It’s been a little over half a year since Dan Da Dan premiered, and it didn’t take long for this adaptation of the same-named manga Yukinobu Tatsu to earn critical acclaim, including from our own Alexandra Ramos. This is evidenced, among other ways, by how it won three awards and was nominated in 19 other categories at the 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, and I would certainly recommend it as an anime that’s excellent for first-time watchers. More importantly, Dan Da Dan has a passionate fanbase behind it, and three of the English dub’s actors talked to me about how the memorable fan interactions they’ve had since the anime skyrocketed in popularity.
Before Dan Da Dan Season 2 premieres to both Crunchyroll subscribers and those with a Netflix subscription in early July, the first three episodes are premiering in theaters as a compilation movie titled Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye, which is now playing on the 2025 movies schedule. In conjunction with that special theatrical event, I had the pleasure of speaking with A.J. Beckles, Aleks Le and Abby Trott, who respectively voice Jiji, Okarun and Momo in the English dub. Beckles started off the portion of the conversation detailing the Dan Da Dan fan-related run-ins they’ve had, saying:
At conventions and stuff, I've seen an uptick of interactions with people. You can see it in person, how many people are passionate about a thing, a project, in cosplays. I've seen so many couples cosplays. I’ve seen so many people just excited about Dan Da Dan. They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can't wait,’ which is really cool. Nothing super weird. I was out getting steak once, and a guy recognized me from TikTok, and he’s like, ‘You're the guy from…, ‘and I said, ‘Yeah,’ and then he gave us free desserts.
Although Jiji didn’t appear until the final two episodes of Dan Da Dan Season 1, it just goes to show just how big a deal this series is if someone was able to recognize him from that series. The free desserts was an added bonus, and I’m crossing my fingers A.J. Beckles can score more food on the house courtesy of passion for Dan Da Dan. Aleks Le then said this:
That does happen. I was literally at a shoe store at the mall the other day, and I was buying white shoes for the Dan Da Dan premiere yesterday that I wore yesterday. And as I was trying these shoes on, one of the employees was like, ‘Are you?…’
All three of these actors already have impressive voice acting resumes, but it’s already pretty clear that Dan Da Dan (which I recommend body horror and X-Files fans watch) is a standout entry on them. As for Abby Trott, while she hasn’t been recognized out in public for this anime or any of her other projects, she has enjoyed interacting with fans at conventions. As she explained:
I never get recognized anywhere and I like it that way… I have really great fan interactions at conventions, like, there's so much cosplay, and I've had a lot of people coming up to me with the manga to sign, and they've been like fans of the manga for longer than they knew the show was going to be announced. So it's been really cool to share in the excitement with everyone.
Considering how much Dan Da Dan Season 1 blew up last year as part of the increased success of anime and the excitement that’s been building for Season 2, I don’t anticipate the hype for this show dying down for quite a while. Meaning, A.J. Beckles, Aleks Le and Abby Trott can surely count on many more fan encounters tied to the show, whether it’s out in the world or in the organized confines of a convention. If you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out the latest Dan Da Dan Season 2 trailer:
If you can’t wait to see what’s next for Momo, Okarun and Jiji, as well as Aira, Seiko and Turbo Granny, then check showtimes to see where Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye is playing near you If you’re willing to be patient for a little longer, Season 2 premieres on July 4.
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