This week’s episode of DAN DA DAN was full of satisfying combat, special powers, and some arguably unnecessary nudity. The episode is an immediate continuation of the events from last week, where our group of characters first enjoyed some somen noodles following the defeat of Acrobatic Silky and later returned to school to go back to business as usual.
That episode was a mixture of the romantic elements of the series and the comedic ones; the comedic bits were mixed throughout the episode (though heavy in the beginning) while the budding romance between Okarun and Momo got more attention as the latter misunderstood the actions of the former when he ended up in a compromising position on top of Aira at school. It ended with the revelation that Aira inherited spiritual powers from Acrobatic Silky, giving her access to a transformation similar to the one Okarun can use to channel Turbo Granny’s powers.
Following that, we’re moving along with Momo, Okarun, and Aira as they deal with a unique predicament at the hands of the Serpoians, who’ve returned to try and steal Okarun’s powers via his body (and banana organs). Because of that, and because all other characters besides those three, the Serpoians, and the mantis shrimp yokai helping them are absent from the unique space everyone is in, this episode had a lot more freedom to include a bit more action and focus on the fight.
While it was by no means the spectacle of episodes like those covering the final bout against Turbo Granny, this episode featured some satisfying animation in the form of Aira making use of Acrobatic Silky’s fluid movements, the Serpoians and Momo making use of psychic powers, and plenty of punches from the mantis shrimp. It also had a touching moment toward the end, rounding things out for an overall solid if not overwhelmingly spectacular episode.
Spoilers ahead for DAN DA DAN episode 9
Pirouette vs Punches
The first section of the episode focuses on Okarun and Aira, with Okarun mostly trying desperately to find some clothes while Aira faced off against the Mantisian and one of the Serpoians. Like I mentioned earlier, this was a great opportunity to show off some of the acrobatic movements she inherited as part of her spiritual power as well as an opportunity for the direction to go in some creative directions. Making use of quickly changing perspectives and occasional still frames added some extra feelings of quick acceleration and deceleration to some already fast sequences.
Detailed moments like the shuffling of feet, Aira running along the side of a wall, or a Serpoian blasting her and the Mantisian backwards down a hallway were animated well and shown in a way that really communicated the speed of everything. Compared to some other anime where backgrounds aren’t really utilized alongside the core action of a scene, DAN DA DAN did a good job making use of every part of the screen to elevate what could’ve otherwise been a decently bland fight consisting of mostly Aira dodging.
As for Okarun, I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that his clothes getting melted off really felt…unnecessary. I don’t necessarily find myself clutching my pearls at a character being naked on screen, but the degree to which is felt gratuitous was almost somewhat of a distraction. He could have just as easily been restrained by a a Serpoian or blasted to some other part of the school if the goal here was to give Aira’s new powers a chance to hold the spotlight and really shine.
That aside, Momo eventually returns, equalizing the two sides’ footing in terms of psychic abilities and giving Aira and Okarun the chance to go toe to toe with a seemingly upgraded mantis shrimp. I liked the idea of Okarun’s speed and power complementing Aira’s maneuverability in this fight. Nudity aside, it was a nice touch to have them basically dance while dodging the shrimp’s punches and landing consistent blows on his week spot. On top of that, we even got some more moments of Momo losing it at any tangential mention of Ken Takakura, which somehow doesn’t seem to get old.
Underwater Bout
The second half of the episode begins with the alien Nessie entering the fight and somehow not only increasing the overall volume of water in the space, but also converting the walls and all of the structural elements of the school into water as well. These sorts of abrupt, eerie transformations to a space (especially when they come accompanied by changes in color to the neon green we got) feel appropriately alien and served as a cool sort of stage transition for the fight.
This section was also a pretty humorous one, going from one of the Serpoians getting absolutely destroyed by Nessie, to Momo’s jealousy over Aira and Okarun getting chummy, to the Mantisian struggling to breathe, to Turbo Granny’s power’s being useless underwater without missing a beat. Even in general, the constant running and sprinting away with that particular soundtrack in the background was funny. Admittedly, I wish the uncanny atmosphere brought by the arrival of Nessie and the transformation of the environment had lasted a bit longer, but this is okay too.
In the midst of the running away, we get a quick heartfelt conversation between Momo and Okarun that I appreciated quite a bit. For one, it’s another opportunity for the relationship between the two to deepen a bit. More than that though, it’s one of the first times we’ve seen Okarun confidently assert his feelings, so confidently that it even seemed to catch Momo off guard.
It’s only been a few days since he decided to start training in secret and being more useful in combat, and while there haven’t been any noticeable physical changes, it’s clear that his change in mindset is affecting him. Aside from this particular powerful speech, delivered well in both the sub and the dub (seriously, check out the dub too), he clearly has a greater degree of control over Turbo Granny’s powers than before, even if only by a just-noticeable amount.
The next section increases the nudity, once again for reasons that I think felt a little forced. Yes, it is true that clothes will create greater resistance in water and therefore make it harder for Momo to move someone in the water. But, for one, it’s obviously not that much additional drag, especially since Okarun is the main one getting moved by psychic powers. Scenes like this, in my opinion, come off as a bit fan servicey and can turn potential fans off of the series writ large. It’s nowhere near to the same degree as the assault scene in the first episode, but it was truly just not neccessary.
What was cool was the fusion between the Serpoian, Mantisian, and Nessie and the combo attack Momo, Aira, and Okarun launched in order to counter it. This section of the episode showed off how cool Nessie’s abilities are and how satisfying rapid fire punches can be, especially with the sound effect used for them. Ultimately of course, that mantis shrimp quality ended up being the merged creature’s downfall, tying things nicely together with the bit of science class we saw last episode.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this episode. I still stand by my complaints about the relative nudity being a bit gratuitous at times, but I think it wasn’t so much of an issue that it took away from the high points of this episode. Direction was fantastic, especially during the more choreographed moments of the fight and times when Aira was showing off her more acrobatic abilities. Impacts were well drawn and motion in general was well animated, complementing the use of changing perspectives to create feelings of quickness and keep the tempo of a scene up when needed. Voice acting during the more heartfelt scenes was direct and powerful. In technical terms, this episode checked a lot of boxes, and that makes it a strong one, stripping notwithstanding.
I would be lying though if I said I didn’t think the ending was hilarious. I’m looking forward to how they manage to explain sprinting naked / in underwear through the hallway to the school and what effect that has on their otherwise normal school lives. If you enjoyed this week’s episode, don’t forget to vote via our weekly poll.
© Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA/DANDADAN Production Committee
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