DAN DA DAN was one of the big anime hitters from the second half of 2024. Its unique style and vibe immediately set it apart from the rest of the 2024 Autumn anime season. It received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Hell, fellow contributor Iain (who doesn’t watch anime) thought it was phenomenal. With such a positive reaction, it was only a matter of time before Season 2 would be announced. That brings us to today with the theatrical release of DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE, our first glimpse of DAN DA DAN Season 2! This film recaps the highlights of Season 1, episode 12 of Season 1, and the first three episodes of Season 2. Do these four episodes stitched together make an enjoyable viewing experience, or should you just wait to watch it on TV?
The first 10-15 minutes of the film are a recap of Season 1, giving you the gist of what happened. Episode 12 of Season 1 is after the recap and is what you remember from when it first aired last year. Momo, Okarun, and Jiji make it back to Jiji’s place, Okarun and Jiji bond, and Momo goes to a hot spring and is ambushed by some real creepy guys. And that’s where the new stuff begins, with the first three episodes of Season 2.
As the name suggests, these three episodes are known as the “Evil Eye Arc”, and it’s pretty good. After Okarun and Jiji discovered a closed-off room in the house, an odd-looking family showed up at the door. They are the Kito family, and they have a major influence over the town. Once they catch Jiji in a lie, things go south very quickly until Momo returns. But when talks of sacrifices, giant snakes, and a spirit that can cause people to commit suicide just by making eye contact begin to surface, it’ll be a miracle if the gang make it out unscathed.
I enjoyed this arc a lot, and I’m glad it picked up right where Season 1 left off. That cliffhanger was brutal, even for a seasonal anime. It was nice that they wasted no time getting us back into the action. It did feel like three episodes stitched together instead of a feature film, as you could very much tell where the plot of one episode began and ended. It wasn’t a big deal, but it did create noticeable speed bumps in the pacing. But besides that, the story of this arc is solid, except for the fact that they end on another FUCKING CLIFFHANGER! I get it, these were made to be weekly watches, but now I gotta wait another month to see what happens next. It’s some bullshit, but a sign that I was invested, which is good.
A highlight of Season 1 was the relationships between the characters, and that carries over here. Everyone is just as endearing, funny, and entertaining as ever. Momo (Abby Trott/Shion Wakayama) is her usual outlandish self, and I enjoyed seeing her problem-solve with brute force yet again. I’m not kidding, nearly every problem she faces in the film, she solves by punching, kicking, or setting it on fire, and I love it. Okarun’s (A.J. Beckles/Natsuki Hanae) nerdy demeanour is once again a perfect contrast to Momo, and I will always enjoy seeing them interact. I also enjoyed his fights in the film, with the one at the end being particularly memorable.
Jiji (Aleks Le/Kaito Ishikawa) was a character I was interested in seeing more of. He was fairly basic in Season 1, and seeing as he’s the main focus of this arc, I wasn’t disappointed. We get to see not only his relationships with Momo and Okarun develop, but also his personality come to the forefront. His desire to cheer people up and make them smile was heartwarming, even if it ultimately landed him in a sticky situation.
And I would be remiss to not mention probably the funniest character in the series, Turbo Granny (Barbara Goodson/Mayumi Tanaka). She is here once again delivering the best one-liners, insults, and vibes, and I was laughing every time she opened her mouth. She and Okarun share a moment at the end of the film that had me in tears, and I can’t wait to see how they get out of their sticky situation.
Science SARU is back once again to handle the animation, and they have shown no slip in quality whatsoever. The animation is just as incredible as Season 1, with fluid movements and crisp visuals. These three episodes are action-heavy, and I don’t think there was a single moment that I could point to and say it looked bad, which is impressive. The multiple fight scenes are all fantastic, with each being better than the last. But it’s not just the fights that garnered attention; the smaller moments, like Momo walking through a town or a depressing flashback, all have that same level of quality.
Visuals aside, the soundtrack in this film was different from Season 1, but it still fit the vibe perfectly. The addition of more techno music into the score gives the arc its own identity while still feeling like it belongs in DAN DA DAN. On the topic of music, EVIL EYE doesn’t include the new opening or ending songs for Season 2, which is a bummer. The Season 1 opening by Creepy Nuts set a high bar, but it is confirmed that Aina the End is performing the Season 2 opening, so I’m expecting an absolute banger.
DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE was an enjoyable sneak peek at Season 2 of DAN DA DAN, but doesn’t quite hit the mark as a film. While the story was engaging, the pacing was disjointed as you could tell when episodes began and ended. And that cliffhanger at the end works in a weekly release, not so much in a film. But that’s really the only downside because this film is still an amazing experience for any fan of DAN DA DAN. I’m keen to see the story continue when DAN DA DAN Season 2 releases next month.
Have you seen DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE? What did you think? Did it work for you as a film? Let us know in the comments where we can all agree that Turbo Granny is the MVP.
