DAN DA DAN: First Encounter

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DAN DA DAN: First Encounter

Released Sep 13, 2024

1h 23m

Action

Adventure

Anime

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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7 Reviews

98%

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250+ Verified Ratings

DAN DA DAN follows Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak. The two of them start talking after Momo rescues Okarun from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them -- Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. To make the mutual deniers believe in each other, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital known for its UFO sightings, and Okarun goes to a tunnel that is said to be haunted. In each place, they encounter overwhelming paranormal activity that transcends comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to challenge the paranormal forces! Their fateful love begins as well!? The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts!

Charles Solomon

FilmWeek (LAist)

It's like watching somebody juggle a bunch of oddly shaped objects and somehow keeping them all in the air.

Oct 9, 2024

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Daniel Kurland

Bloody Disgusting

I haven’t been this impressed and surprised by an anime in ages. DAN DA DAN is a series that’s destined to be one of the biggest anime of the year – and potentially even the decade – if it maintains this momentum, mystique, and character development.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 3, 2024

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Isaiah Colbert

io9.com

Dan Da Dan: First Encounter is as close to a slam dunk as a new anime premiere can get.

Sep 24, 2024

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Polly Conway

Common Sense Media

But the best part of this anime is the growing friendship between Momo and Okarun; they look past each other's beliefs to find connection in a charming, funny way.

Sep 18, 2024

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Kate Sánchez

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Dan Da Dan is one anime that stands to offer the most with its genre-bending narrative and darkly comedic story. Science SARU has raised the bar for animation with their work in this series, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what comes next.

Rated: 9.5/10

Sep 15, 2024

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Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A fast-paced, refreshingly zany and exhilarating, but also exhausting blend of sci-fi, mystery and comedy.

Sep 14, 2024

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Mark J

10/10 anime, give bro his cahones back

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

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Xtra

The explanation of how they went about animating this series was unexpected but well needed to get a view on how they worked on it. After watching the anime itself everything matched to everything they mentioned. Only manga readers will get it but I recommend newcomers as well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

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Greg. M

A fantastic anime adaptation

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/02/24

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Uni Uni

More anime series in theaters please! A show like this was clearly inspired by cinema and made to be so. Cinemas have yet to evolve and bringing shows to the big screen helps move the industry forward into a bright future.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/27/24

Full Review

Jonathan C.

First 25 minutes is introduction to the creators and the animation team interview. But the rest in the show which is pretty and funny I liked it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/27/24

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Aaron

Had to see it in theaters twice, so good. 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/26/24

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Fuga Yamashiro

Director

Shion Wakayama

Momo Ayase

Natsuki Hanae

Ken Takakura

Nana Mizuki

Seiko Ayase

Ayane Sakura

Aira Shiratori

Kaito Ishikawa

Jin Enjoji

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Synopsis

DAN DA DAN follows Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak. The two of them start talking after Momo rescues Okarun from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them -- Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. To make the mutual deniers believe in each other, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital known for its UFO sightings, and Okarun goes to a tunnel that is said to be haunted. In each place, they encounter overwhelming paranormal activity that transcends comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to challenge the paranormal forces! Their fateful love begins as well!? The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts!

Director: Fuga Yamashiro
Screenwriter: Hiroshi Seko, Yukinobu Tatsu
Distributor: GKIDS
Genre: Action, Adventure, Anime, Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2024, Wide
Runtime: 1h 23m

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