For each of those titles, though, I'm eagerly awaiting the according Funimation Broadcast Dub that's coming in a few weeks. So, while waiting, I decided to check out some shows being simulcast right now through the provider. I heard that Erased was pretty good, and, yeah. It certainly has potential to be one of the more fun shows of the season, given the mystery around it. Dagashi Kashi was a series that I only heard in passing was funny, and why not watch a comedy series? I've seen the first two episodes, and have decided to give it a quick little "First Impressions" style post. I'm not sure how many of these style things I'll do later on, given the schedule of my blog, but we'll see.
Also I found I just don't have enough time to do a review of the 1997 Ghost in the Shell movie right now, but stay tuned for that...sometime this year. Onto Dagashi Kashi!
The series revolves around Kokonotsu, or "Coconuts" as his friend loving calls him. He is an aspiring manga artist, but can't seem to draw anything that is really working for him. To help keep himself afloat financially, he works with his father, a legendary dagashi (little Japanese candy or snacks) creator around, living in a rather isolated part of (presumably) Japan. One day, a young woman named Hotaru--a bubbly, rather odd person--appeared, seeking to buy the company from Coconuts's father, Yo. Yo refuses, but if Hotaru can get Coconuts to take over the company, then he will agree to the merger. Meanwhile, Saya and To, two of Coconuts's friends, struggle with day-to-day things while also befriending Hotaru, and our adventure begins.
As you can probably tell, this is a slice of life style anime, with elements of comedy. Most of the comedy stems from Hotaru and her obsession with all things dagashi. Much of the second episode stems from her explaining various dagashi as well as a new card game to Saya, who serves as our tertiary character for the series. I'm also pretty sure that the big shtick for her is that she has rather funny facial expressions, but honestly that physical humor isn't one to really do me over. There are some elements of slapstick involved that are over-dramatic, and those are funny.
I've always enjoyed the more parody based elements of anime, where the medium will make self-referential type jokes about itself. Of course Coconuts is going to view Hotaru in extreme manner, so he sees her as this insane new girl in his life, but Hotaru sees Coconuts as some sort of dagashi genius and will make over-the-top exaggerations to either get his attention or defeat him. As long as the show knows to not take itself too seriously, I'm kind of alright. At that point, the humor can go anywhere it wants to, so long as it stays true to the characters. And so far, it's done that pretty well.
The problem is that these characters are all nothing new. Coconuts is your average guy with a dream. I find it kind of funny that out of all the shows I've watched from this season, both have involved the main character being a manga artist. But Coconuts doesn't have too much character outside of being the stereotypical oblivious protagonist. Someone like Kirito or Natsu that just has everything a woman says about them go right over his head. It's old, tired, and quite boring. His father, Yo, is in all ways similar to Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father, from Bleach. He's insane, but has his serious moments with his son as well. When he first appeared on screen, Isshin was the first person I thought of. They look identical, too.
Saya and To, so far, have little personality. Saya is nervous around Coconuts because of an obvious crush she has on him--predictable but could provide for a love triangle that at least won't be forced--but is other than that humble in all things she does. Her face is kinda weird though, as if she is always shocked about everything.
Hotaru, outside of incredibly eccentric, isn't really much of a character. She's confident and rather quick on her feet, but that's it.
The characters are sort of weak, but it's the plot that is at least somewhat intriguing. I'm not sure if we're supposed to be rooting for Hotaru to find a way to merge the two companies or if we want Coconuts to keep the company local. They haven't really dived into that element yet, much of what's been happening feels like introductory work--which it should, given how it's the first two episodes.
But the plot is laid out in front of us, so at this point it's all a matter of speculation. What to make of Dagashi Kashi? Again, I'm curious about how it'll end, but other than that, nothing really grabbed at me. The characters are all ones we've seen before, though Hotaru and Coconuts provide enough juxtaposition, throwing in a wildcard Saya, to hopefully make for some good character development by the end. I'd say give the first episode a look for yourself to see if it's something you'll like. It's fairly simple in concept, looks good for what it is, and the opening and music overall are pretty good to listen to. I won't mind watching it until the Broadcast Dubs start up.
That's when the real fun starts. I hope. Oh, and next time? More Attack on Titan!...Junior High! See you then!
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