Sugar Sugar Rune

Did You Know?

• Hearts are representations of an emotion that can be extracted and crystallized by witches; capturing a human's heart dulls the emotion felt.
• An Anime News Network reviewer called the series 'the greatest fantasy comic of the last five years', praising its stylish art and epic conclusion.

Plot

In the Magical World, the next queen is decided by picking two young witches and sending them to the Human World to compete for the hearts of boys. The one who gathers the most by the contest's end wins the crown. This time, the candidates are best friends who couldn't be more different: Vanilla Mieux and Chocolat Meilleure. Vanilla is the current queen's daughter, while Chocolat is the daughter of the queen's former rival. They get help from their mentor, a pop idol witch named Rockin' Robin, and their animal companions, Blanca the mouse and Duke the frog. But the girls face more than just a schoolyard contest. A cool, mysterious middle school boy named Pierre looks just like the evil king Glace, and he seems to be targeting Chocolat. Stuck with their own new objectives, the two witches must struggle forward and protect a friendship that no magic can break.

Characters

Chocolat Meilleure, also called Chocolat Kato, is a high-energy girl with a strong will. Her closest friend is Vanilla, and her mother was the witch Cinnamon, who has since passed away. She has long orange hair, big emerald green eyes, and pointed ears. In the human world, boys tend to keep their distance because of her quick temper, so she is not as popular as Vanilla, though she does manage to become friends with them. Back in the Magical World, her lively and cheerful nature makes her very well-liked, and she finds the reversal of popularity between the two worlds upsetting at first. She is devoted to her friends and deeply caring, but she also has a proud and sometimes aggressive side. She has a secret crush on Pierre. Her familiar is a frog named Duke, who is lazy but very powerful. She lives with her grandfather, Corne, a strong wizard who shares Chocolat's dislike for Blanca. Over the course of the story, Chocolat and Pierre grow closer, and in the anime they exchange hearts and share their first kiss. In the anime, she loses the queen contest, but Vanilla gives up the throne, so Chocolat becomes queen. In the manga, she and Pierre disappear and lose their memories, only returning a few years later for Vanilla's coronation. Her theme color is pink.

Vanilla Mieux, also known as Vanilla Aisu, is a quiet and kind girl. She is best friends with Chocolat, her mother is Queen Candy, and her familiar is Blanca. She has short, curly blond hair, purple eyes, and pointed ears. Because she is compassionate, empathetic, and cute, human boys prefer her over Chocolat, which makes Chocolat think the Human World and the Magical World are opposites. In the Magical World, Vanilla was less popular than Chocolat because she is shy. She is more careful about her duties and more conscientious than Chocolat. Around the middle of the series, she starts feeling insecure and inferior to Chocolat, and Pierre tricks her into becoming the Ogre Princess, but Chocolat saves her. In the anime, Vanilla wins the crown but gives it to Chocolat. In the manga, she wins the right to be queen but refuses at first, only accepting the crown because Chocolat has gone missing. After Chocolat is found, Vanilla stays queen because Chocolat wishes it. She ends up with Houx. Her theme color is purple.

Media

The manga series Sugar Sugar Rune, spanning eight volumes, was created by Moyoco Anno as both writer and illustrator. Unlike the anime adaptation, which concluded before the manga finished its run in Nakayoshi, the original comic places greater focus on the conflict between witches and ogres. English-language publication began with Del Rey Manga, but Udon Entertainment now manages the rights. Studio Pierrot produced the 2005 anime television adaptation, directed by Matsushita Yukihiro. Reiko Yoshida handled the scripts, while Yasufumi Fukuda, Yutaka Minobe, Tomoko Sasaki, and Yasuharu Konishi composed the music—though only Konishi appears in the opening credits and staff list. The series aired on TV Tokyo from July 2, 2005, to June 24, 2006. Its opening theme is "Crazy for Chocolat" by Karia Nomoto. The first closing theme, used for the initial twenty-nine episodes, is "The World Beyond the Moon" by Nomoto, while the final twenty episodes feature "Date Date" performed by voice actresses Marika Matsumoto and Juri Ibata. For the franchise's twentieth anniversary, Studio Khara produced a CG short ONA titled Sugar Sugar Rune Les deux sorcières, directed and written by Yusuke Matsui. This prologue to the original manga debuted at Japan Expo 2025 before appearing on YouTube. At the same event, a separate new anime adaptation from the same studio and director was announced as in production.