DAN DA DAN Season 2

From its premiere back in Fall 2024, to its current top spot as the most popular anime of Summer 2025, DAN DA DAN has been a force to be reckoned with in the shonen world. It’s not difficult to see why – in an industry gradually growing stagnant with each season that passes, DAN DA DAN takes the anime formula and flips it on its head, opting instead for eccentricity, originality, and most importantly of all, an abundance of heart. Now, after a refreshingly short wait between seasons, DAN DA DAN Season 2 has come to an end, and it’s time to look back on the Summer 2025 anime that had everyone talking.

Today, we’re reviewing DAN DA DAN Season 2. We will be discussing spoilers in this review, so be sure to watch the season for yourself before you scroll any further! I want to preface this review by letting you know I have read the DAN DA DAN manga, so I am aware of where this series is going, but I will be steering completely clear of any manga spoilers in this review – anime content only! However, if you are a fan of the DAN DA DAN manga, be sure to check out my review of the latest volume here. Alright, enough talk – let’s dive right into the review.

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DAN DA DAN Season 2 Review

Image by Science SARU

If there’s one undeniable compliment that any anime fan has to give DAN DA DAN, it’s that the show knows how to use randomness to its advantage. I felt this way about the first season also, but I remain stunned by how such a quirky anime has managed to skyrocket to the top of the industry in such a short amount of time – underneath all of its flashiness, DAN DA DAN is the story of a man looking for his lost testicles. That kind of story claiming any sort of top spot is pretty remarkable, but if DAN DA DAN Season 2 proves anything, it’s that fans were right to put their trust in Yukinobu Tatsu and Science SARU.

From a production standpoint, DAN DA DAN Season 2 is every bit as strong as its predecessor, which is a real relief considering how soon after the first season this successor is releasing. The animation is as good as ever, if not even better than before – the epic heavy metal concert in Episode 6 is one of my favourite anime moments of the year, and Science SARU hiring two separate vocalists, one from GRANRODEO and one from DragonForce, to perform vocals for the original song based on Japanese or English dub, proves that the team behind this anime is not cutting any corners. DAN DA DAN Season 2 feels like it places the enjoyment of the viewer at the top of its priority list, the right call for any show hoping to establish a long-term fanbase.

However, beyond just sound and animation quality, DAN DA DAN Season 2 also feels like a step-up from the series’ first season from a pacing perspective. Whereas the first season felt sort of like a compilation of insane mini-adventures for Momo and Okarun to go on, DAN DA DAN Season 2 feels like a measured, well thought-out, complete season of anime. Sure, there are some sidebars here and there, but overall, the experience is far more cohesive than the first time around, and though DAN DA DAN Season 2 never fully reaches the heights of the first season’s seventh episode, it also never reaches some of the first season’s lower points, making for a far more consistent experience overall.

Image by Science SARU

DAN DA DAN Season 2 benefits greatly from focusing largely on one, central arc, and we’ll talk more about that arc shortly. However, the season also thrives whenever it focuses on the show’s one real through-line, that being the heart-warming relationship between its two lead characters, Momo and Okarun. DAN DA DAN could not be further from the romance genre in how vulgar and outlandish it can be at times, but the quality of the romantic storytelling between these two stands up against the best in the rom-com genre. It’s this successful genre-bending that allows DAN DA DAN Season 2 to stand out from its seasonal peers – very rarely can a show so-well execute comedy, action, romance, and even horror, all in the one series.

However, DAN DA DAN Season 2 does have one other major plot point holding all of its chaos together, that being the Evil Eye Arc that was teased at the end of the first season. In many ways, Evil Eye has been the selling-point of DAN DA DAN Season 2. It was made clear before the season even aired that Jiji would be taking centre-stage this season, along with Evil Eye himself, and to be completely honest, this arc delivered in every way I wanted it to. It felt consequential, tugged on the heartstrings when it needed to, and it brought Jiji into the fold as a true member of DAN DA DAN’s main team – now all we need is for Aira to get a little more attention, and all of the main DAN DA DAN characters will feel well-rounded.

The presence of Evil Eye in DAN DA DAN Season 2 gave the anime something it had been missing in its first season, that being a singular, overarching antagonist. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the ‘villain-of-the-week’ approach that DAN DA DAN took throughout its first season, but it never really felt like our main characters were in danger back in those times. Evil Eye brought some real weight to the series, and for at least the first half of the season, felt like a real threat. With his presence, Evil Eye kept DAN DA DAN Season 2 in line, and though the arc didn’t hit quite as hard as it did in the manga, it was still a real success story for the show.

Image by Science SARU

In fact, Evil Eye keeps DAN DA DAN Season 2 together so well that once it returns to its usual style of storytelling, the more broken-up, side-story style, it actually feels a little unwelcome. Here we come to the one, singular episode that I didn’t love this season, that being Episode 8, when Okarun and Aira team-up against the ghosts of composers in their school music room. This episode was a visual masterclass, but felt slotted-in to the series at an uninvited point. I also don’t really care for the dynamic between Okarun and Aira – the latter of the two works far better as a character when her personality is centred around bickering with Momo. An action-packed outing for sure, but Episode 8 felt like the one point where the season slipped out of control for me, and this isn’t Science SARU’s fault. I remember this part of the manga not working for me either, though the episode’s IMDb score indicates that I am in the minority on this one.

Even though this episode didn’t land for me, I commend DAN DA DAN Season 2 for switching up its style enough to make something not land for me. The season’s boldness has to be praised, and 99% of the time, its eccentric approach to storytelling pays off. I’m no staunch enemy of conventional storytelling – if something isn’t broken, you don’t have to fix it. In fact, sometimes I don’t want a show to try and circumvent my expectations, or catch me off-guard. Sometimes, simplicity is key. However, DAN DA DAN is such a well-written show that its peculiarity ends up touching the viewer in a truly unique way, moving them in ways that simpler stories just can’t replicate.

This quirkiness is also supported by some really great comedy this season. DAN DA DAN Season 2 is a genuinely funny season of anime, from start to finish. There’s no shortage of memorable comedic moments that worked for me in this season – Aira interrupting Momo and Okarun’s sweet moment, Ludris’ house-fixing montage, the absurdity of of Naki Kito shouting ‘Jennifer Lopez Anaconda’ as her battle-cry, or the entire existence of Kinta Sakata. DAN DA DAN Season 2 is incredibly comedic, and for once, almost all of the comedy lands. My joy watching each episode unfold reminded me of watching Gintama or The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. If DAN DA DAN ever reaches the plot intensity that Gintama did, I think we’re going to have a real masterpiece on our hands, because in every other way, DAN DA DAN is bringing its best to the table.

Image by Science SARU

With comedy in mind, we come to a character that is likely many viewers’ favourite new element of DAN DA DAN Season 2, that being Kinta Sakata. While he didn’t get much time to shine this season, only appearing in the final episodes of the show’s run, Kinta made quite a mark on the few episodes he was present for. In many ways, Kinta speaks to the heart of DAN DA DAN as a character – he’s extremely eccentric, makes lewd jokes, and as a character, he probably wouldn’t even exist in more typical shonen anime. However, he has a lot of spirit, which in many ways, makes him the personification of DAN DA DAN as an anime, which feels very weird to say. While I’m not sure if fans will find him worthy of a spot on the main team next season, he’s certainly secured a spot as one of the most beloved characters in DAN DA DAN Season 2, and likely, the seasons to come.

Finally, let’s talk about where DAN DA DAN Season 2 leaves us as we look to the future. As a manga reader, I’m not going to say much, but I will let fans know that if they loved this season of the show, there’s plenty more fun to be had down the line. Without spoiling anything, if DAN DA DAN continues its current pacing, Season 3 is going to be a blast, and subsequently, Season 4 could be a full-on masterpiece. On this topic, I really hope Season 3 is not too far away – I think that the very short gap between Season 1 and Season 2 really helped keep my love for the series alive. Science SARU is doing great work with this show, so let’s not rush it! However, if we could get a spot in for DAN DA DAN Season 3 in 2026, that would be perfect for viewers to keep the hype going in its absence.

Overall, DAN DA DAN Season 2 does what any good second season should do – builds on the strengths of its first season, while introducing new plot points that retain the spirit of the overall story, but keep the core values of the show in tact. What did you think of DAN DA DAN Season 2? Be sure to let us know, and thanks for reading!

See also: Best Horror Anime

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Where to Watch DAN DA DAN Season 2?

Image by Science SARU

You can now stream DAN DA DAN Season 2 on both Crunchyroll and Netflix, along with all episodes of the series’ first season. It’s likely that these streaming services will retain the rights to the show for its third season down the line, so keep those subscriptions going! You won’t want to miss what DAN DA DAN brings to the anime world in the future.

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