Sad news for the fans of famous candy from the saddest anime, ‘Grave of the Fireflies’. As a result of declining sales, the Tokyo-based maker company, Sakuma Seiko Co. has announced that it will no longer produce its popular drops candy, Sakuma drops.
The bright color hard candies are instantly recognizable because of their distinctive tin packaging and the eight fruity flavors.
For your information, the company, founded by Sojiro Sakuma in 1908 produced the sweet during World War II. The company quickly recovered from the wartime bombardment of its factory and resumed operations in 1945.
Since its introduction 114 years ago, candy has been enjoyed by many generations. Interestingly, the candy even made an appearance in the 1988 Studio Ghibli film, ‘Grave of the Fireflies.’
Set in Japan during World War II, the film features a little boy named Seita and his younger sister as they strive to make it through the conflict of war with the help of their only possession, a red can of Sakuma’s Drops. The candy actually represents a ray of light in the darkness for the two loving siblings.
Sakuma Seika Co. did not want to raise the price of Sakuma’s Drops because they do not want to lose their customers. Sakuma Seika Co. lost more than $1 million in 2021 because of production costs and a lack of workers, reported Tokyo Shoko Research.
The news that the company was closing came out on Wednesday. In addition, the company decided that as of January 20th, 2023, Sakuma Seika Co would no longer be in business.
Sources: The Japan Times