English Dub Review: Dagashi Kashi “Ambulance, Get a Move On,You Cod!, and…”

I think we could all use more fish-based insults in our daily life.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Our episode picks up this week where we began at the start of the season, with Saya telling the ever-oblivious Kokonotsu that his store looks completely run-down. Koko reflects on the three months since Hotaru left, which is no doubt the reason for the store’s sorry state. Koko shoos away Saya, telling her that everything is fine, but as he enters the store, his dad informs him that their shop is done for.

Koko and his dad, You, are out of money for the shop, a truth that Koko knew deep down, but didn’t want to admit. He figured that if he just kept waiting, Hotaru might come back, but sadly, that never happened. Snapping out of his depressing funk, he begs his dad to keep the store open, under the pretense that there is a “home run bar” popsicle stick that can only be redeemed at their store. Grinning, You remarks that he knows that popsicle stick belongs to Hotaru, on account of how often Koko takes it out to look at it. But, You is convinced by Koko’s determination, and the two declare that its time to revive their snack shop.

They get down to business cleaning up the store, but their enthusiasm quickly ends when You accidentally breaks his pinky toe tripping over the door, landing him in the hospital for a month. It’s all on Koko to save the store, now, and he gets down to business.

Later, Saya and Tou stop by to check on Koko, on account of their worrying about his mental state. Saya tells her brother not to mention Hotaru, since Koko “gets all weird” when she’s mentioned. (Advice which Tou quickly ignores) Together, the three of them start cleaning up the shop with the power of friendship on their side.

During their cleaning, Kokonotsu randomly says “Get a move on, you cod!” which Saya takes to be an insult at her expense. Her blood begins to boil, but Koko quickly explains that he was saying the name of a particular brand of snack food that has a weird pun for its name, “Get a move, you cod.” It’s a delicious, fishy snack food that adults love to eat when they’re drinking. Saya notes that as a part of the food’s packaging, they’re supposed to shout “Get a move on, you cod!” when they eat it, and laughter is had by all.

The two enjoy their quality time together, and Koko thanks Saya for dropping by to cheer him up. He’s been so down about Hotaru lately, and it means a lot to him to have his friends by his side. Saya can barely contain her happiness, just as Tou returns. Naturally, Tou thinks the two are getting fresh, but Saya yells at him to get a clue.

With the store all clean, it seems like their work is done, but Koko isn’t satisfied. His newfound sense of ambition demands that he take his store to new heights. He realizes that there isn’t a convenience store in town, and maybe he could start stocking convenience store stuff to get more customers. Not a bad idea, but there’s a small problem. Saya and Tou reveal that a new convenience store has just arrived in town, meaning Koko has got some new competition.

Our Take:

Its good to see Dagashi Kashi season two keep up the pace with another solid episode. The snack food shtick has taken a backseat to more genuine character development between Koko and his friends, development which has definitely shown in Koko’s resolve to make his store a success. Hotaru’s absence has put it on Koko to be the center of this show’s integrity, and I’m happy to say that the change is going well for this cute and funny show.