Dagashi Kashi

Summary: >

Living a small town, Kokonotsu dreams of one day becoming a manga artist. However his father wants him to inherit the family snack shop. Then a strange girl came to town. Hotaru; the heiress to a large candy company who want's Kokonotsu's father to join them. The problem is he won't leave unless Kokonotsu takes over the shop. Kokonotsu's childhood friend Saya has a crush on him, and would prefer he stay in the town. Will he choose the path of manga or watching a candy shop? Oddly enough he's in an anime which kinda does both. What kind of delicious treats will Kokonotsu turn his back on if he leaves?

Thoughts: >

Dagashi Kashi doesn't have some exotic hook, it's a fairly simple anime about three teens in a small town with topics centered around snacks. Kokonotsu is the sane guy who is highly knowledgeable about snacks but not enthused about taking over the family business. There is his super cute childhood friend Saya. And then there is Hotaru: a very weird girl obsessed with snacks, making even mundane things sound melodramatic.

What is the concept? Snacks. Better yet JAPANESE snacks. If you haven't experienced the weird and wonderful joys of Japanese snacks/candy, I highly recommend you partake in them some day. So awesome... Uh sorry, Was drooling there. Anyway, Dagashi Kashi explores the history and nuances of all sorts of snacks and candies.That doesn't sound like much, but consider how candies are marketed with many quirky gimmicks used to draw you to them. Many also have absolutely fascinating histories, with some dating back over a hundred years. You don't need to be a culture junky to enjoy the odd facts behind them.

It goes beyond facts and history, also discussing rumors and superstitions surrounding the snacks. Can you tell by the package which gum packets have a winner? Kids and candy go together, so it's a nice touch seeing how kids relate to them.

It's a simple anime but highly entertaining and educational at the same time. Probably a bad idea to watch if you're on a diet. I think I only got through about 3 episodes out of the 12 without making myself a bowl of ramen.

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