SacAnime Winter 2025 hosted the first ever DAN DA DAN cast panel this past Saturday. This panel was one of the biggest panels of the weekend.
The popular supernatural series panel featured protagonists AJ Beckles (Ken Takakura “Okarun”) and Abby Trott (Momo Ayase). Fellow voice actors Kari Wahlgren (Seiko Ayase), Aleks Le (Jiji), Anairis Quiñones (Muko), and Ben Diskin (Serpo Aliens) joined the leads to discuss all things occult and extraterrestrial.
DAN DA DAN Panel
Dozens of DAN DA DAN fans lined up to ask the cast their burning questions about the series, voice acting experiences and fun alien/occult themed personal questions. The first fan asked, “If you were to trap Turbo Granny, what would you put her in other than a lucky cat?”
“I think I would put her in a toilet,” Wahlgren joked. “So if she got really annoying, you could just flush it and she would be like ‘NOOO!!’” Other answers included an ATM, one of Quiñones’ cats, toy turtles, piggy banks, and a Build-a-Bear.
The panel discussed some behind-the-scenes of Bang Zoom! Entertainment casting DAN DA DAN, preparing for their characters and doing improv while recording. Beckles said he had an easy time getting into character with Okarun since he’s relatable, but finding the actual voice was the tough part. Diskin disagreed about relating to the Serpo Aliens.
“Because Okarun spent so much time screaming and whispering, we didn’t actually have a base voice for him until episode four I think,” Beckles said. “So that was the hardest thing, trying to remember what he was supposed to sound like at different points, whether he was screaming or angry or sad.”
“When you [Le] say we all relate to our characters, I just want to point out that I do not relate,” Diskin joked.
The Success of DAN DA DAN
The cast attributed the success of the dub to Alex Von David, Bang Zoom! Entertainment director. Le had previously worked with Von David on Mashle: Magic and Muscles, and found that doing a whole show together allowed them to learn from and trust each other.
“I would try to keep to the jokes that he [Von David] wrote because they were hilarious,” Le said. “Every now and then, Jiji is singing or doing the ‘Woohoo!’ It’s different when you hear it in Japanese. If you hear it in English, you’re like ‘Oh it’s a little odd he does that every now and then.’ We had to find many different ways to sing or do this and that.”
The cast recalled some of the cutest moments from the show. Beckles and Trott gushed over the romance between their characters, while Quiñones and Le talked about Jiji’s silliness.
“My favorite scene is when Okarun is leaving Momo’s house and she goes ‘See you tomorrow!’, and he says ‘OK!,’” Trott gushed. “I love the way you [Beckles] say OK, it’s so adorable and so perfect.”
“There’s the scene where Jiji is having his first day in the school and he’s just being a little idiot,” Quiñones said. “And Muko’s like, ‘I mean he’s fit!’”
One fan asked, “If you could pick a theme song for your character, what would it be?” Answers ranged from APT by Rosé featuring Bruno Mars, video game music, and Afternoon of Konoha from Naruto. The full playlist of the cast’s answers can be found here.
The cast wrapped up their DAN DA DAN panel by thanking the SacAnime attendees. They took a group picture to commemorate the successful first cast panel.
About the Series
High schooler Momo Ayase comes from a family of mediums, and her friend Ken Takakura “Okarun” is obsessed with occults. The two don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to the supernatural: Ayase believes in ghosts but not aliens, while Okarun believes in aliens but not ghosts.
However, the two try to prove each other wrong: Ayase visits an abandoned hospital where a UFO was seen, and Okarun goes to a haunted tunnel. Though skeptical, the two experience paranormal experiences, and awaken powers within themselves. Somewhere along the line, their love story unfolds…
Catch up on season one of DAN DA DAN on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services. Season two is coming this July.
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