The main cast, minus Daisy and Abbey, on vacation.

Quite possibly the ultimate Will They or Won't They?, Bittersweet Candy Bowl is a webcomic by Taeshi. It follows a group of feline friends through middle and high school, focusing primarily on a pretty, white-colored Tsundere called Lucy, and her ongoing crush/rivalry with Nice Guy Mike. Also featured are Love Triangles (actually, a developing Love Dodecahedron) among the resident Jerk with a Heart of Gold Paulo, cheery Teen Genius Daisy, Token Older Girl Tessa, Cloudcuckoolander David, and Abbey, Daisy's now boyfriend with a troubled past. And now there are three new girls added to the cast. They are Jessica, a strong-willed cheerleader who has a fancy for Lucy and hates/dislikes Tess, Rachel, a cheerful girl who's also a cheerleader and also holds a grudge against Tess, and Jasmine, Paulo's new girlfriend.

A deep sufferer of Cerebus Syndrome, Bittersweet Candy Bowl started off almost entirely lighthearted but delved into heavy drama as the characters moved to high school — there are still jokes, though they are increasingly rare.

The series makes use of anthropomorphic cats, dogs, and birds, but these are derived more from the Funny Animals trope than any serious links to whatever classifies as a true Furry Comic. The characters were developed when the author was young and presumably unaware of the Furry Fandom. The comic is an ongoing serial, and is published three times a week.

Often in a Top Webcomics vote drive. The comics used as incentives can be seen in their entirety by joining BCI (Bittersweet Club International).

Be warned: this comic has been known to cause an unreasonable amount of tears for insufficiently understood reasons.

Also check out the comic's Tumblr account.

Tropes used in Bittersweet Candy Bowl include:
  • Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Mike does not appreciate being told this by his friends when they try to get him to accept Lucy's confession despite already being in a Long-Distance Relationship.
  • Abuse Is Okay When Its Female On Male: Played painfully straight for the first half of the comic. Deconstructed later on, when Mike snaps at Lucy.
  • All Just a Dream: The chapter "Wonderland". Lucy "wakes up" at the beginning of the chapter and the chapter before it was an April Fool's comic, making it all just a dream as well.
    • Chapter 59 was All Just A Daydream. Paulo's. Best. Daydream. Ever.
  • All Love Is Unrequited: BCB has a chronic case of this. Almost every character in the cast suffers from this trope at some point.
    • Sometimes repeatedly.
  • Alpha Bitch: Katherine Katie
  • Alternate Universe: According to the commentary, the chapter "Another Path" was originally intended to be set in an alternate universe where Paulo had sex with Lucy during her mental breakdown in "Another Shoulder". The final version has it as a daydream of Paulo's.
  • Ambiguously Bi: David adores Abbey according to the chart. And this or this makes it seem that David likes touching Abbey while having fun.
    • Now according to the new chart, he also adores Augustus.
  • Anchored Ship: One way to see Mike and Lucy ever getting together.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love: Lucy's rejected confession of love to Michael in "A Distance Apart".
  • April Fools' Day:
  • Archive Trawl: One of the more effective ways to confirm details in any situation. The chapter descriptions can help when hunting down a page.
  • Art Evolution: The comic started off on lined paper in a simple grid style to ensure proper panelling with toning and everything.
  • Attempted Rape: The mugger on Lucy in the Confrontation arc.
    • Final Fantasy Cat looked like he was about to do this to Daisy, but Abbey intervened, though it turns out he most-likely wouldn't have gone through with it. If that was the plan at all.
  • Ax Crazy: Non-canon incentive arc Disaster Dominoes' Kizuna was this.
  • A Date with Rosie Palms: Carter at the end of Box of Tricks.
  • Barbie Doll Anatomy: Half of the cast walk around in the nude!
    • ...and then for some reason seem embarrassed by Wardrobe Malfunctions.
      • Early on, Paulo was shown to be cheating with pockets. Taeshi doesn't have confidence in drawing clothes much.
      • It's pretty clear that those wearing clothes and showing things they shouldn't is a turn-on.
    • The About page addresses this.
  • Bastard Boyfriend: Abbey in Disaster Dominoes. The Conflicted type, based on how things were.
  • Beach Arc: The summer vacation arc.
  • BST:
    • Mike and Lucy are fairly excellent examples of this.
    • Paulo and Lucy; Paulo and Tess.
    • UST: Which may well be what happened to certain people's interactions.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Don't abuse/insult a girl in front of Abbey, unless you want a face full of fists.
      • If the Confrontation chapter was any indication, Mike can be this way.
    • Don't be too flirty about Mike near Lucy. Or too flirty with Lucy, for that mattter. And expect violence from her if you've hit her.
    • This could be a bad sign.
    • Jessica hates it when called out about how she bullies Tess, which led to another button being pressed... Tess pretty much just takes it.
  • Beta Couple: Abbey and Daisy's more or less drama-free relationship, which tends to take a backseat to the drama-filled relationships of other primary characters.
  • Beyond the Impossible:
    • "SUPERRRR PANELLLL TELEPORT!"
    • Daisy has 18 extra-curricular activities. While being an "A" student with a schedule of Honors courses. And still has time for her boyfriend and other friends.
  • Big Bad: Most certainly Alejandro. His manipulations led to Paulo's jerk mentality, Paulo's phobia of barking, Confrontation in general, and he's being worked for by Augustus. He also remembers his grudge against Mike and Lucy.
    • Some keen-eyed forum users suggest he was the one who date-raped Tess when she was a freshman.
  • Big Fancy House: Tessa lives in one. Mike and Lucy are suitably impressed.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Sam, here.
  • Big "What?": Paulo, for a page and followed shortly by a Little What.
  • Birds of a Feather: Abbey and Daisy, to some extent.
  • Bi the Way: Apparently, Jessica goes both ways and fancies Lucy. Who knew?
  • Black Humor: Happy Mother's Day! See the first comment.
  • Blank White Eyes: Everyone has done it at least once. David may as well have it as his default expression.
  • Blatant Lies

Peddler: ...made exclusively in Paris! (He made it with the contents of a trashcan. In front of them.)
Lucy: "It doesn't upset me"
David: "That's perfect for capturing her!! I mean..."
David: I'm menstruating.

David & Lucy: Shake things up with Sue?
McCain: We tried that. Didn't test too well.

Liam: I'll wait for you.
Lucy: Please don't. You deserve someone a million times better.

Kidnapper: Oh yes. I've got you now! PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER!
Molly: No I'm not.
K: You can't fool me, child...
M: Isn't the president a dog?

Daisy: Umm, guys... I think you're going to kill him...
Mike and Lucy: NO WE'RE NOT!
    • Here and a few less-impressive ones two pages later.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
  • The Quiet One: Amaya and Alec.
  • Rant-Inducing Slight: When Daisy tells Jess to lighten up about Tess, Jess basically explodes and gives a tirade that amounts to, "You know what? You weren't there, you have no idea what I went through because of her so SHUT UP!!" Naturally, Daisy didn't take it well.
  • Rape as Drama: Alejandro intended to do this to Lucy. Augustus intended it for Daisy after breaking her down. The latter one was mentioned here later.
  • Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: A fair chunk of the fandom will hate any attempted rapists instantly.
  • Really Gets Around: Popularly believed to be Jessica. Averted, though, by Pillow Talk. Rachel,on the other hand...
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In "December", Mike nastily picks apart how he percieves Lucy's character.
  • Reformed but Rejected: "Pillow Talk" reveals the old Tess was quite the nasty piece of work. Small wonder she's had trouble getting others to accept her...
  • Relationship Reboot: Mike had minimal contact with Sandy for years. Abbey and Daisy were classmates, friends, and True Companions before becoming a couple.
  • Relationship Upgrade: Subverted: More like a relationship downgrade in Lucy's case...
  • Replacement Goldfish: Lucy on both sides of it.
  • The Reveal: Finally, we learn the true reason why Jessica hates Tess.
  • Rich Bitch: Tess was one in the past. Still rich, not so bitchy now.
  • Romance Novel: Jasmine's interest in Twilight.
  • Rousing Speech: Abbey gives a big one.
  • Rule of Drama: Often in effect and a driving force of the comic, along with Character Development.
  • Running Gag: "Hi, I'm Daisy!"
  • Sanity Slippage: In Disaster Dominoes, Kizuna was losing it. Daisy and Lucy didn't look any better either.
  • Say It with Hearts: Personally, I think you get it.
  • Scars Are Forever:
    • Final Fantasy Cat has a scar he tries to cover up with his hair.
    • Kizuna has one on her left arm. She begins to explain, but then David cuts her off and we never hear how she got it. [5]
    • Out of Focus, but Alejandro got a scar from his old girlfriend. It's one of his defining appearance details.
  • Senseless Sacrifice: Mike ended up drunk and multiple others and Mike took a beating over the money Mike won, which the main cast believed they'd need to get a ride home. Then Sue's mom drove them home.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: While already pretty, the prom/carnival night Daisy and Tess were gorgeous.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: Mike toward Lucy around the start of the comic. Paulo and Tessa as well.
  • Ship Tease: Sue's example in Doesn't Know Her Own Strength, post crushing Mike, looks rather sweet.
  • Shipper on Deck:
    • David wants Paulo and Daisy to end up together, whereas Tessa and Abbey question Mike's relationship with Sandy when they would prefer him to be with Lucy.
    • Also the pets, who continually make allusions to the attraction between Lucy and Mike, are actively belligerent to anyone else who likes Mike (at least, Yashy is), and, well... this.
    • I say this shows they were right.
    • David in chapter 45 for Paulo.
    • The artist did the appropriately named Shipper On Deck. This may well explain where Liam popping up came from.
    • Sue got Lucy and Mike into the lead roles of her play, making them have to be near each other...
  • Schoolgirl Rival: Lucy toward Mike.
  • Self-Insert Fic: Said that Lucy may be Taeshi's self insert here.
  • Sex Is Evil: The main teacher from middle school was some kind of Sex Knight Templar.
  • Shout-Out: Pokémon, Di Gi Charat, and Phoenix Wright references are scattered all throughout the comic.
  • Shrinking Violet: Lucy, due to her Friendless Background, usually keeps others at arm's-length with a Jerkass Facade.
  • Sickeningly Sweethearts:
  • Significant Birth Date: The Flower Girl was born on March 27, when Yukio Ozaki donated cherry trees to Washington D.C.
    • Molly was born on Children's Day in Japan.
    • Augustus was born on October 1st, which is the day 4chan was founded.
      • RULES ONE AND TWO
      • Which, of course, haven't actually been broken yet.
  • Single-Target Sexuality:
    • Abbey only likes Daisy, unlike everyone else who have various crushes and attractions. Abbey and Augustus can't stand each other, but both are the same way over the same girl.
      • For Augustus, may' be Jossed eventually, based on this hint at future events.
    • CARTER LOVES LUCY
    • Kizuna only showed romantic interest in David.
  • Slasher Smile: And then there was barking...
  • Sleep Cute: D'awwww! Also a Tear Jerker.
  • Smooch of Victory: The end of "Confrontation".
    • Sadly, Lucy's Tsundere-ism probably led to how things are now.
  • Smug Snake: Augustus has tried to be the Manipulative Bastard, though these friends do talk.
  • Squee: Abbey's stress ball, though his facial expression is anything-but. Actually, going by page comments, panel 7 makes some people want to love him. And others just find it hilarious.
  • Stage Mom: Sandy's mom wants her to be a model.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Carter (to Lucy), Kizuna (to David), David (to the flower girl).
    • Debatably, Daisy used to be this to Mike. She, seemingly like David and Paulo, who said they were stalking Lucy, would pop up for no adequately explained reason constantly. Even so, she was usually not annoying about it.
    • And then there was Final Fantasy Cat to Daisy...
  • Status Quo Is God: 'Shake things up with Sue' campaign was being troubled by people wanting unrealistic things, rather than Sue and Alec's realistic goals. The point of the idea was to not just get some random popular kid in office. Silly Sue, realistic policies? Nobody is gonna vote for those!
  • Stealth Pun: What David sees most innuendo as.
  • Stepford Smiler: Molly at times.
  • Stereotype Gay: Carson.
  • Stock Phrases: "Oh, Carson! What'll I ever do with you!" He answered.
  • Stupid Sexy Paulo: Mike's dream during the vacation. He was less than happy. He also looks really good in clothes.
  • Sunglasses at Night: Not shown yet, but Alec is ONLY seen wearing them.
  • Technicolor Eyes
  • Teen Genius: Daisy, to the point that she tutored Tessa, who is two years above her.
    • Sue, as Paulo said, is "...too smart for me. The annoying kind of smart...", suggesting she is probably one too. That gets mentioned in Confrontation, too. She is smart, but may be outclassed by Daisy. Chapter 62 has more on this.
  • Tertiary Sexual Characteristics:
    • What Lucy's bow originally was. It's not necessary anymore, but it's her bow.
    • Eyelashes
  • Third Option Love Interest: As Lucy and Tess struggle over their feelings for Paulo, he finally chooses... the freshman Jasmine, introduced completely out of nowhere!
  • The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: The sex teacher.
  • Through a Face Full of Fur: This really helps with attraction hints.
  • Time Skip: In "Another Path", the daydream chapter.
  • Together in Death: In Disaster Dominoes, shortly after Mike is killed, Lucy jumps from the roof of the school to join him.
  • Tomboy: So much so that Lucy didn't get along well with girls in elementary school and only wanted to play with cars.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Lucy and Daisy respectively.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Mike temporarily during the Confrontation chapter while he was drunk.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Many view Mike as this after Lucy confessed her love to him.
    • Anyone who still thinks Mike hasn't taken several levels in Jerkass clearly hasn't read these recent comics.
  • Tsundere: Lucy
    • According to Word of God, this trope is being deconstructed as Mike has finally had enough of being abused and basically ended their friendship in 'December'.
  • Troubled but Cute: Lucy and Tess.
  • True Companions: Lucy, Mike, Paulo, David, and Daisy made the original five before Tessa and Abbey showed up in high school. Shortly after most of the main cast's Sophomore year begins, Jasmine comes into the picture. She is working towards potentially being a member.
  • Turn Out Like His Father: Augustus (Final Fantasy Cat) beat Abbey by implying this, but then lost since he couldn't hope to be close to Daisy afterward.
    • Disaster Dominoes' Abbey was a less than good boyfriend...
  • T-Word Euphemism: After Kizuna was inelegantly booted from the comic, the forum's swear filter was used in reverse on her name, to discourage further discussion of the character. When she has to be mentioned, it's usually as K-Dog.
    • Trying to post her name on the actual forums gets it changed to "getting fucked in the ass". Yes, really.
  • Two-Teacher School: There are several "repeat teachers" since high school.
  • Under the Mistletoe: Tessa and Paulo.
  • The Unfair Sex: When Mike first revealed he had a longtime crush on Sandy, he was immediately accused of 'cheating' on Lucy and suffered several Amusing Injuries at the hands of 'angry feminists'. This happened again at the end of "Left Behind", with Paulo teasing Mike about -- GASP -- talking to Tess and calling a 'crazy feminist SWAT team' down on him. Has since been deconstructed in that the utter Lack of Empathy Mike has gotten from his friends after rejecting Lucy's confession because he was already in a Long-Distance Relationship with Sandy only seems to be hardening his heart further.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Lucy to some extent, but especially Daisy.
    • Based on chapter 59, Paulo has elements of this.
    • Lucy in Pillow Talk seems to feel this way more than ever.
  • Unrequited Love Switcheroo: And how!
  • Valley Girl: Katie and Stacy. Subverted with Stacy, since she's very skilled with the written word in spite of how she talks.
  • Victim Falls For Rapist: Most likely what Augustus had in mind.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Mike and Lucy. Type 2. Originally.
    • Mike and Paulo at times. Also type 2. Best buds is pushing it, though.
      • Even then, Mike is finally reaching the point where he's had it with Paulo's teasing. This can only end badly.
  • The Voiceless: Amaya never talks where we see it.
  • Vomit Discretion Shot: Lucy's reaction to Mike's "The Reason You Suck" Speech and subsequent proclamation of hatred towards her in "December".
  • Weaksauce Weakness: Lucy's pretty tough, but reasonably deep water or the idea of trying to swim can freak her out easily. Paulo can be reduced to cowering by mean growling and most barking. Both have childhood trauma justifying it.
    • The relevant chapters and biggest examples are:
  • Webcomic Time: The Summer Vacation arc took practically a year, lampshaded in a Christmas comic [dead link] : Once Mike realised they're still in Acapulco, the wintry scene changed to a beach.
    • So far, the comic is still in the 2007-2008 school year from the looks of it.
  • Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: "Attention Please." ends with it.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Possibly Abbey's standards for his run in school politics.
  • Wham! Episode: Chapter 51, where Lucy finally works up the courage to tell Mike she loves him... only for him to reject her on account of him already having a girlfriend. Possibly WORSE is Chapter 52, where Mike finally gets sick of Lucy's awful behavior towards him, leaving her nearly broken inside. Keep in mind that nearly the entire comic had been built upon Mike's friendship with Lucy, and his willingness to look past her attitude to see who she really was. Yeah. WHAM.
    • "Pillow Talk" just has to be one of the wham chapters so far. First, Mike ignores Lucy on her birthday, breaking her more, which then reveals that he's been ignoring her since the debate in "Feline Filibusters". Then, The Reveal on why Jess hates Tess (see Freudian Excuse). And then Lucy's flashback to when she had her real first kiss and Mike gave her a chance to have a relationship with him. But then, she pushes away that chance due to them being twelve at the time. When it ended, Lucy then realizes that her chances with Mike now are gone. Yeah...
    • "December". After it seems like the two are finally somewhat reconciling, Mike is reminded why he's been avoiding Lucy for so long. Mike then DESTROYS whatever is left of his friendship with Lucy, leaving the already emotionally wrecked latter in even worse condition. Merry Christmas everyone!
  • Wham! Line: "What am I supposed to do?!"
    • "I HATE YOU."
  • What Beautiful Eyes!: Lucy.
  • What If: "Disaster Dominoes" (thankfully noncanon) asks "What if one of the characters suddenly became an Ax Crazy mass murderer? The answer? Very unpleasent stuff happens.
    • Another Path asks, What if Paulo had sex with Lucy during her mental breakdown in "Another Shoulder"? Answer: Paulo and Lucy get together and the strip would end with both Lucy and Mike happy with their respective loves.
    • Another Chance asks, What if Abbey didn't show up in "Love My Way"? Answer: Augustus would've just kissed Daisy, and she still would be talking to him. Oh, and Abbey and Daisy would not get together.
  • When She Smiles: Lucy, oh so much. We, as the viewers, see a lot more smiles than other characters.
  • White Furred Pretty Girl: Lucy, who technically is completely white.
    • Sandy, though she has a bit of black hair.
  • Whole-Episode Flashback: "Troubled Waters", "Misunderstanding and Change".
  • Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Alejandro as he beat and brutalized Lucy.
  • Will They or Won't They?: Mike and Lucy. At the moment, it looks like they won't.[when?]
    • Lampshaded in the FAQ page, where the last question is "Will Mike and Lucy end up together (or something alike)?" The answer actually blinks alternately between Yes and No.
  • With Friends Like These...: Paulo and Mike don't get along well at all, despite being "friends" since the fifth grade.
    • They are both athletes with a lot of the same close friends.
      • Vitriolic Best Buds may be closer to their relationship, since Paulo insults Michael a lot more than proper for most definitions of friend.
    • Mike and Lucy. Originally.
  • Would Hit a Girl: Alejandro.
  • Xanatos Gambit: "Heh... Just according to plan..."
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Interesting in the case of all the characters being a realistic cat/dog color scheme. Then Jessica is introduced, who is pinkish-purple.
  1. ↑ Particularly a guy called Thanatos, who wants Paulo to die painfully.
  2. ↑ McCain
  3. ↑ Final Fantasy Cat
  4. ↑ Rapecat
  5. ↑ It's been explained on the forums that she got it from a Yakuza hitman attempting to kill her after offing her parents.
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