REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1’ – “Like, This is The Legend of the Giant Snake”

Possessed by an unwavering charm and relentless energy, DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 wastes little time in reminding us why it was one of the best anime of 2024. Produced by the masterminds over at Science Saru, the series continues to adapt the work of mangaka Yukinobu Tatsu with visual, feverish intensity while maintaining the heart at the center.

Energized by superb and cinematic direction, “Like, This is the Legend of the Giant Snake” charges full steam ahead into the Evil Eye arc, thrusting us straight into the uncanny and hilarious mayhem. 

Picking up immediately following the finale of Season 1, we find Momo Ayase (Shion Wakayama) being terrorized by the men of the Kito family while Jiji (Kaito Ishikawa)  and Okarun/Ken Takakura (Natsuki Hanae) are learning that Jiji’s home isn’t all that it appears to be. The trio has been sent to Jiji’s hot springs home town in order to solve the mystery of his parents who are hospitalized due to some unnatural force possessing their house. 

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 makes sure to highlight how imposing the Kito family is from the jump. With their grayish, garish appearances, they’re looming and lecherous. From the men praying on Momo in a moment of vulnerability as she relaxes in the hot springs, to the women taking advantage of Jiji’s kindness and the absence of his parents, their insidious nature is meant to be obvious. There’s no subtlety, nor should there be any.

The Kito family poses a formidable threat against Momo. 

The fight between the Kito family and Momo is a fantastic reminder that she is the fighter of the series, launching herself straight into a blunt attack when she finds them at Jiji’s home. The dizzying mix of martial arts, hand-to-hand scuffling, and Momo’s psychic abilities makes for an intense, close-quarters brawl until the matriarch, Naki Kito, steps in and overwhelms her. 

It makes sense, then, that their family has spent 200 years helping to orchestrate human sacrifices to what they believe is a God who has blessed their town with hot springs. Their blatant disregard for human life beyond their own self-interests makes the reveal that said God is a UMA, a Mongolian death worm, especially when it takes a nose dive directly into their cultish display once they’re all sunk into the pits of Jiji’s house. 

We knew there was more to the house when the boys discovered a previously unseen room full of talismans. But the quicksand that sucks the entire group into the belly of the house and the clutches of the beast makes it clear that they’re facing off against a much bigger threat than they’d anticipated. What’s worse is that it’s not just physical destruction and the threat the trio are up against, but something psychological as well. 

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 sets the trio up against the Mongolian death worm. 

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 ends with the three hiding away in an abandoned room just as Momo and Okarun begin suffering from some unknown mental attack. The effect is so severe that Okarun starts to transform into his yōkai form, crawling towards Jiji as the latter looks on in horror. 

The premiere excels in pacing, efficiently incorporating a significant amount of the story without ever feeling rushed or unnecessarily drawn out. One of the series’ strengths is its lack of padding – it’s a lean story that refuses to meander. From the hot springs to the sunken hole in Jiji’s house, the episode covers a significant amount of geography, setting up the world and the area so that we feel locked into this specific time and place. 

It’s through this traversing that Science Saru delivers strong direction with fantastic perspective, lighting, and scale. As the hot springs around her collapse, Momo remarks on how great the view is now that she can see the surrounding mountains.

And it’s genuinely a wonderful establishing shot – and not just because of how the mountain plays into the lore of the earthworm later. Directed by Kayona Yamada with storyboards by Jong Heo, the episode is purposeful in highlighting the expansive town surrounding them and how entrenched in nature it is. 

Turbo Granny joins Momo in a world-building jaunt around town.

The scenes of Momo and Turbo Granny (Mayumi Tanaka) walking around and visiting the shrine to learn about a local folktale feature some of the series’ best artistry. They’re subdued and subtle but tactile in their rendering and composition.

We feel as if we’re taking in the sights with them. It also highlights the vital strength of good lighting in anime. The lighting offers warmth and a textured sense of when in the day this is taking place, and gives each frame greater depth and space. 

The magic is in the details, too, especially when it comes to Turbo Granny. For all of the threats that the trio are up against, DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 doesn’t forget the comedy. From the entrance of a corrupt police officer just as Okarun and Jiji are looking for help, to the physical gag of the earthworm seemingly devouring the Kito family, to Turbo Granny’s stowing away in Momo’s bag, the series remains as playful as ever.

Even the background detail of Turbo Granny looking around the room as Momo faces off against the Kito’s is fantastic, threatening to steal our attention towards the inherently cat-like gestures from the once-all-powerful yōkai. 

With some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, fantastic action, and gorgeous animation throughout, DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 doesn’t hold back in reestablishing its top-tier quality. Playing with the adaptability and versatile nature of the medium, the series doesn’t pull its punches and instead gleefully wallops us with how addicting it is. 

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1 is out now on Crunchyroll and Netflix. 

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