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Comparing Comedies: Konosuba vs. Dagashi Kashi


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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3614
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:08 am Reply with quote
The subject of this article sounds interesting, but I haven't watched either of these series yet. Is it spoilery?
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aheloenriquez



Joined: 10 Mar 2016
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:12 am Reply with quote
It's weird that we are talking about currently airing hit comedies and not talk about the phenomenon that is Osomatsu-san. I love this show to bits and pieces (and so does a legion of female fans) but with what you've describe as two types of comedies, Osomatsu deceivingly seems to swing far to Konosuba's side with comedy that is so unapologetic horrible to its shitty brothers and cast. The Matsuno brothers are some of the worst NEET scum ever yet they're such a huge hit to the fujoshi crowd. It's not like Osomatsu hits the park in laughs all the time but after jogging through each episodes, all these shitty brothers start having a place in your heart even if none of them ever really had a semblance of good ness in them. But I digress, Osomatsu has some insanely touching episodes mixed in with their off the rails comedy and maybe that's the deal-breaker for me: This is the type of series that not only can get me rolling and laughing on the extent of its horribleness, but also have me emotionally invested to its main cast. That's a genius comedy show that surprisingly got it all.
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Beobachter



Joined: 14 Apr 2015
Posts: 18
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 3:09 am Reply with quote
^Yeah, Osomatsu-san may actually be the most versatile comedy show I've ever seen and should've been mentioned here. Trust me, fujo is far from the only reason why it's so popular. I think it kind of started slow with the early episodes (the outstanding premiere notwithstanding), but as of the second season now, the showrunners has really grown to be much more confident and experimental with the segments. Not to mention it's incredibly self-aware; heck, there's a recent meta skit that's basically the thesis of this article (*the one where Iyami opens up a comedy tutorial class).

On topic:

Neohybrid_kai wrote:
I LOVE Dagashi not because of its humor, but childhood nostalgia, and I think that's the main point point of the show, the dagashi or cheap candies for kids. Some of the candies and games on that show are similar with what I tasted/experienced in my childhood, despite I'm not living in Japan


Yeah, this is exactly it. I don't really see DK as a comedy show too, it's really a low key slice-of-life with occasionally amusing bits and a cast that grow more endearing the longer you spend time with them.

(also, hey, fellow Indonesian! You're totally spot-on about the dagashi and toys counterparts in our country; my family even used to have a 'warung' set up very similarly to Kokonotsu's, minus the air con).

Covnam wrote:
The subject of this article sounds interesting, but I haven't watched either of these series yet. Is it spoilery?


Not really I'd say, it's mainly a very good breakdown on the tone and relative strengths of each show. Should really help to decide if you're interested to watch either/both.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 10:55 am Reply with quote
A lot of interesting comments in this thread so far -- too many to respond to even though I would like to.

My own peculiar observation is that of all the characters of both animes, the only supernatural being seems to be Hotaru. Although DK doesn't have magic in it Hotaru is the most magical character. She appears and disappears in an ethereal fashion and you have no idea where she is when she is not present. There is no notion of how she lives. She never has any apparent thought of anything but her chosen obsession and never, ever gets angry. At most she gets flustered because she is so bad at games but she is over that in a moment. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body.

In comparison Aqua is a much more real person. She scrambles for a pay day and goes into debt with her indulgences and she has her problems. She is quite the brat but sometimes the duty-bound goddess.

Aqua and Hotaru are the the life engines of their respective shows and this shows a very different approaches. I like both but comparing them makes Dagashi Kashi seem sleepy when actually it has a lot going on.
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jtron



Joined: 03 May 2012
Posts: 183
Location: Chicago
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:52 am Reply with quote
Hotaru's mysterious nature is a good point! We found ourselves wondering while watching a recent episode, "where does Hotaru stay?" Doesn't seem to be with Kokonatsu or Saya.
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jdnation



Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 1991
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:47 pm Reply with quote
I believe Dagashi Kashi appeals to Nostalgia as well as works in teh same vein as educational manga/series like Oishinbo or Drops of God etc. where the main appeal is learning about the snacks.

I say nostalgia as Japanese audiences or others abroad in places like Korea, China, India who recall seeing these items or similar on store shelves may also find interest. I know I do! I have memories of eating many similar things (In India).

Heck I'm sure an equivalent series could be done about North America that examines precisely where all those mini-marts or Dollar Stores get all their random stuff from!

This is like the Japanese equivalents of the Wonka Candy and other brands.


Neohybrid_kai wrote:
I LOVE Dagashi not because of its humor, but childhood nostalgia, and I think that's the main point point of the show, the dagashi or cheap candies for kids. Some of the candies and games on that show are similar with what I tasted/experienced in my childhood, despite I'm not living in Japan. The money used to buy those candies usually didn't come from allowance but the change you get from buying things that your parent order you to buy on the nearest store/market, and being typical asian parent, they already calculate the price of each items on the list with the money they gave you so that the change is only enough to buy cheap stuff -and there are a lot of kind of them so you have to choose. This vexing experience is annoying but it becomes nostalgic later when you becomes adult and with your money you could have buy all of them, but its just not the same experience. I don't know if there's an equivalent of dagashi in western culture.


Beobachter wrote:
Yeah, this is exactly it. I don't really see DK as a comedy show too, it's really a low key slice-of-life with occasionally amusing bits and a cast that grow more endearing the longer you spend time with them.

(also, hey, fellow Indonesian! You're totally spot-on about the dagashi and toys counterparts in our country; my family even used to have a 'warung' set up very similarly to Kokonotsu's, minus the air con).





As for Konosuba, the show's just dumb fun with a nice aesthetic! You can't really compare the aims of both shows. The only thing they have in common are

- The sensible frustrated male lead
- The ditzy attractive female lead
- The comedic clash of their personalities
- The moments where each one's own qualities pull through just as much as their faults cause trouble
- The underlying romantic tension

But other than that, Konosuba can go more out there and has more to play with, whereas Dagashi is more grounded in the real world and educational info on an uncommon subject, whereas Konosuba relies on the fantasy/online MMORPG tropes that many more people are familiar with.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3614
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 12:54 am Reply with quote
Beobachter wrote:

Covnam wrote:
The subject of this article sounds interesting, but I haven't watched either of these series yet. Is it spoilery?


Not really I'd say, it's mainly a very good breakdown on the tone and relative strengths of each show. Should really help to decide if you're interested to watch either/both.


Thanks!
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vanfanel



Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 1239
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 3:02 am Reply with quote
Haven't seen Dagashi, so I can't compare.

While I could do without the fanservice, Konosuba's humor does keep me coming back. I had a similar experience with "Is This A Zombie 2: Of the Dead" a few years back.

Another show Konosuba reminds me of just a bit is Urusei Yatsura, and I don't think it's just the blue-haired heroine. Friend of a friend once said of UY: "There are so many characters...and they're so fun to watch...and there isn't even one of them you'd want to be friends with...not even one..."

But while UY had plenty of episodes where the characters were being horrible to each other, there were also episodes that revealed their hopes and dreams, or dealt with their difficulties, and you let you understand, if not agree with, where they were coming from. It's not that you change your mind and start thinking "Oh, wait, they're not so bad after all"...it's more like that person has crossed the line from stranger to acquaintance, and an unsympathetic "He's awful!" becomes a bemused, "He's just awful, bless his heart."

That's an advantage the series format has. Every episode doesn't have to take the same tone, and by occasionally varying it up, it's possible to make people feel a bit of warmth even for characters who spend most episodes acting dreadfully.

Finally, as a CG hobbyist, I'd love to figure out how the artists in Konosuba did those beautiful ripple effects with the water.
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YotaruVegeta



Joined: 02 Jul 2002
Posts: 1061
Location: New York
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 5:43 pm Reply with quote
I don't think Community is exactly a "nice people" comedy, but compared to Always Sunny, most people are nice.

Between Konosuba and Dagashi, Konosuba is way stronger for me. I think that Dagashi has weird to rely on instead of just jokes and gags, while Konosuba has to rely on jokes most often. I hope that makes any sense!


vanfanel wrote:
Haven't seen Dagashi, so I can't compare.

While I could do without the fanservice, Konosuba's humor does keep me coming back. I had a similar experience with "Is This A Zombie 2: Of the Dead" a few years back.


Dagashi actually has more fanservice. From my POV, the fan service in Konosuba is pretty tame. They're more often saying something sexually charged instead of there being sexual fan service on the screen.
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