Review: Looking Evil right in the Eye with the latest DAN DA DAN theatrical program

Last year, ahead of the release of DAN DA DAN, the genre-defying anime adapted from the popular manga, GKIDS released DAN DA DAN: First Encounter, a chance to watch the first few episodes of the show early, on the big screen, alongside interviews with some of the talent involved. It sold me on the show -- I've been a fan ever since.

Now, ahead of the show's second season, we're doing it again with DAN DAN DAN: Evil Eye, which gives fans a chance to see the first few episodes of Season 2 before it starts its normal rollout next month. While First Encounter was a great introduction to the series, this round is obviously more suited to those who have already partaken of the wacky fruit that is this show.

If you end up at the theater without having seen the first season, this won't be a total wash. After some introductory remarks by the show's co-directors, there's a highlight reel of the first season that introduces the characters (including some who don't even appear in this batch of episodes), touches on the big moments and relationships, and eventually slows down to show most of the final episode of Season 1, which ended on a cliffhanger. It's a lot of information, and obviously can't cover everything, but it'll give the uninitiated in the audience enough footing to somewhat keep up and enjoy themselves. For me, it was a nice refresher, even though I rewatched that finale this morning, so that felt a little redundant. Oopsie.

Because these episodes are picking up right where the last one left off, Evil Eye doesn't have as much momentum or intrigue as you might want from a theatrical program. These are good episodes, to be sure, but taken together, they're just a chunk of a larger arc. It whets the appetite but also ends on a cliff-hanger, lots of loose threads dangling, so I'm basically back at square one, just shifted a bit. More so than a lot of releases of this ilk, this one feels like it really is just a chance to watch some of the show on the big screen. It's not the beginning of a new show, or a marked shift into a new season. It's just seeing the next few episodes. Which is hard to complain about, even if it isn't as compelling a sell to rush to the theater for.

But ultimately, if you're a fan of DAN DA DAN, you might as well catch this. The show remains in top form, with a heady rush of various genres blending and bouncing off of each other. Alien-obsessed Okarun and psychic-powered ghost-believer Momo are such a dynamic pairing, with their comedic banter, butting heads, and romantic tension. This arc heavily features one of my favorite supporting players, Momo's childhood friend Jiji, who undergoes some truly wild stuff in these episodes. Looking hot all the time.

The animation remains top-notch, so dynamic and colorful and imaginative. There is a lot of striking imagery here, especially these purple-steeped shots of the eponymous Evil Eye, a fascinating foe with a tragic backstory. A lot of these spooky/spooky-adjacent anime love to delve into the backstories of their monsters, which are often quite tear-jerking, and I really liked the one we get here for Evil Eye. The way it overlaps with other happenings in the vintage-feeling onsen town for this arc is very cool and fun to untangle. 

And while it feels almost wrong to be left on yet another cliffhanger, at least this time I know I only have to wait a month or so to continue the adventure. I'm excited to reunite with these wild little idiots again soon.