Dan Da Dan made quite the splash when it premiered in October 2024, and now, less than a year later, the show is back with what is already shaping up to be yet another impressive season. Based on the original manga Dandadan created by Yukinobu Tatsu, Season 1 followed new friends Momo and Okarun as they discovered their newfound abilities while battling aliens and demons alike, but the Season 2 premiere seems to set these highschoolers on a dangerous new path as the colorful anime series takes on a darker, stranger note from the very first scene. The Season 2 premiere was promising overall, but it’s worth mentioning the one downside so far is that the show abandoned its iconic theme song. The new title sequence is just as stylish, if a bit more romantic, seemingly hinting that fans should expect even more yearning from Okarun and Momo this season as they face new demons and even graver consequences.
Opening Shot: Season 2 picks up right where Season 1 left off. Momo finds herself cornered in the hot springs by a group of creepy old men, while Jiji and Okarun are back at Jiji’s house, where they just discovered a room Jiji’s never seen before that seems to be filled with talismans.
The Gist: In the Season 2 premiere, Momo manages to fight off the men who tried to corner her in the hot springs when the run-down onsen luckily collapses on top of them. They still manage to escape with the local Chamber of Commerce on their tails, but she got them off her back. As she does her own investigating of the local village’s lore, a strange group of women who turn out to be the landlords of Jiji’s house come by to inquire about his disappearance. But their house visit takes a dark turn when they begin interrogating Jiji about whether he’s hired yet another medium to cleanse the house. Naki Kito, the matriarch of the group, makes it abundantly clear with her shotgun that she will put a stop to Jiji’s paranormal investigations, one way or another.
When Momo finally returns to the house, the landlords – known as the Kito family – waste no time in making their intentions clear: They intend to use Momo, Jiji, and Okarun as human offerings. Not only is Jiji’s home undoubtedly haunted, but the house is actually an altar where the Kito family has left human sacrifices for what they believe to be Great Serpent Lord over the past 200 years in order to protect the village. The Kito family has been renting out the house to lure sacrifices in, which explains why Jiji and his parents have been experiencing such strange hallucinations and side effects. But Okarun realizes the Kito family is mistaken; this is no Great Serpent Lord, it’s a kuragari, a giant worm that was believed to be living in the Gobi desert.
What show will it remind you of?: Dan Da Dan‘s ability to balance its character’s innate absurdities with their touchingly human desires feels reminiscent of Demon Slayer. Fans of the show’s dark humor and unique style will also enjoy Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen.
Our Take: It’s refreshing to see a popular anime return with new episodes within just months of the previous season. The Season 2 premiere not only seamlessly picks back up from the events of Season 1, but it also sets a darker, more mature tone for the rest of the show, promising higher stakes and even worse villains for Momo, Okarun, and Jiji to face this season.
The Kito family and the so-called Great Serpent Lord are the perfect starting point for Season 2. Though the Kito family gets taken care of rather early on, they were already proving to be almost too much for Momo and her crew to handle, showing that the medium and her crew are going to be facing even more overpowered enemies this season. This is not the typical occult face-off viewers watched Momo and Okarun deal with in Season 1. Momo is certainly a more confident medium coming into this adventure, but watching her and Okarun struggle to control their powers in the serpent’s lair certainly hints at a major fight to come and also means they’re also just barely scratching the surface of their abilities. It will also be interesting to see how Jiji will factor into this fight.
The show also continues offering a remarkably unique slate of characters. The villains in Dan Da Dan are as compelling as they are disgusting and unlikable. It’s revealed halfway through the Season 2 premiere that the group of creepy men who cornered Momo in the hot springs are the husbands of the Kito women visiting Jiji and Okarun. Not only did they manage to evade any consequences for the damage they caused at the hot springs, but it turns out that the Kito family also has control over the local law enforcement. It’s unsavory to watch Momo get nearly assaulted yet again, as this appears to be a running theme on the show, but the heroine fortunately makes it out in the end.
The Kito family’s vileness is only enhanced by their uniquely grim animation style. Dan Da Dan has not lost any steam at all since Season 1. This series captured everyone’s attention thanks to its remarkably unique animation style that still feels refreshingly contemporary. If anything, the Season 2 premiere hints that there is still even more to come from the team at Science SARU.
Memorable Dialogue: Dan Da Dan has an interesting affinity for powerful older women. When Turbo Granny explains Naki Kito is not a yokai but just a “powerful old hag,” Momo is skeptical as she responds, “Like they actually exist.” But Turbo Granny is quick to remind her that her chic and powerful grandmother, Seikou, could also be considered a “powerful old hag,” too. “You got one in your own house,” the evil kitten responds.
Sex and Skin: The Season 2 premiere teases a (unnecessarily standard) bit of nudity from Momo, who is wrapped in a towel as she battles the Kito men in the hot spring.
Parting Shot: Jiji convinces Momo and Okarun to hide from the kuragari in one of the houses. But the paranormal phenomena is having a strange effect on Okarun and Momo’s psychic abilities.
Sleeper Star: I’m still partial to Turbo Granny’s adorable kitten character, but the matriarch Naki Kito’s fighting skills are so remarkable she deserves to be added to Dan Da Dan‘s growing list of unbelievably overpowered “old hags,” as Momo likes to put it.
Most Pilot-y Line: It’s a fairly corny but admittedly creepy line from Naki Kito: “Unfortunate accidents happen pretty happen in the mountains,” she tells Jiji as she cocks a shotgun.
Our Call: STREAM IT. This strong season premiere sets a different, more mature tone for Dan Da Dan and places our favorite paranormal investigators in new territory.