The X Files for Freaks: Dandadan Season 1 Review

Summary

• Dandadan excels in its balance of chaos and calm, blending supernatural action with teenage romance in a visually stunning way.

• In many ways, this is a show about dichotomy, which is never more apparent than in the romance between Momo and Okarun.

• Stellar voice acting and animation lift Dandadan to great heights despite an underwhelming cliffhanger for a (mercifully) upcoming sequel.

It's hard to sum up the quality of a show like Dandadan in any way it didn't already articulate within the first few minutes of its bombastic, charming and well-tempered premiere. Of all 2024's delights in the anime world, few shows were as highly anticipated as this new-age shōnen filled with attitude and heartfelt romance, and to no one's surprise, it was amazing.

Animated by Science Saru and directed by Fuga Yamashiro, Dandadan is the story of a boy who believes in aliens but not ghosts and a girl who believes in ghosts but not aliens. When they dare each other to go to paranormal hotspots, they realize to their dismay that they are both right and find themselves the target of entities beyond even their strangest beliefs.

Soon, the boy's penis is stolen by a ghost and the girl's psychic powers are accidentally awakened by perky aliens, prompting the two to team up to fight back and save the former's freshly cut bud. It's an absurd premise, but one far too inspired and interesting to dismiss, and that's just the lure. The hook is a little deeper.

Understand Dandadan's greatest strength

At first glance, it's this kind of story that's characterized by its chaos and that's a byproduct of how unabashedly weird this story is. It's a love letter to the supernatural and – in equal parts – the fascination and skepticism inherent in such subjects. Visually, the animation and artwork work to present these oddities as boldly as possible, a task few studios are better suited to than Science Saru. However, was that all, Dandadans charms would have worn thin quickly.

The secret to this story's success is its mastery of pacing and tone, and it's hardly a secret at all. Ask the creative staff behind the anime, as we did, and they'll emphasize it as one of the most crucial ingredients in adapting writer Yukinobu Tatsu's plot. Dandadan is busy and bombastic, but it also has to be quiet, to let the characters' emotions linger and turn a script that's silly into one that's also often relatable and sometimes very real.

Opposites and the attraction therein

Dandadan is about dichotomy. Chaos and calm. Ghosts and aliens. Supernatural action and teenage romance. A wayward girl and a nerdy guy; Momo Ayase and Okarun. She is a gyaru who speaks her mind but has a romantic side and is looking for a reliable guy who reminds her of her favorite actor, Ken Takakura. On the other hand, Okarun is a shy geek with occult interests who looks to the sky in search of the companionship he lacks in his daily life.

They couldn't be more different and at the same time not more perfect together. It's an insight that may not come quickly to them, but is obvious to everyone else and most importantly, the viewer. Dandadan makes a meal of his first arc, keeping the two together as they come to grips with new powers amidst encounters with aliens, ghosts, and Momo's absurdly lively grandmother, Seiko, to name a few.

The performances are everything

It's such an effective opening salvo that forces the characters to understand the power scaling as they go, without ever getting lost in the exposition. If there is a break from the action, the script would prefer it be used to bring these characters closer together, be it through banter, bickering or a silence pregnant with quickly averted, shy glances. Presentation is one half of the equation – the other is the voice acting.

Natsuki Hanae and Shion Wakayama are the heart and soul of the series, and their understanding of the story's tonal flexibility is reflected in their chemistry. Hanae's portrayal of Okarun, for example, has a lot of duality. He is at once very shy but can also burst into manic rage, which makes his banter with Momo all the more captivating. Similar praise is also owed to the English actor. Abby Trott as Momo, AJ Beckles as Okarun and the iconic Kari Wahlgren as Seiko all understood the mission. You can't go wrong no matter which dub.

Hats off to Science Saru

Praise the animation of Dandadan somewhat reminiscent of praising a show that Mob Psycho 100in that the presentation is so consistently impressive that words fail to conjure up new ways to describe it. If anything readily comes to mind, it's that Fuga Yamashiro has done an amazing job. Whatever he does next is worth everyone's attention — whether it's the next season of this one or something else entirely.

That shouldn't come as a surprise from someone who worked closely with Masaaki Yuasa on many of his previous projects, but it's exciting nonetheless. In the past, Yamashiro emphasized the importance of preserving the dramatic rhythm of the source material, and while manga readers will be the best judge of his exact success in this matter, the results speak for themselves.

There is rarely if ever a shot that is boring or where the characters don't emote in a striking or simply entertaining way. For that matter, the character designs by Takeru Noda and animation director Naoyuki Onda look fantastic and only look more so when an episode director or AD takes some liberties to maximize the dramatic presentation. That brings us back to history, where Dandadan went from good to something really special.

The Heights of Dandadan

Across the board, this season was very strong, balancing action and comedy with serious romance and brief but powerful notes of genuine drama. Episode 7 is where the season peaks, though, and where it kind of plateaus afterwards – not in a bad way, mind you, but simply because it doesn't have time to reach the same heights. It’s the kind of episode that makes one realize “Oh, so this is what the show is really If.”

Without spoiling anything, Dandadan proved itself just past the halfway point by showing how raw and real it could get past all the silliness leading up to it. Likewise, it's a microcosm of every aspect of the production that makes this show so addictive to just… watch. For a thorough assessment of everything that makes animation “good”, one need only watch this episode, to see the dynamics of its action set-ups, the life felt in the characters and more.

I was a little disappointed with the finale, but only because it didn't feel like a proper season finale. The where a cliffhanger, but it felt strangely underwhelming. It just felt like another episode, which by this show's standards isn't bad, and thankfully fans won't have to wait long for the second season. If anything, I would recommend that new viewers consider possibly waiting until closer to season 2 release to get the series.

… There is so much more this series has to show us, and just knowing that is exciting. Science Saru have outdone themselves.

Even with a somewhat underwhelming cliffhanger, however, Dandadan was delightful through and through. This review barely scratched the surface of the cast, like Seiko, Turbo Granny, Aira or Jiji, all of which are handled with similar nuances, and all quickly grow on the viewer, no matter how resistant some of them may start. Even without reading the manga, I can say that there is so much more this series has to show us, and just knowing that is exciting. Science Saru have outdone themselves.

Dandadan available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix.