Frustratingly average; I just can’t get those words out of my head. With a soundtrack, aesthetic, and sound design better than most new-gen shōnens, Dan Da Dan (2024) has all the cards for a great 2020s anime. And yet, it falls flat. Even when the series plays with satire at just the right moments–when it’s on the verge of breaking the mold, the author frustratingly falls back onto the same old regurgitated storylines and plot beats that have plagued the shōnen world for years.
I’ll start this with our two main characters. First we’ve got Momo Ayase, our feisty female lead who is fine, I guess. She’s got that certain archetype of modern teenage spunk and supernatural intrigue that many new gen series exhibit. Then we have Ken Takakura (Okarun), the nerdy male counterpart who isn’t that much better. He’s a walking trope: awkward, earnest, and tragically predictable. And the dynamic between the two? Sure, it’s cute at times, but it’s also as if someone took the blueprint for a quirky anime duo and just decided to control c, control v without bothering to tweak it.
Now, I’ll give credit where credit is due: the sound design and aesthetic are exceptional. The atmosphere is honestly better than it has any right to be. Neon, shimmering throughout an alien infested playground, a place where kinetic energy feels like it’s being harnessed via raw unadulterated serotonin. The soundtrack too, is a standout. Tracks pair together and thread the needle between high-energy beats, haunting extraterrestrial synths, and slap-stick bumpers, pulling you into a world that, for all its narrative faults, feels genuinely alive.
How about the story? The premise—a mix of ghost hunting, alien encounters, and supernatural brawls, I’ll give it to them, it is undeniably unique. It’s like someone threw JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1986), Mob Psycho 100 (2012), and a splash of Urusei Yatsura (1978) into a blender; except what we get is a chunky, lumpy mess. The story jumps from one outrageous set piece to another, barely giving you the time of day to digest what exactly just happened before they decide to throw another golden curveball at you. And while aimlessly swinging the bat is fun for the first few episodes (and when done right, can get you the holy grail of anime: FLCL 2000), the novelty wears off quickly. By the midpoint, I started craving something more substantial from the series (and no, that half-baked Jujutsu Kaisen (2018) style character (Acrobatic Sarasara) doesn’t count).
The satire, when it’s there, is sharp, witty. They’ll have you thinking they are deconstructing genre norms and poking fun at its contemporaries. But then it will revert to tired tropes and clichés, like it’s afraid to commit to its own ideas. I feel manic watching the damn thing.
I’ll admit, there are moments of genuine enjoyment scattered throughout Dan Da Dan (2024). I mean there is a genuine charm to the absurdity of it all. But charm only gets the series so far. Without narrative coherence and a proper amount of time rationed to each character the series will struggle to leave any sort of impact.
