*This article contains spoilers for Dan Da Dan*
Anime has been undergoing an enormous transformation for the past few years. Most outsiders consider it a substance-less genre full of squealing high school girls and a fanbase of basement-dwelling weirdos, which they wouldn’t be completely wrong about, but there’s so much else that it offers. Anime’s top titles are famously some of the most conceptually ground-breaking and culturally influential pieces of artwork to ever be created. Titles like Dragon Ball Z and One Piece have global reach, inspiring communities all around the world for decades.
But even with a legacy of amazing content, the animation has historically been lacking – it was due for an upgrade. In the past three years or so, Japanese animation companies have made it a point to prioritize stylization, fluidity as well as concept. The aforementioned title, One Piece, went from a long run of limited animation to some of the most expressive, breath-taking work the global industry has ever seen. In conjunction with Netflix, animation companies have had more rein to create more cinematic, higher-budget work with Dan Da Dan being the newest addition to the fold.
Produced by Science Saru, Dan Da Dan is an occult shonen that brings intrigue and intention back to anime. Every aspect, from the trailer to the intro to the anime itself, is packaged in a cohesive little bow. Its artists aren’t afraid to break form or genre boundaries, adding everything from a complicated romance plot to aliens and vengeful spirits. In just the past few months, it has rightfully become a global sensation, carrying the future of Japanese animation on its back.
First Impressions
Dan Da Dan was created by Science Saru, a studio under one of the most established animation companies in Japan, Toho. The parent company is responsible for creating and distributing some of the most influential animes to date like Jujitsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, and the infamous, Akira. Science Saru, individually, is a fairly new studio compared to its parent company. Although it was only established in 2013, they have made their mark in the international industry. They’ve done collaborations with Netflix on projects like Devil Man Crybaby, adapted from the dark and gruesome Go Nagai novel, and Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off, which was one of last TV Fest’s hot commodities, getting sold out rapidly. It’s fair to say Dan Da Dan is in good hands.
The show immediately became all the talk upon release. An initial glance at the poster left me skeptical. Front and center were two characters who looked like your classic Japanese high schoolers in any anime. The added sci-fi element mentioned in the description was new for what I assumed the show to be but it wasn’t enough to sway me – until I watched the trailer.
By the end of my watch, I felt my world turn upside down. My perception of what an anime could be was transformed after one minute and 43 seconds. The shots were expertly sliced together to demonstrate the direct vibe of the show: fast-paced, unfamiliar environments, strange characters, and an amazing soundtrack. All of the music within Dan Da Dan is selected to complement the show’s quick pacing. In one song, they sample William Tell Overture, a classical piece that is recognizable to anyone. However, in this version, this bouncy alien-like synth is overlaid on top to tie it to this world. The Japanese band, Creepy Nuts, created the perfect intro song that has taken TikTok and the whole internet by storm. The speedy rapping throughout the song and unique syllabic choices create a memorable experience that has supplanted it as the best anime theme I’ve ever heard. With just that, I was hooked.
So many details drew me into the story: clean, thin lines, amazing compositing, and coloring. It’s weird and wacky, and every moment emanates this feeling of adventure and adolescence. Youth brings this playful, fun sensation, but there’s also a lot of discovery and growth that has to occur. That’s what this introduction to the series makes you feel—like you’re light on your toes, ready to see what happens next.
The same feeling carried over when I finally dove into the full show. The pacing was still just as punchy and fast. You can’t take your eyes off of it, even for a second or you’d miss something. You know the character’s motivations, their fears, and a semblance of how the story will evolve by the end of the first episode. Momo Ayase, is a somewhat popular high school girl who is secretly obsessed with ghosts, and Okarun, is your classic awkward nerdy boy whose isolation causes him to hyper-fixate on UFOs and aliens. The story is a little raunchy and silly at times with the main plot involving Okarun losing his “banana” after one of the spirits, Turbo Granny, possesses him.
An integral part of Dan Da Dan is the color. It helps define the normal world from the spirit world. The normal world is bland, mundane, and familiar while the spirit world is much more expressive. Even within the spirit world, the color selection varies depending on the enemies. When the protagonists are fighting ghosts, the color is much more minimal typically with an accent of red. The second episode is almost entirely black, white, and red, highlighting Okarun’s possessed form and creating this eerie, unsettling sensation. When encountering aliens, there are a lot of vibrant greenish-blues and purples against the black-and-white base. The Science Saru team makes these intentional choices to add to the mood and create an understandable shift without using words.
Good and Bad Don’t Exist
The show also implements something I find very important for stories that many animes neglect to add. It eliminates the classic trope of good and bad, and similarly to other animes like One Piece presents the villains as nuanced individuals. Enemies like Turbo Granny become friends and others are presented as beings with lives and motivations beyond a fight scene.
Episode 8’s enemy, Penny-Weeny, is a great example of this dynamic. He’s a hired fighter for the Serpo who wants to capture Okarun for his “banana”. As he throws punches he chants the word “Chiquitita” repeatedly, and is mockingly called a “gig worker” by the Serpo as they berate him for his poor performance.
After his defeat, Momo feels bad for him and takes him back to her house to tend to his wounds. When he wakes up and is greeted with food, he’s overcome with gratitude as he’s never been treated so kindly before. As everyone gathers around him, he tells them why he picked up this work. Back on his planet, his son is sick with the same disease that killed his wife. To play for his blood transfusion, he must work grueling gigs. Momo’s grandmother smells the familiar scent of his blood and realizes it’s milk, gifting him a cow to take back to his home planet and help his son.
It’s a bit of a silly conclusion but it adds weight and validity to this character we once called an enemy. Instead of simply remaining this villain, we as the audience can now identify with his motivations: working a dead-end job to make ends meet. We’ve all been there.
Episode 7 features possibly the best anime episode to ever air. Its villain Acrobatic Silky, a tall, slender woman with long stringy hair and ballerina-like grace is gifted a lengthy cinematic glance into her past. She was a single mom, struggling to make ends meet whose one and only joy was her daughter. Originally a dancer, in her off time she taught her daughter different moves and even bought her a dress with the little money she had. But this meant neglecting the loan sharks, she owed money to. They came to her house, beat her bloody, and took what little she had including her child. Barely conscious she wandered the streets looking for her daughter until she fell, taking her last breath.
She remained a spirit after her death, continuing to wander aimlessly through the streets. She possessed no memories from her life but only was left with the feeling that she lost something important. Aira, one of the show’s supporting characters, as a young child came up to Acrobatic Silky, mistaking her for her deceased mom. It was a consequential mistake that left Silky with an obsession of protecting Aira who she assumed was her daughter. Now, in the present, she fights back against Momo and Okarun to fulfill her mission and reunite with who she perceives is her long-lost child.
During their battle, Aira is killed by Acrobatic Silky. Okarun is able to take Silky down with Turbo Granny’s powers but nothing could bring his friend back. Silky offers her spirit to resurrect Aira, promising that they could take her life if she betrayed them. Momo then uses her powers to channel Silky’s aura into Aira, in the process of witnessing Silky’s former life. As Aira is brought back, Silky’s form starts to disintegrate. Aira decides in those final moments to comfort her calling her “mother”, and laying her long erratic soul to rest.
It’s a gorgeous sequence of events that is a great introduction to the dynamics that will be built upon with Peeny-Weeny. A beautiful collection of frames that encompass the nuance of the human experience and expand upon the emotional distress with this symbol of the afterlife. All Acrobotic Silky wanted was to protect her daughter, to redeem what she had failed at in her original life. It was the first time tears were brought to my eyes watching a fictional story. It sounds crazy but that’s just how immersive this story is. For 25 minutes, it grips you and demands you don’t look away.
As Dan Da Dan is set to debut its second season in July, there is much promise for what will unfold in the coming story. What strange new creatures will we meet? Will Okarun ever get his “banana” back? It’s all too exciting to wait half a year for. As newer animes debut in tandem with Netflix like The Summer Hikaru Died, a queer horror coming-of-age series, that seems as if it will follow in Dan Da Dan’s high-quality standard. I and so many others are more excited about anime than ever before.
