Fushigi dagashiya Zeni-tendo” — Theory-breaking settings and poison, dagashis that make you want to think for yourself

In 2008, the series was ranked ninth in the “Elementary School Students’ Choice! Children’s Books” in 2008, Reiko Hiroshima’s “Fushigi Dagashiya Sentendo” (Kaiseisha) series is a popular morning reading book. Many children who have read the series say that they never read books before, but after reading through the series, they have come to like them.

This is the story of “Qiantendo. People with various problems such as “wanting to know how people feel,” “wanting to be someone else,” and “wanting to run faster” wander into the candy shop run by Beniko, a woman of indeterminate age dressed in a kimono. In exchange for a single coin, customers buy such wondrous sweets as a “Cavity Alley,” which allows them to transfer their own tooth decay to someone else, and a “Control Cake,” which enables them to control their appetite.

In this series of short stories, not only children play the leading roles, but men and women of all ages — not only children, but also grandfathers and businessmen — come to visit the giant auntie Beniko. This style of short stories is unique for a children’s book. What is it about this style that makes it particularly popular among readers? First of all, the cover illustration conveys the strong presence of Beniko and the impact of the characters. Then, “It is difficult for readers to predict whether the customers will be happy or unhappy. It is the unexpectedness of the story that “does not always end with a happy ending for the good guys” (Mr. Hiroshi Hayasaka, Kaiseisha editorial department). There are good stories that fall neatly into place and stories that keep readers on the edge of their seat but are able to return to normal in the end, but in stories involving Beniko’s rival YODOMI, the characters suffer terrible things and sometimes end up with a rather grim bad ending.

The main readers are boys and girls in the middle to upper grades of elementary school, and the author, Mr. Hiroshima, says, “Love stories that I thought were a little too mature, or episodes in which the bad protagonist is mercilessly punished are popular. He adds, “When the characters receive harsh punishment, Mr. Hayasaka, who is in charge of the story, often says, ‘This is for children, so I don’t like it,’ and I have to fix it (laughs). That’s how modest he is. The book is written in such an easy-to-read manner that many children who had never read a book before have said that they finished the book for the first time. However, the stories are not planned and sometimes poisonous. This, in turn, stimulates the children’s curiosity and desire to see scary things.

In this series, a band high enough to cover the figure of Beniko on the cover is wrapped around the book. This is to arouse the desire to “roll up” the book in a bookstore. And the mysterious array of candy and sweets makes me want to think about it myself. At the time of the release of the first volume, a campaign was launched in which readers were asked to submit ideas for original candy bars, and the author selected the best ones to appear on the website, which attracted more than 160 submissions. Whenever the author holds a workshop to come up with original dagashi, the workshop is always a great success, and even in schools where the author is not present, children have come up with original dagashi during their integrated learning time. Children who are good at drawing are particular about their drawings, some write down the efficacy in detail, and others describe the texture in detail. It is easy for children to come up with their own ideas, and it is fun to see their individual personalities come to life when they present their ideas to each other.

In addition to coming up with your own original ideas, there are also times in the work when the mysterious candy appears only by name outside of the main story, and you can enjoy reading and thinking, “What kind of story is this going to appear in?

For the author, the candy store he frequented as a child was like a different world, a place where various kinds of sweets were crammed together and grandmothers stared at him from the back of the room. Children today may not be familiar with such a place, but in other words, a candy store is an “extraordinary place. It is an exquisite space where the familiarity of selling sweets that can be bought for pennies and the sense of another world coexist, and it is a perfect place for readers to let their imaginations soar.

The series has sold over 900,000 copies through volume 11. The second season began with volume 12, released in October 2007, and a new rival to Beniko has appeared. Some school teachers have asked for something to read to younger students. It seems that the world of Fushigi Dagashiya will continue to expand.