10 Second Anime - Dagashi Kashi S2 - Episode 4

Hotaru spends time alone with Kokonotsu watching fireworks as the Summer Break comes to a close.

Episode 4 - "Homerun Bar, Fireworks Festival, and..."

Hmm.

We've finally come to the parts of this crazy sexy candy story that weren't just rehashing the comedic sexy bits of the first season. It's getting late into Summer vacation and Hotaru has finally realized she wasn't sticking around Kokonotsu's town to convince him to take over the shop anymore. She was just enjoying spending time with him.

At first it was under the pretense of discussing candy, and we had a scene like that in this episode too, but that was a pretense too. Hotaru realized she had been learning how to run a snack store and customer service from Kokonotsu and Saya, which was good, but she hadn't gotten anywhere with showing Kokonotsu he should run the family business. It had totally been forgotten by having too much fun behaving like a teenager during Summer Break.

The Homerun Bar's winning stick was the perfect way to mark Hotaru's exit. Throughout the first season and this one, she had never been able to win any games of chance. I'm not sure if she interpreted finally winning as a sign of losing her candy mojo, or losing the drive of her mission, but either way, it was a sign to Hotaru that she was just doing non-candy related things with her friends instead of trying to fulfill her self-appointed assignment in recruiting You to work for her family corporation.

But there is hope for her return. She gave Kokonotsu the stick to claim her free ice cream bar. She purports to him that it's because she's forgetful, but I see it as a way of motivating herself and Kokonotsu to keep remembering each other. I hope she's not absent for too long, because we need to see the ruin of the snack store and the introduction of the other characters before she comes back.

Just from pacing, that looks like two episodes. But this show is all about Hotaru's huge presence. With her gone, it's going to be a chore to watch even this half episode format without her.

Heh.

A fireworks festival? This isn't the same festival we saw in the first season.

No opening credit sequence, no "de, de", and no end credits. We need all the time for some big DRAMA.

Just from the pauses in Kokonotsu's conversation, she figured out Hotaru was already at the snack store.

Hotaru wants to pick a popsicle winner.

She's serious about the Homerun Bar winning for some personal reason. DRAMA.

Missed the bus. Time for a terrible time on a mamachari up hills with a beautiful girl behind you.

How fancy is this oceanside firework festival? All the girls are in yukata.

Hotaru made a big deal of Kokonotsu asking her to go see fireworks by themselves. Is she finally acting like a teenage girl instead of crazy, inadvertently sexy snack store encyclopedia?

Well, they were going to miss the festival anyway, but it sounds like Hotaru is a giving a farewell speech.

And they saw the fireworks by themselves. Keikakadori!

Hotaru actually won a game of chance. She won for the first time this Summer Break.

She's actually a smart girl. Hotaru already knew they were joining others to see the fireworks. She's awfully considerate of Saya.

"I'm going home now. Goodbye." That's not a "good night, see you later." That's a "have a nice life!"

She's not talking about the house her family owns nearby either. She's going HOME.

And Hotaru never came back. Kokonotsu only realized what her goodbye meant when Saya asked if she was out of town.

Next week, MOAR DRAMA. It looks like they're packing up the store! I'm not seeing a lot of candy jokes from that episode.