Dandadan 2nd Season

I liked it. But not as much as season 1. Or rather, they should have just made season 2 the second part of season 1 because in no way does this season make sense by itself. Season 1 started strong and introduced us to many spirits/aliens that made sense. Everything was happening all the time. Lots of stories and characters that made sense. Acrobatic Silky made me cry and then some. Season 2? Felt more disjointed than usual after they came back from Jin's house. It started great, but dwelled way too long on Evil Eye as a whole that everything that came after felt filler.You can't help but hate Kinta instantly. The pacing feels OFF. I want to go back to season 1 where every episode was exciting and had emotion unlike any other. Maybe I'm just finally seeing Dandadan for what it really is. Or maybe it's just a weak season. It might be purely worth it for the Jin related episodes but to skip the rest because /ugh/ I feel too old for the kaiju/mecha bit. Animation and the like is still ever on point thanks to Science Saru, so I'll give it that much for the score.

s1 had a very unique flare to it which made me like it a lot but s2 is just the most repetitive it could have gotten. It feels like the author found a formula which worked and now he doesn't wants to leave his comfort zone to try anything else. Instead of developing a coherent plot supporting the weird ness and quirky ness of the show , they just replace it with complete random ness and throwing anything anywhere. it felt fun in s1 because it was new and fresh but if you are not willing to develop on your solid foundation to create a muchmore interesting plot going forward then it's just going to feel like an episodic action comedy gag slop. The shock value of seeing weird things has faded away with time and this season wasn't even as bold as s1 with it's certain scenes to shock me. Alien or ghost attacks -> okarun will go full throttle , momo will use her hand powers , aira will use her pink hair ability (literally the same repetitive fighting style every battle) -> sad backstory of the ghost or alien to create sympathy and pretend like the show has some emotional profound-ness in it only to shift back to being the same quirky funny ahh show with balls & banana jokes -> A new character gets added to the team who will act weird because it's supposed to be funny -> end the season on a cheap cliffhanger everytime. This is all dandadan is , it barely leaves any mark on me. The only thing which hard carries it now is science saru and even their work didn't feel that creative to me compared to s1 which is not there fault either , because one can only push to a certain limit to keep the fading freshness of the show alive.

Dan Da Dan Season 2 is a worthy sequel that cements the series’ legacy with a solid continuation of what made Season 1 so fun. It picks up right where it left off and keeps that chaotic energy going strong. Starting with the production side of things, I honestly thought the previous season’s OP, Otonoke, would be impossible to top. To my surprise, this new OP comes impressively close and is easily one of the best this season. The ED also works really well and feels very fitting to the show. The animation is another clear step up, and the action scenes are amazing and exciting,with smooth, impressive choreography throughout. Looking at the season overall, I would say the episodes are more consistent than S1. Jiji’s arc was handled really well, giving the season a clear and engaging direction, and the balance of comedy and romance felt stronger this time around. Every episode felt polished and refined, which helped tie the season together and kept it engaging throughout. That being said, S1 still delivered some higher highs. The Acrobat/Silky backstory was a standout moment, and Otonoke remains one of the catchiest OPs in all of anime. It might not have the same unforgettable highs as S1, but S2 is definitely more consistent, and it delivers quality throughout. At the end of the day, this is absolutely a sequel worth watching. It did not disappoint in the slightest, and in many ways it exceeded expectations. This season proves the series still has plenty to offer, keeping the excitement and charm that made S1 so enjoyable.

In my review of the last season, i mentioned my concern that this series, despite its charming cast and potentially rich power system, lacked a clear trajectory and world-building moving forward. Unfortunately, this season only proves that point further. First off, introducing half a dozen, equally significant new characters is just excessive. After establishing a solid foundation with the dynamic duo of protagonists, they clearly didn’t know where else to go. So, they resorted to the classic industry fallback when a manga runs out of steam: more characters! The problem? They don’t know what to do with the old ones either. The roster keeps growing,but the substance keeps drying up. By the time all of them are on screen together, it's like a COD lobby where everyone is reduced to just spouting slurs and nonsense catchphrases. Worse still, the show doesn’t seem to know where it’s headed. Each episode introduces a new problem with zero connection to any larger plot, before the anime rushes into flashy action sequences simply because there’s no other payoff. It feels cheap, and it's basically the equivalent of the dreaded filler episodes in any past popular shounens, except this time, it's the entire season! The art in the manga is what carried, and Science Saru has atleast made an equal value exchange with the flashy sakuga. But if there's still no bigger arc or major antagonist, imma start calling these glorified skits, slice-of-life

Merchandise

Links may contain affiliate references

Studio

Producers

Themes