intrusive and very vivid memory(flashbacks) replay(usually less organized than it sounds- often they are part of the event or in you might go from end to beginning to middle or to middle to end to beginning or any other combination- though it is more because rather than only three parts doing that its.actually all of them and the smells and the sensations and basically every vivid detail involved- the emotions can actually be re created entirely- not simply remembered but creating wounds all there own within ones heart)of the events that happened in the trauma that caused it. I have both been told my tormentor was sick like that held less weight/choice than it did and also told that having ptsd invalidates me in any way that person finds convenient at the time. Nightmares are basically either flashbacks as described, the event happening, or some fucked up version twisted by dreams to take those all encompassing horrors you cannot imagine being worse and make them somehow worse. I can only imagine this is the mind trying to make the actual things that happened seem less serious but it mostly just means someone with ptsd tends to avoid sleeping. Actively in many cases. Maybe with the occasional sleeping pills to make sure you don't push too far but ultimately it isnt something people tend to realize. They just sort of think your just being difficult and that the answer is clear and obvious without trying to understand. Forget how common suicide spikes when pills become involved with ptsd or its treatment at all. Anxiety pills dont fix the reason your so damn aware and wary etc. Sleeping pills don't make the nightmares go away. In the cases they manage to make sleep dreamless the flashbacks intensify and often become as hallucinations rather than flashbacks. People do not understand and they do not wish to do so. That is always someone elses job. Too many people are like that. Most of humanity. I think the horrible ugly truth of the world we live in is why truly kind and good people who don't waste time trying to force there version of how they think others should live on them or punishing them for not doing so... Are more important to treasure. Def not like happens in happy sugar life but more in the non smothering/controlling sort of way. It doesn't take much for people to show true colors. A little power, money, some secrecy and the ability to systematically and effectively silence or invalidate victims so effectively it is effective silence anyway... Few things happen more than those.

[@Sleepy12ftPanda]

I haven't watched this anime, so feel free to disregard this analysis, but it seems like Satou only likes Shio because of how "innocent" she thinks she is. The danger in their relationship lies with Shio's eventual maturing next to a murderous pedophile who's already fetishized her youth. As soon as she shows any sign of aging, she's going to get hacked to pieces and stored in a freezer to "preserve her purity".

[@sodaperson8981]

Not quite🤔

[@moneybxndz161]

Thats one way to put it Although, at the last few episode, that is definitely confronted

[@sarima7621]

Well we wont be having that problem anymore since

[@HeyoitsJay]

Nah I believe that too she’s insane.

[@Sleepy12ftPanda]

@@sarima7621 she dead?

[@SanraiDalris]

The sad thing is, if Satako and Asahi just TALKED and been honest things probably could have worked out.

[@1111dragosoul]

Woolie?

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Joshua Smith Doubtful. Like Satou herself said, she has a tendency to “want to keep things to herself”.

[@NonyaBsnes]

@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick that

[@gilthreyblaunce]

His first instinct upon seeing satou was to bash in her leg

[@zackrose6261]

And if we actually look at what Asahi said earlier, he only cares about his own happiness ignoring the fact that his own mother abandoned shio and bringing her back would probably only cause Shio more pain. And if we actually think Satou never did anything inappropriate to Shio, nothing sexual what so ever. The only one who really only got molested was Taiyo. We also have to look at this in the japanese laws, and I don't think taking in an abandoned kid is considered kidnapping like it is in america.

[@josenunez-guzman1554]

Dude self care is important. Live your best life. “Insert other emotionally supportive phrase”. Seriously it’s good to hear that a creative person such as yourself isn’t trying to kill them selves with over working. You rock!

[@raymondeh8987]

I want to point out that we don't know Shio wouldn't be better with Asahi and their mom because Asahi wasn't in the picture until after she was kidnapped. Asahi is a dedicated, hardworking person who decide to be homeless in order to find his sister. Yes, Shio's situation with her mother sucked, but I'm willing to argue that if she was still there when Asahi showed up then her situation would have improved. Satou was able to hold a part time job and support them both, and Shio's mom was in that mental state because of not having Asahi around. I'm not saying their mom would do a complete 180 once he arrived, but I'm sure she would begin improving and Asahi would probably get a part time job to help out. So between an adult with a full time job and a hardworking brother with a part time (maybe even full time because he seems like the kind of guy who'd quit school to get a job) I'm sure she'd have plenty of food to not go hungry. So I think your assertion that Shio is better off with Satou than Asahi and their mom is wrong. Now Shio's situation is arguably better with Satou than with her mom in terms of care and materials, I mean that is if you want to look over the Stockholm syndrome and messed up worldview/views on love (what kind of kid is down to commit a double suicide in order to be with the one they love, she got mentally messed up by being around Satou) she gets as a result. But I think with Asahi back in the picture it is reasonable to assume she'd be better off with them than with Satou. And as someone who went hungry, was neglected, and abused as a kid I'd even say she was better off with her mom than with a pedophilic serial killer even though Satou could make sure always had food. But I love your videos because I can disagree and still enjoy watching. Execpt when you said flashback. I had headphones on and that freaked me out. So I'm glad your back, hope you're doing better, and wish you luck man.

[@gregjayonnaise8314]

So, what would happen if Sato’s plan of running away with Shio had actually gone through? It’s impossible for Shio to remain innocent FOREVER. Sato fetishizes Shio’s innocence in a way that puts Shio on a pedestal, but that pedestal can’t last because Shio will, eventually, become an adult who can develop complex feelings for others, including sexual ones. The nature of their relationship is somewhat sustainable (only in the sense that Shio is not being actively abused I guess) because Sato fetishizes Shio’s innocence, but after a certain time, Sato will be confronted by Shio’s sexual interests once she hits puberty. This leads to a few equally creepy options: 1. Sato would begin engaging with Shio sexually, which, since Shio is 5, and will likely hit puberty by around 12, will make Sato an adult at that point (which will explicitly make their relationship statutory rape and grooming). 2.the likelier option is that Sato will reject Shio’s desires and instead become the antithesis of her aunt; rather than expose Shio to sex too early, she will put a chokehold on her growth and smother her individuality, basically like an overprotective mother, in order to keep her “innocent” and dependable on her. She already has no problem isolating Shio and keeping her from other people. 3. Sato, realizing she can’t keep Shio’s “innocence” intact, may decide to commit a murder-suicide to “protect” Shio from losing it and to prevent herself from living without her “true love.”

[@christopherbennett5858]

the attractiveness thing is a great concept. I mean, Light in Death Note was a monster but he was also depicted as massively attractive. Loved Sugar Life and how it made me think about my judgements. Whilst Satou provided for Shio more than anyone else and gave her that environment, it was nuanced in how it's still seen as a crime. That ending was pretty much perfection.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

I recommend giving the Manga a go. It shows more depth of the other characters, like how Shio's mother became like that (how she even got into that marriage).

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@misheru-senpai1038 Yeah, that would be interesting.

[@EndingNote111]

I actually hated Satou and wanted the little girl to escape.

[@Bunnypop54]

preach !! i was rooting for the kid to realize their situation ugh

[@sammysaito529]

XirU I wanted a loli Hentai and was disappointed

[@MXCN_El1011]

well she technically did, she left the apartment, albeit looking for Satou, but then shit hit the fan. As stated in the video, seems like something terrible happens every time Shio goes outside, probably safer in the house anyway.

[@MXCN_El1011]

@tsuuki Shio did seem to realize the situation somewhat towards the end, but accepted Satou anyway.

[@MXCN_El1011]

@Huy Max go talk to shad about that then

[@hoyoversedubz]

Tecniquley Satou didn't kidnap Shio, Shio was abandoned by her real mom and Satou took her in because Shio had no where else to go; both characters finding comfort in eachother. I feel like Satou's "love" of Shio isn't romantic, but since she's never known love she is convinced it is. I think Satou is just happy that someone relies on her and makes her feel important; and she never abused Shio negatively in any way. I'm curious if anyone else saw their relationship the same?

[@XiaoIsMyHusbandBTW]

Nope I saw a pedo and I hated satou

[@athousandsprings]

I do agree with your points and I do think that is a possibility, but again, I'm not sure. I do quite like your take on Satou's psyche.

[@Itsme-bg3oo]

That's still categorised as kidnapping tho... I agree about their relationship, Satou's a very messed up girl who needs a stable home first and foremost

[@glennashia1421]

Didn't Satou and Shio kiss?

[@animeproblem1070]

@@glennashia1421 yes and that's because the abuse victims satou and shio don't understand the difference between romantic and platonic love like a normal person would it was literally seconds before her death that satou understood it

[@99sonder]

Not really fond of how entitled some of these comments are. You're finally uploading an actual video and they're complaining about you letting them know in advance (something that's pretty standard for the YT community). Like at least it's not an update video, saying you're getting a new video uploaded in a week, but then a year of nothing happens. The premiere means that even if you fall to an untimely death before saturday, we still get the video. I guess there's the question of "well, it's already done, so why hold off on it?", but it's your video, you can do whatever you want with it.

[@aidengray3998]

Yeah, but premiers feel like a lie. They get your hopes up thinking "new video" but it's not, and your hopes are dashed, leaving you worse off than before. THAT'S why people don't like premiers.

[@aydensauvageau9393]

Just use a announcement or something

[@gorade1901]

If it was an update video or a community post, there wouldnt be a problem. But Premiers have a tenancy to make you think that KZbinr actually uploaded something when they didn't. BUT, they're fine for small gaps of time, like having something premier in 30 minutes. But this is *4 whole days* of cocktease. I'm ultimately fine with it so long as we get a new vid, but it's still annoying

[@racecarr4732]

My dude, people aren’t upset because they are getting notified when a video is being released (that’s pretty normal). It more of how it looks almost exactly like a normal upload and then the disappointment of having to wait even longer for the video.

[@99sonder]

It's just incredibly silly to see people be angry about it

[@squiddy_bee]

I agree Satou was a terrible person and that she did a lot of irredeemably terrible things. However, in the show I really don't remember her molesting or being sexually involved with Shio at all? In addition, I got the sense that her love for Shio wasn't necessarily romantic. It seemed a lot more sisterly or parental (albeit in a very toxic and twisted way) because of how it was portrayed. Satou always had a warped idea of love since her aunt abused her and the love that she idealized was one that was pure, unconditional, and untainted. In the show, she often condemns adults who sexually abuse children/minors, saying that what they're doing isn't "love." However, when she talks about her relationship with Shio, Satou repeatedly emphasizes that this is a love that she wants to protect because it so perfectly fits her ideal of love: a love untainted by lust and exploitation. I mean it's not impossible that her love was romantic but I just didn't see it based on what happened in the show. In the manga, there is a dialogue where the aunt is asking Shio: What are the two of you doing every day? And Shio responses: Eating cake, taking a bath. Aunt: Interesting, so what are you doing in the bath? Shio: washing each other's backs. Aunt: Nothing more? Then Satou interjects, telling Shio not to talk to her that much since her aunt is a little bit crazy. Satou then says to her aunt: We don't do things like that! Aunt: Satou your love is too innocent I'm not making excuses for anything that Satou did though. She was a kidnapper, a murderer, and an all-around terrible person. She even made it impossible for Shio to rejoin society in any meaningful capacity. Did she traumatize Shio in many ways? Yeah. I just don't think she molested or sexually abused Shio because she clearly didn't want to be like her aunt or the manager. Also: your point about how Satou said that she "controlled" herself didn't seem related to Shio. I watched the scene again and I genuinely interpreted it as her controlling her murderous urges. Instead of arguing with the manager while being treated terribly at the job, she bit back any protests, cleaned the toilets, and worked overtime, until the manager docked her pay. If the show had perhaps portrayed certain scenes differently such as them bathing together or sleeping together, maybe I would think differently. HOWEVER, they were portrayed as innocent and familial. Even if we assume that Satou was talking about "controlling" sexual desire, we also have to recognize that she literally said she had controlled them. The only scene that indicated a more sexual/romantic interest was when they pretended they were getting married and kissed. Shio initiated the "ceremony" because she did it with her brother (which is extremely concerning to me because holy damn incest). Obviously, touching a child like that is wrong but in the anime, it's still somehow difficult to determine if the kiss is supposed to imply romantic/sexual love or represent that "till death do us part" connection they shared. As far as I'm aware, they did not kiss again so I'm more inclined to believe the latter.

[@Author-Chan_1]

But Satou knows the implactions of marriage and went along with Shio's idea without question. And those vows weren't originally intended to be marriage-like, I think. It was simply a promise from the family to always care for one another. It seems to me that Satou is either asexual, doesn't love Shio sexually but she does romantically, or--even creepier--she's waiting to . . . y'know . . . because she doesn't want to rape her partner . . .

[@irlcatgirl2931]

watching the anime I felt like she was nurturing Shio-chan and acting as a mother figure while also using her to fill her bitter jar with something sweet. Because she didn't grow being normal or being with normal people, in a way she is also childlike and naive by saying wedding vows and giving Shio I love you's. She could also not know what real love is, or know the different forms love possess, that meaning that she must have thought that love was only romantic, so when she found love in this little girl, she didn't understand that maybe it was because she felt like an older sister that loved her baby sister, or a mother that loved her child. The only thing she could think of when it came to love was marriage, so that's why she would do those vows and have make believe weddings.

[@ryanchain9746]

this show is a psychological masterpiece

[@Sitruk86]

Happy Sugar Life was one of my favorite anime last season. and i still don't know why. even being able to see the tropes and tricks behind the scenes as they happened (lets be honest, this show was neither subtle nor subversive) i still found myself tuning in week to week.

[@martyr_lightsilver1833]

Yeah it was contrived, but I think it did a good job in creating an interesting moral dilemma and unsettling atmosphere, (possibly being the most unsettling show I've watched other than Higurashi). Plus, the animation did an excellent job in reflecting Sato's and Shio's mental state. I've heard people compare it to the literary classic Lolita, and now that I think about it, they are very similar from what I've heard and Happy Sugar Life likely took some inspiration from it. Either way, it's a really good show if you go in with the right mindset.

[@grekieee]

gonna take a wild guess here before the video is up and say that some key points are probably: *By making most of the other characters worst it makes a "pick one of the lesser evils" *also having a child with (more or less) Stockholm syndrome helps tug on the heart strings saying it's all for love. *Having moments in the show that "strongly" contrast - Sweet and bitter(/sour? can't remember) sorry just can't wait for the vid also i just finished the show myself :D

[@ExplanationPointAnime]

You got at least one of them!

[@grekieee]

@@ExplanationPointAnime o neat

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Grekie Stockholm Syndrome is so overdone.

[@grekieee]

@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick how so?

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Grekie When you’ve threshed through the fetid recesses of Internet cartoon conspiracy theories as much as I have in my youth you learn to grow quite sick of Stockholm Syndrome.

[@ADayinWhite]

I binged this whole series last night and felt disgusted the entire time, but that was quite often overshadowed by the moments of my cheering for Satou. Because of these incredibly confusing feelings that made me seriously question my beliefs of what is right, wrong, when wrong things are right, and when right things are wrong, I decided to search out any source I trust in the anime community. Little, did I expect, though, that it would be one of my favorite channels that turned up the answers I need. You have made me feel much better now, knowing that I had been emotionally manipulated by the creators of this show into feeling positive emotions for otherwise destestable characters and their actions. And yes, this is fucking serious. Thank you for shedding light on this crisis of mine so that I can know that I am not some kind of fucked up, child-predator-endorsing deviant. I feel like I need to go binge ALL of Chuunibyou now, in order to cleanse my pallette or.... feel pure... (I had to).

[@ishax7597]

*Can't wait for the anime on the Treaty of Tripoli 1797!* Don't even need people... Can just have a bunch of Loli-style commercial ships moving about the Mediterranean Sea (with added Yandere pirate ship character). *You're welcome hottest new anime of 2020.* 😏

[@TheOnlyBootlegger]

You just fucking described Kantai Collection

[@NonApplicable1983]

Isn't that what Kantai Collection is like?

[@dehavillandvampire]

Pfffft the Treaty of Tripoli isn't even the best treaty to animate, I need me some Kawaii Treaty of Frankfurt action

[@marshall9003]

“You think you can get everything you want just because you’re cute.” -Manager, episode 1. She was right.

[@MouseGoat]

And What i truly hate about this world. People are freaking animals, and really need to wake up to just how manipulated they are

[@Aurora_Celeste_ASMR]

Thank you for this vid! HSL has so much going on that's perfect for analysis but there's not that many people talking about it. It's unfortunate that it seems like lots of people are unable to get past the disturbing premise and see the complexities underneath, like how it's often painfully accurate exploration of the effects of childhood trauma, character foils and subversions of xharacter archetypes. It's a good series and deserves more attention is what I'm saying.

[@Whaddyalookinat]

I started watching Happy Sugar Life as soon as I saw this video was out. I wanted to watch this right away. That's how much I enjoy your work. Please keep doing your best.

[@adrianj6795]

So, am I the only one who was rooting for Asahi instead of Satou?

[@NymphoraFeerica]

Fuck Satou men... Team Asahi and Shoko all the way

[@everyonehasmynames2420]

Nope, as "innocent" as Satou is, she still killed her best friend, blackmailed a rapist instead of reporting her, kidnapped Shio, etc.

[@IamAWESOME3980]

you are not the only one. sautou is like Nendeko from monogatari. all cuteness and so downright disgusting....

[@annamay6203]

Nope my dude

[@MouseGoat]

No not at all, I think its down right sickening how much "love" there is for Satou. People really cant see how they getting fooled buy some pretty colors. but i cant hate the show for being that great at trolling the weepleps.

[@thenarrator8781]

To be honest, I've had an interest in watching HSL since it came out. It's disturbing disguised as adorable and sexual threat, two horror types I'm usually really interested in but...I keep worrying about the fact that the show frames their relationship as something to root for. I've never liked it when something bad gets potrayed as good, even for the purpose of examination, and the fact that I keep hearing the ending never really has any good guys or good things at all keeps putting me off. Anyone have any insight that might make the show more appealing should just I invest time trying another show?

[@diedatplainsight8947]

No, the show didn't try to make it looks good, just the least worse. Also yeah, bad ending.

[@opinionofmine3238]

Sato is very clearly shown as deranged. She isn't so much portrayed as good as she is portrayed as pitiful. She does terrible things, but because she was driven to it and no longer understands they are wrong. From there, the show is more or less shown from her perspective. So it depends on your tolerance. The show doesn't "promote" any of what Sato does, but it does show a genuine (albeit manipulative and criminal) relationship between Sato and Shiro, one in which both clearly want to be in. If it is too disturbing for you given any preconceived moral stances you may have on the subject, then I don't recommend watching. If you can get past that, the show has some genuinely nice action, tension and surprisingly enough even tenderness.

[@thenew4559]

The show doesn't try to hide the fact that it is wrong and that the main character is a horrible person, but it somehow manages to make you root for them despite that, as explained in this video. I suppose that's mainly because Sato is the lesser of all evils in raising the little girl, as all the other people trying to get her are probably even worse. Either way it's a good watch, an 8/10 on my scale.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

It's like at the beginning they want us to know who the bad guy is and who the good guys are, but as the story progresses, they show us why it came to this, why those characters do or did this. Making the bad Sato a bit more human and the good Asahi selfish and not thinking about what would make Shio happy. Sato is never potrayed as good, at least they don't force that image on you. They just show you that she isn't just a heartless monster who kidnaps a little girl and kills random people. I'd give it a go, at least to see how disturbing those children see the world of adults. It's more horrifying than the manga in that aspect.

[@minaaaq]

I think it’s a very unique anime (I’ve never seen anything like this before) and it’s only 12 episodes so I definitely recommend giving it a try. The show does not paint Satou as a good person (or anyone really) To me, I feel like the show gives you all these details and you as the viewer can judge who is good and who is bad (spoiler alert, not many are good) I give it a 9.5/10

[@EEnde]

I was half expecting Shio to grow up into a yandere at the end just Sato. Like she learns from her that blatant murder is okay and is fine with it.

[@cocogoat1111]

Huh... this is the first I'm hearing that people actually rooting for her. I thought everyone was wishing for the little girls brother to rescue her.

[@Monika-di7vv]

Hell no, I'm team Satou all the way

[@denjidenji9162]

I was rooting for her brother, but some people are different I guess lol

[@rachelgardnerray9977]

​@@Monika-di7vvyes omg! And mainly SHE JUST SAVED Shios life! Why people blame her!? Shio was already mentally broken cause of her family! And her mother which left Shio on the streets!! Satou Matsuzaka is not evil person she is just broken she was sexualy abused she is not pure evil. She could feel little remorse she could feel empathy for Shio and Shouko at least before she found Shouko rejected her as shit. And she is able to protect Shio. She is not evil person

[@rachelgardnerray9977]

​@@denjidenji9162Her brother would become as his dad anyway so nope Satou is better for her. I mean she never abused her or beated her. SHE SAVED Shios life! Why people blame her for that?! Shio was already mentally broken cause of her family! And her mother which left Shio on the streets!! Satou Matsuzaka is not evil person she is just broken she was sexualy abused she is not pure evil. She could feel little remorse she could feel empathy for Shio and Shouko at least before she found Shouko rejected her as shit. And she is able to protect Shio. She is not evil person

[@m.v.1335]

It's so good to see you back in the long-form anime analysis! I missed your humor and your writing, your style, just everything! I just kept rewatching your videos in the meantime, I can hear them over and over without getting tired (still waiting on that Pretty Princess Movie Analysis over Translation Differences between two Languages!!) I know that it's been hard on your side, so I support any decisions that will make things work better out for you. Please continue to take care of yourself! Your health is the most important thing! Besides, I am too invested in you/this channel, I'm not planning on leaving any time soon. I would gladly wait for as long as it takes just to hear back from you ^^

[@djcwittz3012]

Mental health>consistent uploads

[@Someone-sq8im]

Good boy

[@Artrorit]

Haven't even watched the show, but I agree with the point of this video. It was pretty interesting to see a lot of people rooting for them despite the fact that the show is about child abduction, murder and stockholm syndrome. Amazing video!

[@ErebosGR]

It's like all those people who watched Breaking Bad and were rooting for Walter White until the end.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

As I watched it and read the Manga I thought that they wanted to show that those children are corrupted due to the awful adults they are surrounded with. Like the fact that we know Sato is an awful person, we are confronted by how dark and twisted her life is and how being with Shio really brightens up not only Sato, but also the entire atmosphere. It makes you want to stay with Shio instead of going back to those creepy scenes. I personally didn't root for Sato, but I did symphasize with her. One of the reasons were that the first thought about it, as you phrased it, "child abduction, murder and stockholm syndrome" I had was proven entirely wrong. With the progress of the Anime, it becomes clear that Sato never kidnapped Shio, so also Stockholm does not apply. Murderer does fit her, but not as bad as it seems at first. Sato killed two people one of them to actually protect Shio from being killed and the other actually feeling something like regret or sadness.

[@ccpmustfall6445]

Because they still can change bro.

[@cherryjohnson9230]

Another reason I don't like premieres. I'm fine waiting for the content and getting out whenever but now when I think I'm getting the content turns out I have to anticipate it for 4 days

[@algorev8679]

And, for fuck's sake, I don't want more than one notification.

[@Flowtail]

Uh, I dont know what other video you're talking about, but I suspect the act of marketing yourself gives views that speak for themselves. This video was picked up by the algorithm for me despite not having notifications turned on, after all

[@KillerRiceCracker]

yall have fantastic taste in anime. and shows in general. I love the psychological, stuff that makes you think and question humanity and the human mind. Good stuff

[@linklewitch]

You finally post a vid and it has a 4 day premiere I mean man I love your stuff but come on

[@satsukilarge4826]

linkle witch he’s procrastinating

[@Flowtail]

Yeah heaven forbid a content creator you like have a life or something silly like that

[@gorade1901]

@@Flowtail That's not the problem here. It's just the way that he went about posting this video that only compounded the fact that, hey, he hasn't posted a vid for a long time and now we get cocktease. I'm ultimately fine with it so long as we get the video, and we did, but it was still annoying

[@julipazos1146]

Oooh come on, he's doing his best >: /

[@euc5957]

In retrospect I should have used these days to finish the anime so it wasnt spoiled

[@BisquitFarmer]

Honestly this premiere thing kills the anticipation instead of "oh, a new video" we get "wow, I have to wait 4 days" I almost forgot to watch the video since i thought it was just the premier coming soon notification

[@IHOMilk]

Short form, long form, doesn’t matter to me. I’m just happy when I see a new video pop up in my feed.

[@dr.timelord0483]

This show hurts the my brain

[@000Dragon50000]

> Sato is not a good person > Shows Sato in a MAGA hat Hahahahaaa, that was just perfect, love it.

[@Twocogsmontgumry]

If you're trying to make a child molester(?) unsympathetic, maaaaybe don't make them look like Armstrong. His is the purest and most innocent love.

[@blurose6348]

Conclusion: Sato needs therapy.

[@Sakaki98]

0:38 Usually I’m a fan, but I disagree with almost everything from this point forward. I was hoping she died and failed from beginning to finish. It was obvious what the writer was trying to do with HSL by making the main character not be the worst, but it was so hilariously hamfisted when she somehow became a “badass mind reader” in every single one of her conflicts and everyone she ‘rekts’ literally ceases to have any personality traits outside of the ONE bad thing she exposes about them, just to force the setup for the last episodes where they try and fail to run away. If she wasn’t magically knowing people better than they know themselves with the bullshit explanation of “my mother was mentally ill so that automatically puts me on the level of a psychiatrist!” She was kicking ass in fist fights because apparently, sitting in a room for most of your developmental years and spending the rest working as a whore and/or waitress gives to the skill and athleticism to effortlessly kill three men easily your age or older with a damned kitchen knife. The show also tries so hard to pair the protagonist’s desires with the misguided affections of the amnesiac deuteragonist that all of their scenes made me laugh at the absurdity. The child doesn’t know what love is or what marriage actually entails, so putting BRIGHT AND GLITTERY COLORS all over the place with over-the-top moe art and an internal monologue about how much this means to the pedophile does precious little to paint the situation in an even remotely justifiable light. All the series has to offer is “look at these two cute girls and how happy they look! Ignore the pedophilia, murder, and amnesia involved, along with all other context, because EVERYONE who tries to break them up is a bad person!” That’s about what this ‘sympathy’ comes down to. A lesser evil fallacy, an appeal to emotion, and an inductive fallacy(we’re asked to assume that everyone who could possibly have motive to separate the two main characters is bad because the series only shows us those who happen to be bad). Maybe I have no heart, or maybe the bright colorful just doesn’t do it for me, or whatever, but the characters were just so cartoonishly evil and one-dimensional, and the romance requires us to have the foresight, knowledge, attention span, and nuance of a damned goldfish to even begin to take seriously, let alone prioritize OVER the criminal protagonist getting what’s coming to her. No amount of flashy visuals are hilariously warped internal exposition is going to fix these. The show utterly fails at sympathy precisely because it tries too hard to make us sympathize with a situation at the expense of logic and morality. Any non-idiot with an at least basic control of emotions and understanding of right and wrong is going to be immune to the, frankly put, cheap tactics at play here.

[@sinkableruby7707]

THANK YOU. finally someone said it.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

julian12465 I think that’s the point. I think what Bryant is trying to put across is that the show is intentionally attempting to prove to us that by deftly using a choice amount of psychological trickery they can successfully make us feel even a twinge of sympathy for a violent, psychotic, sociopathic, kidnapper and child molester.

[@calvinwill1663]

I think the show isn't supposed to make you relate to the characters or justify the main character's actions: we know kidnapping a child and raising her in an isolated environment is wrong. To me, it's more of a story told from a villain's point of view to show how the villains think and why they think that way (sort of like Death Note with Light, but with an entirely different conflict).

[@mattherson7877]

@The One and Only Michael McCormick But Bryant also, perhaps unintentionally, broadly claims the show to demonstrate good writing. It does not. Happy Sugar Life demonstrates that it knows WHAT to do to portray a morally-ambiguous or evil character as a heroic protagonist - i.e. manipulating our frame of reference, both with regard to other characters (writing) and with regard to the general cheeriness of the atmosphere in each scene (directing) - but it also demonstrates that it has no idea HOW to do that competently. It is so shallow in its scripting and so hamfisted in its actual delivery that it evokes mostly bafflement or ridicule, if anything at all.

[@Quantumironturtle]

Two things: 1. You're skipping over the part where Shio would be actively worse off if not straight up dead anywhere else, and 2. People did fall for it. Lots of people. Whether that says the show is a lot smarter than you think or most of humanity is utterly beyond redemption I'll leave up to you. Hell, if I'd seen the bun scene out of context I would have thought those two were sisters, not kidnapper/rapist and victim.

[@tyriquesmith8850]

Yay! I'm so glad your back. No pressure, but i hope you get around to doing subs verses dubs again, I am so hyped :D

[@rachelsoika7367]

Something else that stands out to me that really wasn't talked about in the video is also how toxic the girls' relationship is, yet how almost nobody mentions it. Beyond just being a sociopath, Satou's inability to live without Shiho feels so romanticized, but, when taken under deeper consideration, again considering a gender flip, is so extremely toxic and obviously alludes to deeper troubles. It's just another social perception that feels so biased against many males and isn't often considered when looking at females or those who identify as such. It's also so vastly understated when it comes to any media regarding those who identify as LGBTQ+, and can feel very minimizing of those issues among nonhetero relationships. Regardless of my opinions, fantastic video. Hope you got to enjoy the newest MTG set release and aren't pushing yourself too hard for our sakes. Here's to a new video when you're able and a Hydroid Krasis in every pack!

[@shoanacharles5158]

This is the type of analysis I was looking for, you did such a great job

[@pansybunny5748]

I watched this video, then watched the anime and *holy shit.* This anime definitely manipulated me into rooting for Satou, I was conflicted throughout watching, but I still cried when she died because they were separated- which is insane! And really speaks to the quality of writing in this show! I *highly* recommend it, honestly.

[@serzikableyeah]

Aside from trying to dwell on double standards I really never saw what is this show good for. Apologising psychopaths because tough childhood is something edgy 15 yo kids do in true crime communities, wanting to date Columbine shooters. This show demonstrates that everyone minus one character is somehow insane and tries to show that Sato is the best option for Shio, but is she? Shio is 6 or 7 and "cute", would Sato be as protective and motherly and loving when this sweet girl child grows up? Or she is strangely fixated on "purity" and could only feel fulfilled around prepubescent kids. Plus she seemed to enjoy relationship with Shoko but as soon as she vaguely threatened Sato's obsession, she died in a minute so there is no promise that Shio would even be alive for too long if she stayed with her "protector".

[@diedatplainsight8947]

Basically you missed everything

[@lonelywolf5659]

@@diedatplainsight8947 that little girl would have turned out to be like those kids from Danganronpa another episode. Because the same thing happened to them they got whisked away by a good person and look what happened. The entire city is burning. Brainwashing other little kids into killing all adults and they killed their own parents with their parents deserve it. And putting the main characters family into a death game just to be like their older sister that save them and help them sounds about right to me.

[@diedatplainsight8947]

@@lonelywolf5659 Not really. The worst case would be Shio ended up being Sato. But that still wouldn't make her go around killing people randomly.

[@misheru-senpai1038]

Actually, I don't think it was "purity" that made Sato love Shio. I feel like it was that she was the only one who ever said that it was not love. She grew up with her aunt showing all different kinds of dark love, lust, violance, etc. She never actually felt love and tried to find it by going out with whoever comes along, telling her that they love her, but that didn't move her heart. When Shio told her that she only want her mother to be happy and that this wasn't love, I think her words were the first thing that moved her heart.

[@Wallie33.]

blade wind What are the odds. I recently been playing through all of the Danganronpa games and when I finished Ultra despair girls I literally thought the exact same thing you just said. The little girl in this anime could have been in a similar situation.

[@inventor4279]

"motherly love", where have i heard that one before......*chris hansen steps out of the kitchen*

[@gravethestampede3454]

It's kind of strange how you could say anyone in this series is worse than Satou when she's the only one who crosses the line into murder territory, but I get it. Her boss and teacher do reflect an ugly aspect of her character back at her except worse.

[@genzhours9466]

No joke, I thought that I was going to vomit when I saw Satou kiss Shio. That's pedophilia right there. It's not okay, regardless of gender or appearance.

[@dianalovesbagelss8029]

YES same and the fact that I still have heard people say "Satou is not a p3do" blows my mind

[@frisk8632]

@@dianalovesbagelss8029 she's not a Pedophile It's stated by the Creator that it's Family Love

[@dianalovesbagelss8029]

@@frisk8632 well then clearly the creator doesnt know what family love is because kissing a child on the lips and calling her your "true love" doesn't seem motherly

[@frisk8632]

@@dianalovesbagelss8029 @@dianalovesbagelss8029 in other Countries family members kiss eachother on the lips before As for True Love She meant as the only one who can bring her happiness She seems to think it's romance due to her physiology She in actuality just wanted someone to care for her In fact Satou doesn't even sexually love shio like Taiyo does And she admits herself that she was unclear of what is love

[@ccpmustfall6445]

@@dianalovesbagelss8029 Haven't you seen Biden kisses her granddaughter? Yeah please arrest him ffs lmao

[@cybersurgeon1261]

AAAHHHH YOU'RE MAKING VIDEOS AGAIN I'M SO HAPPY!

[@rweaby]

premiere is a garbage mechanic. love ya tho

[@limewatt]

i love your editing my dude! im fine with the premiere as i knew what anime you were going to cover and i could use the time to watch it. keep up the good work!

[@StrayPitboss]

5:56 = the editing I subscribed for in the first place. Edit: We're here to get your machinegun-insight and snappy editing, EP. Take the time you need and we'll be around whenever you are.

[@ajakjenggo659]

How to make the show be of less psychological horror: Satō calls the police on the artist instead of killing him, adopts Shio and goes to therapy.

[@wsphh2692]

satou actually looks really unsettling sometimes even when the animators arent trying to make her look unsettling

[@AnInkStick]

I remember watching an analysis of this that basically accused the show of being a fetishized relationship, to which I thought to myself, “you seriously looked at this and you saw fetish material? in that case, you really just exposed a lot about yourself.”

[@Oops-All-Ghosts]

Please don't scream "POP QUIZ" into my ears seconds after I turn on my computer, Bryant

[@TheHunter4065]

Hey man, all of your subscribers value the amount of time and effort you put into your videos. Just keep doing what you need to, we have your back all the way.

[@velveteensarchive3240]

I did not manage to feel any sympathy for Satou nor nearly any character other than, surprisingly, Taiyo. I knew what he began to do was wrong, but my heart ached when I thought of what he had to endure. It was such a strong conflict between the pre-set beliefs I had set in place. Simply said, he off put everything I knew to be “right” and “wrong”. His lust for someone underage naturally inched its way towards becoming illegal and spiraled into obsession quickly. He had never felt any attraction to someone very young until he was raped, giving him heavy ptsd alongside a fear of all older women. Even being touched by an older woman caused him to break out to the point of screaming. How could I not feel sympathy for him? He was entirely a normal, sweet boy and by something out of his control he turned into someone different. I thought about it more and even rooted for him in some parts of the series. I WANTED him to get better. You could argue that he was already gone the second he became obsessed with Shio, but he himself was about to change. Satou stepped in and she broke him even more. He was raped again to the point of possibly never being able to fully recover. How is one meant to not feel bad for him? If this were to happen to me, how can I ensure I wouldn’t do the same as him? Nowadays, it’s extremely hard for male assault victims to come out and share what happened to them thus I felt even worse for him. I really wanted him to be able to change and distance himself from Satou. As he reflected over everything he decided that he would give up on Shio and change. Though if you watched the series, you know this did not come true after he was heavily taunted and baited by Satou. I remember tearing up when Satou’s aunt raped him for the second time. Just the though is sickening that there are really such disgusting women/men out there who would rape a person. The series altogether was a very good watch. It met its goal of making the watcher conflict with what they thought previously, but the writers may not have realized that in their efforts of trying to make you root for Satou, there was another character that boggled ones mind even more. I still sympathize with Taiyo and can’t pretend that I didn’t cry when he was revealed to have survived the fire. Maybe now without Satou and knowledge of Shio living he can heal.

[@TheMANGADUDE2]

I really like your personality and I love your editing and video style, so honestly I don't mind the wait; you can take the time you feel you need in order for you to "self-improve".

[@adamblakeslee5301]

5:13 See, I get what you're trying to say but you used Alex Louis Armstrong's face. Alex Louis Armstrong was one of the most morally upstanding individuals I've ever seen so if he wanted to comb a girl's hair I'm inclined to believe that there was absolutely nothing sexual implied.

[@HeyItsNovalee]

you always right the best video essays I swear to god. not only was this extremely interesting and knowledgeable, but you handled the considerably delicate subject matter so well? I never once got the impression that you were excusing her actions, but simply studying the reason they somehow didn't seem so bad. I feel like that can be a difficult thing to do nowadays. It was also amazing to just be told exactly how I got roped into rooting for her lmao, like it splayed out exactly what I was feeling and WHY I was feeling them which was just so great. I love knowing why good writing works.

[@daanstrik4293]

Opinion you asked for: do whatever the f#ck you think is fun. If you have fun making the video it basically guarantees a good quality video.

[@Hollarite]

I am so glad I found this after watching Happy Sugar Life again.

[@intelligenceparadigm4931]

"other monstrous facsimiles" MITTY NOOOOOOOOOO

[@lemonboyuwu7379]

I was never really frustrated by the long waits between videos. What you bring to the table has a lot of depth and thought put behind in comparison to a lot of other youtubers - both in and out of the anime community. Though I totally understand the need for self-improvement! Often there are facets of ourselves that we wish were stronger in our personality and work ethics and I'm glad that you found something that you can focus your energy on. I, for one, will totally support you all the way!

[@mmm2121]

Satou's love with shio gives me a mother and daughter vibes, she doesn't love shio in a sexual way, but rather she wants to take care of her and provide her a safe and happy life

[@dianalovesbagelss8029]

The kiss scene though...and the wedding yeah very motherly

[@rachelgardnerray9977]

​@@dianalovesbagelss8029yes omg like wtf? It doesn't make a sense that mother an daughter would do this thing. They love each other but romantically not sexualy

[@limeyfigdet7460]

I love the editing in Explanation Point's videos, with the random but fitting pictures, ect.

[@orchididol]

this video makes me very happy ive watched it like 5 times

[@iroxudont]

WORTH THE WAIT

[@StUCaboose]

PLEASE do a video on Bunny Girl Senpai

[@mrbro6882]

StUCaboose he dropped the show after episode 1

[@shayusu8317]

@@mrbro6882 Really?

[@ErebosGR]

"Just watch Bakemonogatari." There's your video, done.

[@markbenjamin4467]

what is that show like ? only have phone should it be on a mid term bucket list or quick watch dumb fun style?

[@alec8485]

Mark Benjamin the general premise is interesting (but the explanation in the show for the supernatural stuff is kinda stupid), but the reason anyone is talking about the show is the top notch characters, their interactions and dialog and so on.

[@vienowo]

Finally- the video is here! Also I hope your mental health gets much better. Good luck!! Kudos to you-

[@blackheart5842]

Here is a little story: This video indirectly got me to watch Happy Sugar Life. Explanation Point finaly uploaded a new video after over 3 months. However it's an anime I have not watched yet, and I enjoy watching videos about anime I have seen more so I can compare opinions. I went and watched Happy Sugar Life so that I can enjoy this video to the fullest. The anime was a lot better than I expected though, I enjoyed watching it a lot.

[@lmaAsian]

LMAO that call out on NGNL and Eromanga. This is why I love you ExPoint.

[@TheArtistKnownAsNooblet]

4 days!? you tease

[@homulillyakemi9089]

dID YoU jUst cALL aSAHi uNNATRctive

[@thundernukeer]

1 video / month is fine by me, take your time and keep up the quality. Short 10 minutes (or less) video is ok too. Find the pace that doesn’t burn you out. It’s better when you are constant, it means you have a plan and we know when to expect your videos. And keep up the good work, will be waiting for the next video.

[@manikenwarrior]

i started watching happy sugar life a few months ago. It is the first anime Ive hand to drop not for being bad but because it couldnt stomach it

[@RedCloudfield]

dude all The comments are about The 4 days premiere thing? like, i know is kind off off-putting but... c'mon guys

[@thefinalstair]

I'm glad you're changing things up with the schedule! I enjoy your style and hope that this works well for you.

[@jessbian3385]

“Satuo is not a good person” > *Maga hat on Satuo model* *YES*

[@storba3860]

Orange Man bad.

[@nicolasmoncada1554]

It's been 85 years

[@brenndanmcdonaugh1672]

Damn I love your work, I don't care how often you post, just keep up the good work.

[@vacantile]

I was rooting for the brother the whole time. Was actually shocked when I found out people were on Satou’s side.

[@TamashiiDoku]

Hey man, sorry about to hear about your depression but i love watching your videos.