“Space dandy”: A dandy review

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‘Space Dandy” holding a ray gun.

“Space Dandy” is an anime that takes inspiration from a myriad of movies and anime; from “Gundam” to the classic science fiction movie “Forbidden Planet,” and it still dares to make references to other anime made by the same studio. Is this a bad thing? Nope.

“Space Dandy” was made by the same studio behind major anime hits such as “Cowboy Bebop,” “Soul Eater,” and “Fullmetal Alchemist” and has been directed by well known anime director Shinichiro Watanabe.

In the final season of “Space Dandy,” the creators have effectively crafted an anime that is humorous and yet heart warming at the same time.

In season two, Bone hasn’t failed and has pushed beyond what they achieved last season especially in regards to the depth of the characters. Arguably, character development is this season’s strongest aspect because each episode puts an emphasis on the development.

Of course, this season also sees additional character developments for Scarlet and Honey and we learn more about them and if there is one quote to keep in mind in regards to them it’s “never judge a book by its cover.” Why? Because while both appear to be character types we have seen before in other media, they still have hidden depth to their character underneath.

One can even take the quote and expand it to the whole anime, don’t judge it based on a first impression, keep watching and keep an open mind.

There is a slight change in tone this season compared to last season. The comedy is toned down this season somewhat; however, compared to the previous season, there are more heart felt moments and a far more serious undertone to the overall season. The final episode ends with a fitting touch, and completely inline with the persona of our hero Space Dandy.

An example of this tone can be seen in season two, episode eight (or 21 if you’re counting from the first episode of season one), “A world with no sadness, baby” in which Dandy ends up in a world that no longer experiences sadness. This episode lacks much of the comedy present in the rest of the season and in doing so, allows the audience to see a side of Dandy that we don’t often see. In many ways, this can be expanded beyond this episode as the audience sees more of Dandy and the rest of the characters this season.

This episode will have your mind rolling and presents topics that they may not have shown before, adding additional depth to the anime. In the case of this particular episode, it raises plenty of questions about life and death.

Also related to this is the fact that, both the music and story do indeed make sense. Anyone watching “Space Dandy” will quickly come to one question, “does this anime even have a story?”

This can be easily reinforced when one see the first season and from just it alone, anyone can see why that would hope into mind. The characters go through so many adventures that end with them in various conditions and so it is easy to see why this would be a concern for anyone watching it, but don’t fear; Director Shinichiro Watanabe and Studio Bone have done a wonderfully in wavering a well thought out story into the chaos that is “Space Dandy.”

So don’t be worried, if the plot doesn’t make sense, be patient because it will at the end of season two; connecting the dots between the episodes and the two seasons.

Finally the music for “Space Dandy” adds to the overall package, enhancing the visual element and bringing it to life with its very jazzy feel and very ’70s/’80s era sounding music.

So in all, “Space Dandy” is a fun show that has a very retro feel to its presentation, with inspiration drawn from both western and eastern movies, cartoon, and anime science fiction. All of this is waved into a story that actually makes sense of the chaos and disconnection the audience will see in each episode.