DAN DA DAN Season 2

There are times where I find a show to be a pleasant surprise. It's not too common where I find a show that I enjoy more than I expect, but it's always nice to get stuff that I end up enjoying more than I otherwise would. That has been my experience with Dandadan. It's a show that I initially found to be rather crass and too loud but as it progressed, I found it to be an enjoyable series with gorgeous animation and a very endearing cast. You can slowly see Okarun and Momo grow throughout it, both in terms of how they use their powers to fight aliens and spirits as well as how their relationship expands further.

We are introduced to Ken Takakura, aka, Okarun. He is this massive alien nerd who doesn't really seem to interact much with anyone else in the class, but one day, he starts clashing with Momo Ayase as she argues that spirits are real but aliens are not while Okarun argues the opposite. The two of them then make a bet so that Okarun visits a haunted tunnel while Momo visits an abandoned hospital where a UFO had been spotted. Okarun gets possessed by Turbo Granny, a powerful and incredibly fast spirit and Momo gets kidnapped by a group of...very creepy aliens. Momo awakens to her psychic powers and Okarun gains a lot of speed and power from Turbo Granny, who, after losing to the duo, becomes a sort of comedic relief/sort of mentor figure for Okarun. They work together fighting aliens, yokai, and are on a hunt for Okarun's golden balls!

I was pretty iffy on the show at first but it slowly grew on me, especially with S2.

The main appeal of a series like this would be its cast, as it's largely a monster of the week fighting against these different aliens and yokai. Okarun and Momo prove to be a very charming and entertaining duo, as they contrast with one another while also working quite well as a team. Okarun is shown to be this shy kid that largely kept to himself until he befriended Momo, and you can see him slowly break out of his shell. You can also see how Okarun works towards improving himself not only to fight against the various monsters that do commonly pop up, but also to, in some ways, impress Momo. Another instance would be during S2 where he recieves training from Turbo Granny so that he can improve how he uses his powers. Momo is very hot headed and is far more confrontational than Okarun is. Of the two, she's more open about her feelings and is often the one driving their budding relationship. This becomes more apparent in S2, though there are instances of this in S1 as well. They have a lot of chemistry with one another and have a lot of funny quips throughout. What you see in Dandadan is a cute little romance that is slowly built throughout and I also enjoy seeing them butt heads as well as using their powers in creative ways to solve issues that come their way.

As for other characters, to run through them quickly:

1. Turbo Granny is by far the funniest character in the entire show. She is clearly irritated over her loss of her powers and constantly mocks those around her, usually Momo and Okarun in particular. She also does give a lot of insight when it comes to the other spirits in the show, and even helps Okarun with his powers. Part of it would stem from her own pride, as those are her powers and she views Okarun as weak and inept with them, but she does care for, or at least, is interested in Okarun and his development, which is why she sort of takes on that role. The most notable example of this is when Okarun goes up against Evil Eye in S2.

1. Seiko Ayase is Momo's grandma and serves as a guide for both Momo and Okarun. She's very laidback and no nonsense as she's a very matter of the fact person. She is a spirit medium and she generally intervenes when the situation calls for it, but is otherwise pretty hands off. She does have a back and forth with Momo but you can tell that she does care for her and wants to help her in anyway possible. I do like the sort of hard ass mentor figure, and Seiko fits that role pretty well.

1. Aira Shiratori is another person from Momo and Okarun's school and two character traits come up from her very quickly. She has a massive crush on Okarun, and she doesn't like Momo. I did find her obnoxiously one note for a while. I actually enjoyed her more in S2, where those two traits are still present, but it felt like she has mellowed out a lot since then. I also do like her powers, as it is similar to Okarun but with her ability to restrain and zip around using her hair like that one spirit during episode 6 of S1.

1. Jin Enjouji, aka, Jiji, is Momo's childhood friend and was her first crush. At first, I was worried the show was gonna do a tired love triangle, but thankfully, it didn't go in that direction. You can tell that while Jiji is more physically active and is more social than Okarun, they quickly develop this bond based on some similar interests. Jiji is a very energetic guy with a lot of goofy facial expressions. He's a lot of fun to watch, and he has a very compelling arc involving him and the Evil Eye, which shows his own compassionate side despite what the Evil Eye's intentions.

1. I don't have too much to say for the rest of the cast. Manjirou is pretty neat as an assistant kind of character to Seiko. Kinta Sakata, a guy who's introduced in the last bit of S2, is pretty enjoyable as this total geek as well as how nobody else takes him seriously. Evil Eye is a lot of fun to watch both as a villain and how inherently childish he is. His fights with Okarun are some of the highlights of S2.

The art and animation all look great from beginning to end for this show. It has some really good fights, especially during S2. There is never a dull fight throughout the show, though some of my favorites were the fights against Evil Eye during S2, as he is arguably the strongest yokai we've seen so far and you can just feel the desperation of the cast when they fight and contain him. I really like the use of colors, such as going all red when Okarun goes all out, all purple for Evil Eye whenever he shows up, or all green when the aliens show up. It makes everything just pop. I also just enjoy how expressive the cast can be throughout the show, it makes the comedic bits more enjoyable. Naoyuki Onda did the character designs for the anime, and he did a solid job with them, as they all look very smooth and appealing.

One thing that really sticks out to me would be the music, and there is a bit of a running theme of music for S2 as well. Turbo Granny tells Okarun that he needs more of a rhythm for when he fights using her powers, and they even tie it back to this one awesome performance in an earlier episode. The Japanese version of this heavy metal performance was done by HAYASii as they perform exorcism by their song, which is cool as hell. The band and the song are both a homage of this famous Japanese band called X Japan as well as their song Kurenai, and it's so sick. I appreciate this show for introducing me to this band, like damn. The English version is done by Marc Hudson (DragonForce) and it's just as good. The fact that they did an English version and a Japanese version is so cool, that takes true dedication.

AiNA THE END is the one who performs the second OP and while I do prefer the first one, the second one is quite good as well. I really like how Okarun's perspective is colorless until he sees Momo, as if she brings all this energy to his life. It's one of those OPs that slowly grows on you as time goes on. It just really fits the vibe for the second season and I appreciate it quite a bit.

Shingo Kubota did the ED for S2 and I really like it. I also like how the ED goes for a different, more cutsey art style. It's a very nice song to listen to as it feels like something you can just vibe with in the background.

The overall OST is done by Kensuke Ushio and I really like his work. He has this style that you can't get out of your head. Dandadan’s music blends energetic big beat and hip-hop elements with experimental electronic sampling, making it vibrant and just fun to listen to. One of my favorite tracks plays when Okarun fights Evil Eye in the latter half of S2, it's such an earworm.

Ultimately, I think if you get past a small handful of pretty sus scenes, you can get a lot of enjoyment out of Dandadan. It's something that I grew to really enjoy, and I love following Okarun and Momo as the main leads. The show strikes a pretty good balance between having these fast paced fights while also having this charming day to day with the main duo and the rest of the cast. It's a show that I eagerly wait to see more of.