Shows are usually something that get planned by a large number of people over a time of months, possibly even years and Space Dandy is not that. Space Dandy is really, at its core, dumb fun. The show had an unorthodox start: a group of animators going to a bar to get drunk is not where shows usually start but this one did. People were just tossing around dumb ideas for some time until somebody started writing these down on a bar napkin. They started throwing a lot of ideas around and eventually, this crazy cast of characters was chosen including a strange perverted man
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named Dandy as the main character, an introverted talking alien cat named Meow, and a vacuum robot that is extremely out of date for its time named QT. Within the show, there are a lot of stupid ideas that come together to create something beautiful. The show uses its artwork, sound design, soundtrack, directing, plot, and voice acting all to its fullest.
Space Dandy makes everything look beautiful, the artwork is done by a smaller group of people who put this together as more of a passion project than a reality show which is why it turned out so well. This group had some of the most talented animators individually but they came together to make this show look as good or even better than many animated movies. The beauty likely comes from the passion these people were able to put into this. They were given a huge amount of freedom within their art and this shows in the final project. Some episodes have incredibly detailed cityscapes, beautiful galaxies, and delicious-looking food while others have some of the best action I have ever seen in a show. Animators being allowed to do their own episodes adds a fantastic flair to them. You can tell when watching that these artists cared about this and enjoyed making this show. This group of artists has worked on a few shows together, but this one was their first and it kickstarted a few of their careers. Some of the other projects they have worked on show this passion as well, this group can have more fun animating and it shows. The in-between frames of Space Dandy always make movement feel so clean, and the vibrant galaxies and worlds they made take your breath away even though they are just used for 1 or 2 seconds of this show there is still so much effort within. The art is incredible and you have to see it to believe it.
This show at its surface is not that deep, these three main characters are always going out doing something crazy and spending the rest of the episode getting themselves out of the predicament. The story has a style given by Shinichirō Watanabe that makes it so each episode doesn’t seem to connect to itself. Some episodes are funny little skits about them going to Boobies (their version of a Hooters) and some episodes are heart-wrenching stories about the ending of a life. One of my favorite episodes of the series focuses on the main character going to another world where there are bizarre beings who tell Dandy that he is dead and within this world of death he is lost and he is guided towards his rebirth into life where he forgets everything that happened. This deep introspective episode is not the only one like it, and that's what is so great about the story. Being able to form this connection with the main characters as well as a lot of the side characters we meet each episode is something that is done so well by the director. Watanabe can make these characters incredibly lovable while still bringing realism to them in the forms of selfishness and Dandy’s past relationships with people. The angles he uses and the way he makes all the characters interact make everything feel very real. The characters feel up close and personal like these characters are people who I know and this group also includes me within it when I watch this. The comedy is funny as well, a lot of the time it is raunchy jokes that it has, but it can pull off a lot of different kinds as well. Even though this isn’t a laugh-out-loud kind of show it makes you smile throughout making the episodes without any of this all the better.
The sound in this show in general is amazing. The beauty in a lot of the scenes comes from the beauty of the soundtrack and the satisfying noises it makes when objects interact within this world. Being able to make an entire episode revolve around one core set of like 4 notes is incredible and doing it well is even more so. This episode is just Dandy playing a guitar, and he finds a rival basically with his same kinda style. They take some time to flush out this character as someone who can stand even without being Dandy’s rival but also is a crucial part of the band Dandy is trying to make. They decide to form together in a studio and try to make a song. They end up with 4 core notes playing with some drums and that's all they play throughout this session leading them to play in a concert and finish the 4 chords with a very good entire song playing within the episode. Some of the emotional scenes only hit so hard because of the music. This music guides the show into such an ethereal feeling and allows you to appreciate what is happening. It is so impressive what all these individual artists have done for such a small show. Most shows don’t rely as much on music but this puts a lot on it and Watanabe can use his artists to make a beautiful scene with purely music and art. When these characters are polished out his ability to put them into such interesting scenarios is amazing even without any dialogue.
Space Dandy is a show that takes your breath away sometimes from laughter or beauty. The show takes you on incredibly original trips throughout the galaxy involving so many different facets of space it is hard to remember everything. The originality that this show has is such a refreshing take on space and is unlike anything else I have ever seen. The show might be a little too raunchy at times, but characters without any flaws are flaws in and of themselves. With this show's real sensation for characters, fantastic art, eccentric story, otherworldly soundtrack, and incredible directing it has quickly become one of my favorite shows ever made. Space Dandy is a show that can’t be described in one word, it is a show that stretches beyond the boundary of imagination into a world filled with unorthodox style and unforgiving emotions.
This review is for both seasons not just the second just for context.
Jun 4, 2023
Space☆Dandy 2nd Season
(Anime)
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Shows are usually something that get planned by a large number of people over a time of months, possibly even years and Space Dandy is not that. Space Dandy is really, at its core, dumb fun. The show had an unorthodox start: a group of animators going to a bar to get drunk is not where shows usually start but this one did. People were just tossing around dumb ideas for some time until somebody started writing these down on a bar napkin. They started throwing a lot of ideas around and eventually, this crazy cast of characters was chosen including a strange perverted man
...
Oct 26, 2022
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Aug 6, 2021
Zankyou no Terror
(Anime)
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Such an interesting and hard-to-rate show. At first, this show captivated me with its incredible visuals and amazing directing along with a cast that I could really get behind. The entire show had me wanting to keep watching and wanting to know what happens next, how they solve the puzzle, or how he gets out of this. They do a really good job of making you want more and making it so that it always advances to something bigger and bigger. What really hits me in this show is the directing and writing. The way every scene pretty much gives me goosebumps after watching and
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