03.20
I still think so. But in a somewhat different way than I initially believed.
Space Dandy hasn’t really given me what I was looking for or expecting from it since episode 3. But that’s okay – I’ve, personally, loved every minute of the last four episodes. Probably more than most, as only one of them seems to have received any sort of favorable response from the general public. And it’s easy to see why; this isn’t at all the same show built up by the first few installments or sold to us pre-release. Attempts at humor have grown scarce, the fanservice is gone, and the tone of both the writing and art/animation has deviated drastically from the norm. Even more than at its outset, Space Dandy has turned into a wholly inconsistent anthology… yet, in terms of overall quality, I feel like it’s become more consistent than ever.
I must admit, I felt like I had egg on my face when that dire “undies vs. vests” episode aired not two weeks after I posted my previous blog entry about this series. To date, it’s the only installment I’ve actively disliked, even if it did have its moments. It was just too damn stupid, even for my Kill la Kill– and Fumoffu-loving ass. And while I greatly enjoyed the following space race episode, it didn’t do much to alleviate my fears that I had written my dumbest article of all time (an impressive feat, to be sure). I continued to enjoy watching the show every week, but I always felt an underlying sense of apathy… until tonight, when everything finally clicked for me, and I realized that I do, indeed, love what the staff is doing with this series.
I do have one qualifier for what I’m about to write, though: this all hinges on the idea that Space Dandy will be getting a second season sometime later this year. At this point, I certainly believe it will, even if the only source is word of mouth based on a vague tweet and supposed confirmation during a Japanese radio show. The staff simply cannot adequately take this show in the direction I think they’re trying to go if only two episodes remain, which means a full two cour run is necessary for this anime to truly succeed in my eyes. An anthology consisting of only 13 episodes with vague plot points that ultimately go nowhere would be wholly unsatisfying, so it’s going to need at least one more season before I can say for certain whether I consider it to be excellent or merely decent.
At this point, Space Dandy seems to be about messing with audience expectations and presenting viewers with the bizarre. We’ve had two experimental episodes in three weeks’ time with a dramatic character piece sandwiched in between, all preceded by an installment that switched gears from emotional tearjerker to screwball comedy after the commercial break. I think this might be too much for some people to take in, as TV shows are typically supposed to feature things such as tonal consistency and adherence to a general concept. But, for me, it’s Space Dandy‘s ability to lack these things while still being executed at an impressive level of all-around competence that makes it such a strong series. Of course, the whole “weird episodic nonsense” schtick has been done before in shows like Panty & Stocking and Excel Saga, but those are comedies at heart, and while this series started out as one, I don’t really think I’d consider it a gag anime anymore. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in televised animation before.
Indeed, there have been next to no laughs in the past three episodes, but that’s not a criticism of the writing… I’m almost positive that the earlier material was intended as a red herring. Now, sure, it’s still ridiculous and over the top, and it’s not devoid of humor or anything, but the jokes are no longer the show’s focus, and that’s a very good thing. Space Dandy has always been fun to watch, but the comedy was often very hit or miss, and now that there are less jokes per episode, almost all of them actually end up being funny. It’s nice seeing the writers attempt things like drama and surrealism instead of just repeating the same jokes about breasts over and over. This anime now often encompasses a smart mix of different genres and art/animation styles per episode, all to its benefit as a cohesive(?) whole. Nearly every installment makes perfect sense while also making no sense at all. I love that.
I’ve seen a lot of people complain about the tonal inconsistency present in regards to the former and latter halves of episode 8. This installment, which also happens to be Keiko Nobumoto’s first anime writing credit since Wolf’s Rain, presents a depressing story about a dying dog, then shifts to a silly comedy about fleas bouncing around Dandy’s ship. I took no issue with this, as I actually found the jarring disconnect between sadness and humor to be realistic, if in a weird way. Real life is unpredictable, and I’ve more than once found myself crying heavily one minute and laughing heartily the next. Everyone’s lives tread the line between tragedy and comedy at every step, and while it may not be a characteristic of traditional storytelling to also do this, I’d say it is a respectable writing decision. In fact, some of my favorite films feature similar instances of tone whiplash, including Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges and Sion Sono’s Love Exposure, both of which I’d consider damn near flawless. This is not to say that The Lonely Pooch Planet, Baby is as masterful as either of those movies, but I do think it’s a fantastic and very underrated episode all the same.
Moreover, the whole dramatic dying/dead dog thing has been done millions of times before in older comedies, including the conceptually similar Futurama. What makes this installment memorable, and not just another canine tearjerker, is its second half. I actually find it brilliant that the sad bits seem to only exist as a lead-in to some classic-style cartoon comedy near the end of the episode. I love the way it played with my expectations, and was dismayed to see that very few people agreed with me in this regard, instead lambasting it as “poorly written”. Later installments have gone on to alienate viewers even further with how weird they are, and while I appreciate their uniqueness, I can certainly see why some would not. The plant people episode in particular seems to be a very “love it or hate it” affair, with me firmly falling into the former category due to its unflinching strangeness. That’s my bread and butter, right there.
The most recent episode, number 11, features a screenplay credited to one Toh Enjoe. Wikipedia reveals that he is an author of speculative fiction whose works have often been criticized as being “impenetrable” and “indigestible”. This single installment of Space Dandy appears to be the only thing he’s ever written for TV. Why and how he was asked to write for this series is beyond me, but I’m glad he was. This was quite possibly my favorite episode to date, what with its interesting narrative, unique color scheme, and bizarre art style decisions. It also contained a major hint that my previously-mentioned series chronology theory (based on the “space chain” scene and the Japanese airing’s ending animation) might be accurate. Knowing the staff, I feel like there could be some subtle storytelling going on in nearly every episode released to date; storytelling that’s mostly gone unnoticed and may come together further down the line.
While I was a bit unsure for awhile there, I still stand by my opinion that Space Dandy is a far more intelligent show than it’s currently letting on. The way it’s begun near-constantly screwing with viewers’ expectations keeps it interesting while also letting on that there may be more to the universe, story, and characters than meets the eye, while the growing maturity and uniqueness of each episode’s writing is doing a lot to impress me. It’s becoming more and more memorable with each passing week, and I can’t wait to see what will happen to the Aloha Oe crew next.
(As an aside, I’ve been especially enjoying Kimiko Ueno’s work on this show so far. I’d never heard of her before Space Dandy, and I look forward to watching whatever anime she writes for after it ends.)