Shitsuren Chocolatier

Shitsuren Chocolatier

Cover of the first volume of Shitsuren Chocolatier as published by Shogakukan
失恋ショコラティエ
(Shitsuren Shokoratie)
Genre Romance, slice of life
Manga
Written by Setona Mizushiro
Published by Shogakukan
Demographic Josei
Magazine Rinka
Flowers
Original run 2008 – ongoing
Volumes 9
Television drama
Directed by Matsuyama Hiroaki
Written by Setona Mizushiro
Music by Bittersweet by Arashi
Network Fuji TV
Original run January 13, 2014 – March 24, 2014
Episodes 11

Shitsuren Chocolatier (Japanese: 失恋ショコラティエ Hepburn: Shitsuren Shokoratie, trans. "Heartbroken Chocolatier") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Setona Mizushiro.[1] It was adapted into a Japanese television drama in January 2014.[2]

Plot

Sōta Koyurugi is the son of a baker who owns a cake shop. While a high school student, he fell in love with Saeko Takahashi, the most popular and beautiful girl and one year his senior. Saeko only dates handsome men with power, position and popularity in their school, so, being a rather quiet and pale in comparison boy, he chases her severtly from afar like a butterfly. He confesses to her one Christmas after she broke up with her boyfriend and they begin their relationship. Saeko has burning passion for chocolate, giving to Sota a box of famous French chocolate. Thus he decides to learn how to make smooth and delicious chocolate for especially her. However, the day before Valentine's Day, she refuses his box of home-made chocolate, saying that she has reconciled with her boyfriend and that they are now together once more. Heavy-hearted, Sota asks that Saeko get rid of his chocolate for him, since it is hurtful to throw away something you made for someone special, to which she agrees to his request and bids him farewell on a snowy evening. After the lost, Sota travels to France to be employed by a renowned brand of chocolate and continue chasing his "fairy". Five years later he returns to Japan, now having made a name for himself as a "Chocolate Prince", he takes over his family business and transforms it into an elegant chocolate shop. Saeko visits him again and he is determined to pursue her for many years even to come, irrespective of her cool and superficial marriage to a powerful man and many opinions from his peers and coworkers about his obsession and whether Saeko is, indeed, just playing around with Sota.

Characters

Sōta Koyurugi

Sōta Koyurugi is the main character in the story. After six years of training in France, Sōta Koyurugi comes back to Japan, and becomes the chef for his own chocolate store Choco La Vie. As he has not stopped loving Saeko, he still wants to get her attention with what he achieved, but Sōta Koyurugi never expected to find that Saeko Takahashi is getting married.[3] He is played by Jun Matsumoto in the drama.

Saeko Takahashi

Saeko Takahashi is the second main character, and she is the love life of Sota Koyurugi. When she was in the senior student in the same high school as Sota Koyurugi. At that time she used to date most of the handsome boys during her high school years. Saeko Takahashi is known to be interested in fashion, makeup, and chocolate. As Sōta Koyurugi she breaks his heart again by telling him that she is getting married to an older man who works for a publishing company. She asks Sota to make her wedding cake and desserts because of his reputation of making chocolate. Despite not displaying any romantic love towards him, she seems to continue to encourage Sota's desire and obsession, taking his unconditional love for granted and remains most possessive of him.[3] She is played by Satomi Ishihara in the drama.

Kaoruko Inoue

Kaoruko Inoue is one of the staff team workers, and the manager at the Choco La Vie. She has been working in the store since Sōta Koyurugi’s father was selling French pastries and cakes, before Sōta change it to a chocolate store. Also, when Sōta Koyurugi opens the store Choco La Vie, she gives many advices, but she also starts to develop an unrequited love to him.[3] She is played by Asami Mizukawa in the drama

Erena Kato

Erena Kato is a fashion model, she get to meet Sōta Koyurugi at a party. Then, she develops a strong friendship with him, they both relate to each other. Erena Kato has an unrequited love to another man, and Sōta Koyurugi’s unbreakable love to Saeko Takahashi.[3] She is played by Kiko Mizuhara in the drama.

Matsuri Koyurugi

Matsuri Koyurugi is Sōta Koyurugi's younger sister, and she is a university student at the same time she has a part-time job at Choco La Vie. Although, she is a modest and cheerful, but she is dating a boy. When Olivier Treluyer tells her about his feeling for her, she gets really surprised.[3] She is played by Kasumi Arimura in the drama.

Seinosuke Rikudo

Seinosuke Rikudo owns the store Chocolatier Ricdor, and it is known to be the Chocolate Nobel. He is also Sōta Koyurugi’s rival since they both in sweets businesses. Moreover, Seinosuke Rikudo is gay and has an unrequited love to Sōta Koyurugi.[3] He is played by Ryuta Sato in the drama.

Makoto Koyurugi

Makoto Koyurugi is Sōta Koyurugi's and Matsuri Koyurugi's father, and he is the original owner of his son’s store. The father uses to sell pastries in his store Tokio, but after Sōta returns from France to Japan, he gives him all the support by allowing him to redesign the store Tokio to Choco La Vie.[3] He is played by Naoto Takenaka in the drama.

Media

Manga

Shitsuren Chocolatier manga sold around 2.7 million copies. In 2008, Setona Mizushiro started to release in Rinka magazine, and then moved to Monthly Flowers. It is published in French by Kaze Manga and in Taiwan by Ever Glory Publishing.[4][5]

Volume list

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBN
1 January 9, 2009[6]ISBN 978-4-09-132260-9
2 December 10, 2009[7]ISBN 978-4-09-132824-3
3 December 10, 2010[8]ISBN 978-4-09-133464-0
4 November 10, 2011[9]ISBN 978-4-09-134114-3
5 May 10, 2012[10]ISBN 978-4-09-134469-4
6 January 10, 2013[11]ISBN 978-4-09-135055-8
7 September 10, 2013[12]ISBN 978-4-09-135465-5
8 May 9, 2014[13]ISBN 978-4-09-136114-1
9 February 10, 2015[14]ISBN 978-4-09-136804-1

Live-action

The adaption of the manage Shitsuren Chocolatier to a live-action was announced on 2013, and it was decided to premiere it on Fuji TV at 9:00 p.m. It started on January 13, 2014 until March 24, 2014.[15]

Episode ratings

Episode Original broadcast date Ratings (Kanto Region)[16]
01 13 January 2014 14.4%
02 20 January 2014 12.7%
03 27 January 2014 13.3%
04 3 February 2014 11.8%
05 10 February 2014 10.5%
06 17 February 2014 12.0%
07 24 February 2014 11.7%
08 3 March 2014 11.4%
09 10 March 2014 11.2%
10 17 March 2014 11.4%
11 24 March 2014 13.7%
Average 12.3%

Reception

The manga gained popularity, volume 5 sold 44,458 copies by May 13, 2012.[17] Also, volume 6 sold 70,521 copies by January 20, 2013[18] and volume 7 sold 58,118 copies by September 15, 2013.[19] In 2012, the manga won the Best Shōjo Manga in the 36th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards. Also, it was nominated for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2014.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "After School Nightmare's Mizushiro to Start New Manga". Anime News Network. November 29, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Un chocolatier de l'amour perdu Manga Gets Live-Action Show". Anime News Network. October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Official Shitsuren Chocolatier Character Chart" (in Japanese). Fuji Television. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Heartbroken Chocolatier" (in French). Manga News. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  5. ↑ 失戀巧克力職人 1 (in Chinese). Books.com.tw. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 1 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 2 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 3 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 4 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 5 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 6 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 7 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 9 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ 失恋ショコラティエ 9 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Arashi's Jun Matsumoto Stars in Un chocolatier de l'amour perdu Live-Action Series". Anime News Network. November 11, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  16. ↑ 2年ぶり松潤主演月9「失恋ショコラティエ」最終回は13・7％. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, May 7-13". Anime News Network. May 5, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 14-20". Anime News Network. January 23, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 9-15". Anime News Network. September 19, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Un chocolatier de l'amour perdu Manga to End in Next Volume". Anime News Network. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.

External links