Review of Dagashi Kashi

Dagashi Kashi blipped onto my radar this past winter after I happened upon a promotional image for the second season. I thought the character designs looked pretty interesting, so I decided to give the series a try. In doing so, I ended up learning more about Japanese snack culture than I ever thought possible. The series offers up your typical assortment of Shounen-style humor through a uniquely informational slice-of-life narrative. Normally unremarkable tasks such as talking, playing cards, and eating candy are intensified through use of visual metaphor and convincing voice acting. What makes Dagashi Kashi different, though, is its episodic template in which the firsthalf of each episode almost always includes a dramatized lecture about a snack food of some kind, and the second half focuses moreso on our characters’ thoughts and feelings.

There’s a line that goes something like “…the significance of a dagashi shop. Not only is it a place for relaxation, but also a place where bonds are created by interacting customers. It’s a place that creates connections among people.”

This line represents the very essence of Dagashi Kashi. While the first season moves along at a pretty slow pace, it develops connections¬ between the characters themselves, and also between the characters and the audience. Season two then molds those relationships into something truly entertaining. Together, they combine for a subtly sweet mix of slice-of-life storytelling coated in educational opportunity, then sprinkled with just enough drama to keep it interesting.

TL;DR If yr gonna watch, it, watch both seasons. The first makes the second one much more worthwhile.