Dan Da Dan: Season Oone - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Dan Da Dan: Season One



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
For a long time, I’ve felt slowly ostracized from the anime genre at large. And I don’t mean that I feel disconnected from the fans, nor from the material that I grew up on. It was just that sensation of feeling like most of the stuff out today wasn’t resonating with me the same way things like Birdy the Mightyecode or Ranma ½ (by the way, check out the new Ranma, remake. It’s absolutely fantastic), Kenshin or even High School of the Dead did when I was in my teens, 20s and even early 30s. I mean, I AM getting to the age where Zoomer slang is as foreign to me as our Xennial slang was to my boomer parents. Yet, I still yearned for something that would entice me once again. I found that little slice of heaven with Tonikawa (also, ironically, released by Shout! Studios) a few months ago, but I was overjoyed when I heard Shout! Studios were getting their hand on Dan Da Dan. I hadn’t paid attention to the manga that much, but for the better part of the last year, I’ve been hearing nothing but praise for the Anime from the community, and getting an 8.7/10 rating from several of the largest anime sites out there says something. Especially when most series don’t ever get anything over a 7/10. So, as soon as I got the glut of 4K reviews done this last week, I spent my weekend locked in the viewing room cackling like a maniac at what unfolded.

Poor Momo Ayase (Shion Wakayama) doesn’t have a great day in high school. She’s one of the most popular girls in school, but gets dumped by her boyfriend in front of everyone. In her anger and frustration, she stumbles upon poor nerdy Okarun (Natsuki Hanae) getting picked on by some of his classmates and lashes out at the perpetrators. Bridging the social classes due to both of them feeling like outcasts (even though in Momo’s case, it’s just feeling let down by her ex), the two bond for a few hours over their fringe ideas. Okarun is a believer in Aliens and UFOs, while Momo happens to believe in the spirit world and witches (her grandmother is a supposed medium). Neither of the two believes in the other’s beliefs, but decides to test out the other’s fantasies by each one going to a “hot spot” for their individual “false” belief. Momo will go to a hot spot for UFO sightings, and Okarun will go to a spot where supposed evil spirits reside while remaining in contact via cell phone.

What seems like a placating move by the two kids turns into a nightmare as BOTH sides come face to face with the very thing they thought was impossible. Momo gets kidnapped by aliens who want to use her psychic powers (and body) to do experiments on, while Okarun comes face to face with a demonic entity known as Turbo Granny. In the excitement, Momo activates latent psychic powers that have been passed down through her family’s mystical past, while Okarun gets cursed by Turbo Granny (and she steals... ummm...shall we say, an important part of a young male’s body). Coming out on top, the two realize that they have a bit more in common than they thought, and now their fates are inextricably entwined as they have to deal with the effects of unlocking special powers as a result.

Much like Seinfeld, Dan Da Dan almost feels like it's a show about nothing. And by that, I simply mean that all 12 episodes don’t really have a single cohesive narrative with a known end goal. There is no end of the season boss of cliffhanger. Rather, the series almost takes a slice of life point of view surrounding Momo and Okarun. But that being said, the show is not boring or slow-paced at all (like you would expect from slice of life shows). It’s actually quite the opposite with my own personal comparison putting it as a hybrid between FLCL, Birdy the Mighty, and romance genres. The season is an absolute kinetic fireball, infusing a sweet teenage romance with supernatural combat, and slapstick comedy ala Ranma ½. It’s just pure addiction, as I could barely put the remote down long enough to eat, let alone do this over multiple viewings. 12 episodes vanish just like that, and now I’m begging for a 2nd season and have been researching the ever-loving snot out of the manga as I hope for a good, long run for this one.

Visually, the series is well done and out of the norm, but it’s the characters that just make this work. Similar to Tonikawa, I felt that the show lives and dies on how well Okarun and Momo work with each other (even though the two series are wildly different genres). As I said above, there’s no season-long end goal for the series that I can see so far, but I just can’t wait to watch more with the two teenagers. Momo is a realistic popular girl with a heart rather than the over-cliched anime tropes that plague those types of characters, and Okarun is something more than just a male punching bag. Sure, he has his depressive issues and whatnot, but he grows and adapts as he gains confidence with Momo. And what makes it so much better is that the writers don’t seem intent on holding him back as nothing more than the typical Love Hina punching bag.




Rating:

Rated TV-MA by the MPAA




Video:

Put on 2 BD-50 discs with an average bitrate hovering between 37-39 Mbps (peaks and valleys of a few Mbps in either direction), Dan Da Dan looks fantastic in 1080p. Stupidly colorful and animated meticulously, the show just sparkles at every turn. The show alternates between a bright and sunny high school with primary shades popping everywhere, to dark, grungy tunnels filled with burnished oranges and neon “supernatural” blues seamlessly. What surprised me the most was how little color banding I saw. Animated shows on Blu-ray tend to show banding more often than not (even if it’s not nearly so bad as the DCAU movies), but there was VERY little shown on screen. Overall, this is a fantastic-looking encode all around.









Audio:

The Dual 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks in English and Japanese both sound fantastic, with me giving an obvious tip of the hat towards the original Japanese language. Both tracks sound amazing, with a wild and frenetic sound mix that makes great use of all the channels with much aplomb. Space ships and demonic spirits roar and scream from all corners of the room, and the entire listening position just shakes with ferocity during confrontations such as the alien sumo wrestler spirit. Vocals are crisp and clean as expected, and the entire mix sports a well-balanced approach. While not PERFECT, it’s very close to being so. Bravo.







Extras:

• Interview with the Filmmakers
• Director Scene Breakdown
• Opening Credits
• Ending Credits
• Interview with Composer Kensuke Ushio
• Commemorative Interviews
• Teasers and Trailers

Final Score: ​

Yes, Dan Da Dan is probably my favorite anime series of the last year, and I want MORE! It’s fun, silly, irreverent, and absolutely FLCL insane at the same time. Shout! Studios Blu-ray release is well done, with a strong bitrate for the video and no major encoding issues. Overall, this is a very VERY solid watch for any anime fan who wants something that’s different, while still appealing to a wide audience. Check it out for sure.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Shion Wakayama, Natsuki Hanae, Mayumi Tanaka, Nana Mizuki, Ayane Sakura
Directed by: Abel Gongoa, Fuga Yamashiro
Written by: Hiroshi Seko
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0, Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Rated: TV-MA
Runtime: 286 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 10th, 2025

Recommendation: Great Watch