Dan Da Dan episode 1 was everything I wanted it to be! It had likable characters, bombastic action, and a premise that is as entertaining as it is absurd. Prepare for a world of craziness, as we review the first episode of Dan Da Dan.
Diving into "Dan Da Dan" Episode 1
Momo Ayase immediately steals the spotlight. With a swift roundhouse kick, she rejects her jerk boyfriend and other jerks like him. The kick didn’t work per se, but it was still satisfying, with snappy animation and an instantly iconic action pose. After she gets dumped, Momo wanders the halls lamenting her failing love life. As she passes a classroom, she spots a boy in glasses getting picked on and swoops in to his rescue. Just her presence alone is enough to halt the bullying, and she leaves with a quick remark about all the jerks in the world.
As she walks through the hallway with her comically wide gait, the same boy in glasses approaches her and strikes up a conversation about UFOs. Not wanting any of his nonsense, she slaps a magazine out of his hands. Then, in a tender moment of remorse, she apologizes, picks up the magazine and returns it to him. This is the first of many moments of “gap appeal” that permeate the anime.
"Dan Da Dan" Thrives on the Line Between Chaos and Control
From the onset of Dan Da Dan episode 1, the show aims to combine a lot of seemingly opposite elements together. Occult and science fiction, action and romance, horror and comedy. It may feel nonsensical, but the cinematography and environmental storytelling smooths the transition between these genres.
This is also expressed in the character acting. Momo comes across as this flashy, brusque girl, but she genuinely cares about other people’s feelings. She even reveals later that her grandmother is the most important person in her life, and she can’t stand people making fun of her. Okarun, as the boy comes to be called, seems standoffish and gloomy due to his constant rejection from people and aliens alike. Deep down, he wants someone to geek out with, and to get loud and boisterous about what he believes in. The “gap” between personalities and genres is where this anime thrives and rides a thin line between chaos and control.
Both Ghost and Aliens Do Exist!
Jumping ahead, Okarun’s encounter with Turbo Granny and Momo’s abduction by Serpoians are both expertly executed. The stylistic clash between the amorphous body-twisting ghost, and the angular biomechanical aliens, beautifully displays the strengths of animation. Possessed Okarun whips and crawls about the spaceship in impossible ways, as the telekinetic Serpoians try to contain him. Meanwhile, Momo awakens to her own psychic powers and makes short work of the aliens, with another roundhouse kick that mirrors the start of the episode.
With the spaceship crashed and a challenge from Turbo Granny, Momo and Okarun take a moment to pause. Seeing how her clothes got ripped to shreds, Okarun offers his own, intending to fight Turbo Granny alone. Momo, in an act of solidarity, offers his clothes back to him, as an homage to when she picked up his magazine. A gesture that says, “We’re in this together.” As one final surprise, Okarun reveals his name is Ken Takakura, which just so happens to be the same name of Momo’s favorite celebrity crush. The look of flustered shock as the spaceship explodes behind her is the perfect note to end the episode.
Final Thoughts
Dan Da Dan prides itself on the absurd and whacky. It also knows when to take things slow and thoughtful. The clash of genres and styles may seem eclectic, but the presentation and cinematography blends everything together beautifully. If you enjoy zany characters, imaginative action, and all things occult, give this anime a watch. It’s sure to be a standout series this season. It only gets crazier from here!
Occult Corner: Understanding the Creatures in the Show
Turbo Granny: Reported sightings of an old woman chasing speeding cars and scaring drivers began on the highways of Hyogo prefecture. The rumors of Turbo Granny gradually spread throughout Japan, but her true origins remain a mystery. According to one theory, she sprung from a myth that people would abandon old folks in the mountains to reduce the number of mouths to feed. One day, a young man hiking in the mountains gets chased by an old woman who is supposedly a survivor of such a fate. A terrible creature, one that seems hell-bent on consuming a person’s life force.
Serpoians: Inspired by Project Serpo, an alleged exchange program between the US government and an extraterrestrial planet called Serpo in the Zeta Reticuli star system. According to the conspiracy theory, an alien survivor from the Roswell Incident of 1947 (another theory claiming that aliens crash landed near Roswell, New Mexico) was taken in by the military and eventually returned to its home planet. This established a relationship with the alien’s planet and between 1965 and 1978, a total of twelve humans have visited the planet, but have all since died due to high levels of radiation.
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