Dagashi Kashi continued on its fluffy, relatively harmless way this week, offering another episode largely focused on the endearing relationship between Kokonotsu and Saya. The show is a pretty simple thing, but it’s charming enough, and it’s nice to see a show like this regularly imply character information not through direct exposition, but through the offhand decisions they make. It’s not a paragon of understated storytelling or anything, but it definitely trusts the viewer to make inferences about feelings and motivation, and I really appreciate that trust. It’s kind of the opposite of the problems ERASED can sometimes have, in fact – when that show hammers on its dramatic notes, it feels like the creators think the audience is a bunch of idiots. When this show lets Kokonotsu demonstrate his feelings on the past without actually saying anything, it feels like the creators are trusting the audience enough to know they care.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
Summer festival time!
Opening with slow moments of Saya and Kokonotsu getting ready for the festival. We get a nostalgic moment of what festivals used to be for each of them – Saya through the kids that pass by, Kokonotsu through the immature choice to ride in the back of the truck, which now only hurts his back
They’re selling monjayaki. Hotaru appears from… a tree
Hotaru awkwardly climbing down the tree while trying to monologue
Tamai, an old acquaintance of the dad’s
Hotaru is pretty dang excited about the festival. Apparently she’s never been to one. Another small jab at her past
Hotaru came with almost no money, and has another silly plan to make money while she’s there
This time it’s die-cutting, cutting out patterns
Apparently, even though she never went to a festival before, she practiced die-cutting at home. Another kinda sad thing to admit
“She’s really cute when she isn’t talking” comments To
Hotaru finishes it without a flaw
And To loses all his money trying to match her
Saya shows up looking embarrassed in her kimono
Saya trying to ask Kokonotsu if he’ll walk around the festival with her
And Kokonotsu is oblivious, but his dad gets it
To ends up helping out in the stall to make up for the favor. Lots of nice warm moments between the entire cast
He compliments her yukata! Aw dang
Kokonotsu showing off some snack knowledge to Saya
Some memory Saya has of them goldfish catching when they were kids
Kokonotsu goes into Hotaru enthusiastic explanation mode for his goldfish strategy
And Saya remembers him doing this same thing before
The goldfish Kokonotsu gave Saya is still at their place. And the story repeats in the present
“You looked like you wanted one, so…”
Hotaru kinda skipped this episode