Swashbuckle Snacks Ikaten Daio Tender Tempura Calamari Snack 5.64oz (160g), Made in Japan, Otsumami

This brand is tasty. A little more in cost, but pretty good. Could definitely have more product in the bag for the cost.

dislike. tast different than befor.

I was initially surprised, and disappointed, that the outer coating has no crunch. I was initially disappointed, but the inner calamari part is nice and tender to chew on, and these grew on me as I snacked. They don't have a lot of added sugar, and they have a decent amount of protein (5g/serving with 5 servings in the bag), so while not what I'd call healthy, it's still pretty good for a snack.These are really tasty if you like things like shrimp chips and other seafood snacks and are of the more adventurous type of eater. I offered some of these to a friend, and she had the same impression as me: not exciting at first but definitely grows on you until you're in happy snack mode. We finished this bag up before we knew it.Note: another reviewer expressed concerns about acrylamide. A bit of acrylamide forms when food is baked or fried. If you're worried about this snack, you probably have a lot more to worry about. I'm not sure about the BPA warning other than many types of seafood now have microplastics in them including squid.

NOT REAL SQUID

Wow, these are definitely weird. I mean, I love calamari, but I was actually kind of afraid to try these. I just couldn't process eating calamari out of a sealed bag. But I gave it a go.These are EXACTLY what they claim to be. And they appear to be made with quality and care. I wasn't expecting uniform strips of squid, but this is exactly what they are. They are short, uniform strips of squid cooked in a bread-like coating. They are NOT crunchy as another reviewer noted (did they even try them?), but soft and chewy. When you first open the bag, you may be shocked by the fishy smell. I mean, it's a good fishy smell, not a gross rotten fish smell. It smells like powerful, good seafood. I am eating them as I write this review, and I am constantly reaching in for more... so I am beginning to get it. They offer a lightly salty, lightly sweet, heavy seafood flavor. BOLD flavor.Another reviewer mentioned an aftertaste that I am experiencing now. To me, it feels like I just ate a plate of fried clam strips. Actually, now that I write that, that's kind of what this whole endeavor tastes and smells like... a plate of fried clam strips at a clam shack, which is something I really love.However, I'm not sure these are something that I would choose to snack on given the wide array of possibilities available to me. They are an intriguing novelty, but I'm not sure I could ever make them a regular thing. But who knows, maybe I will crave them after they are gone.Ultimately I remain mostly mixed on these as a regular snack, but they are clearly a quality item that delivers exactly what they claim.

These are soft which I wasn't expecting. Kind of like if you left some tempura outside and let it get soft and soggy.The smell was strong and fishy but it was kind of flavorless for me. It had sweet notes and a fishy aftertaste, but the actual flavor while I was eating it was very very subtle, almost nonexistent.The description says it should be a soft chili flavor yet I didn't get a single note of chili or spiciness. I almost wanted to sprinkle some salt and seasoning on top to get some flavor out. It desperately needs more salt, and much more chili flavor for it to be actually noticeable. (I tested this out by actually sprinkling some salt on it, and I would potentially give it an extra star just from that change)If I ordered this as an appetize at a restaurant I would be disappointed. As a snack it was unsatisfying, and not worth the high asking price.

These are good calamari snacks. They are crunchy with a little spice and not overly fishy. Of course they still have a seafood flavor so if you don’t like fish/seafood, you won’t like these.

Swashbuckle Snacks Ikaten Daio Tender Tempura Calamari Snack 5.64oz (160g), Made in Japan, OtsumamiOur 10 year old LOVES seaweed and dried shrimp snacks and was excited to try these calamari treats. When she opened the bag she was immediately turned off a bit by the overpowering under-the-sea smell (she compared it to cat food) - and she eats similar snack foods and has never complained about the odor before, so it was *really* pungent. Despite that, she gave them a try. They are chewier than they look (given they're calamari that's not really surprising) and she really liked the flavor and texture as she ate them. Unfortunately, about 5 minutes after she stopped eating them, she got a strange look on her face - apparently the aftertaste is VERY strong and not pleasant. These didn't work for her...