Review of Dan Da Dan
A vibrant 2024 anime blending comedy, shounen, romcom, and supernatural genres, centered around a family of mediums and a lonely otaku. There’s no cohesive storyline—most of the action revolves around a guy in a tough spot trying to deal with it. The tone here is distinctly adolescent, so expect plenty of shouting, awkward phrases, misunderstandings, and humor built on all of the above. This approach drastically narrows the target audience to high schoolers, who will likely find it appealing (no need to overthink, just enjoy the visuals). That said, the pilot episode and a few after it are riddled with misplaced raunchiness, which feels oddly outof place for that same audience.
They could’ve easily skipped focusing on the guy’s stolen personal artifact and kept all the charm and humor intact. Sure, the situation is absurdly funny and hooks you in the pilot, but it makes later attempts at drama fall flat. When mid-season rolls around with the story of a ghost tied to Aira, it’s hard to take it seriously.
With no overarching stakes, the anime feels disjointed, like a collection of standalone arcs where characters overcome challenges—but never fully. Aira’s inexplicable stubbornness—treating everyone as enemies—feels forced for the sake of the genre. Then there’s the turbo-grandma, a supposed altruist comforting lost souls for decades, who’s simultaneously obsessed with beating everyone and stealing trinkets. Odd.
Overall, it’s a mishmash: everything’s tossed in together, haphazardly diced, and thrown into a single bowl, glued together with various excuses, and voilà. There are genuinely great moments, but they seem more like happy accidents than a consistent quality.
The only major highlight is the stunning visuals, art, and direction (a debut work by Fūga Yamashiro). Dynamic, stylish, and vibrant—it’s a great example of modern craftsmanship. Even the variety stands out, like the nighttime rain chase scene. If you don’t dwell too much on the shallow plot, flat characters, and endless petty arguments (is this a romcom or a flea market?), it’s a decent watch.
Critics praise its genre mix—romcom + horror + sci-fi. It’s hard to disagree, though the comedy often borders on the absurd. And the dynamic between the leads? Despite the flat characters, their interactions are shown well. But the otaku... he’s such a worn-out cliché it’s hard to watch.
Oh, and the opening is decent.
The first season, released in late 2024, ends mid-sentence in yet another arc that materializes out of nowhere, so brace yourself for major loose ends. A second season has been announced and is set for mid-2025. Based on a manga.