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Love is scary.

This show reached me in a way I didn't expect. It was a very strange experience. Looking back, I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did.

Love is a popular phenomenon throughout the world. It's praised and glorified as a wonderful and beautiful thing. However, that's all it is...a thing. No one has a solid definition of what love actually is. We think we understand it, but we describe it in various ways, mostly related to feelings. Most of us can't come up with a concise statement that truly breaks down what love is; love is understood differently by everyone.

Because of ... this, love is kind of like an eldritch abomination. We don't really know what it is, but we definitely know how it makes us feel. Overwhelming passion. Adoration. Elation. Security. Possession. Obsession. Madness. So, so sweet...

The romance genre likes to portray love as a happy, pure, and fulfilling experience, but anyone who's experienced romantic feelings knows that there's a darker aspect to it. Jealousy. Insecurity. Heartbreak. Nausea. Abuse. Stalking. Being hurt by a person you love can lead to mental health issues, such as depression. It's not uncommon to hear of people committing suicide after a breakup.

It really is scary, isn't it? You get incredibly attached to that one person. They make the world around you glitter. Reality is spinning as you get closer to them. They consume all your thoughts. Every time you see them interacting with someone else, that person is just another obstacle to you. Competition. Seeing them look so happy together makes your skin crawl and your blood boil. It makes you want to vomit.

In Happy Sugar Life, the heroine, Satou, experiences this intense emotion after meeting a beautiful nymphet called Shio, who remarks that Satou's "jar" is empty but not broken, which represents her desire for meaning. Satou has never felt happiness this intense before, and she becomes intoxicated with it. She wants nothing more than to maintain this feeling she calls "love". As a result, she becomes insane and emotionally unstable.

It's important to note that every character in this show experiences something they call "love" in their own individual ways, and every single one of them becomes at least somewhat insane because of it. Their "love" is also always connected to some kind of pain or trauma. The objects of their affections reveal some aspects of their personalities and inner selves. For example, Satou was always aware that a feeling known as "love" existed, but she didn't understand it. She didn't understand happiness, kindness, or warmth. When she met Shio, it was like a blind person seeing colors for the first time, or a deaf person suddenly hearing music. Her attraction to a young child is morally objectionable to most people, but Satou only sees it as pure, beautiful, fulfilling, and sweet. In a way, her love of Shio is metaphorical: she's young and vulnerable, pure and inexperienced, beautiful and weak. She adores Shio like a lion adores an antelope; she sustains her in a way that nothing else can.

Love isn't necessarily what Satou and popular culture make it out to be. In the real world, love is conditional. Would your parents still love you if you weren't theirs? Why is it that people who are considered physically unattractive have difficulty in romance? Why do people who don't fit into social norms often end up bullied and friendless?

When you fall in love with a person, do you really love that person, or the image of them you created? Why is it that when we fall in love, we tend to focus on the positive aspects of our loved ones and ignore the negatives? Why do so many abused people repeatedly end up in more abusive relationships? Would you still love your partner if they became severely depressed, physically or mentally disabled, or old?

I can't offer any answers to these questions, but I hope Happy Sugar Life makes you want to answer them for yourself.

What is fiction? What is reality? At what point do these two worlds intersect?

On the outside, One Room's universe is pleasant: placid, reticent, and content. Disturbances, competition, and adventure are uncalled for here, as there is no need for them in this world. These suburbs are complacent and familiar; this world is built around your desire for external support and comfort. Your interests won't be challenged by the motives of others because this world was not created for them. Here, you are of utmost importance.

Of course, this aloof existence won't suffice for your other needs. Humans crave reinforcement in social institutions, or else they'll become ... lonely and miserable. What good are your world views if they aren't shared by others, no matter how blindly? What good are others if they don't satisfy you in some way? Luckily, you get to share this world with three attractive young girls. You're told that they all have lives beyond this world and have separate problems of their own, but does that really matter to you? Here, they exist purely to pacify your yearning for emotional and sexual fulfillment. You need not put any effort in yourself, nor do you need to return the favor. Who needs social skills when you already have an obscure likeness of a self-insert to respond to everything the girls say?

I don't know about you, but I can't hold up this facade any longer.

One Room was created under the vision of viewer immersion, but not only does this immersion require an intense amount of mental gymnastics, it also serves to do nothing more except to gratify the viewer. It's clearly an attempt at an escapist work, and escapism is by no means a good coping mechanism. Certainly, there are more harmful forms of escapism that exist, such as cutting and cocaine, but the one thing all these methods have in common is that they do not aid their practitioners in finding a solution to their problems. Ignoring the issue will not resolve it; rather, escapism seems to ensure that problems will only grow worse. The fact that One Room was made to promote this sort of mindset makes it innately harmful on an ideological level.

Even though it obviously is an escapist show, it isn't even good at what it wants to do. The very concept of an anime, a medium that does not use consumer input, based around using the viewer as a stand-in for the main character is absurd. Educational children's shows often use this because most children can't tell the difference between fiction and reality, but One Room targets older, more jaded viewers. It's a Machiavellian corporate scheme that manipulates the basest psychological drives of its viewers, all while treating them like children.

One Room also exploits the egos of its viewers by painting a world all about them, or as the synopsis says, all about "You". This setting is sickeningly picturesque, no everyday inconveniences occur, and all the characters are involved in conflicts that are solved merely by the MC's investment. The real world does not revolve around you. You must learn to work hard, to gain more knowledge, to take advantage of situations, and to grow as a person. One Room preys on egocentrism, laziness, and complacency; it's a universe based on a lack of self-awareness and bestial fantasies, where adaptation and evolution are eschewed. Even more disturbing is the fact that the entitlement brought by self-insertion is actually a delusion. The viewer has no influence over this fantasy. What they say to the girls has no bearing on what happens in the story because that road has already been mapped out. They cannot consent to anything, and they inadvertently submit to the will of the show's creators. The situations you experience and the endings you get will always be the same, no matter what you say or think. One Room's true nature is terrifyingly adversarial to the way it markets itself. Its romanticized shell contains an almost nihilistic display of determinism beneath.

Fiction is a fantastical, comforting ideal. Reality exists beyond the will; perhaps it is even subconscious. One Room allows these two worlds to intersect: a beautiful conception leads to a revelation of Freudian slips. Even so, many continue to consume this deceptive work. Perhaps that is the dystopian nightmare this show intends to create.

I’ll have to admit that the first time I watched Shelter, I was left with a feeling of confusion. At the time, I decided not to do too much in-depth research on the video since it was only six minutes long, but I did end up being exposed to multiple comments praising its depth and emotionality. I was quickly intrigued, but my curiosity only lead to me developing mixed feelings about this short after my first viewing. Originally, I had interpreted the plot of Shelter to be a metaphor for the pain and loneliness of growing up and letting go of prominent supportive figures, such ... as parents. However, when I went off to investigate further by reading the comments and discussions of other people who had seen the short, I was taken off guard by the fact that an overwhelming majority interpreted the plot literally. There were a lot of things left unexplained, so I figured that such exposition was left out purposely to promote a metaphor. Why is Rin the only person we know of being sent into space? Was she the only one? If so, why was she the only one? If Rin’s dad was capable of building an entire life-supporting space shuttle, did he share his knowledge with other scientists? If he didn’t, why not? Wouldn’t a lot more lives be saved that way? How did Rin stay alive for so long in the shuttle? Were other scientists building shuttles? Did anyone else besides Rin and her dad know that Rin was being sent off? What was the planet that was going to collide with Earth, and what caused it to do this? How long has humanity known that this was going to happen? Rin receives the email inside of the simulation, so does that mean she was only imagining making contact with her father? The more discussions I read and the more viewings of the video I had, the harder it became for me to justify Shelter as a metaphorical story.


This leads to one of my first problems with Shelter: too many aspects of the story are either overlooked or oversimplified. Of course, there’s only so much exposition a six minute music video can provide, but if that’s the case, then why include those kinds of details in the first place? Why base a plot off of a complex idea, such as the extinction of humankind due to a specific condition, if you don’t have enough time to properly develop this idea? Shelter tries its hardest to focus on a cute, simplistic story that doesn’t require a ton of explanation; however, it bites off more than it can chew when it shows the viewer several details that hint at a complicated backstory. Even worse, these details are only shown fleetingly in a short compilation, probably so the viewer’s attention will be directed to the video’s main course: Rin’s desolate, sadfic life.


From the very beginning of the video, which shows a scene of Rin drowning and sitting alone in bed while talking about how she isn’t lonely, it’s painfully obvious this video wants to convey a specific mood: depressing. Since it’s quite obvious this is a foreshadowing technique, the effect of the contrast between Rin’s adventures in the simulation and her heartbreaking memory sequence is weakened. If the video had a happier start, the impact of the memory sequence would’ve hit much harder.


The video goes on to Rin prancing around and having fun in her little tablet world, all while showing off some colorful visuals. These worlds don’t contain much meaning, and they are basically just pretty landscapes. It brings up the question of how this girl, who has lived in a space shuttle for seven years, is capable of creating such detailed scenery. The thing that really baffles me is why this goes on for half the video. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if the different worlds actually reflected Rin’s past life, or if some of the worlds resembled the ones in her memories, but they’re all just random, painting-esque locations. The fact that these shallow events could’ve been replaced with meaningful, reflective scenes, and weren’t, makes it harder for me to take this video seriously.


Eventually, a bit of change occurs when Rin touches the swing, and we get a brief shot of a man looking at her. She continues her adventures, except she now wears a more downhearted expression. This is honestly my favorite part of the video, as the worlds shown have more depth to them. Their colors are a bit faded out, and there is less movement, setting a more melancholic tone. This creates a decent amount of buildup for the scenes to come, which I really appreciate. The biggest flaw with this section is the swing itself: it is not explained how it got there. We are shown that Rin draws every aspect of the landscapes on her tablet, but we do not see her draw the swing. It randomly appears one day, and touching it triggers a pinprick of remembrance. It appears out of pure convenience instead out of Rin’s influence. If Rin herself had drawn the swing into existence, we would see that her subconscious has some influence over her creations, which provides some interesting food for thought: how much of her worlds are influenced by memories? Would there have been a little more meaning behind the worlds at the beginning?


Finally, we arrive at the part where the story is arguably the most important aspect. Unfortunately, this is also the most poorly-presented part of the video. Rin’s life story is rammed down the viewer’s throat in a string of cherry-picked memories. Each memory only lasts a few seconds, and they all revolve around Rin and her father. Sure, they are bittersweet and provoke a keen sense of loneliness, but what’s the point? Why do we need to see so many of them? It’s not like any of them are particularly special, impactful, or have influenced the plot/setting, with the exception of space shuttle and colliding planet memories. Even so, the expositional memories don’t add much, as they appear for a very brief amount of time before they are quickly put aside for some more unmemorable father-daughter interactions. The thing is, most of these memories are banal, and they only reinforce the idea that Rin used to live a happy, normal life with her father over and over again. There is nothing unique about their relationship other than the fact that they’re experiencing the apocalypse together; even so, there is no depth or development that comes about from this event. We don’t see them struggling with the realization that the world is ending. We don’t see them finding strength in one another, giving them the resolve to accept their situation and to adapt accordingly. All we are given is a generic assortment of cheerful memories that could be seen in any parent-child relationship.


Instead of forcing in as many inconsequential, conventional memories as possible, why not focus on a few memories, develop them, make them relevant to the plot, and have them establish a firm connection between the two characters all at once? Not only would their relationship be more special, but it would also leave more room for exposition and character development.


It’s difficult for me to see Rin’s father as a meaningful character. His entire point seems to be less about being a human being and more of an emotional crutch for Rin. His only defining trait is that he loves his daughter so much that he builds an entire life-supporting space shuttle for her. He is never seen reacting to the end of the world on his own accord, and all his emotions are tied to Rin. He wears the same empty smile throughout every single one of his appearances. While his treatment is somewhat understandable in the sense that the story is told from Rin’s point of view, it’s hard to deny that he only exists to disappear so Rin can be sad and lonely.






Rin herself is just as unremarkable as her dad. Her emotional reactions are basic and predictable as it would be in any random person: she has a good childhood, she has plenty of fun in the simulation, she’s depressed because she’s alone. Loneliness is a universal experience that results from a lack of sufficient social connections; as such, it is easy to relate to. Excuse me for the blatant stereotyping, but loneliness is pretty common in the anime community; it’s not hard to find an otaku that finds meaning in favoring their shows over social interaction. Rin also does not develop as a character that much. Her inner thoughts are not explored very deeply, and as such, there is little evidence that suggests she is capable of resembling the individuality of a real human. I believe that this is why she appeals to so many people: since she is interchangeable with any nameless, faceless depressed child, it’s very easy to compare one’s own feelings with hers. An interesting note about the nature of compassion is that we need to be similar to someone in some way to understand how they feel, and Shelter utilizes this by presenting an undistinguished character built around a powerful, commonplace desire for acceptance. It kind of resembles the way people subconsciously self-insert themselves into the position of a generic male protagonist of a harem anime, except with the goal of social rather than sexual fulfillment.


Several reviewers have brought up a point which I find very interesting, but also easily misunderstood: Rin is especially appealing because she is a cute girl. These reviewers aren’t saying that it’s bad to include cute characters. It’s more like watching a puppy being stomped to death or a commercial about starving African children. Puppies and children are similar in the sense that they exhibit traits that tend to provoke associations with cuteness: large eyes, big heads, and smallness. It’s no coincidence that the designs of many anime characters happen to reflect these traits as well. Attractive character designs is an essential part of making a show sell well, because just like in real life, people make judgments based on appearance. However, because Rin is such a run-of-the-mill character, it can be said that her cuteness is her primary charm. That puppy and those African children aren’t particularly unique and could be replaced with any other puppy or starving child, but it pains us to see them in unfortunate situations because we associate them with fond feelings. We probably wouldn’t be as offended if it were a giant cockroach being stomped on, and harming adults generally doesn’t have the same effect as harming kids. Because Rin is so cute, and since humans tend to associate attractiveness with likeable characteristics, we feel more inclined to invest emotional resources into her. The bulk of those reviewers’ arguments revolve around the idea that Rin’s attractive design makes her flat, empty personality harder to notice. As such, this causes her to be a “shallow” character. Would people be as strongly affected if Rin were a fat, balding, middle-age man?


The execution of Shelter’s story fails to give it merit. The tales of humans experiencing the apocalypse and a parent demonstrating unconditional love for their child are far from original. However, due to the limits of human creativity, the originality of a story is dependent on the way ideas are presented rather than the ideas themselves. As illustrated beforehand, there is nothing unique or truly substantial in the relationship between Rin and her dad, and the apocalypse subplot is barely given any attention, leaving Shelter with an overall very bland, uninspired feel.


If there’s one thing people like to praise in this video, it’s the art and animation. It’s not difficult to comprehend why. In the anime community, there seems to be a very pervasive bias which promotes the belief that bright colors=good art. Since humans are visual creatures, we tend to make emotional judgments based on color. Bright colors are highly marketable and popular because they stand out more, making a work seem more intense or emotional. Because its use of colors is based on a standard marketing tactic, I can’t really find any reason to call Shelter’s art “good”. “Visually-appealing” is a more accurate term. I feel that the bright artwork only flows well with the first half of the video, as bright colors are often associated with an optimistic mood. The character design is also rather uninventive, using the generic anime girl look and the generic everyday guy design. Neither of these configurations grant a sense of individuality to the art style, nor do they properly reflect the depth of the plot or thematic elements very well, letting Shelter easily blend in with every other aesthetically-unimaginative anime out there.


I have mixed feelings about the animation. While I appreciate all the detail put into every frame, the creative presentation of the different simulation environments, and the decent usage of CGI, what really irks me is the execution. The animation itself is really choppy, making it feel like some frames are being skipped, and the body movements seem somewhat exaggerated. While such movements can make a scene feel more emotional, they can ruin the fluidity and total smoothness of the art. Admittedly, these aren’t massive problems, it’s just that I feel they could use some technical improvement.


Since Shelter is a music video, it stands to reason that the music would prove to play an indispensable role in the video’s production. But Shelter functions as a storytelling video as well as a music video, therefore placing a larger burden on the creators to produce both a musically and narratively sound piece. The song lyrics were okay, as they managed to reflect a recurrent theme of loneliness and longing that was fitting for the story, but they were a bit repetitive in their writing style, and the word choices used felt quite simplistic. This helps form a specific atmosphere of a driveling universe in which one finds comfort in monotony. While one could argue that Rin has the power to draw up a new, exciting world every day, these worlds undoubtedly lack substance beyond their physical appearances. As such, the insistent nature of the song coupled with opposing lyrics that suggest sentimental depth provokes a haunting sense of desolation, even during the upbeat segments. However, the composition itself is lacking due to this usage of repeatedness. Its lively feel, which was built up by vivacious singing, confident and exciting beats, and the application of a major scale, carried over to the somber bits of the video. This absence of mood change causes the melodrama of the video to fall flat, effectively destroying any chance for the music to compensate for the emotional intensity the story failed to account for.


Shelter suggests the implementation of many themes from its narrative, but it doesn’t present any of them in a cogent manner. The most obvious theme is the notion of deriving strength from memories, as it is directly mentioned by Rin towards the end. The idea itself had plenty of potential; it is said that the entire basis for identity, and perhaps even the entire human reality, is elaborated by memories. The human brain works in a manner that maximizes efficiency, and information is stored through simplification, rote learning, and emotional significance. Undoubtedly, even the most minor of memories leave a sizeable footprint on our behavioral routines, especially traumatic ones, as revealed by several years of research in mental illness. Shelter’s use of the memory in which Rin’s father sends her into space is a highly important plot point, and seeing Rin reflect on her past offers a good amount of support for the thematic climax. Despite all this buildup, the climax is represented with Rin claiming that her pain and suffering allows her to become “stronger” as she sits and cries in some simulated grass. Her statements are all well and good, but as they say, easier said than done, right? We are never shown any footage of Rin actively being strengthened, nor do we see her method of converting trauma into tenacity. Instead, we get a short scene of her real body cooped up in the shuttle. She is apparently in a coma.


My initial reaction to this was dealt with bewilderment: is this some kind of joke? The impact of Rin’s conviction were suddenly downplayed by the imagery of her lying helplessly unconscious in the vacuum that is the real world. It’s likely that this scene was made with the intention of summoning sympathy, but it came off more as a ridicule of Rin’s words. I’m not opposed to cynical themes, but this scene ultimately takes away from the uplifting message the video was trying to depict.


It’s difficult for me to call Shelter “good” in an artistic context. It’s definitely a good product; the bright visuals, peppy EDM track, and the emotional appeals make it very marketable. As such, its reasons for becoming so popular are not complicated, so it’s safe to say that it will provide an enjoyable experience for those who don’t think about it too much. To be honest, I didn’t have a bad time while watching it; rather, I found myself easily entertained by the quick scenes and active animation. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by its attempts at storytelling, though. I wasn’t engaged in the relationship between the characters, so I certainly wasn’t moved by the big reveal.


I’ve seen many people bring up the argument that Shelter’s length requires reviewers to ease up on its story and characters. It’s only 6 minutes long, so why make such a big deal out of it?


Exactly. Shelter is only six minutes long, and it was unable to develop any sort of caliber in its characters or story within this timeframe. So why make such a big deal out of it? What’s the point of granting so much positive attention to it by describing it with terms such as “masterpiece” and “beautiful”? Why is this argument only brought up in response to negative reviews? Why not go tell all those Shelter lovers to spend their time on a longer, more efficient show instead of wasting it on a mere attempt at meaningfulness?


The truth is, the strength of art is not limited to length. Any good writer knows how long their story needs to be, and six minutes wasn’t enough for Shelter’s agenda. What could’ve been a simple tale about the power of familial love was bogged down by a sci-fi setup and a lack of focus. It replaces these basic artistic elements with common marketing tactics and the illusion of a pertinent story. It fails to utilize what little moments of integrity it has to full effect, leaving the rest to decay into hollowness. This isn’t to say that music videos can’t tell decent stories or portray powerful themes. Airy Me, Kanamewo, MeMeMe, and Furiko are prominent examples that come to mind. The real question is why Shelter did not draw upon the successes of these works to improve itself. Hopefully, I provided a comprehensible answer in this review.


TOTALS:
Story-1.5/5
Originality-⅕
Characters-⅕
Art-2.5/5
Animation-⅗
Sound-2.5/5
Thematic Exploration-⅖
Enjoyment-⅗
FINAL SCORE: 0.4125 = 4/10