Shitsuren Chocolatier

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 in school 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 chased after her 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 a passion for chocolate and gives a box of famous French chocolates to Sota. Thus he decides to learn how to make smooth and delicious chocolate especially for her. However, the day before Valentine's Day, she refuses his box of home-made chocolates, saying that she has reconciled with her boyfriend and that they are now together once more. Heavy-hearted, Sota asks Saeko to get rid of his chocolate for him, since it is painful to throw away something he made for someone special, to which she agrees and bids him farewell on a snowy evening. After the loss, Sota travels to France to be employed by a renowned brand of chocolate and continues 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 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.

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. He is played by Jun Matsumoto in the drama.

Saeko Takahashi

Saeko Takahashi is the second main character, and she is the love interest of Sota Koyurugi. When she was a senior student in the same high school as Sota Koyurugi, she used to date only the handsome boys. Saeko Takahashi is known to be interested in fashion, makeup, and chocolate. When she meets Sōta Koyurugi again, she breaks his heart 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 she wants to sound out Sota's love to her. 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 possessive of him. She is played by Satomi Ishihara in the drama.

Kaoruko Inoue

Kaoruko Inoue is a member of the staff 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 changed it into a chocolate store. When Sōta Koyurugi opens the store Choco La Vie, she gives a lot of advice and starts to develop an unrequited love to him. She is played by Asami Mizukawa in the drama

Erena Kato

Erena Kato is a fashion model. She meets Sōta Koyurugi at a party and they develop a strong friendship. They both relate to each other as Erena Kato also has an unrequited love. 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 and a part-timer at Choco La Vie. Although, she is a modest and cheerful person, she is dating her friend's boyfriend. When Olivier Treluyer tells her about his feelings for her, she gets really surprised. 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 Sōta Koyurugi's business rival, but at the same time is secretly in love with him. 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. He used 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 into Choco La Vie. He is played by Naoto Takenaka in the drama.

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. The series ended after nine volumes.

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 pm. It started on January 13, 2014 until March 24, 2014.

Reception

The manga gained popularity, volume 5 sold 44,458 copies by May 13, 2012. Also, volume 6 sold 70,521 copies by January 20, 2013 and volume 7 sold 58,118 copies by September 15, 2013. 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.