With the end of My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen occurring less than two months apart from each other, plenty of anime fans are looking for what the next big thing is, and the one that many of them have seemed to settle on is Dandadan.
Dandadan is a title that certainly has been gaining a lot of attention for a variety of reasons. The concept of this high-octane shonen series is compelling, presenting a world where both the occult and extraterrestrial life are real and are impacting the world in different ways yet may have a lot of similarities that make them more alike than one might think. Add in some dazzling artwork and some crass yet down-to-earth humor and you have a series that has “cult classic” written all over it. Alas, Dandadan has achieved mainstream attention and the people who love it absolutely adore it.
Needless to say, the series is getting an anime adaptation from Science Saru in October, and to say it’s the most anticipated anime of the fall season is probably accurate, even in the face of new seasons for hit shows like Re:Zero and Bleach. So the show’s distributor, GKIDS, opted to release the first three episodes of the Dandadan anime to theaters as Dandadan: First Encounter in an attempt to generate even more excitement and give audiences a taste of the mayhem in store for them in a few short weeks. Personally, while I can understand where all the hype surrounding this series comes from, and the show certainly has potential, Dandadan: First Encounter didn’t exactly leave me fervently demanding more.
Dandadan follows two teenagers, Momo and Okarun. Momo comes from a family of spirit mediums and firmly believes that ghosts exist while Okarun is a social outcast who thinks that UFOs and aliens exist. Neither accepts the other’s far-fetched beliefs, so they challenge each other to visit a supernatural hotspot. Momo goes to a hospital that is supposedly a beacon for alien activity while Okarun goes to a tunnel that’s supposedly haunted by a yokai called Turbo Granny. Lo and behold, both of them are right and Momo is kidnapped by aliens while Okarun is possessed by Turbo Granny. Oh, and Turbo Granny takes Okarun’s weenie, and the aliens want to impregnate Momo with their bananas. Their words, not mine.
The first episode of Dandadan is a lot. I mean … a lot. From the first frame, before we even have a grasp of what’s going on, we watch Momo get into a fight with her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend as we quickly shift from yelling match to yelling match, whether it’s between Momo and her friends, Momo and Okarun, or the chaotic beings they encounter. It all feels a bit too rapid pace and doesn’t really allow the audience to have a lot of breathing room. There are moments where we learn a bit about Momo’s family and her history, but then that moment is quickly moved past in favor of establishing the zany action and comedy.
It’s not bad per se, but after watching Dandadan: First Encounter, it’s clear to see why GKIDS and Science Saru decided to package the anime’s first three episodes together. By the end of the first episode, while the central premise of the anime is kind of established, its characters are not. Momo and Okarun are pretty one-note in the premiere, and they’re not exactly likable. Okarun comes off as an elitist snob and Momo is temperamental and rude. They get better in future episodes as we see them bond and have to work together, given their unusual situations, but the first impressions of them are lacking, to say the least. When I think back to other recent Shonen Jump anime like Chainsaw Man or Hell’s Paradise, I was almost instantly engaged with those shows by their first episodes because of how much I liked the cast. Here, not so much, which is somewhat problematic given the show’s genre.
Despite nearly all of its focus being on supernatural action, Dandadan is, at its core, a rom-com. Momo begins the series after getting dumped, and while she won’t say it outright, she is starting to develop feelings for Okarun. It’s not exactly as prevalent as one would expect, but the genre tropes are there. And as a rom-com, while the romantic elements are slowly being developed, the humor is subjective, to say the least. When the show isn’t hitting us in the face with random humor, we see our two heroes say curt things to each other to show how seemingly incompatible they are. Again, it’s all to serve as a starting point for their relationship, but it does lead to several shouting matches that lack humor or charm. And that’s probably the biggest annoyance I have with Dandadan right now — the constant noise.
I get that the series is meant to be frenetic. It bounces from one idea to another with a ferocious speed as it tries out wackier and grander ideas. It’s weird yet exciting and juvenile in a way that’s compelling. It captures the immaturity of Chainsaw Man but instead of playing it with pragmatic stoicism, it has its characters yell and scream about the insanity unfolding in front of them like normal people. But when the madness is nonstop and the shouting is constant, it can get a little grating. I’m not saying that Dandadan: First Encounter is annoying, but I’ll say it was wise that the second and third episodes toned back on the action scenes and focused more on developing Momo and Okarun.
And I know that fans of the manga will be quick to present tons of explanations and reasons as to why these bizarre ideas and executions are great and how the relationship between Momo and Okarun is fantastically developed, but I’m not reviewing the manga. I’m reviewing Dandadan: First Encounter, the first three episodes of the anime series, and it simply doesn’t present Dandadan with its best foot forward. It dials things too high too quickly, and when things slow down in episode three, it feels glacial by comparison because of just how zany the first two episodes are. Once the series is able to establish a consistent pace and a status quo, then it will have the chance to refine its premise into something special.
One thing that I can say I liked with certainty throughout Dandadan: First Encounter was the animation and character design. While the human characters are perfectly serviceable in their presentation, it’s the ghosts and aliens that really leave an impact. Turbo Granny as she sprints and appears from seemingly nowhere and the uncanny facial features of the Serpo aliens are eye-catching, to say the least. The first episode is, unsurprisingly, the best showcase of Science Saru’s animation style, but the other episodes do have their own moments, like when Okutan begins to channel Turbo Granny’s powers in Episode 2 and when Momo’s grandmother, Seiko, uses her spirit medium abilities to square off with Turbo Granny in Episode 3. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — Science Saru is aware that the “Rule of Three” is a thing and tries to put its best foot forward animating the hell out of Dandadan.
I think my general pessimism towards Dandadan is simply because of how fervent the discussion around it is. Whenever I see or hear people mention it online, it’s solely to extol its praises and how each immaculately drawn panel proves that Yukinobu Tatsu is a god-tier mangaka. So maybe those unreal expectations would inevitably lead me to disappointment. Just to make things clear, I didn’t hate watching the first three episodes of Dandadan. I liked them well enough, and I do think the show has potential. But I get the distinct impression that this won’t be a show that wins people over immediately. It’ll be a series that needs time to flesh itself out and not just let its eccentric weirdness be the only thing people talk about. At the very least, seeing all three episodes in one sitting did sell me on giving the show a whirl, so here’s hoping that by the end of the first season, I’ll have changed my tune and be among the cult of fans praising the series.
Dandadan will stream weekly on Netflix and Crunchyroll starting on October 3, 2024.
Published: Sep 15, 2024 07:58 pm