This week’s episode of DAN DA DAN was genuinely out of this world. After hearing it was the favorite episode of one of the voice actors (...
This week’s episode of DAN DA DAN was genuinely out of this world. After hearing it was the favorite episode of one of the voice actors (AJ Beckles) I was excited to see how the adaptation would handle the battle against Turbo Granny. On top of that, considering it was the first episode after the initial three that were shown in theaters, this meant that DAN DA DAN episode 4 was really a second beginning for the anime and a launching off point for the rest of the series.
Without question, the anime delivered on that front. Combining stunning visuals, superb voice acting (in both the sub and the dub; the dub for this series is genuinely incredible and it’s worth checking out both), fitting music, peak animation, and the characteristic creative use of color that this season has become an expert in, DAN DA DAN essentially made this episode its case for being best anime of the season, full stop.
Last week, we got to see a relatively slower episode that focused on preparations for trying to free Okarun from Turbo Granny’s curse, introducing Seiko properly (and her powers), and giving both Okarun and Momo some additional opportunities to bond and train in preparation for a race against Turbo Granny. It was the perfect foundational episode for this one and one of the reasons why it was able to shine so strongly was the setup done for it in the episodes prior. All in all, DAN DA DAN is on a truly spectacular run and this episode was the apex of it thus far.
Spoilers ahead for DAN DA DAN episode 4.
Confrontation
The initial scene of the episode follows up right after the train ride which ended episode 3 (it was after the credits, so if you clicked off after those you missed a few minutes). We’re treated to a manzai-esque exchange typical of our main duo’s dynamic and it’s made clear almost immediately that they only have a loose plan for taking on Turbo Granny now that she’s forced them to come to her so soon.
Momo’s confidence here is something that stuck out to me though; it made me think that, while they only had a loose plan, it must have been a pretty good one for her to suddenly be confident after being quite frightened during the other previous confrontations.
The two definitely got a bit of training in though. Momo is able to quite effortlessly use her telekinesis on multiple objects at once when attacking Turbo Granny’s two giant heads, doesn’t struggle at all to help Okarun transform and use Turbo Granny’s power, and Okarun himself is pretty confident in his ability to use that power to somehow help their situation.
Turbo Granny’s trick with regard to counting was hilarious as well as some good characterization of the nature of spirits. This essentially communicates to the viewer the message that ghosts are pedantic and will adhere to rules but only as they’re spelled out. This is similar to the alien’s strong insistence on promises and deals and is definitely something to keep in mind going forward.
This part is also where DAN DA DAN starts getting very creative about sound, using the echo of Turbo Granny’s tunnel and adding a sort of ghostly wail to her voice that I appreciated (as odd as ghost grandma Luffy can sound sometimes)
A City-Wide Battle
This is where the episode really begins to shine. The cityscape is painted in red characteristic of ghosts and Turbo Granny especially, perspectives are shifted back and forth, and we’re given a lot of different looks at the chase between the location-bound spirit and Okarun and Momo.
This portion of the episode is directed spectacularly and gives a strong sense of both the speed all of them are moving at as well as the large scale of the crab and the kind of destruction it can wreak on unsuspecting humans around them.
Turbo Granny’s use of the spirits from the cemetery continues to make use of the episode’s already impressive animation and communication of speed and perspective. This is the kind of scene you would expect to see make liberal use of CGI, but I was delighted to see how it was animated instead.
Even where there was some minor use of CGI (seemingly some of the movements of the crab) it wasn’t enough to throw off the prevailing pattern of using computer-generated graphics and synths for aliens and hand drawn + acoustic sounds for ghosts.
The remixed version of the William Tell Overture was a hilarious and fitting touch, perfectly blending the sci-fi vibes of the episode and the absolute unit Okarun can become when he opts to run at full throttle. The section from them being cornered by spirits up to them arriving at the train was without question the best section of the episode.
Closing off the fight, I’m glad that the episode retained some of the inherent humanity of the spirits and made it clear that Turbo Granny wasn’t some sort of unambiguous evil. This is another point for DAN DA DAN having an incredible ability to switch between perspectives and vibes, especially considering it went from a high-octane fight to a serious discussion about the origins of spirits to a hilarious reframe about eating crab.
I also appreciated how comfortable Okarun had gotten with the two of them; his tendency to aggressively chide people is something clearly reserved for those he trusts a bit and both Momo and Seiko seem to be in that category now.
Closing Thoughts
This was an awesome episode. There doesn’t need to be much more said than that, but it’s worth reiterating all of the different elements that came together to make this as strong a showing as it was. Animation, art, color choices, music, dynamic sound, voice acting…all of these things were superb. If there’s an episode that is going to be series-defining for a while, it’s this one.
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