Follow us on Twitter | Instagram
Woah! ‘Dan Da Dan‘ is back in form with the second episode of season 2, returning to its wild, weird violence and crazy new Yokai. The biggest surprise is Jin, a.k.a. ‘Jiji,’ who levels up from being the goofy, good-looking side character to a muscly, freakishly strong dude whose life completely changes in ways Momo and Okarun cannot fathom.
Quick recap of Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 1
Momo fights off creepy old men at the hot-springs with the help of turbo granny and then visits a local tourist spot where she learns about a local legend describing human sacrifices to a Tsuchinoko, a snake-like creature, to ensure a nearby volcano doesn’t explode. When Momo heads back to Jin’s house, she finds Jin and Okarun cornered by the Kito family (Jin’s landlords), which include the eerie men who had attacked her before.
The family reveals that the house is an altar to the legendary Tsuchinoko and that they intend to sacrifice Jin, Momo, and Okarun to it in order to protect the town. The episode of ‘Dan Da Dan‘ ends with the young trio fighting for their lives against the Tsuchinoko, which turns out to be a Mongolian Death Worm, terrifying and deadly.
Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 2
Titled “The Evil Eye,” episode 2 of the new season kicks off with Okarun, in his Turbo-Granny power form, attacking Jiji. However, it turns out he is actually trying to harm himself. The Mongolian Death Worm releases an energy that drives people to suicidal behavior. The main focus of this episode is thus Jiji trying to stop Momo and Okarun from hurting themselves. It’s strange how he isn’t affected, and in a twist, the episode introduces a new Yokai with a tragic past who quickly earns Jiji’s sympathy.
“You idiot, do not trust it!” Turbo Granny hilariously keeps warning Jiji about the new Yokai, but not very successfully. Flashbacks reveal the origin of this Yokai, whose past is tied to the creepy Kito family. You know, the ones performing human sacrifices to protect their town from a volcano, yes, the same folks who try to murder Momo, Okarun, and Jiji too.
Anyway, this is a fast-paced, tragicomic and entertaining episode. The first half is seriously tense, while the second half throws in some comical bits. Turbo Granny delivers most of the laughs in her cute, comical cat form, mostly by screaming at the kids for being stupid. Some of the humor also stems from shirtless Jiji, leaning into Dan Da Dan‘s recurring trope of characters going semi-naked whenever they’re in grave danger.
The animation style shifts noticeably throughout the episode, and given its dark themes of suicide and sacrifice, the color palette leans heavily into gloomy, dark tones. In contrast, the background music remains upbeat and energetic, especially during the action scenes, adding a great sense of urgency when the kids are fighting for their lives.
Can Momo and team really defeat the massive Mongolian Death Worm and the new, possibly evil Yokai? The episode ends on a pretty solid cliffhanger.
Stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.
Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.
Read Next: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Light Sticks Meet Dark Arts (Audio Version Below)