THIS. This, this is everything I’m looking for. This is the mentality that I have been waiting for for so long! This is what more series need to be like. Every single one of these past four episodes was amazing, but not only that: they were all completely different from each other and they all shined in their own ways. Thank you, Space Dandy!
Let’s start with episode seven, a Redline parody. This really was a comedy episode. However, it had me laughing so many times, taking the already silly Redline to the ridiculous (is it a coincidence that Dandy bears a striking resemblance to Redline’s male lead?) The best part of the episode was the ending. They really saved the best joke for last, and it’s rare for a comedy episode to have such a good climax here. It really was what this series is all about: exploring your wildest fantasies beyond time and space. It was glorious to watch!
Episode eight was just silly, but at the same time it was just completely adorable. The fleas were hysterical, especially how they both met their demise. These are the greatest kinds of comedy episodes in my opinion: most comedy series try to act like stand-up comedians, instead of trying to tell an actual story. This episode… definitely had a story, however silly it may have been.
Episode nine shows best what is so amazing about this series: here is the thing, one of the reasons I became such a fan of anime is the way in which the episodes are made: each episode has its own director, writer, storyboard artist and animation director. On one hand this allows creators to deliver a quality episode consistently. On the other hand this allows the creators of each episode to be able to give their own spin to the anime, within the bounds of the series. The latter is something that I’ve been missing dearly for the past years: just a couple of inventive directors who are not afraid to show their own style and vision. The focus has been put too much on making things consistent and way too little on individual skills. This episode really was unique. It in one way resembled Kaiba’s style, but it added enough things on its own. It’s a completely serious episode, but watching the plant storyline unfold was really beautiful to watch.
Episode ten starts the stories that are centered around the main cast, and this is a big potential pitfall for these kinds of series. There are two big ones that have felled a lot of series: boring back-stories and abandoning what made the previous episodes great. Space Dandy nailed it. This really feels like any other episode of Space Dandy, just about Meow. And his backstory is really great. They explained perfectly how he grew up, why he went away, but they didn’t overdo things: he still misses his own home, he still has regrets. Things aren’t portrayed black and white at all. And at the same time this show kept me laughing whenever it wanted to. This episode had some great jokes about time loops and I especially loved the parody on Meow’s childhood crush. The build-up for that was terrific.
Thank god. Finally another series that does not disappoint in any way. Okay, one way perhaps. Space Dandy is a show that’s difficult to get into due to Dandy’s obsession with boobs. That’s the one thing that really had me worried in the beginning, and that makes it hard to recommend this series. However, boobs have just become a minor detail in these four episodes, and really: it ended up balancing male and female fanservice pretty well. That’s how you should do it: give something for both genders.
And yes, I know I’m late and that there are more episodes out, I just wanted to cover these before I went on with the final episodes.
To be honest, Space Dandy just sucks.
It is sadly a series that wants to pander to the Western world with American-humor that is so bad that I rather want to cry instead of laugh. The characters are pretty weak as well which is not surprising as this series does not do anything with its “plot”. It is a laughable collection of stories that we have seen in other series in a way… way better form.
The best episode so far is 5 and even that is at best generic.
I’d say episode 4 was the best, that zombie episode was surprisingly good! Aside from that, I only liked a few episode (like 9), but most were average. I really don’t see what psgels sees in this show honestly. I feel like he likes the way it was made more than the show itself, how each episode have different directors and a different feel, which is cool. But as a series it’s pretty bad. It usually isn’t funny, it rarely has clever writing (aside from that zombie episode), and the characters are nowhere near good enough to keep this show entertaining. Dandy is all right, but the rest of the cast can go die (and stay dead). The show thinks by giving me a cool ending with dandy surfing on an exploding planet or becoming god that it makes up for the 18 minutes of my life it wasted before that.
I meant i liked 4 and 7, not 9. 9 was that crappy plant episode.
Although the comedy could’ve been wittier and the tone handled with more integrity and much less fan-service, but to show absolutely no appreciation for the moments of great artistry in animation and music featured in dandy is a gross oversight.
It will be an absolute lie if I say that Dandy didn’t disappoint me on many grounds, but you have to give credit where credit is due or you just can’t be taken seriously when criticising this show.
I dropped it after episode 3 and will maybe pick it back and give it another try when it’s over (following episodic stuff week by week just doesn’t work well with my attention span). But yeah, that was the feeling. Absolutely cool art and music, no question, but a humour that tries too hard to be funny in a western way without succeeding. It just felt like it had no heart to me. From Watanabe’s stuff, some Samurai Champloo episodes were much funnier (Baseball Blues, anyone?). This is just uninspired and feels like a commercial operation. Not a bad anime maybe but definitely not a masterpiece.
Space Dandy is averaging 1-1.3m households per week airing on Adult Swim which is fabulous. It’s definitely a hit.
Well it better be. This unprecedented partnership between cable TV and anime industry can usher a 2nd golden age in anime so whether you like Dandy or not you SHOULD SUPPORT!
This series is just amazing and unique… at first I wasn’t sure, with all the Bobbies stuff but that has become merely anecdotal… in fact, I’d say it’s not fanservice at all but an element that’s there to help defining Dandy…
I’d also love to see more like this…
Finally, just a detail: I love the reference about “Toys in the Attic” at the beginning of ep. 8,… almost cried when I saw that nasty fridge! (Cowboy Bebop fans should understand… ^^ )
We do :]
I do not see Space Dandy so good. I mean, Super Sonico does the same random theme of the week too. It had some nice episodes (the cat one, the zombie cruiser, Sonico alone on the trip), the main character is pretty decent and some songs and endings are good. Of course it has boobs, it’s clever and all of that, but from a show that i had ANY expectations, I had fun.
I prefer this than an anime of other genre with same premisse but a lot of people expect something godly.
Well, if Space Dandy is great, that defines pretty much the last season of animes.
You know at first, I really didn’t like this show either, but, as I kept watching it, I found it really funny, and…fun. especially now that I’ve watched these episodes again and with the inclusion of the new ED there seems to be an ever arching story that isnt being forced down the viewers’ throats. I can see why this is a hit. It’s defiantely not what most anime fans are used to. Which was getting old anyway.
Space dandy is good ? Doh !
I would say it is careless, which grants it a faint coating of cool.
I like your honest and friendly reviews. Keep up the good work friend.
Hey pgsels!
I have been following your blog for the last 6 to 9 years. You have never failed me in your reviews. Though I see that growing up and getting has eaten both of our hobby time! I do agree with you about Space Dandy. It really is a laid-back fun series, with like-able characters. While I would prefer more series ala Monster, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood etc, it seems we are going through a stale period of anime, partly due to the current industry practice of animating long running manga but for only one or two seasons. Great for getting exposed to lots of manga, but bad for feeling closure or getting through a full story.
Dandy is simple foolish fun, and actually nicely episodic (in that every episode is unique rather than repetitive). And yes I had missed that.