“Huuuuuh?!?!” Like lightning, Momo the gyaru launches a jaw-breaking kick at the delinquent’s head, only, it doesn’t land. And then he dumps her. Seems she’s too poor and too chaste for his liking, and he’s tired of being her boyfriend without benefits. As Momo wanders around the high school halls, grumbling about how there are no men like brooding manly man actor Ken Takakura anymore, she spots a nerdy boy being bullied and coolly intervenes (so mindful, so demure), before stalking off down the hall. Only, the nerdy boy follows her and starts up a weirdly passionate conversation about the occult. Is this a quirky romcom about opposites attrac—ah, nope. They end up in an all out throw down over the existence of aliens vs ghosts (he believes in aliens, which are neither here nor there for Momo, but scoffs at her belief in ghosts), which culminates in a double bet: he goes to a haunted tunnel while she goes to an alien abduction site so they can see who, if either, is right. The result? Well, let’s just say that both Momo and Okarun—the nickname Momo gives the boy in reference to his love of the occult—are in for a whole lot more than they expected, and in Okarun’s case, also a small, but important bit less, as the loss of his “banana” is the price he pays to live another day. Yes, that is a euphemism, and it’s the one that the monsters and aliens in this series prefer, chanting “ba-na-na! ba-na-na! Give us your ba-na-na!” as they destroy the world. Fade to black.
Studio Science Saru is definitely carving its own path in the anime industry! Rather than waiting for the official October 4 premiere date for their new series, an adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s wildly popular, genre-blending (bending?) Shounen Jump + manga, they’ve teased the planet by releasing the first four episodes (1h 23) in movie form three weeks early. And I’m glad they did, because otherwise I probably would have dropped this series after the first episode, despite the fantastic animation. Here’s where I flag up the trigger warning for attempted sexual assault and the problematic treatment of this scene as comedic. What saves the series for me though is what comes after this: the blossoming dynamic between Momo and Okarun (who it turns out, is actually named Ken Takakura, ho boy! Unwanted heart palpitations be stilled!), which is full of charm and humor. They remind me strongly of Kiruko and Maru in Heavenly Delusion (Tengoku Daimakyo), and as followers of our Readers’ Corner will know, the friendship between those two really carried what was already a top-tier series for me. Momo’s grandmother and their relationship is another compelling thread weaving through these first few episodes, full of love and fraught with friction. Grandma’s also pretty handy with a bat, meaning I’m looking forward to her backstory if and when it comes.
As for the art, well, let’s just say that this teaser movie was not out of place screening in cinemas! We’ve had some stunning action series lately on the small screen, and Dandadan is poised to join their ranks. The monsters and aliens showcase some pretty inventive character designs, though it’s Momo, Okarun (his hair!) and Grandma whose designs really shine here, especially Momo. Their humorous deformations give life, as does the voice acting for our two leads. Kensuke Ushio’s distinctive sound makes for an energetic score, pressing into the electropop leanings of Boogiepop and Others and reviving the driving action rhythms of Chainsaw Man. All in all, having survived the rocky patch twenty minutes or so in, I’m looking forward to picking this one up from the end of the cinema release! The film ends on a soft cliffhanger, and with two of the characters in the promo poster yet to appear, so I have a feeling this one is going to keep getting better as the season progresses. Let’s hope so!
PS If you can get to a cinema to see this, I recommend doing so: there’s an interesting “making of” documentary at the beginning featuring interviews with the cast and creators. They also apologize for the banana jokes.
Dan da dan: First Encounter (the movie) is in theatres now, and is distributed by GKids in the US and Anime Limited in the UK. The series will stream on Crunchyroll starting October 4.
- Film Review: All You Need Is Kill - 01.15.2026
- First Impression: Kaya-chan isn’t Scary - 01.11.2026
- First Impression: Dead Account - 01.10.2026