Sugar Princess Review: A Natural Skater Who Learns Figure Skating in a Day Partners with a Boy Who Needs Her to Compete
by Hisaya Nakajo
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Quick Take
- A short, warm sports romance that uses figure skating with genuine affection — the skating sequences are drawn with care and the Shun/Maya partnership develops sweetly in its brief run
- Nakajo's storytelling is efficient enough to establish a satisfying romance in 2 volumes
- 2 volumes complete in English; an excellent short complete series
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who want sports romance with figure skating in a very brief format
- Anyone interested in the natural-talent-discovers-sport premise in a genuine romance context
- Fans of Nakajo's Hana-Kimi who want another complete work
- Readers looking for the shortest possible complete sports romance
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: All Ages Content Warnings: Figure skating competition content; light sports romance; competition pressure
All ages — genuinely appropriate for any reader.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★☆☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★☆☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★☆☆ |
Story Overview
Maya Kurinoki visits a public ice rink and, after slipping, somehow performs a jump she has absolutely no training to execute. Shun Todo, an elite singles skater who has been looking for a pairs partner, sees her and immediately decides she is the partner he needs.
Maya agrees — partly because she's drawn in by the skating world she's seen for the first time, partly because Shun's commitment is compelling, and partly because the story needs her to.
The two volumes follow their training and early competition, with the romance developing as partners who must learn to trust each other physically and emotionally.
Characters
Maya Kurinoki — The natural talent whose joy in discovering skating is the series' warmest element; her lack of ego about her own ability makes her immediately likeable.
Shun Todo — The experienced skater who needs Maya and knows it; his partnership with her is more equal than typical sports mentor dynamics because she has something he can't replicate.
Art Style
Nakajo's art, developed in Hana-Kimi's long run, is clean and expressive with particular skill in conveying physical movement. The skating sequences benefit from this — the jumps and lifts are depicted with the visual clarity that requires understanding what the movement actually looks like.
Cultural Context
Sugar Princess is a brief side work by Nakajo between larger projects. Figure skating romance has a small but consistent tradition in shoujo manga — the combination of physical partnership, technical skill, and performance creates natural romantic tension that the genre uses well.
What I Love About It
Maya's joy at discovering she can do something she didn't know she could. The specific delight of natural ability encountering a world that was built for it — figure skating giving Maya a context for capability she didn't know she had — is the series' most genuine emotional content.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers describe Sugar Princess as a pleasant brief sports romance — specifically noted for the figure skating being taken more seriously than the premise might suggest, for the 2-volume format being complete rather than truncated, and for Nakajo's art handling the physical content well. Frequently recommended for readers who want a complete Nakajo work shorter than Hana-Kimi.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The first competition sequence where Maya and Shun perform together and the partnership becomes something they couldn't have done individually is the series' most complete moment.
Similar Manga
- Hana-Kimi — Nakajo's major work; sports romance in longer format
- Yuri on Ice — Figure skating as central content in adult romance
- Chihayafuru — Sports romance with similar emotional partnership core
- Baby Steps — Sports romance with natural talent premise in different sport
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1 — the two-volume series reads as a single complete work.
Official English Translation Status
VIZ Media has published the complete English series. Both volumes available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Complete in 2 volumes — minimal commitment
- Figure skating handled with genuine care
- Maya's joy in discovery is warm
- All ages rating
Cons
- Very brief — limited development
- Premise of natural instant ability requires suspension of disbelief
- Some may find it too light
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | VIZ Media; complete in 2 volumes |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get Sugar Princess Vol. 1 on Amazon →
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Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.