Little Snow Fairy Sugar (Episodes 10-12)

(Catch up on previous episodes here.)

When we last visited Saga and the season fairies, they had finally worked out their confrontations and had come to an understanding of how they could coexist. The tension that had existed between Saga and Sugar has finally disappeared. Though the tension between them made for a good plot, it's really nice to see them getting along. It's like when you have two good friends who are angry at each other. You just want to make up, but you know there is an understanding that must be reached. That's one of the things that I really appreciate about this show, the way it doesn't provide easy resolutions for its characters, especially Saga. It really makes her go through the painful process of growing up and making mistakes.

These three episodes all center around the visiting Hammond Theater Group and their play The Bear Pianist. The town is full of excitement over the performance, but their arrival also stirs many other emotions. After initially being taken with admiration by the bear's piano playing, Saga quickly becomes jealous. But her jealously is more of a confusion of emotions that she is unable to sort out. Her memories of her mother are all wrapped up in piano playing, memories she still has yet to deal with.

Over the course of the troupe's stay in the town, Saga develops an awkward relationship with Vincent, the actor who plays the bear pianist. She initially has a sort of crush on him, but grows frustrated when he plays the piano recklessly, which she equates to an insult of her mother's memory. But after he injures his hand, and asks her to fill in for him and play the music during the last performance, their bond grows stronger. So does her bond with Sugar, who is always supportive of her. Saga's playing inspires Sugar to play her flute, and she finally is able to make real snow. By the end of the twelfth episode, when Saga and Sugar are closer than ever, a flower has finally bloomed on Sugar's magical plant. This is such a great symbol for the power of friendship and how it nurtures each of the characters.