Kokonotsu Shikada has aspirations of becoming a manga artist, but his father wants him to take over their prestigious rural sweets shop that has been in the family for nine generations. Kokonotsu continually refuses until one day the eccentric Hotaru Shidare breezes into town and wants to make his father work for her family’s sweets corporation. Kokonotsu’s father agrees, but only if Hotaru can convince Kokonotsu to take over the shop. So begins Kokonotsu’s days of listening to Hotaru laud the history and value of beloved Japanese treats.
Some may say Dagashi Kashi is an animated advertisement for Japanese snacks, but I say it is an effective advertisement for Japanese snacks! The plot is sparse, but the comedy is high, so if you are looking for similar anime recommendations, then look no further.
Anime Like Dagashi Kashi
For Fans of Endless Talking of Snacks
Gourmet Girl Graffiti
Ryou Makiko lives alone while attending art school in the city. Unfortunately, while Ryou loves to cook, all of her dishes have been tasting horrible to her lately. Depressed, her aunt calls one day and tells her that her cousin will be staying with her sometimes on the weekend. When Ryou cooks for her cousin, suddenly she realizes that her cooking wasn’t bad, it was just meant to be eaten with others.
In Dagashi Kashi it is a lot of talking about snacks and analyzing them in various ways. It is much the same in Gourmet Girl Graffiti, except it is with full meals. In both shows, you get details on how it is made and how it is best eaten, but in Gourmet Girl Graffiti, you watch them eat it in ridiculous food porn-esque ways.
JK Meshi
Reina, Ryouka, and Ruriko have all mastered the JK Meshi cooking style of cooking simple dishes. Now all classmates in their second year of high school, they often find themselves getting distracted from their studies, and when they do, they cook.
Dagashi Kashi likes to pretend that it has a plot, but it really has the same plot as JK Meshi – both are about people procrastinating through eating. You watch people enjoy the food and enjoy thoughtful dialogue about it, but nothing really goes anywhere.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Unassuming and mysterious in her high school life, Koizumi has a secret. She is actually a ramen master that is constantly looking for great ramen restaurants. Adept at eating and discerning in her tastes, join her for on the hunt for great ramen.
Both shows play at having a larger plot, but they are both about rather small, specific things – snacks or ramen. In fact, both shows are so into showcasing those things that they almost feel like an advertisement. I mean, I left both feeling subliminally influenced to want both Japanese snacks as well as ramen, so they are pretty effective.
For Fans of Rural Japanese Setting
Non Non Biyori
Asahigaoka is rural village in the middle of nowhere, and for the five students who go to school there, their days are all about keeping the boredom at bay. All of different ages, their ways to entertain themselves never border on normal.
Dagashi Kashi may not have much of a plot, but Non Non Biyori has even less. However, they both create that great peaceful rural atmosphere where the comedy comes through not really having anything else to do other than be random.
Barakamon
After losing his temper on a critic, renowned calligraphy artist Sieshuu Handa is exiled to the Goto Islands by his father for a period of self-reflection. There he seeks to find new inspiration for his art, but finds that his neighbors and some neighborhood kids keep getting in his way.
Both of these shows celebrate rural country life for the simplicity that it is. However, while they are both about specific professions, sadly Barakamon isn’t really food related. Yet, like Dagashi Kashi, it still remains funny with that added heartwarming feeling piled on top.
No-Rin
Kousaku Hata, a student at an agricultural school, loves ones idol in particular – Yuka Kusakabe. On the day she announces her retirement, he is devastated, at least until he finds out that she transferred to his school. Although she has a completely different personality than on stage, she is willing to work hard to learn, with Kousaku right at her side.
Both shows are hyper focused and obsessed with a specific topic. In Dagashi Kashi, it is sweets. In No-Rin, it is farming. Surprisingly, in both you actually learn a lot about both areas while also getting to enjoy a good comedy series. However, No-Rin has a few more perverted jokes.
For Fans of Small Business Workers
Working
Souta Takanashi has a fondness for cute things, so when the cute and small Popura Taneshima asks him to work at Wagnaria, a family restaurant, he can’t turn her down. Little did he know about all the unique personalities that also call Wagnaria their place of employment.
Both shows have an interesting cast of characters that brighten up what otherwise could be a mundane plot and setting. In fact, both shows are really all about the characters and their shenanigans rather than anything else.
Poko’s Udon World
Souta Tawara is a web designer that has been working in Tokyo. However, when he returns to his small town to visit family, he discovers a young boy alone and with a supernatural secret. Upon the confrontation, Souta decides to quit his job and take care of this boy dubbed Poko. This anime follows their daily adventures in the Kagawa Prefecture, the Udon Kingdom.
Unlike many other series on this list, this one not only happens in a small, food-related business and a rural setting, but it also focuses on a main character that doesn’t really want to do what everyone else wants them to do. Throughout the series, you watch them discover and pursue their dreams.
Hanasaku Iroha
Ohana Matsumae is an energetic teenager that lives with her mother in Tokyo. However, when her mother decides to run off with a man, she is sent to the country to live with a grandmother she has never met. As it turns out, her grandmother runs a traditional Japanese inn, but due to her frivolous mother, treats Ohana quite coldly. Eager to earn her keep and grandmother’s affection, Ohana begins the hard work that makes sure an inn runs smoothly.
Watching both series you learn that small confectionary shops and small Japanese inns are not so different, particularly in the middle of the country. Both require hard work and quality service. However, while Dagashi Kashi is more comedy, Hanasaku Iroha is often more of a drama show.
Do you have any more anime recommendations for anime series like Dagashi Kashi? Leave them in the comments section below.
