DAN DA DAN

Episode 9

“Merge! Serpo Dover Demon Nessie!” is an episode of DAN DA DAN that basically has everything a fan of the show could want, and it continues to showcase Science SARU's ability to adapt and even improve upon the source material with its excellent production instincts. It's not a perfect episode, necessarily, since the extended battle against the Serpoians and their various gig-worker monsters sometimes gets a little too hectic for its own good, but even a slightly-less-than-flawless episode of DAN DA DAN is leagues ahead of practically any other anime that is currently airing. Plus, this episode contains the single funniest scene of the show thus far, which makes it very easy to forgive any minor flaws in the action department.

To be clear, the action this week kicks an unholy amount of ass, the same as usual. The only downside to the multi-pronged battle against Nessie, the Mantis Shrimp Guy, and the banana-organ stealing Serpoians is that the wild choreography and the mostly underwater setting can make the action harder to track than is normal for the series. I can't blame the show for struggling to keep all of these plates spinning without missing a beat, but there were just a couple of moments where I simply couldn't follow where everyone was meant to be in relation to their foes, or what direction hits were being aimed when they landed. It's small potatoes, in the grand scheme of things, but after so many weeks of singing the praises of DAN DA DAN's flawless execution, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the first time I actually had some nits to pick.

Otherwise, though? This episode rules. The claustrophobic school setting gives the whole affair some vague survival-horror vibes, even as the episode is cranking the Madcap Humor Dial way past eleven. Poor Okarun spends the whole episode cradling his meat-and-one-veg in embarrassed despair, while Aira's new Acrobatic Silky powers turn her into an ass-kicking creature of the night that is as unrelentingly horny as she is arrogant. It's a good fit for the character, seeing as human!Aira is as awkward and clueless as ever, even as she tries to battle Momo for Okarun's affections.

Momo, by the way, is the undisputable star of the episode. Not only do her reactions to Aira's clumsy love-triangle tactics remain hilarious, but she once again gets to show off her penchant for tactical warfare against the NesShrimpoaian monstrosity. It takes awhile for all of the beats of the fight to come together, but hot damn if that explosive finale isn't satisfying. I also loved how the whole show hit pause to allow Okarun and Momo the chance to talk out their misunderstandings over Okarun's mishap with Aira. We're smack in the middle of maybe the most batshit insane crisis that our heroes have yet faced, and they're still a cuter and more functional couple than most of the protagonists of regular romance manga. Go figure.

At the end of the day, though, the single best moment of the episode comes at…well, at the end, when Okarun, Momo, and Aira end up sopping wet, mostly naked, and stuck in very suggestive poses in front of the entire school. This whole final sequence is just so perfectly awkward, embarrassing, and ridiculous that it basically speaks for itself. Allow me one more opportunity, though, to thank the anime gods for blessing Science SARU with the wisdom and the talent to deviate from the manga's art style and layout in order to make an already hilarious conclusion ten times funnier. Other studios ought to take note. Sometimes, the only way to properly adapt a manga is to completely destroy its established style and pacing in order to take advantage of the medium of animation. Once again: Go figure.

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DAN DA DAN is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.