Space Dandy Episode 1

Non-serious review of Space Dandy: Episode 1

Now background- I love the idea of space. The virtual emptiness where you can see in all the ranges of motion and all you can see is inky blackness punctuated by the light of heavenly bodies full of hydrogen. The idea that in such a large and foreboding tableau of sheer quiet- that true introspection can occur. Beautiful vistas full of harsh and alien landscapes with the welcome arms of the earthen ground. And what is separating you from a quick and exceeding painful death of your blood boiling? A spacesuit of your very own.

Now I waxed poetic. And so with heavy heart I say. . . is Space Dandy for real? Like was Shinichiro Watanabe serious? I mean I loved Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and I plan on watching Kids on the Slope. So with me listing things he's personally directed. . .I still have doubts on if I liked it. It was visually stunning and then the first half started and I facepalmed. Hard.

Welcome to Space! 

I can't take Space Dandy seriously. I may be one for complete parody and that retro feel. (Cause the idea of a "dandy man in space" sounds in theory like the retro space feelings of writers like Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.. But what was nearly half the episode? Think of Hooters. . .in Space. And the main character who I am supposed to root for has a monologue about boobs. Sweet baby Moses I hope this is a parody of those perverted characters in anime, cause I hate the main dude right now. I knew that TV-14 rating was for a reason. If I wanted flashbacks to when I went to Hooters- nope just nope. Some things are just too stupid to remember. Come on I thought that the restaurant at the end of the universe would look different. At least the alien designs were cool. And there had to be translation choices that the translators did. I mean "I will follow him to infinity and beyond." "Robots can't get depressed. . .even outdated ones."

Really? The original script had a Toy Story line in a sentence and a jab at Marvin the Paranoid Android? Color me impressed. Sarcasm! I mean some people are a little miffed that the translations seems so phoned into American tastes. Just search for answers in the message boards.  I am ambivalent either way.

Now we get to the latter half of the episode where our alien hunters go to a planet and go through warp drive. This part I liked. I am a fan of older science fiction and so this got the kind of plucky hero goes into an unfamiliar alien planet and does some pretty heroic things. And the visuals were actually quick paced and trippy, very Saturday morning cartoon fare, and retro future kinda stuff. The alien monsters were just imaginative. And that bored out of his mind narrator. Loved that. Oh there's totally a war going on. Yeah should have mentioned that. Look at all these cool aliens that we have no time to name. . .etc, etc.

Our Main Characters

Overall a fair beginning to an anime (Cowboy Bebop it is not. . .I can say that now.) If I had to rate this episode I would rate it 3/5 mainly because the first half is ridiculous with fanservice. (I've seen fanservice anime and even I was surprised at the costumes the female characters were parading around in. Especially when someone had to sign off with the idea.) Put some clothes on! I might have to bring out some Puritanical justice. And the beginning was just. . .the speech and the 4th wall breaking.

But it has a perverted Space Cat! So yay?

It is something. Does anybody know how many episodes this might have in total when its done. (Edit: looks like 13.) Cause my desire to finish an anime- no matter how stupid and ridiculous the premise- is wanting me to finish it. And I want to finish this weird younger brother of Cowboy Bebop.

Gonna stick with it out of masochism and a need to just realize that pilots are always kinda whack. So I'm going with my "Five episode" plan and if it doesn't hook me then; I am going to have a bumpy ride with this.