Shidare Hotaru

Shidare Hotaru is an eccentric candy-company heiress whose knowledge of Japanese dagashi drives her attempt to recruit Kokonotsu Shikada's father in Dagashi Kashi.

Hotaru Shidare and the world of dagashi

Hotaru treats inexpensive sweets with intense seriousness, turning their history, packaging, and eating methods into elaborate challenges. Her arrival disrupts Kokonotsu's quiet life and repeatedly forces him to confront his own talent for the candy business.

Candy knowledge, Kokonotsu, and Saya

She has no supernatural power; her defining ability is encyclopedic dagashi knowledge and fearless enthusiasm. Her playful rivalry with Kokonotsu and friendship with Saya Endo give the series its mixture of education, comedy, and romantic tension.