10 Second Anime - Dagashi Kashi - Episode 10

Saya and Kokonotsu visit Hotaru, whom they haven't seen for a few days. They believe she has something more than a cold due to her mysterious behavior.

Episode 10 - "That's Just Candy!"

Heh.

I liked the structure of this episode. It started off like some crime drama procedural with a damsel in distress asking for help. Add in Hotaru's strange aversion to Kokonotsu and candy with her covered face and we all got caught up in a mystery to be solved.

Of course, the mystery was about candy and also the subtle continuity that has run through this show's season so far. The big mystery was that Hotaru did indeed make her canker sore worse with her antics from last episode and Tou's commonsense advice to avoid snacks until it healed only made her crazy(er) and weak. The kicker was that her "medicine" wasn't herbal tea, but powdered punch, which made the mouth ulcer worse. She lost all her sympathy points from Saya and Kokonotsu.

And So.

Let's talk about this episode!

Crime Drama Hotaru.

What was well-done with the intrigue setting first scene with Tou, who still wears sunglasses at night, was that Hotaru's right cheek was never seen. She's out of breath and desperate for help. When next we see her, she's confined herself to her compound and neither Saya or Kokonotsu have seen her for a couple days. And she's flinching at the sight of Kokonotsu! Later, she's horrified at the presence of snacks! All very suspicious.

Of course, it wasn't that terrible or serious a mystery. Part of the charm of this show is its attention to continuity. Last week, Hotaru had developed a canker sore, probably due to her eating so many snacks. Well, candy-crazy Hotaru isn't going to stop eating snacks so, understandably, it got worse.

Kokonotsu is candy-crazy too. He was able to see her snack mascot delusion!

But what was up with her weird reaction to Kokonotsu and snacks? Well...

Baby Star Dilemma.

Within the confines of Hotaru's character, the only catalyst for drama and comedy is going to be snack-related. Baby Star Ramen is coming out with a new flavor and she wants her injured mouth ready for the debut. Apple fanboys have to line up for the next iPhone and crazy candy-ladies have to make sure their taste buds are primed next to the nearest snack store.

Hotaru doesn't wear her white fitted shirt and black skirt at home, her BIG home that was built specifically for her Summer vacation to get You Shikada to work for her dad. I'm thankful the illustrators gave us a nice image of her casual wear without her swollen cheek. Now, if only they had thought to include one with her pajamas...

Her usual outfit must be her office lady clothes. So, all this time, hanging out with Kokonotsu really has been a job for her! Even when she went to the festival, she just put on a red festival coat over her work uniform. But at home, she wears different things.

The Fortune Chocolates told her to head out and... she just went on an outing. Without her shoes, without a destination. And she finally stopped in front of Tou and his sunglasses, at night, who told her to go without snacks to heal up and the Baby Star Ramen would taste even better.

Hotaru is candy powered, so she got weak. And she probably didn't want to hang around a snack store to get tempted. Never mind that she didn't ever stop snacking since her "herbal" tea was powdered drink mix.

She's so bad with these lottery candy games, yet she keeps going back to them.

The Hotaru "Punch" Line.

Ah! Literally a comedic punch line! Her sore got worse because she was still putting something sweet and irritating in her mouth. Saya and Kokonotsu lost all sympathy after that.

Let's forget all about Saya and Hotaru straddling Kokonotsu, okay? Like I said before, Hotaru's swollen cheek ruined a lot of, er, interesting shots.

Hey, look! Subtle continuity!

Kokonotsu's big fish is living with the recent one he got Saya through pity. She's going to need a bigger bowl.

We finally solved one mystery about Hotaru, though. Where does she stay in that little seaside village? In a huge traditional style compound. Apparently brand new. This tells you how serious the Shidare confectioners are about getting You Shikada to work for them.