'DANDADAN' Season One Review: An absolute gem in a sea of anime mediocrity

I fell a little bit behind with watching this as other shows were airing around the same time and the anime binge somewhat came to a halt. This was something watched as it aired until I just didn't manage to keep up, to which the season finished and a few months had passed. But I kept thinking about the show, it's something I thoroughly enjoyed and even wrote a first impressions way back heavily praising it for its creativity and beautiful style of animation; something that is often hard to find in this era of Japanese animation where much of the productions are now cheaply done, or so cheaply done that they're outsourced to other nations. DANDADAN was a breath of fresh air that came precisely when it was needed, especially with Jujutsu Kaisen taking a break between seasons and many other shows coming to an end. I often find myself roaming through the latest seasonal releases and finding that next to nothing appeals to me, constantly in search of something different. And DANDADAN was that show that suddenly sprung out of nowhere and took us all by surprise. There really aren't many quite like this, and shows that do tend to hold a few similarities were released decades prior. I think in a way it's good that I only just finished the show, having let the initial hype that swept through the industry slow down a bit.

I think what gives this show such a strong appeal isn't even necessarily the beautiful animation style which took everyone by surprise. I think it's the lack of a structured narrative for the most part, as each episode feels like it's something new, a different challenge and a different story. Something much alike The X Files. Your established setup is still there, your characters still have their own problems and challenges to try to address and solve. Here it's the narrative of Ken having lost his balls and now desperate to return them. Mixed with the romantic struggles with Momo that continue throughout the season as they realise they're quite into each other, without wanting to really admit it out of their own shyness. Though the more time they spend together, the more that drama is increased. So we've got our setup, but what actually happens within the episodes? Fortunately it's not all drama and romance problems. This is a story of battling the mythical and the occult. A universe in which aliens and various demons are real. Haunting the world and constantly a threat to society, even if general society is incapable of seeing it. Momo with her own powers that allow her to use an invisible additional pair of extendable arms and hands. Ken taking in the powers of another spirit and allowing him to turn into an alter-ego of some sort. More confidence, more strength. The total opposite.

Given that each episode is an attempt for Ken to find his balls again, it produces a series of episodes that has the two getting caught up in these situations with spirits, some with meaningful and deep backstories that prove they aren't actually evil. And others that are just pure evil. One character is essentially a mannequin that spends the episode screaming and sprinting throughout the city over its rooftops as Ken and Momo chase him down, all for it to reveal that he was desperate to find his lost mannequin love that resides in a dump somewhere in the city. This weirdness is precisely what makes the show so entertaining. It's not always serious. It can be deep and emotional when it needs to be. And it has character challenges and growth sprinkled in between. This isn't a dark and gritty fantasy horror. It's a bright and colourful look into the universe in which possibilities are endless. And there's really so little out there like this. It's a gem on the struggles of youth within a world that's so confusing, rich in adventure and highly imaginative. In a way a place that offers great escapism for its characters that have their own internal fears. And of course, all of this is under some really beautiful animation. And I'm trying my best to just not spend the entire post praising that!

I don't think there was a single episode I didn't enjoy, even when it felt like a little bit of downtime halfway through to focus on some of the characters and a little bit of drama between them, though that also highlighted the fact that they are young and thrown into something neither of them were prepared for. With Ken being essentially the quiet kid in the school and Momo a bit more of a popular girl. That dynamic that shouldn't really work but does due to some external force bringing them together. The silly teen nonsense that has them doubting everything, especially regarding Ken who doesn't ooze confidence in the first place (and that's what makes his alter-ego side even more interesting given it's a total personality shift). I'm curious as to how the second season will turn out, there's already a teaser for it. I do hope it can maintain the momentum, it's a strong show so far in which everything seems creative and balanced out.