Just moments after the Dan Da Dan season 2 finale aired in Japan last week, the anime series was officially renewed for season 3. No release window or production details have been shared, but the story is expected to pick up right where it left off. And if the adaptation from animation studio Science Saru stays true to writer and illustrator Yukinobu Tatsu’s original manga, the new season will dive into the massive Space Globalists Arc, a key plotline spanning six volumes — surpassing the combined five volumes that fueled the “Cursed House” and “Evil Eye” arcs in seasons 1 and 2.
But there’s one thing that Dan Da Dan needs to change in season 3. Unlike the previous two seasons, I hope this third installment doesn’t open with Momo getting assaulted.
The first scene in season 1 shows Momo, the story’s high school-aged female protagonist, getting kicked in the gut by her scummy older boyfriend for not putting out. She tries to kick him, but he blocks it and kicks her to the ground before he storms off. He never gets his comeuppance. Later on in the episode, Momo gets abducted by aliens, and they strip her down to her underwear and threaten to probe her, but she’s saved by her new friend Okarun. Dan Da Dan season 2 opens in a similar way, but instead of alien probes, it’s older creeps at a bathhouse.
It’s off-putting, to say the least, and one of the things that kept me from starting season 2 once the assault started going viral. It’s the worst aspect of an otherwise perfect series and something the anime could offset through its adaptation. After all, none of these assault moments has had any longer-lasting negative impact on her that’s been explored so far. I admittedly haven’t read the manga, but as an anime fan, I’d prefer if Science Saru just ditched this part of the story moving forward.
When asked what Dan Da Dan is really about, AJ Beckles — the English voice of Okarun — explained, “There’s a lot of really deep stuff about agency and what it means in society, but at its heart, it’s just about kids. And that’s why so many people connect with it.”
That theme of agency resonates, and it’s something I hope to see more of with Momo. She showed it early on when she confidently shut down her first boyfriend — a dismissal so decisive fans knew she’d never waste her time on another guy like him, especially after meeting the awkwardly endearing Okarun. Going forward, I’d like Momo’s confrontations with creeps to reflect that same strength. Not moments where she’s left to fail, get hurt, be rescued by Okarun, or have the encounter brushed off for comedy, but moments that let her truly take control.