Review of Space Dandy

Cowboy Bebop fans will remember the fridge episode well; it was a filler episode whose events were not canon to the rest of the series, but it was a fun in-universe subplot playing out for what mostly seemed like Shinichirō Watanabe's enjoyment. Everything that went right and wrong with that episode in isolation is applicable to Space Dandy in general. Whereas Watanabe's other works like Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop more or less follow a consistent narrative (putting aside the occasional filler episode), Space Dandy is built more around a central, highly textured universe from which spring the individual, narratively isolated episodes. The worldbuilding in thisregard is phenomenal, with imaginatively designed aliens and amusingly tongue-in-cheek organization and location names.

This approach was a bit of a disappointment to me, since I got much more catharsis by the end of other Watanabe shows since there was growth and development of bonds between the characters. Further, some episodes were based on much shallower gimmicks than others or burnt out near the end with less than satisfying conclusions.

Space Dandy has a lot going for it though; Dandy himself, along with the supporting cast, are all amusing and have good synergy. The Poverty Aesthetic also seen in Champloo and Bebop is present, making for a great baseline theme from which to spring comedy, unexpected noblesse oblige, and even the occasional heartstring tug. The visuals are an absolute feast and even have guest art styles for certain episodes. The voice acting is similarly bursting with personality and drama.

Space Dandy is a great single-serving thrill kind of series. Sitting back and letting the experience wash over you is probably the best approach, perhaps with subsequent revisiting for when you get nostalgia for the kind of emotional kick a given episode has.