“Please, so that nobody ever hurts them… take them to a more fortunate, kinder world.”

I have this sense that there’s been a prolonged trend of action, shonen series popping up and garnering a swath of praise, but when the seasons are over, I’m left questioning if they’re that big of a deal. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man, but I don’t think I’d give any of them more than 4 stars, and I haven’t even bothered keeping up with the first two beyond their initial seasons. None of those shows were bad, but they all lacked a component that could have elevated them beyond standard shonen/seinen action fare. When Dandadan premiered back in October, I think a part of me expected it to follow a similar trajectory. It would have an enjoyable off-kilter first episode, before establishing a routine for itself, and conclude satisfyingly, but in a way that didn’t linger with me. Imagine my surprise now that I’m sitting here, at the end of the season, and legitimately contemplating giving this show full marks. Dandadan may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Hell, you may even have a visceral reaction to certain elements of it, but with strong writing, characters, production-values, and world-building, you should definitely give this show a chance. 

The show follows Momo Ayase, a socially direct and boisterous gyaru who believes in the supernatural, and Ken “Okarun” Takakura, a meek otaku obsessed with extraterrestrial conspiracies. While both are initially incredulous of the other’s superstitions and conspiracies, that changes when each discovers them to be completely true. I’m not going to go too in depth with the discussion of the narrative itself, as it honestly deserves to be experienced first hand. The characters are the primary drive behind the show, and Momo and Ken are a delight. On their own, they can be a little annoying, frankly, but they serve as a great comedic and romantic duo. Watching them tackle each new alien or supernatural obstacle they encounter had me champing at the bit for each new episode. The side characters also follow a similar playbook. They’re over the top, but also endearing, and the chemistry among the cast serves as the glue that holds together the show’s disparate emotional, comedic and action elements. It’s also strange to say this, but there is an exhilarating romantic spark between our lead duo, and it’s one that is gradually developed over the episodes. There is a lot of awkward comedy in this show, and while there were still moments where I needed to pause it to un-cringe myself, most of the time those moments were carried seamlessly by the likeability of the cast. Sometimes, even when a type of comedy isn’t your cup of tea, the interplay between the characters can still succeed in selling it, and I think this is a perfect example of that.

The series isn’t devoid of flaws, though your tolerance may vary with them. The first and potentially more problematic flaw is that many of the antagonists have a disturbingly sexual element to their goals, particularly the two forces introduced in the first episode. Given one of the primary themes of the series is adolescent relationships, it makes sense that the subject of awkward sexually-charged interactions would be represented, in its most extreme form, by the antagonists. However, the show has a very zany tone, and some may understandably find that the combination of off-kilter dialogue and characters with such a serious undercurrent cannot work for them. It’s worth stating that the most egregious examples of this are primarily in the first episode of this 12 episode run, so if you’re on the fence after the first episode, I think it’s worth sticking with it. My other complaint would be the 12 episodes themselves. Some people asked me if the show ended on a cliffhanger, and I found that question difficult to answer… because it doesn’t end. It just stops moving for a bit. This is reminiscent of the approach Birdie Wing took back in spring of 2022, though I don’t find it nearly as infuriating. When Birdie Wing “ended,” viewers had largely been kept in the dark regarding the production schedule and future plans. Plus, I didn’t like Birdie Wing. At least in this instance, we knew from the beginning that Dandadan would have a single cour run, and we’ve already been informed that a second season will be coming in the summer. Still, I wouldn’t blame anyone if they waited until then to start watching the show, as that would help alleviate the lack of an ending for the season.

Science Saru is one of the strangest and most eclectic anime studios that I know. Seeing them direct an action series based on a work from Shonen Jump is like seeing David Lynch direct a Star Wars movie. I’m not inherently opposed to such an idea, but it’s hard to wrap my head around it. However, when a series is this weird, wild, and visually insane, the combination proves to be a match made in heaven. This is one of the best shonen action series of the past few years. I’m putting it up there with the likes of Mob Psycho 100. It doesn’t succeed in unseating that particular king, but in fairness, it is also incomplete, in both anime and manga forms currently. The OP was arguably the best of the season. This wasn’t a bad season for openings, but I can’t think of a solid contender for that title. 

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• Unsurprisingly, the two shows I bothered to review at the beginning of the season, also proved to be the two that I consider to be my favorites at the end of it. Blue Box has another cour to go, so it won’t be getting a review yet. Here’s hoping I don’t burn myself out at the end of this season. (I need to play catch-up on a couple of titles.)
• I’m still surprised that I like this show as much as I do. It blends awkward humor, sexual humor, brash and occasionally annoying characters, and conspiracy theories. It’s like it filled out an entire bingo card of elements that would normally cause me to reject a show, and made it work anyway.
• This past year, Science Saru became a Toho subsidiary. Dandadan would have been in production well before then, but I wonder if this will impact the projects that the studio puts out moving forward. Currently, they have two future projects announced, with one being a Ghost in the Shell adaptation and the other being an adaptation of the manga Sanda (which sounds completely insane).
• I have a pet peeve where I can’t stand it when a show ends its season, takes a prolonged break, and then returns announcing it’s part 2 of that season. The offender that irritated me the most was Spy x Family, but I’m hoping Dandadan, if it does follow that route, announces early that it will be Season 1: Part 2, instead of waiting until it airs.

Dandadan is a crazy show in the best way possible. I’ve compared it to Mob Psycho 100 quite a bit, and that probably is the best point of reference given their shared themes. The only downsides to the series are that some viewers might bounce off the admittedly acquired tastes of the show’s style and comedy, and that we’ll be waiting until July for the second half of the show. Regardless, this isn’t a show to sleep on.

Score: 4.5/5