By Dustin Cabeal
My only concern after the first episode was how the shortened time length would affect the character development and plot progression. Thankfully, that fear was addressed here in the second episode of the Dagashi Kashi sequel.
What is particularly nice about this episode is that the time isn’t split. Often the series feels as if it’s in two parts so that two candies/snacks can be addressed realistically. With this episode, it all takes place in one day. Saya and Kokonotsu are hanging out at the candy shop when a big storm rolls in and in essence traps everyone. Of course, that doesn’t stop Tou and Hotaru from still showing up. This is after they’ve introduced baseball candy in which you press a button trying to get a winner and the idea is that kids will press it a lot and pay more than they intended. Saya says it’s shady, but Kokonotsu defends it… then they hear Hotaru pressing the button way too many times trying to get a winner, which she never does.
The quad decides to have a sleepover, but with Kokonotsu’s father there, how can they get into teen trouble? Easy, his father runs out in the rain to look at the storm. There is a great scene later in which he calls to say he’s made a mistake by going out, but Kokonotsu… jeez, I’m beginning to understand why they call this kid Coconuts, that shit is way easier to type. Anyway, Coconuts starts yelling at his friends for doing this and that without saying it his father realizes that they’re bonding and creating great memories. He ends up going to, I believe, the Endou’s house to ride out the storm. It was a quick scene, but it still had heart to it. Sure, the father also created the situation in which Coconuts was left in charge, but it suited everyone’s character. If he had just up and became a responsible father, it would have been weird.
I do have to eat my hat some because rain in an anime means bath time. Tou thankfully showers before anyone else and might have given me the explanation that I’ve been seeking on why everyone in a fucking anime needs to shower when caught in the rain. Its stupid, but I can buy his explanation. We do spend plenty of time in the bath with Hotaru and Saya, and it’s the whole invisible nipples thing that they do when they’re not trying to be too pervy. Thankfully there was no breast comparison scene or anything too generic. It was actually just two women talking and Hotaru doing her usual spiel about candy while Saya breaks down why she likes her as a person. Yes, there’s fan service, but this show still manages to keep the focus on the character development and hang on the very outer fringe of fan service rather than fully embracing it and have it be pseudo-porn.
The artwork/animation continues to be good this season. It may be related to the fact that it has shortened episodes or just a better budget due to the success of the first series. Whatever the case, it’s the best-looking slice of life anime I’ve seen in half a year. It’s the attention to details when it comes to clothing and backgrounds that breathes life into the show. There is a scene in which Coconuts and Tou are out in the storm, and it looks very dramatic even though the content of the scene is not. It was the best-looking scene of the episode though, and it’s that level of detail and dedication that elevates the entire series, not just the artwork.
I won’t lie, every time a series gets a sequel I get nervous. There are so many things that can tank a sequel that as someone who enjoyed the first series a lot, I don’t want any bad memories attached to the franchise as a whole. It happens often, but so far, with Dagashi Kashi 2 it is managing to keep the quality and with a shortened run time. We’re still waiting on that new character though, so we’ll see what that does to the show. I’m not calm yet but damn this second episode was good.
Score: 5/5
Dagashi Kashi 2 E.02
Studio: Tezuka Productions