Anime: Dan Da Dan

I only watched three episodes, but that was well enough to know this show isn't for me.

If I would explain this show with only words, it would be: cringe, facial expressions, screaming, cool animations.
Basically the Tiktok generation with various letter combinations will love this show, and people with a bit of an intellect will not.
It swaps between trying to be funny (mostly through screaming characters making funny facial expressions, think Demon Slayer), then it forces cringe romance/drama and becomes "deep", explaining how the protagonist is lonely and nobody likes him (typical beta male protagonist that all simps can identify with), only to swap into another action scene.
These also a lot of lewd jokes. Basically every ghost/aliens is after human penises and vaginas, cause why not. And all women characters have cleavage and/or reveal scenes too, just to get the teenage boys and simps watching aroused.
This show pretty much is trying to be everything, all at once.

So if you lack patience and don't want to use your brain much, this is for you, cause it's a pretty show to look at.

never made review before but I am doing it because there other two reviews reeks of elitist scumbaggery, the type of people who farted their opinions and blasted it off even though nobody asked and basically dragging the score down trying to pass it as a mediocre below the average anime (even putting 1/10 value, like really?). I do watch a lot of anime, probably more than thousand at this point, I watched old anime from 70s all the way to current anime. So bear in mind that my resume is stacked even though I rarely write review like this. So that people know that I know what I am talking about.

art: fluid, whoever made this knew how to translate the artwork from manga to anime, I don't need to explain who is who behind the scene you already know it is not some random animator, the fighting choreography looks beautifully well done

sound: don't have much comment here, pretty good.

character/value/enjoyment: the reason why people like this anime, because it has zero pretentiousness, it doesn't come off as "deep thought provoking" anime trying to sell you pseudo intellectual type of character and conversation, it sells you a roller coaster ride that takes you to the funland. What makes this particular shounen different from the rest, is that the characters are acting like what normal kids do in real life. For example: the MC and her sidekick the glasses guy poking fun of each other, argued all the times, but at the same they know how to be serious when they needed to be. The author doesn't care about having to constantly show off genital type of jokes, which can be off putting to certain pseudo intellectual demographic. It works for people like me, I rarely have a consistent laugh when watching anime, especially coming from shounen anime like this. When you watch other shounen anime, often time they forgot how to be fun, and instead you get stuck in the same boring, serious conversation that can be tiring to watch with all the mumbo jumbo about the explanation how-to master your skill and the training session or long ass battle scene that can drag on for 10 eps or more.

Dandadan keeps it simple, it gets straight to the action, gets it done within one episode, and goes on into the next arc in a quick succession, it doesn't waste time on dragging multiple episodes just for one battle scene. Dandadan knows how to quickly switch the vibe from comedy, to action, to serious, to horror, then back to comedy again in a matter of seconds. If I can draw a direct comparison, watching Dandadan feels like watching/reading the kid Goku arc in Dragon Ball, and watching Slayers. It has similar vibes, it focuses on one group of main characters and sidekick, it has a lot of comedies, conversation doesn't drag on too long, and it doesn't have the problem of other shounen anime has, like too much of characters cast to the point that it has to be splitted into different scenes, and therefore decreasing your enjoyment when watching your characters fighting boss, then suddenly has to be switched with different character fighting different boss, and so on. A lot of times in Dandadan, you get a teamwork between multiple characters fighting the big bad boss. It makes it easier to digest and retains the hype as you watch the uninterrupted battle scene.

So this is a perfect anime for me, and every reason you dislike this anime is the reason why I like this anime, and the reason why you like different anime because you dislike this anime, is the same reason I probably dislike your particular favorite anime too.

Dandadan gained attention for three main reasons. First, its animation. Second, the manga was written by one of the assistants of the creator of Chainsaw Man, another popular title. And finally, there simply was not much else to watch in that season.

The anime is eccentric and random for most part of the time, mixing different elements like occultism and science fiction, which doesn't really mean anything, as most anime are a mix of many elements. It is very straightforward, the problem is that there is not much going on, like plot progression or thematic exploration. It is often about mundane school life and teenage romance. The real spectacle is when something unexpected appears and then the characters need to deal with it. It looks very random for the sake of being random. Also, it is filled with sex jokes, misunderstandings and shouting here and there, which is annoying sometimes, but it is for comedy sake.

As for the characters, there are two protagonists. The nerdy boy who believes in aliens and was cursed by a spirit. The gyaru girl who believes in ghosts and was abducted by aliens. They find what they were looking for in each other. Nonetheless, they are mostly remembered for their powers, which is part of the empowerment fantasy aspect of this show, teenagers receiving super powers and fighting weird stuff, it is easy to relate and self insert. Besides them, there is the grandmother, who is noted more for being hot. The yokai sealed inside the cat doll, which is like the mascot of the series. The pink haired rival girl, who is just another waifu. The childhood friend, who is very forgettable. They don't really go much further than that and the story doesn't seem really concerned about this as well.

The most remarkable feature is the animation. The show is very colourful and expressive. There are action scenes with different uses of colours and exaggerated expressions during humorous moments, which fits in the weird nature of this show. This style is also seen in other works by the same studio. Dandadan's success is not a surprise. It is a popular manga that got an attractive adaptation. Unfortunately, this kind of quality is often fleeting, and it will likely be overshadowed when the next well animated title comes out. Also, it increases the expectations for next seasons, which can be disappointing if it ended up being inferior in comparison to the animation of this season.

The anime is highly regarded, but it seems undeserved. It is a notable modern title, but this seems to be partly due to the lack of competition. Furthermore, it is mostly remembered by its animation and its randomness, nothing really new in anime. Don't watch it with high expectations, it probably will disappoint. It is not really special in any way. However, it is entertaining for what it is: an action driven show with juvenile jokes and eye-catching visuals as its main appeal.

Despite the ludicrous claims of early alleged reviewers, there is nothing special about Dandandan besides the animation. People saw a generic power fantasy about a dork otaku making the most popular girl of his school to be all over him and instantly lost their minds. If that is what counts as the best romance you have ever seen in your life, you haven’t lived much. Dandandan is the Demon Slayer of 2024 and the flavor of the season, a generic action show that is carried by animation that has no staying power.

Just to be clear, being immature doesn’t make a show bad. It only makes it shallow and passable if you have seen many similar shows. I was there when Fooli Cooli was a thing, Dandandan doesn’t even have half of the depth of the themes that show had, so what am I supposed to praise it for? The animation? Even that means nothing after you’ve been through the Demon Slayer honeymoon phase.

You can still somewhat appreciate the creativity behind the complete chaos that is a story about aliens and ghosts, but only on an animalistic level. There are a lot of dick/scat jokes and a fair amount of fan service. Also, anyone can throw random ideas at the pot and stir them without bothering to have a balance. I was there when Code Geass was a thing. Dandandan doesn’t even have a tenth of the complete chaos that was the second season of that show. Why would I be impressed?

Episode 7 in specific is overpraised as some sort of masterpiece, but even that falls flat if you have seen a single show about the occult. Remember Demon Slayer? Every monster got its own flashback as it was dying. Nothing new. Go back even further to Hell Girl or Vampire Princess. I was getting the same thing on every single episode. Why would I be impressed?

I can go on, but you get the point. It’s a show for rookies. Experienced viewers will find nothing special in it. All its elements have been done before, better and in a more memorable way. As for the rookies who have all the right to like it, it won’t go any further than laughing at a dork losing his balls and getting trained by a gmilf. In a year at the most they will also be seeing nothing in it.