You know, for a show about sweets, there’s a suspicious lack of junk food in these episodes.

Dagashi Kashi 2
Studio: Tezuka Productions
Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy

EvilBob: “Nothing makes me want to go outside like a typhoon,” said no one ever. And then…Yo, To, and Hotaru happen.

CVoyage: Because, as we’ve clearly established, anyone in this that isn’t named Kokonotsu or Saya is insane.

EvilBob: True. Anyway, do you think it’s weird how there was barely any mention of junk food in the junk food anime?

CVoyage: I think it’s weirder that you’re expecting this show to make any kind of sense, to begin with.

EvilBob: …I walked right into that. I guess it was kind of refreshing to not hear about junk food for these two episodes.

CVoyage: It was still a big ad. But this time they’re deciding to focus on Dagashi toys instead of treats. Right from jump in episode 2, Kokonotsu introduces Saya to one. Sort of a gumball game. And this is when it becomes even more clear that Hotaru… has friggin’ superpowers. Seriously. Where did she come from?

EvilBob: I’m tellin’ ya, dude. She’s a ninja.

CVoyage: …what?

EvilBob: Okay, hear me out. It makes all the sense in the world. First of all, she’s blatantly Japanese.

CVoyage: …We are slowly approaching “No s–t, Sherlock” territory…

EvilBob: Point. But she’s also wealthy, and most ninja were actually nobles, belonging to powerful samurai clans. She disappears and reappears without notice. I’m pretty sure she has secret passages to get around to fast. And she wears all dark clothes. Even the purple hair would help her blend in with the night sky like old ninja wearing blue, not black.

CVoyage: …

EvilBob: See? Totally a ninja.

CVoyage: Uh huh, yeah, we’re gonna restrict you to decaf, now. And probably cut down on your sugar intake.

EvilBob: I don’t have a problem! I can stop whenever I-

CVoyage: Feel like it?

EvilBob: …

CVoyage: …

EvilBob: You can’t prove anything.

CVoyage: Riiight. Well, what I can prove is that this series hasn’t forgotten it’s technically a Shonen.

EvilBob: Huh?

CVoyage: Get ready, kids who definitely shouldn’t be watching this, anyway! It’s time for Fan Service Theatre! Using some sort of weird boat toy and how soaked everyone is from the rain, we get an excuse to have the characters all decide to take a bath.

EvilBob: That was so glaringly obvious, I almost went blind.

CVoyage: Oh? You sure that wasn’t from the god rays they were using to conveniently cover up the girls? Anyway, that scene is at least not as cringe-worthy as… other blatant excused for nudity we’ve seen, this season. But it was as unnecessary as one would expect. However, it does lead to an amusingly honest scene between Kokonotsu and To.

EvilBob: I admit. I suddenly respected Kokonotsu a lot more for actually trying to stop To despite honestly wanting to see. Dude’s surprisingly honorable.

CVoyage: I believe it’s called “not being a pervert.” Anyway, the boat toy honestly isn’t all that interesting. The one from the next episode, on the other hand…

EvilBob: Yeah. feel sorry for Kokonotsu though. His poor foot.

CVoyage: His “poor foot” would be fine if he’d just wear shoes…

EvilBob: I’m sure if he had been wearing shoes something else would’ve happened instead.

CVoyage: Knowing his luck? Probably. Of course, what Dagashi Kashi episode would be complete without best girl showing up and wrecking e’rrbody?

EvilBob: I’m convinced Saya has superpowers too. It’s the only explanation for her god tier luck.

CVoyage: I’m pretty sure the only superpower the girl needs is that death glare. She’s even got the whole evil aura thing, going on.

CVoyage: Actually, I’ve kinda been meaning to bring attention to this, but there’s an odd strength to her very simplistic character design. It’s seriously all in the eyes.

EvilBob: You mean the power to drain your soul with one glare?

CVoyage: No…. well… yes. That too. But that’s not what I mean. Think about it. Saya has one of the most basic designs ever. Cute girl, fang, straight, honey blonde hair… but what is the one definite feature about her?

EvilBob: Skinny as a rail? Kinda plain-looking-

CVoyage: You wanna get killed? Because that’s how you get killed.

EvilBob: Tiny eyes?

CVoyage: Yeah. Think about it. Whenever you see her angry… well…

EvilBob: Nightmares. I have nightmares.

CVoyage: Right. But whenever she’s happy…

CVoyage: Look at that! She looks so happy, it’s adorable! I think that the way her eyes are designed adds so much expression to her character without even trying. It’s something I hadn’t really thought about until now. Because I just chalked it up as her being one of the several characters in this with weird eyes. Maybe she drank too much coffee or something. She does work at a cafe.

EvilBob: So how do you explain the rings in Hotaru’s?

CVoyage: Oh, that’s easy. She cray.

EvilBob: … I can’t even argue with that.

CVoyage: It’s little things like that that make shows like this a delight. But then they do things like the last few minutes of this episode and-

EvilBob: And little Hotaru’s so adorable!

EvilBob: This episode gave me more than I ever wanted to know, and I love it.

CVoyage: Same. I think one of the things I was always missing out on was Hotaru, even in the first season, being more of a character. She just came across as this bizarrely kooky entity that just appeared in Kokonotsu’s life. Sort of a Manic-Pixie-Girlfriend, if you will. There was never much to her. No real sense of personal motivation to speak of. But the last 5-or-so minutes of the episode manages to pack a decent amount of character into a really brief skit that speaks volumes. It’s not profound, but it adds a layer of motivation to her actions that I genuinely appreciated seeing out of her.

EvilBob: …Chris.

CVoyage: What?

EvilBob: Stop that.

CVoyage: Stop… what?

EvilBob: Being all insightful and crap. You’re making me look bad.

CVoyage: …

CVoyage: I’M making you look bad, huh?

EvilBob: …Shut up, Chris.

CVoyage: Anyway, episode 2 started strong, devolved into pretty blatant fan service, then course corrected in a charming and funny way. Mad respect to Kokonotsu for being a gentleman… well… for trying to be one, anyway. It wasn’t quite as outrageous as other episodes, but still a fun Junk Food episode, nonetheless. Then there was the follow-up, which… I’ll be honest, somehow got funnier on the rewatch. Just… poor Kokonotsu. And it ended on a really pleasant note with some very welcome and effective establishment of character for Hotaru, of all characters. The one you’d expect to be the least complex one here. In fact, it’s not just effective. It’s Super Effective. And no one’s more surprised than myself.

EvilBob: Episode 2 is definitely as Evil as… a Villain (9). It’s about what we’d expect from this show, by now. But… episode 3… was golden. I don’t think I’ll hear foot-crunching quite the same ever again. And then, for another present, “Here! Have some unexpected backstory!” This was by far the funniest, and probably most fulfilling episode we’ve gotten so far. So I’d say it’s about as Evil as… a Super Villain (10). But. If you’re somehow still not convinced, then there are plenty of other hilarious shows out, right now. Like, for example, Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san. It’s competing for the honor of being the season’s best comedy, and it’s putting up a good fight.

CVoyage: But if you prefer sugary sweet humor… well, actually, Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san is probably still the one you want. But for humor about sugary sweets, check out Dagashi Kashi yourself. It’s Simulcast on Crunchyroll, Fridays at 10:30pm EST.

EvilBob: That’s pretty much all we’ve got for you today. Thanks for letting us waste your time, people.

CVoyage: As always, thanks for reading, folks. Remember to keep up the awesome.

EvilBob: And keep it classy.

CVoyage: Take care.