DAN DA DAN episodes one through three gives us a look at a very odd anime. At its heart, it’s basically a typical shonen romance story. However, mangaka Yukinobu Tatsu seems to be doing a pretty good job at that in the first three episodes, while also adding it some rather bonkers fantasy and science fiction elements to the story. Combined with some zany yet gorgeous animation from Science SARU, and we’ve got ourselves quite the anime to enjoy.

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3: Details

DAN DA DAN NA key art 3.
You can tell just from this key art that this is going to be a zany anime.

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3 are, as the title suggests, the first three episodes of this supernatural thriller romantic comedy action anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the Shonen Jump manga of the same name by Yukinobu Tatsu. Studio Science SARU (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Star Wars: Visions, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) is the animation studio behind this anime. GKIDS, Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu are all going to stream this anime here in the NA region. It premieres on Crunchyroll on October 3rd.

Production Cast

Fuga Yamashiro is the director behind DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3, as well as the entire anime series as a whole. Hiroshi Seko is responsible for series composition and screenplay, with kensuke ushio composing the music. Naoyuki Onda is responsible for character design, while Yoshimichi Kameda is responsible for alien and monster design. Satoshi Hashimoto is responsible for color design, while Junichi Higashi is responsible for art direction. Kazuto Izumita is the cinematographer, while Kiyoshi Hirose is the editor, and Eriko Kimura is the sound director.

As for the music: the opening theme song of this anime is “Otonoke” by Creepy Nuts. Meanwhile, “TAIDADA” by ZUTOMAYO is the ending theme song.

Voice Cast

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3 features the voices of Shion Wakayama (Abby Trott in English dub) as Momo Ayase and Natsuki Hanae (A.J. Beckles in English dub) as Okarun. Other notable voices in these trio of episodes include Nana Mizuki (Kari Wahlgren in English dub) as Seiko Ayase.

On the antagonists’ side, we have Mayumi Tanaka (Barbara Goodson in English dub) as Turbo Granny and Kazuya Nakai (Ben Diskin in English dub) as the Serpoians.

When and Where to Watch

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3 will make their debut starting on October 3, 2024. You can watch all three of those episodes when they eventually arrive on Crunchyroll. In fact, you can only watch the entire anime on Crunchyroll due to said anime being an exclusive there.

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3: Synopsis

Believe me, it’s just as zany as this trailer makes it out to be.

Alas, none of these three episodes of DAN DA DAN have actually made their debut yet. Thus, instead of a spoiler-filled plot summary, you all are getting the official synopsis from Crunchyroll instead. You can check out that synopsis below:

When high schooler Momo, from a family of spirit mediums, first meets her classmate Okarun, an occult geek, they argue—Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. When it turns out both phenomena are real, Momo awakens a hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse. Together, they must challenge the paranormal forces threatening their world.

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3: The Good

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Believe me, both of them are good protagonists.

Honestly, my opinion on the best part of DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3 is the story. Mostly because of how well-done Yukinobu Tatsu has written it thus far. Both Momo and Okarun are pretty strong main characters with very distinct personalities that manage to play off of each other to a very high degree. In particular though, this Shonen Jump anime is notable for having Momo essentially be the focus character. Not only is this the rare example of a SJ anime featuring a female main character as the focus, but Momo herself is actually a very strong female protagonist to boot. She’s not only beating up her captors, but is also the one coming up with the plans and executing them most wonderfully. Honestly, Momo is the lead in this anime, no doubts about it. We need more Shonen Jump anime like this.

However, the story isn’t the only thing great about this anime. The animation from Science SARU definitely deserves a big mention. The animation is just so…zany. The monsters look like they belong in another anime entirely, and the coloration will frequently switch to monochrome to set the mood, as you can see above. All in all, these three episodes have been quite the visual eye candy, and I am definitely eager for more.

DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3: The Bad

DAN DA DAN trailer still 1.
This is Momo’s angry face. You don’t want to make her angry enough to make that face.

Funnily enough, although I had just been praising the story of DAN DA DAN Ep. 1-3, it’s also its weak point. The base story is very stereotypically shonen. It’s a romance plot between a girl and a guy, and the main characters have to train to power up against ever-increasingly powerful enemies. Thus far, this anime’s story has not deviated from this formula at all. However, the story is good in spite of that basic shonen plot. It just feels well-executed, a bit like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and it’s got a lot of heart to it. That and the focus on Momo as the main character is why I praise the story in spite of its flaws.

Oh, but if you’re still not a fan of that basic shonen story formula, then might I suggest something more…quirky and relaxing? I would suggest Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF, Senpai is an Otokonoko, My Deer Friend Nokotan, or even DDDD. Those anime series definitely do not follow the typical shonen formula.