DAN DA DAN Episodes 1-3: A Wild Time From The Jump

©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee

By Sarah Musnicky

DAN DA DAN is a series that is unafraid to throw something at the wall and hope it sticks. For genre lovers, it almost has everything: aliens, ghosts, young love, a hot grandma, and more. No, seriously, there's so much more. The first couple of episodes can be overwhelming, but DAN DA DAN thrives in keeping viewers on their toes. But you'll be side-eyeing bananas for a good while after.

High schooler Momo (Shion Wakayama/Abby Trott) is set on saving herself for love, with her long-standing crush on actor Ken Takakura influencing her dating preferences. In need of a distraction after a breakup, Momo defends Okarun (Natsuki Hanae/A.J. Beckles), an occult-obsessed otaku. In desperate need of friendship, Okarun gloms onto Momo, and surprisingly, she doesn't mind.

Through their antics in Episode 1, they both unlock something deep within themselves. Momo believes in ghosts but doesn't believe in aliens or UFOs. So, Okarun dares her to go to a place rumored to be plagued with alien activity. Okarun doesn't believe in ghosts, so Momo dares him to go to a suspicious tunnel where a granny ghost lingers. Both find out the hard way that aliens AND ghosts are real, opening up a can of worms they'll have to address throughout DAN DA DAN.

©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee

Episode 2 of DAN DA DAN highlights how their quirks work together, even amid unadulterated chaos. More insight is gained into Momo's background, setting up the awkwardness of her relationship with her grandmother and her fear of being different. Animation studio Science SARU takes huge swings with its animation, showing its grasp of the series' wildness in just two episodes. From psychedelic chakra awakenings to the black-and-white plunge into an alternate reality, each scene evolves into something new and exciting to the eye.

Within just a span of three episodes, Momo's arc looms at the forefront. As someone previously ashamed of her powers, she's forced into a situation that allows her to tentatively reclaim her spiritual heritage. Given that each episode of DAN DA DAN is roughly 20 minutes in length, to arrive at least one such character arc so quickly and seamlessly is pretty impressive. And how the storyline is executed makes it easy to be all in to see if she has the stuff to pull off saving Okarun.

Speaking of Okarun, his curse and its evolution has a built-in mystery. Sure, the curse of Granny was originally just an urban myth, but now he is living proof of that granny ghost's existence. The design of his cursed transformation is zany and sudden, but how his personality changes in the first three episodes of DAN DA DAN intrigues me. Where will his story go, and what emo visage does he take on when he enters a more "leveled up" mode? Whatever it is, I'm hooked.

©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee

DAN DA DAN is a wild time from the jump. It may scare away less seasoned anime viewers with its zany energy, but honestly? That's a huge part of the fun and sell of the series. In just a couple of short episodes, huge swings are taken, and the characters themselves are quirky and relatable enough to keep us as closely tethered to reality as possible.

Give DAN DA DAN a try. Just be careful of both aliens and that wild-eyed granny. Neither of them are up to any good.

The first two episodes of DAN DA DAN is now available to stream on Crunchyroll, with new episodes BOTH subtitled and dubbed in English releasing every Thursday at 9:00 AM PT (8:00 AM PT after daylight saving time ends). The series is also streaming on Netflix.