English Dub Review: Dagashi Kashi “Homerun Bar Winning Stick, Snow, and…”

Kokonotsu’s scrambling to make his manga’s deadline. Can he finish in time?

Overview(Spoilers Below)

Koko and pals are had at work getting his manga finished. Things are down to the wire as the four of them pull an all-nighter to make the rapidly approaching deadline for the manga’s entrance into the contest. Somehow, Koko manages to finish it in time but immediately passes out once seeing his finished product.

Judgment day has arrived, and so Koko heads into the city, manga in hand to get his work reviewed. Meanwhile, back at home, Owari, Saya, and Tou enjoy a cup of coffee together, while wondering how well Koko’s manga will turn out. Saya, in particular, is really hoping for Koko to do well, her obvious crush on Koko shining through her tough demeanor.

The moment of truth soon arrives, and Koko gets his manga reviewed, only to find that…they love it! Koko’s manga is a huge hit, becomes a worldwide sensation and earns him the fame and fortune he’s always wanted. Reaching the top of the world, Hotaru finally returns to him and…

Koko snaps back to reality, that wonderful fantasy being just a daydream. Koko’s reviewer asks why he didn’t spend more time on his manga, and explains that Koko really should have started working on it sooner, and it shows in his work. The reviewer goes on to say that it appears Koko is distracted from his manga artistry, and that’s why his work is amateur. Kokonotsu is demolished. Sullen and defeated, he returns home, wondering why he continues to be the manager at this snack store that was forced upon him. He pauses on a bridge on the way room and reaches into his pocket to look at the popsicle stick Hotaru gave to him. Later, our despairing Kokonotsu gets stuck in a train delay because of the snowy weather. He wonders if he should just give up when a surprise visitor arrives at the station waiting room.

At the door stands Hotaru, who’s as proud as ever, and surprised to find Kokonotsu in this neck of the woods. Just as things get good, the show leaves us with a cliffhanger for the week. Tune in next week to see the tender reunion of Kokonotsu and Hotaru.

Our Take:

Dagashi Kashi keeps rolling steadily with another plot-heavy episode that makes me happy I continue to watch this adorable, but satisfying comedy. The writing is good, the scenes are emotional, and that trademark sincerity of character I’ve come to expect shines through well. Of course, it’s not a terribly funny episode, but it trades that comedy for good drama. I do think this episode was unfortunately limited by the short episode runtime of this season, but do find they made good use of the time they had.