Discover Top Posts Tagged with #space dandy 2

A Dandy Anime, Baby - Space Dandy in Review

Space Dandy is one of the most recent works from acclaimed director Shinichiro Watanabe, of Cowboy Bebop fame. I will be the first to say that I am in love with his work, and Space Dandy is no exception. The discontinuity, tongue-in-cheek atmosphere, the fantastic visuals and sound, and Watanabe’s signature mixing of themes all combine and blend perfectly to make Space Dandy one of the best original series in a long time.

Space Dandy follows Dandy, a dandy guy in space, and his companions Meow and QT across the universe in their endless quest to afford their next meal and visit the restaurant Boobies again. As that sentence might indicate from the very first episode, Space Dandy sets its unique tone and then sticks to it. The wild action, the brash character of Dandy himself, the stunning visuals, and the discontinuity all are major points of the entire show, and the first episode hits viewers over the head, not being shy in style, and letting viewers know that they better take it or leave it, right then and there. Space Dandy has next to no continuity throughout the show, with most episode ending with the ubiquitous “To be continued.” Further pushing this, there are also a few episodes that simply end with a giant “THE END,” quite definitively dividing Dandy’s adventures into 22 minutes rather than one throughout 26 episodes.

While some may be turned off by the discontinuity, I embraced it immediately after episode one ends with a “THE END”, followed by credits. Space Dandy is a show that I could watch endlessly, and that is thanks to the discontinuitous format. If there is a part of the plot of show that some viewers aren’t enjoying and that part or arc will no doubt continue for 3 or 4 more weeks, that is reason enough for some to simply stop watching. However, in Space Dandy each episode is its own adventure, which has two major bonuses. First, it avoids what I just discussed above – if a viewer is dissatisfied with a certain episode, they can find solace in the fact that the next episode will tell an entirely different story. Second, it makes Space Dandy easily digestible, even if some of the themes of its episode aren’t. You can easily watch one or two episodes and stop, or binge-watch both seasons and still want more, because there is something new each and every time.

One thing that the first episode establishes and the show champions is the entire atmosphere of the show being very comedic in itself. In the first episode, Dandy shoots at a giant monster and misses every single shot. Then, he spins the gun as if to put it in his pocket, but instead just throws it behind him. The little, subtler things are what make the comedy in Space Dandy more than “boobs are great,” which is a criticism I see often in relation to this show. One of the best elements of comedy is the bumbling Dr. Gel and his assistant Bea, who try and fail in nearly every episode to capture Dandy, but the fact that they fail in most of the episodes with no direct action by Dandy at all – no confrontations, nothing – is always hilarious to watch.

Right from the get-go, you will see how visually stunning this show is. The animations of Dandy especially are never shortcutted – there is always a feeling of movement, and it gives the animation a very unique feel that I felt fit quite well with the tone. As opposed to the darker, grittier tone of Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy is alive with color, and in a few episodes where Dandy is simply exploring a new planet you feel like you just want to look around as well, and experience being in such an exotic locale. The animation is also used in interesting ways: in one episode in the second season, Dandy is fishing for a rare monster fish, and the waves are animated to seem almost like an ancient painting: clear, thick lines with little emphasis on detail. Rather than seeming lazy, it brings a sense of mythology to the episode, which clicks perfectly with Dandy’s battle with the Munagi.

The sound design in Space Dandy is notable because it is actually there. Often, in shows without a strong musical focus, there is simply some subtle background noise, or low music to subtlely set a tone. Space Dandy is brash in music as it is brash in everything it does, and the sounds are up front and in your face. There are even multiple voiced songs in the second season, which do wonders to provide atmosphere to the events going on at the same time. The music is also used to connect the first and the last episode, bringing the entire thing full circle and giving the viewer a feeling of nostalgia, thinking back to Dandy’s first romp across an alien planet. That is to say nothing about the opening and ending themes, the former of which, Viva Namida, is the funky, bouncy tone that Space Dandy thrives on, distilled into a minute and a half.

Lastly, Watanabe’s signature style is present in Space Dandy, and despite being to a lesser extent than Cowboy Bebop or Samurai Champloo, it is still prominent enough to be worth a mention. If Bebop is space and 40s noir, then Space Dandy is space combined with the 60s, 70s, and 80s: there are episodes that harken back to the movie Grease and ones that burst with the colors of disco. Most of all I think the psychedelic air of the 60s and 70s is the most noticeable, because of how well it clicks with the exotic, alien worlds Dandy visits. The crazy colors, strange shapes, and weird experiences Dandy undergoes feel at times like a visual acid trip, and often Dandy meets creatures that speak of ideas that a high musician would put together to form a hit prog rock song.

I must give a mention to my favorite episode of the entire show, and a new addition to my list of favorite standalone episodes of anime in general. There is one episode in the second season that involves Dandy searching for an alien at a high school, and rather than take the traditional Japanese clichés of a school festival or the like, Space Dandy throws it all out the window in favor of a training montage, a 60s romantic comedy, and a Grease-style dance party at a prom. It exemplifies what I enjoy about Space Dandy’s atmosphere, because the entire episode is hilarious if only for its similarities to cheesy, coming-of-age, romantic high school musicals. That, and the girl that is showcased in the episode is super cute, which is always a bonus.

Overall, Space Dandy is a ride that you better strap in for, and if you don’t enjoy the tone it sets, you won’t enjoy the rest of the show. But for those that enjoy the wild trips that Dandy and his friends get up to, Space Dandy combines visuals, music, a unique method of storytelling and a great director’s signature style to create one dandy anime, baby.