I was continuously reminded of Haruhi and Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club as I read Sugar Family. Haruhi is annoyed by Tamaki's constant talking and attachment to her as a surrogate father within the host club, acting quite indifferent when his feelings are hurt (though he is pretending, I think). Yuka and Taichi are almost the same excepting that they're sister and brother rather than daughter and father. Classmates even comment on Yuka's coldness towards her brother, which she ignores. It can be quite amusing at times.
Though even I was annoyed at the way her brother was acting so openly loving at school, it made their accidental romantic moments seem even more special. The large contrast upped the romance factor very well and made me ship them a ton. Heck, if I were Yuka I probably would have fallen for sensei as well. I suppose a few of them might have been cliche moments, but they still made my heart swell.
The reader is able to see Yuka's thoughts maturing as she grows into a better person because Sugar Family deals with a lot of themes: the slow realization that your life is now how it seems, that there are things that you might be stopping yourself from feeling without knowing it, and that there are people who think of you more often than you are aware of... I guess a lot of things can come to light when you meet the person who shows them to you.
I liked the artwork a lot. The men were definitely handsome and Yuka was pretty cute, too, though I might have thought that because Taichi kept saying so lol. The distant look in the characters' eyes made me think of the artwork in Ouran High School Host Club as well. Sometimes I wish they were more detailed, though. The clothes were drawn nicely, too. Overall it was quite pretty.
Despite how well this story progressed, I wished it were a little longer. Though the ending wasn't abrupt exactly, I thought more romance could have been added before the final scene. Of course, that just might be due to my love for shoujo.
