Reviews: DAN DA DAN
A Supernatural and Exciting Experience
Within this past year, television series from Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc., have been on a roll lately attracting different audiences worldwide. Notable ones being an Amazon Prime exclusive, “Fallout,” Hulu exclusive “Shogun,” and HBO’s “Rivals.”
Alongside it, anime had a fun, entertaining run for jam-packed anime as well! Phenomenal pieces such as Solo Leveling, Kaiju No. 8, and even ongoing anime series like My Hero Academia and One Piece have outdone themselves with captivating audiences all year round!
Though, there is one anime that has truly caught everyone’s surprise. That anime is called DAN DA DAN. Before its release on October 4, 2024, on Netflix, there were people excited about its content and what it has to offer to the anime community, specifically its action and comedic elements that it contains throughout the series. The question is: what is the hype about this anime?
This shounen anime starts with one of our main characters, a socially awkward student named Ken Takakura, AKA “Okarun,” who is interested in the extraterrestrial and believing they are real, he believes he would not make any friends. Until he meets fellow classmate, Momo Ayase, who in contrast to Ken, believes in spirits and otherworldly beings and together. Next thing you know, they are thrown into the world of the paranormal to overcome obstacles and meet new people along the way!
To those who are unfamiliar with the term “shounen,” it is a type of genre of Japanese comics and animated series/films that have action-filled sequences that are mainly targeted to kids and teens who range from 9-18 years old. Examples of a shounen anime include Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, and pretty much all popular anime series that involve the main protagonist saving the world from evil.
With that being said, this is not your typical action shounen. It offers a variety of elements that makes this anime such a masterpiece. One element being its fluid art style. Unlike some anime series, the animation is easy to follow and is smoothly fluid like water. Sequences such as fighting scenes or just straight up walking or interacting with objects and people all seem clean and clear. This is all thanks to the studio who animated the series, Science Saru, who is notable for making series such as Devilman Crybaby and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off!
Another element that makes this anime great is its careful selection of seiyuu (Japanese term for voice actors/actresses), for an anime to bring its characters to life. For instance, Okarun’s VA, Natsuki Hanae, best known for voicing characters like Tanjiro Kamado from Kimetsu No Yaiba, Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul, and many other roles. Momo’s VA, Shion Wakayama, voices characters such as Takina Inoue from Lycoris Recoil and Lemon Yakishiyo from Too Much Heroines!!, there are other talented voice actors that are yet to make their appearances in later episodes and when they do, they make their voice sound so raw and pure.
One of the last elements can be hard to decide, it can be from the relatability to the characters, its soundtrack, its character’s dynamics, and its references and credits to western media and pop culture. Relating to that, all of these elements blended in to make a delicious smoothie can be its final element. It is a refreshing beverage with new ingredients added to its characters, the soundtrack, the plot, and its colorful animation and fluid graphics all complement each other. That all paid off when DAN DA DAN was nominated and won the Best Anime of the Year in late December 2024 in the Crunchyroll Awards.
An honorable mention that I would like to acknowledge is its musical opening to every single episode, Otonoke (Oto for song and noke for mystery), the group who made the song, Creepy Nuts, has made many popular and catchy songs that have become an earworm! They are best known for making the insanely catchy Bling Bang Bang Born anime opening for Mashle: Magic and Muscles. For DAN DA DAN, they made another banger! From its catchy tune, their wonderful vocal range, and the visuals accompanying it, all serve to be a wonderful appetizer to start the anime off!
The success of DAN DA DAN season one received high reception that season two is in production as of right now and it is confirmed to be released in July of 2025 with many fans excited to what DAN DA DAN has to offer!
With all that being said, let us go see what other UOG students think of the anime and to see if the anime truly rises to the hype!
UOG students, Christian Legaspi and Thelma Rogers have nothing but praises. When asked how Legaspi found out about the anime, he said,
“I found DAN DA DAN through memes and videos that would be served to me on my Instagram and TikTok feeds as the first two episodes came out,” Legaspi said.
Rogers said something similar but what got her to finally watch it was from her younger brother. Which explains their discovery of the anime.
When mentioned that DAN DA DAN was a mix of both supernatural and comedic themes. That itself is what brought Legaspi to be enticed about it. He said that his favorite genres are sci-fi and supernatural and that DAN DA DAN “marries the two together.” Which accompanies elements such as “immense powers, stunningly designed antagonists, and its humor.”
“I’m a huge fan of shows like Mob Psycho 100, Saiki K, Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun, and DAN DA DAN truly encapsulates what I desire the most from these shows,” Legaspi added.
“The overarching story feels very unique. The clash of aliens and ghosts make it feel like a unique anime, having endless story possibilities throughout the story.” Rogers said.
Rogers really liked the whole dynamic of the characters in the story along with its animation and she imagined if she were in their shoes.
“I thought it was funny in a quirky almost relatable way and its visually exciting animation.”
What was a main takeaway for Rogers was its focus on the side characters as well, specifically the aliens and the ghosts the characters encountered, making the audience have a contrasting and almost sympathetic perspective to its villains.
“I enjoy it when they give in-depth backstories of the ‘villains’ in the episodes. It shows the complexity of the ghosts’ stories.”
As mentioned previously, season two would be set to release soon in July of this year. With many fans having their expectations set, and their predictions made. They are wondering: what’s next? When asked about their expectations for the upcoming season.
“The show keeps me wanting more, and the character dynamics build off common tropes, but execution is phenomenal.”
Even though Legaspi is anticipating more character development within the characters, he was a bit bothered by how the last episode ended, saying that it feels “rushed” and the pacing was slow. He elaborates as to what he thinks as to why.
“Because they did not want to rush another arc into the first season, but I respect this, but I feel more could have done with the first season’s last episode.”
Despite his pet peeve, he remains optimistic and excited about what season two has to offer for him.
As to what Rogers’ expectations for the upcoming season is more so of its characters backstories and development.
“Some predictions I have would be that there will be much more back storytelling of the main characters as well as more character development from our main characters in season one.”
Now that you have heard other students say their opinion about the anime, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try and watch it for yourself! Whether you are an anime fan or not, you will be attracted by the show's visuals, amazing characters, its soundtrack, and its overall fun components that make this anime so special.
You can watch DAN DA DAN on Netflix with all 12 episodes released! If you do not have a Netflix subscription, Crunchyroll has your back as well! If you do not have Crunchyroll either. You can also browse on your usual free anime website you use to watch DAN DA DAN absolutely free!
If I would have to rate this anime out of ten, I would give it a perfect ten-out-of-ten! Again, this anime shook everybody with its stunning visuals, well-explored characters, its plot, and its comedic humor is what makes this an exceptionally excellent anime series for both anime fans and non anime fans especially if you are a big fan of the supernatural and a person with a big sense of humor!