I’m by no means a hardcore anime fan, but there have been a handful of these kinds of shows that I’ve enjoyed over the years, from my childhood viewing of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball Z One of the best animated TV shows of all time), to currently making my way through One Piece after enjoying the live-action adaptation’s first season with my Netflix subscription last year. But now I can confidently say that Dan Da Dan is the weirdest anime I’ve ever seen, although I mean this in a good way, as it excels in blending humor and absurdity with darkness. More importantly, if you’re a fan of body horror and/or The X-Files, you need to check this show out.
The first episode of Dan Da Dan, adapted from the same-named manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, has premiered on both Netflix and Crunchyroll, though full disclosure, I was able to see the first three episodes early. The series, which is arguably one of the biggest anime releases of the year, follows high schoolers Momo Ayase and Ken “Okarun” Takakura, with the former believing in ghosts, the latter believing in aliens, and neither believing in the other’s fascinations. The two soon learn that they were both correct, and these discoveries lead to the two gaining special powers. If you need a bit of a push towards watching this bonkers anime, here are the trippy Dan Da Dan opening credits:
Need extra incentive to watch? Well, to those of you who fall into one or both of the categories I mentioned earlier, read on!
Why Body Horror Fans Will Like Dan Da Dan
The main story of Dan Da Dan properly kicks off when Momo dares Okarun to go to a tunnel that’s rumored to be haunted, and Okarun dares Momo to visit an abandoned hospital where a UFO was supposedly sighted. In Okarun’s case, he runs into a decrepit and lewd demon called Turbo Granny that not only curses him, but also, and I swear I’m not kidding, takes his penis. The result is him frequently turning into a monster resembling Granny, and it’s only thanks to the psychic powers that awaken within Momo during her alien abduction that this new part of himself can be kept at bay.
Watching Okarun’s transformations into this demonic entity can be uncomfortable, but those who’ve watched the best body horror movies should delight in this aspect of Dan Da Dan. Frankly, this would also apply to those of you who’ve enjoyed the best movies about demonic possession, too, as that’s exactly what Okarun has to deal with during Dan Da Dan. Maybe he’ll eventually reach a point where he can control the curse Granny put on him, but for now, if Momo wasn’t with him, he’d be wreaking havoc.
Why The X-Files Fans Will Like Dan Da Dan
Let me clear something first: in no way does Dan Da Dan emulate the procedural aspects of The X-Files, which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription. However, if you liked the exploration of aliens on that show and want to see that ratcheted up to a 10 on the weirdness scale, then Dan Da Dan’s for you. While Okarun is dealing with the insanity that is Turbo Granny, Momo is abducted by aliens that wear bizarre-looking human suits and and are desperate to procreate with her. It’s only because the cursed Okarun was able to travel through Momo’s phone and arrive on the spaceship that this was prevented.
These aliens are unlike anything I’ve seen in other media, and are arguably just as creepy-looking as Turbo Granny. And they’re not the only types of aliens that will be present in Dan Da Dan, but I can’t say any more than that. Regardless, I’m interested to see extraterrestrials explored on this show, particularly learning about their homeworlds and cultures. Also, hopefully not all the aliens, and for that matter ghosts, are antagonistic towards Momo, Okarun and their allies… but I’ll have a blast watching them fight the ones that are.
New episodes of Dan Da Dan drop Thursdays on Netflix and Crunchyroll. If you’re looking for similar shows to check out, check out what other anime are perfect to watch for the Halloween season.
