‘Dandadan’ review: “That’s How Love Starts, Ya Know!”

The adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan has been hotly anticipated for some time. That excitement only increased when Science Saru, one of the most ambitious studios in the anime business, became attached. Then, some things happened, some folks got to see the episodes ahead of time, legitimately and otherwise, and the hype was off the charts. Dandadan episode 1, “That’s How Love Starts, Ya Know!” does pay off some of that expectation, but not all of it. 

A lot of manga to cover, quickly

“That’s How Love Starts, Ya Know!” adapts the entire first chapter of Dandadan, which is a whopping 68 pages. That’s a lot of set up to fit into a half-hour runtime, and the episode does an admirable job of doing so. The episode introduces headstrong and love sick high schooler Momo Ayase (Shion Wakayama/Abby Trott), who by chance finds herself sticking up for an otaku with a hyperfixation on aliens (Natsuki Hanae/A.J. Beckles). The two end up clashing over their paranormal beliefs — Momo’s from a family of spirit mediums, but “Occult-kun” doesn’t believe in ghosts, leading to a silly bet to try to prove the other person wrong. Naturally, it turns out both ghosts and aliens are real. 

Because of how south things go for the two once they have this realization, Dandadan episode 1 moves pretty briskly to get to the investigation. Fans of Science Saru’s Devilman Crybaby will not only recognize the studio’s elastic proportions in the animation, but also the race to get to the more interesting inciting incident of the series. In Dandadan though, it does a slight disservice to Momo’s early character setup. It’s very easy to miss her celebrity crush that drives her vision of romance and men. When the episode does eventually need to circle back to this setup, it is a bit disjointed. 

Science Saru cooks in Dandadan episode 1

However, a lot happens between these two moments, and that’s where “That’s How Love Starts, Ya Know!” really shines. The pair head off to their respective haunts, conversing over the phone and revealing the real heart of the series. In the sub provided for review, Wakayama and Hanae play up the two’s chemistry very well; especially in their simple conversation. They’re adorable even at a distance, which makes “Occult-kun’s” efforts to rescue Momo from her abduction work even more – even as he’s possessed by the yokai Momo sent him to, Turbo Granny (Mayumi Tanaka/Barbara Goodson, good god what incredible casting across the board). 

The action that kicks in once the kids, aliens, and yokai are all in the same room is both exactly the frantic action Science Saru fans have come to expect and unique at the same time. Continuing to compare to Devilman Crybaby remains apt, but lighting and color is drastically different. Once again, the studio has found new ways to innovate on its style to give the impression it’s their first time doing the job and that they’re the best in the game all at once. This energy is highest right at the start with the opening, which has rightfully been talked about as possibly the best of the year, complete with a rich range of visuals and some camera rotations that will make you ask “how on earth did they pull that off?” 

Oh, seinen anime

There is one other detail that holds “That’s How Love Starts, Ya Know!” from being one of the all time great first episodes, at least for me. The first episode has a content warning attached, and it’s for seinen anime’s favorite troupe – assault. To Dandadan’s credit, this sequence is relatively tame, more in line with the old South Park alien probe jokes than its seinen brethren. Even so, it’s a weakness that takes away from the more lighthearted ways that Dandadan leverages lewdness for levity.

There’s plenty of ways to set the stage for referring to a penis with silly words that don’t fall into this worn out trap. No one’s coming away from this one angry or hurt, but I’m glad nonetheless to see Crunchyroll finally including a content warning for such things ahead of an episode’s airing and I hope the Netflix broadcast does the same. 

Even if episode 1 isn’t perfect, there’s a reason Dandadan’s theatrical premiere showed three episodes. This is but one piece of a large introductory puzzle. The next two chapters are also quite meaty, so now that we’re through the weakest part of the beginning of this tale, the highs Dandadan have already hit will likely continue into the stratosphere. 

Dandadan airs weekly on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Featured image ©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committe