New Hit Anime Dandadan Echoes This Adult Swim Classic

October 22, 2024

New series Dandadan may have only begun its anime adaptation, but it’s already making a major splash. Released on multiple streaming services and bringing to life a highly successful manga story, the first few episodes are already massive ratings hits. Ironically, it also recalls several elements from an Adult Swim success story from yesteryear.

Dandadan has more than a few commonalities with FLCL, which is well known to a generation of Adult Swim and anime fans. From its quirky nature to its unique animation, the series is legendary in almost every aspect, which is why it’s been so influential to some. Now, the latest hit anime is showcasing just how inspirational FLCL always was, to the point where it might be a much better sequel than the official follow-ups.

Dandadan Shares More Than a Few Similarities to This Classic Anime

The female protagonist of Dandadan is Momo Ayase, who was trained by her medium grandmother to believe in ghosts and the supernatural. This level of open-mindedness doesn’t extend to aliens, however, which initially puts her at odds with her new friend, Ken Takakura. Obsessed with aliens and the search for extraterrestrial life, Ken Takakura and Momo end up daring each other to try and find evidence of either ghosts or aliens. This awakens Momo’s spiritual powers, all while giving Ken an unfortunate new transformation due to a rather intimate curse. The general tone is fairly irreverent and strange, albeit in a fun, colorful and action-packed manner.

This is similar to the overall plot of FLCL, at least in the show’s iconic first season. The Gainax classic focused on Naota Nandaba, who lives with his father and grandfather in a rather mundane life. This all changes with the arrival of Haruko Haruhara, a strange young woman who rides a Vespa and hits Naota in the head with her guitar after accidentally running him over. This causes his head to become a portal for robots made by Medical Mechanica, one of which becomes the heroic Canti and fights against others of its kind. All the while, more information is revealed about Haruko, who isn’t quite what she initially lets on in the show’s completely strange and utterly unique story. A frequent showcase on Adult Swim, FLCL is still seen as one of the best anime of its era and one of the weirdest. Thus, the similarities between the series and Dandadan, the latter of which is inspired by so many classic works from the past.

Dandadan and FLCL have the same tone that waxes between sometimes dramatic and utterly over the top, with both involving elements tied to space/aliens, the supernatural and completely bonkers antics. The characters act just as ridiculous, having over-dramatic antics that are hilariously unrealistic. Both involve coming of age stories at the heart of their more “out there” elements, with the protagonists having otherwise boring lives before the start of the two anime. In the case of Ken turning into his accursed “Turbo Granny” body, it visually looks similar to Naota summoning robots from his head. The fact that the female protagonists are the ones who cause these situations, there’s an even stronger correlation between these works. The main difference is that Dandadan places a bit more emphasis on a solid plot and characterization compared to FLCL, which could sometimes be almost too nonsensical. Nevertheless, it made a huge impression on many viewers, namely due to its expressive art. This element in particular is now manifesting in the newest Weekly Shonen Jump anime adaptation.

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FLCL and Dandadan are Visually Similar

In its more mundane scenes, Dandadan already looks visually impressive, but it’s the action that makes the series shine. In scenes involving Turbo Granny or a horde of lecherous Serpo aliens, the animation in Dandadan pops with expressive vitality and fluidity. The simple act of the aliens beginning to torture Momo really stands out, as the equally alien environment she finds herself in feels fittingly unnerving. Ken’s curse taking over his body manifests in a creepy and surreal animation, and once this new form fends off the aliens, it does so to dizzying effect in a scene that jumps with exhilarating violence. This sort of animation choice for the fight scenes could have easily become too disorienting, but it succeeds at giving just the right amount of confusion and cohesion. Given how common action anime are, this was definitely a necessity, as it helps the series stand out amid a slew of similar shonen works.

Similar animation experimentation was seen in FLCL, which is still known for how it went outside the norm in its aesthetic. Various shots of people’s ecstatic and emotional faces were shown, many times for comedic, over-the-top effect. These sharp, sometimes harsh angular changes put these elements in the spotlight, especially during action scenes. The inherent body horror of Naota being a portal for robots and their ensuing tussles was definitely something that shouldn’t be portrayed via more generic animation. FLCL took this to an extreme by having its more ridiculous aspects portrayed with completely non-traditional animation, which took different forms. These included a cut-out style similar to South Park and constant camera rotation. While it might not have been the exact pioneer for this sort of content in anime, it’s definitely one of the most notable examples. The use of similar techniques in Dandadan have their proverbial roots in FLCL, making the former the new age version of the latter.

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Dandadan Is the True Follow-Up to FLC

Haruko, Hidomi, and Julius from FLCL Progressive.

While the original OVA season is still widely seen as an unquestionable classic, the sequel seasons for FLCL have been seen as either inferior continuations or outright bad as a whole. The first of these new seasons was FLCL Progressive, which was easily the most well-received of the follow-ups. Though the reception was mostly positive, few saw it as being nearly as good as the first season, namely due to having a plot that was even more meandering and introducing narrative elements that ultimately went nowhere. This was even more so the case in the third season, FLCL Alternative, which was full of much less expressive animation and half-baked ideas that the show itself seemed bored with. Worst of all, there was almost none of the experimentation or anything resembling the energy seen in the first season of FLCL, which made these new seasons feel like cheap cash-ins trying to bank on the legacy of the original show.

FLCL: Grunge and FLCL: Shoegaze weren’t much better, though the latter showed some promise of both moving things forward while also having a similar spirit to the original. Sadly, that show narratively ended as soon as it began, which kept it from truly reaching the same heights as the first season being worthy of the FLCL legacy. In the interim, there have been countless quirky and strange anime produced over the years, with many of these being a similar mix of science fiction and over-the-top comedy aspects. These haven’t been the same as FLCL, however, and the attempted sequels were only really noticed by existing fans. Now, there are no plans to continue the brand, which is honestly for the best given how far removed it became from the source material. Thankfully, there’s a new series to fill the void left by the original FLCL.

Dandadan succeeds as an anime and a manga due to its mix of the strange and the sincere. Amid the weird action and zany plot elements are human characters who feel relatable due to, at their core, being outcasts. This makes them the perfect characters to encounter aliens and ghosts, with these experiences relating to their own lives in profound ways. Conversely, the animation is top-notch, and there’s a true sense from the action sequences, in particular, that the series isn’t a run-of-the-mill shonen. This is already paying off by making Dandadan the must-watch anime of the season, both for newcomers and those who are shonen/anime aficionados. In the case of the latter, they’ll likely see many similarities to FLCL, both visually and in terms of storytelling. The result is a show that stands on its own amid a crowded Fall 2024 anime lineup while also unwittingly honoring the legacy of a 2000-2001 classic.

FLCL is streaming on Max, Hulu and Crunchyroll. Dandadan is streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.