War over underwear is no joke, baby.
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)
Another auteur episode this week, and this time the artist in question is Michio Mihara. Adult Swim fans might recognize his work from Kick Heart, as he did both the character design and key animation on that Kickstarter-backed short. He came up with the original concept for this episode, which Dai Sato then scripted, but also did key animation, animation direction, storyboarding, and episode direction. It’s fair to say that there’s not much more Mihara could have done to leave his mark on this episode.
It’s quite a quirky episode indeed, starting off with QT and Meow making fun of the fact that Dandy has a bunch of surfboards in his room. Since they’ve noticed Dandy isn’t particularly good at anything, they suppose Dandy just keeps them because he likes the look, as there’s no possible way the dude knows how to surf. Dandy protests, bragging about his skill, but that’s also a pretty Dandy thing to do, so QT and Meow ignore him. There are more important things at hand: An isolated moon named Eden, where there are likely to be unregistered aliens.
And there are! QT fails to mention, though, that the aliens have been locked in brutal combat over the past 10,000 years. In a parody of a sci-fi staple episode, like Star Trek’s “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” only two aliens survive on the moon, and they’re dedicated to killing each other off to end the 10,000 year old war. Neither alien can remember why the feud started, but one side prefers wearing vests and no pants, and the other side prefers underpants but no tops. The war of boobs vs butts takes on a much more serious cast here when there’s a blood feud involved. Dandy gets recruited on the Undian side, and Meow on the Vestian side. But the two alien warriors are so incompetent, the war will likely never end. In order for Dandy and crew to get new aliens to register, Peace Talks will be necessary.
Unfortunately, the cycle of hatred is hard to end, and when the peace ceremony requires each side to swap garments, the talks break down. The Undian and Vestian end up killing each other (or, well, technically themselves) when they each pick up a rock too heavy for them to reasonably lift. Each alien has also taken extraordinary measures to ensure victory, as each has a doomsday device, which they set off with their dying breaths. The moon Eden explodes, and Dandy and Meow look once again like they’re dead in this timeline. Until, that is, QT throws Dandy one of his surfboards, and he and Meow ride off safely into the sun.
In Summary
Much like last week, the story is a well-worn sci-fi standard, but the premise here is ridiculous it makes Dandy’s discussion of the merits of T&A seem almost like foreshadowing. The real star here is the animation, as the aliens are imaginatively designed and have the same thick eyelashes as the protagonists from kick-heart. Their movements are exaggerated and incredibly clumsy, and the final fight sequence really catches you off guard. Of course, the real star of the episode is the surfing sequence, which is so elaborate Mihara did actually have to get some help to complete. It’s detailed and stunning, and a special composition written just for this episode, “Stardust Pipeline”, by Junk Fujiyama, plays in the background. It’s another fun episode showing off a talented animator. Great fun.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Toonami
Review Equipment: Sony Bravia 32″
