Fans of DAN DA DAN have nothing to fear but the Evil Eye as we head into the second season of the supernatural action series. Evil Eye is the theatrical cut of the anime's first three episodes, a now tried-and-true promotional avenue for anime series in theaters. Demon Slayer has found success with audiences (and box office results) using this same method to the tune of US$11.5 million, and Evil Eye is the latest to use a theatrical cut to build anticipation among fans while earning cash on the side.

Similar to its predecessors, Evil Eye isn't really a movie. Audience members going in with the expectation of a standard story arc will find plenty of exposition, rising action, and falling action but nothing resembling a satisfactory conclusion. You'll need to wait until the television series premieres on July 3 (plus a few weeks to get past what's shown in Evil Eye) to find out the fates of our trio. That's the conundrum presented by these episode theatrical cuts: you've gotten to see DAN DA DAN's second season premiere a full month before TV viewers, but the marketing department wants to leave you hanging to watch the rest of the show. It's not a satisfactory film experience, but that's baked in by design. On the plus side, if this is your first exposure to DAN DA DAN, the film opens with about 20 minutes of recap, chronicling from episode one to the group's arrival in Byakuja Village.

As a motivator to watch more, DAN DA DAN season two is firing on all cylinders. This is one of my favorite arcs from the original manga series, followed pretty closely by the Space Globalists Arc. Jiji is the emotional core, as we watch him expand from goofy nonsequiturs to a deeply compassionate kid overwhelmed by his abilities and a vengeful entity. The Evil Eye character is an affecting follow-up to Acrobatic Silky, down to its original desire to dance. Like most of the supernatural entities encountered in DAN DA DAN, Evil Eye is not simply a malicious entity, and viewers will discover the truth behind its wanton violence is the perpetuation of ignorance via misguided customs.

Much of Evil Eye's runtime is spent underground as Momo, Okarun, and Turbo Granny try to thwart the Kito Family's plans and dodge Evil Eye's assault. Science SARU and directors Abel Góngora and Fūga Yamashiro shine here as an earlier scene of soccer rivalry between Okarun and Jiji escalates into a superpowered face-off of martial arts centered on kicking an energy ball between them to undo one another. Director Góngora shared in an interview with Anime News Network that real martial arts choreography was used as a reference here to recreate the impressive kicks and flips. The result is a high-octane face-off drenched in purple. Like the previous season, entities continue to be color-coded; Evil Eye is purple, while the underground snake is a sun-drenched golden yellow.

The fantastic action animation is coupled with scenes of experimental fluidity to translate Evil Eye's emotions onto the screen. Faces seem to ooze off the screen as Jiji's possession intensifies. It's incredibly effective.

Viewers who felt especially uncomfortable with how season one left Momo at risk of a group sexual assault should know that while that scenario is resolved fairly early in the runtime, Momo is the target of violence just as frequently as Okarun. The duo operates as a supernaturally powered pair, and she's just as likely to be choked, thrown around, and targeted with energy blasts as Okarun. This can still feel shocking in animated entertainment that, outside of all-girl squad action series, usually segregates its female characters as trapped somehow while we wait for the male characters to rescue her. Instead, Evil Eye shows that Okarun is just as likely to be thwarted, leaving Momo to use her quick wits to free him. It's never one-sided, and the duo makes a unique pair where the action is give-and-take as they support each other.

kensuke ushio's music is the cherry on top of the entire production. The track overlayed during our introduction to Byakuja Village injects an out-of-time feeling—like a place you'd see in '70s-era live-action Japanese film. There's also a prominent leitmotif whenever the underground snake appears, which immediately brought to mind having my face baked by the sun. It's a testament to ushio's compositional skills that I felt hot while watching Evil Eye.

With hard-hitting action sequences, an emotional back story, and seriously sinister villains, Evil Eye is welcome return to DAN DA DAN—even with its frustrating cliffhanger.