Dan Da Dan Episodes 1-7

DanDaDan is a paranormal mystery show that deals with both spiritual and extra terrestrial misadventure, with our two leads, alien obsessive Ken "Okarun" Takakura and grand daughter to a psychic Momo Ayase equally dismissive of each other's beliefs. After a chance encounter, they challenge each other to visit a hot spot of alien and ghostly activity to prove that such phenomenon really exist. It does not go well.

Following two traumatic events, Okarun loses his manhood to a mad granny and Momo is very nearly used by aliens for procreational purposes, bringing the pair together to combat the increasingly frenetic consequences of their actions. It's The X Files with a wacky sense of humour.

You know, for a shonen show that bases a large portion of its plot motivations around demons making off with one of the leads rod & tackle, DanDaDan has so far proven itself to be a surprisingly sweet & nuanced show that is also not afraid to get deeply, deeply silly whilst also managing to depict some pretty baller (heh) action when needs must.

I also kinda love it so far.  

But why? Well partly the leads - Momo and Okarun are a very well written pair whose verbal sparring and struggles to grasp their growing feelings for one another has an air of authenticity to it that honestly can be lacking in shonen shows more often than not.

They are backed up by Momo's grandmother Seiko, a psychic medium who doesn't look older than her twenties, Turbo-Granny, the demon who initiates proceedings by first absconding with Okaruns rod before ending up trapped in a mascot doll and begrudgingly helping the gang recover Okarun's crown jewels. Finally we have Aira Shirotori, the highschool idol who, despite coming off as incredibly vain & dangerously oblivious, ends up a major factor in making Episode 7 one of the most heartbreakingly touching half hours of telly I've watched this year. It's genuinely amazing how the series can shift gears effortlessly between slapstick and nuanced emotional angst to land the sort of gut wrenching crescendo that only Full Metal Alchemist fans can truly appreciate having witnessed the fate of Nina Tucker. You will cry.

Another aspect of what makes the show so good is the presentation - DanDaDan is an awfully nice looking show that is clearly studio Science Saru bringing it's "A" game to proceedings. Not only is this some very slick animation & well choreographed action sequences, but also some bang-on musical choices. Just listen out for an excellent deployment of The William Tell Overture. I'll leave it there ;)

Honestly there is sooo much more I can say about this show but I honestly don't want to spoil too much in doing so as this is a show that needs to be experienced. Now there is warning to be raised as the first episode features a scene that would have resulted in a sexual assault that does sit poorly with the rest of the presentation. What I would say is that a few episodes later that moment is recontextualised quite significantly. I would not say that it makes the earlier scene right, but it does make a difference. 

This is, overall, a fantastic show. As cool as it is funny and disturbing, every episode brings fresh nonsense for our leads to deal with. It's a highlight of Thursday nights and well worth a watch.

Dan Da Dan airs Thursdays on Netflix