Review of Dan Da Dan
As a huge fan of the manga and someone who has a great deal of faith in Science SARU, I knew this season was destined for greatness. Still, how good could it be? The manga thrives in part based on the insane, bombastic detail of its splash panels, which any studio would find difficult to translate to animation. The interactions between its characters, particularly in its humor and romance, is difficult to emulate as well. The way things flow from panel to panel on the page has a very deliberate sense of pacing that could easily be lost in motion. I am here to informyou that the animation doesn’t just succeed; it soars.
The first and easiest way this series thrives is in its action scenes. If there’s anything Science SARU consistently does well, it’s the flow of its movement. From Devilman to Eizouken to Tatami to Scott Pilgrim, this studio consistently does motion well, but Dandadan sets a new standard in crazy motion and use of camera placement. Each fight/chase scene creates new opportunities to showcase the incredible speed and dynamic motion of its characters. Shout out especially to the work on Episode 3 for its Granny vs. Granny action, which has a personal effect that just looks and feels incredible, Episode 4 with the crazy chase sequences from the crab and on the train.
It’s not just its action that goes hard. There’s a certain rhythm to how its romance plays out, particularly in Episode 5, that really stands out. There’s just something about Momo and Okarun trying to find each other and the way they finally do that manages to evoke this moment from the manga so well. It’s hard to say how well the series will play this out further since their relationship is still in its early stages, but it’s doing a fine job with it so far.
But if I had to give it up to any episode for doing something special, it would have to be Episode 7. Easily the best episode of the season and possibly of the year, this set a new gold standard for the series. The animation in this episode looks sharp and more realistic as the perspective shifts, and both it and the camera work are absolutely stunning, but it’s the emotional beats that hit surprisingly hard. Even as someone well versed with the manga, someone who is automatically dismissive of attempts to wring sympathy out of the end of a short-lived character, this hurt. The emotions in this episode are conveyed beautifully and show that in this absurd and zany world with all its incredible comedy, the series can just as effectively bring on the waterworks.
Anyway, there's a lot else I could cover, but I'm trying to keep this vague enough to avoid spoilers. Ending in the middle of a new arc was a bit of an odd choice, but I know they didn't have many options and I'm just considering S1 and S2 a divided single season. The choice to end it here nonetheless brings the series down a bit for me, since it's probably the weakest aspect of the season. I still enjoy what this series is putting down, and while it hasn't reached the series' best moments from the manga, it's still popping off nearly every episode. Look forward to seeing the rest of this series adapted.