DAN DA DAN Season 2

Episodes 13-15

DAN DA DAN is one of the best series I've ever had the chance to cover writing reviews for ANN, so I don't think it was a surprise to anybody reading my Preview Guide coverage of the first two episodes that I was overjoyed with the quality that Season 2 has hit right out of the gate. After picking up from that (admittedly awkward) cliffhanger that left Momo in an awfully precarious position, these first few volleys of DAN DA DAN's sophomore season have been nonstop action, humor, and spooky-ookie goodness. The complex, multi-front battle between Momo, Okarun, the Mongolian Death Worm, and Jiji's Evil Eye possessed form is one of the best early climaxes from the original manga run, and at this point I don't know if anyone is surprised that Science SARU is continuing to knock this adaptation out of the park.

I didn't get the chance to see the movie version of these first few episodes in the theater when it had its limited run here in the U.S., but being familiar with the source material gave me reason to suspect that we'd still be in the middle of resolving this bananapants adventure by the time Episode 15 came to a close. I was right about this. While that means that fans who checked out the flick must still be dying to get to new material when the anime picks up next week, I am still happy to see that the show is doing the Big Worm Fight Arc justice without rushing through things. There are a lot of moving pieces at play here between Jiji's possession, the evil worm, the family of human-sacrificing goons, and the volcano that is threatening to go KA-BOOM in a really bad way. While I can envision a world where we actually got to wrap everything up more conclusively by the end of this week's episode, I'm certain that DAN DA DAN would have been worse off for it.

Can anyone honestly justify cutting any of the loony and luxurious visuals that we've been getting to bask in for three weeks straight? The first two episodes of the season did a great job establishing the murky, gold-tinged atmosphere of the Worm God's sickly underground lair. We also got to spend time with the Evil Eye spirit and the visions of its tragic past as one of the young victims that was sacrificed at the worm's altar. It wasn't as mind-blowing as the Acrobatic Silky showstopper from last season, but it still showed off Science SARU's talents for using impressionistic shifts in style and tone to maximize this story's emotional potential.

With all of the narrative and emotional set up out of the way, then, “You Won't Get Away With This” cuts loose and indulges in some of the finest action spectacle that DAN DA DAN has yet delivered. The Mongolian Worm brings the kaiju goodness, of course, but it's the fight between Okarun and Evil-Eyed Jiji that brings this arc to the next level. It's not just an absolutely thrilling and immaculately animated sequence of badass choreography; this battle has a personal depth that Momo and Okarun haven't yet dealt with. They've had friends be victimized by evil spirits and aliens in the past, but the way that Evil Eye has violated Jiji and stolen his body feels especially dangerous and immediate. Tale it from a manga reader: I knew exactly how this fight was going to turn out, and I still watched the whole thing with baited breath.

If Momo and Okarun can't find a way to put a stop to the wormy madness for good, a whole lot of people are going to die. With the climactic eruption that ends this episode (and almost certainly left theater-goers howling in frustration), I think it is safe to say that the stakes have never been higher. If Science SARU can continue to bring their A-game to adapting this top-tier manga - which I don't think we have much reason to doubt, at this point - I fully expect this second season of DAN DA DAN to remain one of the premiere anime that absolutely everyone should be watching.

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DAN DA DAN Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.