DAN DA DAN Evil Eye World Premiere Packs the House

GKIDS premiered the highly anticipated continuation of Science SARU's adaptation of DAN DA DAN on Thursday. Ahead of its debut in Japan, fans in North America were the first in the world to watch DAN DA DAN: Evil Eye, a compilation movie featuring the first three episodes of the upcoming season. The movie will screen nationwide on June 6 and will include an exclusive interview with series co-directors Fūga Yamashiro and Abel Góngora. However, the Los Angeles event did not include the interview as Abel Góngora was present in person for a live Q&A with A.J. Beckles (Okarun), Abby Trott (Momo), and Aleks Le (Jiji).

This overview from the premiere will contain spoilers.

Before the beginning of the movie, the guests shared their feelings on screening the three episodes for the first time alongside fans. After expressing their excitement, director Gongora hoped the audience would share the same empathy for Evil Eye as Jiji.

“We put in a lot of effort into showing Jiji's emotions, so I hope you guys can feel the same compassion he has for Evil Eye. It's very cute and sad at the same time. Let me know what you think afterward.”

Bundling episodes to promote upcoming anime seasons has successfully drummed up anticipation with fans, keeping them on edge for long enough until they can see the arc's conclusion. The allure of watching with fellow fans on a big screen is an experience that can't be duplicated at home. The anime's earlier season premiere compilation film, DAN DA DAN: First Encounter, earned over US$1 million during its limited-time screening in the U.S. last year. The Demon Slayer franchise has raked in millions with this approach, including Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training-, which opened at #2 and pulled in US$11.5 million during its opening weekend.

Similar to First Encounter—which also bundled the first three episodes, an interview, and leaves off on a cliffhanger—there's no required prior reading or viewing. If you're looking to indoctrinate your friends into the world of DAN DA DAN, this theatrical experience would be the time to do it, as the beginning 20 minutes offers a recap of Season 1. The summary devotes the first ten minutes to condensed highlights, and the latter ten minutes is a straight cut of the final moments from episode twelve.

Once the new and longtime fans are caught up to speed, DAN DA DAN: Evil Eye continues the tension of last season and sets an action-packed tone for the beginning of season two.

Despite the movie's title, the episodes cover the Cursed House Arc as Evil Eye becomes more important during the latter half of its story. The script and English dub quality are on par with the first season but reach new heights with quippier one-liners delivered with a renewed gusto and pizzazz as Aleks Le joins the fray as Jiji. Once the house's mystery is ripped off like a bandage, Momo, Okarun, and Jiji find themselves against the Kito Family, who are hellbent on feeding them to the Great Snake. Unfortunately, the snake is a Mongolian Death Worm, which squirms and writhes creepily on screen. In addition, the Tsuchinoko is presented as the most unholy creature yet as it spews poison from its unsightly behind, looking similar to a certain Magic School Bus vine meme.

There isn't much room for the usual teenage banter during the fight sequences, but Turbo Granny provides moments of comic relief when the stakes are high. For eagle-eyes looking for movie and pop-culture references, the upcoming season promises many of them, including Buster Keaton's house collapse scene from Steamboat Bill Jr. The season is a sight to see for animation fans as cheers in the theater reached a fever pitch when Evil Eye possesses Jiji and begins to trade blows with Okarun. Once their battle comes to an end and Okarun knocks Jiji and Evil Eye out, Momo must deal with the Kito family even after throwing a truck at the giant worm. But to watch the arc's conclusion, fans will have to wait until the next episode.

The guests returned to the stage for a closing Q&A session. Director Gongora expressed how much he enjoys Japanese cinema and old movies, which influenced his work on the season. Beckles and Le voiced mutual appreciation for how they both “drop their voices” when their characters are possessed. Turning the subject towards Evil Eye, Gongora wanted the backstories to look “weird and dark” while not going too dark and giving the wrong impression. “We didn't want to make it very graphic or put a lot of texture. It makes you feel what Evil Eye is feeling when he's transforming. We wanted to combine that with the flashbacks of Jiji becoming mixed. This is symbolic and shows what's happening inside Jiji's head.”

As a last message for fans, Gongora stated that the next episode will be the climax of the arc, and it's “really amazing.” Much to the chagrin of the actors and the fans, everyone will have to collectively wait until it airs later this summer.

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DAN DA DAN Season Two will stream globally on July 3, with upcoming announcements on the series' social media accounts.