Space Dandy
What can someone expect from an anime that brings together Sci-Fi, Space, and Comedy? Well, Space Dandy would be one of the possible outcomes! Space☆Dandy brings together many lead production staff members from the immortal series Cowboy Bebop.
This mainly includes the producer Masahiko Minami and director Shinichiro Watanabe. Space Dandy’s production involved a total of 70 Animation creators and 20 Musical Artists collaborating to give this series pre-1984 music styles, something Watanabe insisted on. Character designer Yoshiyuki Itou is credited as an animation director as well. Although his designs weren’t standardized in the anime, it was more of a mix of individual animators, each expressing their own style.
Space Dandy Season 1 is a 13 episode TV Anime series that aired from January 5th to March 27th as a Winter 2014 anime. It was produced by Bandai Visual, flying DOG, and Bandai Namco Entertainment, Licensed by Funimation and done by the critically acclaimed Studio Bones. The anime series was licensed in North America by Funimation itself.
Due to specific licensing issues, their initial simulcast utilized the instrumental track of Cosmic Adventure by the jazz band Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro as the Opening theme. From the 8th episode onwards, Viva Namida was used instead. Yasuyuki Okamura: Viva Namida was released as an official Music video promoting the series. There were two special episodes titled “Space Dandy Picture Drama” released as well.
Space Dandy is an Original series adapted from the two Volumes long manga of the same title. It was written by Harada Masafumi and illustrated by Park Sung-Woo and REDICE, serialized in Young Gangan. Space☆Dandy Second Season was released as a Summer 2014 series after Season 1 by the same teams. The series is rated PG-13 for Teens 13 years or older.
The story revolves around protagonist Dandy, whose job is to hunt down unclassified aliens and register them, yielding a reward. Their universe is full of mystery, and strange phenomena, the very epitome of these are the countless alien races and species.
Thus it's never a dull moment for Dandy. His livelihood seems easy enough, but something weird and unorthodox always seems to happen during his quests. Most of them are chance meetings with absurd beings like zombies, mystical ramen chefs, and even cute orphans. Therefore Dandy’s job isn’t exactly easy, but it's absolutely not boring and is well worth the while.
Dandy is not alone on his travels; his sidekicks closely accompany him; an adorable robot vacuum named QT and a cat-like alien named Meow. These three traverse the galaxy on Dandy’s slightly-used ship, called the Aloha Oe, constantly on the hunt for new alien species just waiting to be discovered.
What he finds is generally not what he expects as he stumbles upon many adventures, dangers, challenges, and even romance along the way. No two journeys nor galaxies are ever the same; it’s always something new and fresh on their plate. This is the roaming life of Space Dandy.
Dandy is portrayed as a dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour, constantly roaming across the galaxy, searching for new aliens no one has yet to lay eyes upon. Each new species discovered earns him a hefty reward, but if he ever drags his feet, he’ll lose the prize because it's always first come, first served in their universe.
Dandy fearlessly explores new unknown worlds, which are inhabited by multitudes of aliens. This seemingly best-dressed alien hunter in all of space and time embarks on adventure after adventure that knows no end except the edge of the universe itself.
The series can be described as a kind of testing ground for its many directors, all of whom are accomplished enough independently with unique characteristic styles. These vastly different directors have each crafted an episode or two of this series in their own manner and image.
This is made possible by the very flexible nature and setting of Space Dandy. The result was a show with so much creativity and variation, reaching new heights and fresh grounds. The downside to this is a lingering inconsistency and some more experimental failures as well. However, it’s still worth a watch to bear witness to its vibrant creativity.
When watching this series, it's important to remember that it is an experimental anime. Each episode is independent and stand-alone, each being both quirky and unique with its own style. They all have one common element, though; they are all modeled to be entertaining and fun even if inconsistent. Comedy is a big highlight and has been executed amazingly well throughout the series.
The jokes may seem cringy and weird at first, but their uniqueness and perfect delivery make them pretty funny. On that note, prepare for many sexual jokes and a certain level of objectification. The start is relatively slow and not that good, so it’s pretty easy to lose interest here, but the series gets better as it goes. If given a chance, the series will show more promise and prove worth the watch.
The story and plot of Space Dandy is one of its weaknesses. It lacks a good overall plot and is exceptionally inconsistent due to its nature. This will not bother viewers if they are watching because the main focus is entertainment, and it definitely delivers that. The occasional hints suggest some bigger underlying story behind all the mayhem, but it's best not to pin many hopes on such a deep plot. Space Dandy’s beauty lies in enjoying the current episode to the fullest and not the possible future events set in motion.
The characters are a stronger point of Space Dandy. The main cast itself is pretty unique, spontaneous, and outstanding. Dandy might seem a stereotypical pervert initially and even be a little annoying with his overdose of sexual jokes. But just like the series, he too progresses into a more likable character as the episodes progress.
By the end, he is sure to have charmed almost any viewer, credited mainly to the journey shared with him along the way. He is over-the-top with contagious stupidity and antics to match. Dandy’s character development is decent because each episode integrates all the characters’ backstories very well, ultimately making up the bigger picture. This applies to Meow and QT as well, which have been handled with good comedy.
The animation and artwork are well done as well. The visuals are quite pleasing, and some episodes even go on to take different art styles altogether. This seems weird at first, but it is easily adjustable to.
The creators used these factors to craft and portray the story in fantastic quality. The most notable would be Episode 11, which employs a very different art style to relay an even more exciting story. Space Dandy shows the vast potential of using creative visuals at various times to reinforce the plot and keep the show entertaining.
The Opening is "Viva Namida" by Yasuyuki Okamura and Ending is "X Jigen e Youkoso" by Etsuko Yakushimaru. Both of these, along with the music, OSTs, and Voice Acting, is masterfully done.
They are used in scenes in the most fitting way possible and relay the atmosphere and themes to perfection. The overall sounds of the series are used effectively and beautifully. The voice actors fit their roles flawlessly and ooze their unique personalities with every line delivered.
Space Dandy Season 2 is definitely better than Season 1. Season 1 is in no way terrible; it just has a few bumps here and there but is overall excellent. Season 2 is simply devoid of such bumps and is a sheer fun series. It is filled with endless creativity, is trippy, entertaining, and simply superb. The series is viewable for all ages, but adults would find it more appealing due to the nature of most of its jokes. There is a wide range of pop culture references in it too. It is a genuinely clever anime and a brilliant work of art.
In terms of overall enjoyment and entertainment, Space Dandy is a great watch. It is hilarious, amazing, and such a joy to watch. It always leaves viewers curious about what the creators will do with the next episode due to its spontaneous and inconsistent nature.
The series starts slow and somewhat weak, but when the episodes continue to roll, so do the stories; they get better and better. Some of these stand-alone episodes are probably the best in the genre. Each episode is unique and disjointed from the previous; just getting to see what becomes of it is a pleasure. In the midst of all this, small bits and pieces of the greater hidden plot connect and start to emerge. For fans of the genres just looking for an enjoyable and entertaining show, Space Dandy is highly recommended.
