‘Dandadan’ series premiere review: Eccentric occult outing is a genre-blending delight

The anime scene, at the moment basking within the glow of its fashionable shounen juggernauts — Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen — appears poised to face a vacuum as these beloved franchises attain their conclusions. The business is determined for a brand new champion, a recent face to rally the crowds.

For those who thought the business was getting a bit too snug with its shounen tropes of “going past” and “the ability of friendship”, Dandadan is right here to jolt you out of your complacency. The long-awaited anime adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s mind-bending manga arrives in a blaze of extraterrestrial chaos, paranormal terror, and, sure, humour that’s as sharp as it’s absurd. With its first three episodes, the present throws down the gauntlet, positioning itself as the following huge factor in anime. And if this wild journey retains up, we may be wanting on the weirdest — and most satisfying — anime of the yr.

Produced by Science Saru, the identical studio behind Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Devilman Crybaby, the sequence follows Momo Ayase, a highschool gyaru with a tricky exterior, pushed by a necessity for companionship, validation and a diehard perception in ghosts. Okarun, her timid schoolmate harbouring a deep loneliness, regardless of — or perhaps due to — his comical obsession with proving the existence of extraterrestrials and UAPs. The 2 make a wager: every will go to a hotspot of exercise to show the opposite unsuitable — Momo’s for ghosts, Okarun’s for aliens — in an effort to debunk one another’s beliefs. 

Momo will get kidnapped by lecherous extraterrestrials, Okarun is possessed by a grotesque granny spirit that threatens his masculinity in moderately literal methods, and the remaining, as they are saying, is uncharted territory. Their unlikely bond, solid via ridiculous life-threatening encounters with otherworldly entities, is what provides Dandadan its allure.

A nonetheless from ‘Dandadan’
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Crunchyroll

Director Fuga Yamashiro, taking the helm at Science Saru, builds the sequence with an assured mix of spectacle and emotion. Momo and Okarun’s interactions — whether or not they’re working from a spirit hell-bent on stealing Okarun’s “banana organ” (sure, you learn that appropriately) or keeping off lewd aliens obsessive about impregnation — are delivered with animation that’s fluid, daring, and relentlessly energetic. 

There’s an virtually demented rhythm to how the present shifts gears. A second, Momo and Okarun are having a heart-to-heart, sharing their respective traumas, and the following, they’re knee-deep in a combat with a large, poison-breathing, sumo-wrestler spirit. The tonal shifts work as a result of Dandadan by no means takes itself too significantly. It thrives on and openly embraces its absurdity, however it’s additionally deeply conscious of the emotional beats that floor its characters in one thing actual.

The center of the sequence is the chemistry between Momo and Okarun. Their dynamic is an ungainly conflict of bickering and mutual dependence, however it works. Momo’s no-nonsense angle typically contrasts Okarun’s extra reservedness, however beneath all of it, there’s a rising respect and affection. Each characters are outsiders in their very own proper, however in one another, they discover a unusual, virtually begrudging assist system. It’s a testomony to the voice performances of Wakayama and Hanae, who discover the tonal shifts of the sequence with unbelievable deftness. Wakayama brings a sharpness to Momo, but in addition lets her vulnerability slip via the cracks. Hanae, however, balances Okarun’s shy awkwardness with moments of manic vitality which can be genuinely endearing.

A nonetheless from ‘Dandadan’
| Photograph Credit score:
Crunchyroll

There may be, in fact, loads of spectacle to maintain us hooked and Science Saru’s animation performs an important function in fleshing out this world. The shifts between the conventional and the paranormal are as seamless as they’re jarring. The transitions between these extremes are dealt with so easily that the tonal whiplash turns into a part of the present’s allure. In the meantime, Yamashiro’s route ensures that each dropkick, each chase, and each occult encounter feels each frantic and breathtakingly crafted.

If there’s a criticism to be made, it’s that the sequence sometimes veers into uncomfortable territory with its occasional reliance on outdated anime tropes. The obsession among the paranormal entities have with human anatomy may really feel misplaced for sure viewers, although it’s performed principally for laughs. It’s the type of offbeat humour that received’t sit properly with everybody, however it’s undeniably a part of the present’s identification.

Nonetheless, Dandadan bursts an eccentricity that units it aside from its friends. It wears its weirdness as a badge of honour, mixing genres in a approach that feels recent and thrilling. With its robust characters, attractive artwork fashion, and a narrative that retains you guessing, it would simply be properly on its approach for an Anime of the Yr nod. Whether or not it will possibly keep this momentum stays to be seen, however for now, Dandadan has firmly staked its declare as a possible new shounen heavyweight.

And sure, Creepy Nuts have executed it once more (Otonoke is a licensed banger).

Dandadan begins streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix on October 4