Dandy and his crew learn how to be grateful dead.
What They Say
Space Dandy is a dandy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This week, Space Dandy isn’t getting the same kind of auteur treatment as the past few episodes. The director is Ikuro Sato, no stranger to Adult Swim, as he directed 7 episodes of Cowboy Bebop, 9 episodes of The Big O, and 7 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. He’s definitely a capable director, but storyboard duty went to Hitoshi Nanba, of Gosick and Heroman, and Animation Director was Tomohisa Shimoyama, of Paranoia Agent and Summer Wars. Overall, no lack of great talent, but no single overriding vision that defines the episode. But this actually works, because episode 4 has quite the gimmick, courtesy of returning writer Kimiko Ueno: It’s Space Dandy’s zombie episode.
When Dandy and crew find an alien specimen that moves more slowly and appears to be more hostile than their guidebook describes, they reason they’ve found a new species. However, they have no such luck, and they’re not even able to find this out from the alien registration center itself: Meow is bitten by the specimen and begins exhibiting unusual behavior. Dandy is quick to dismiss this as perhaps a simple cold, but QT decides to get him checked out at the Galaxy Hospital. Upon visiting their friend again the next day, they find zombification has spread to every member of the hospital’s patients and staff. Even Dr. Gel and Bea, who attempt to capture Dandy at the hospital, fall prey to the affliction. Dandy and QT have to try their best to escape unharmed. Unfortunately, their best isn’t quite good enough.
Thus begins the episode’s second half, which picks up where most stories wrap up: Continuing the saga of Dandy and his crew post-zombification. They find their routines disturbed in unexpected ways: Cravings for raw meat and depression at the change in lifestyle take up most of their days, until the Patient Zero in their cargo hold gives them a pep talk on how to make the most of their life as zombies. There are some great elements of humor here: Dandy decides to live off of his life insurance policy since he and his friends are now too slow to catch aliens. Life insurance companies react by hiring assassins to kill the already dead. The problem is that this exposition can no longer be given from the characters themselves, and is instead described by the narrator. It makes everything feel a little less personal, and less character-driven. A necessary evil, perhaps, when your characters can no longer speak, but it was a little too dry for my taste.
In the end, the entire universe is made into zombies, creating a perfect utopia of peaceful co-existence. It’s perhaps the ultimate conclusion of every zombie movie that they’ve just been to afraid to show us all along. It goes without saying that this too appears to be a parallel timeline, as the next episode’s preview shows Dandy and crew back to their normal selves, taking on a new adventure to hunt aliens.
In Summary
Without a strong auteur voice this week, the episode relies on a clever gimmick to sell itself. Many fans described this as their favorite episode yet, but it, perhaps, just wasn’t to my taste. This is a great strength of episodic series, however, as next week there’s another chance to see something new and exciting, instead of it being a sign of a continuing story arc that’s taken a turn for the worse. Space Dandy is still a program I’d heartily recommend.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Toonami
Review Equipment: Sony Bravia 32″