Episode 4 – EN DA EN

An episode with a title like ‘Kicking Turbo Granny’s Ass’ has so much going for it. The stakes are immeasurably excessive. You’ll be able to’t simply throw round a legendary one-time promise like that and never maintain it. If you are going to give us a present that is as absurdly good as… AND DA ANDand then you definitely throw down the gauntlet to name an episode “Kicking Turbo Granny’s Ass” simply 4 weeks later, that does not simply require excellence. It requires perfection. If the group acquired rather less… nicely, it could be like we had been sitting there within the stands at Wrigley Discipline on that fateful October day in 1932, moments after Babe Ruth known as his shot, solely to observe the Bambino get in acquired hit within the face so laborious by that curveball he fucking died. Even after basking within the glory of AND DA AND‘s unimaginable first three episodes, I used to be nonetheless nervous after I sat down to affix Momo and Okarun of their climactic showdown with the lump-devouring grandma this week. I imply, the title of the episode is “Kicking Turbo Granny’s Ass.” If it did not develop into not less than among the best twenty-three minutes of anime I’ve ever seen, then what can be the purpose of the medium of animation? What can be the purpose of it artwork?

I’ve excellent news for all my fellow Dan-Da-Danimals™ on the market. To begin with, that is what we’re known as now: Dan-Da-Danimals™. It is the official time period for everybody AND DA AND fan on the market, and there’s no take again. I even caught the little trademark factor on it. This evaluation can be now a legally binding doc, and anybody who has learn this far into the evaluation hereby implicitly consents to enroll as a lifetime member of the Dan-Da-Danimals™ Brigade. Membership charges have to be despatched as a money fee to one among my many PO Packing containers and is due on Monday.

The second excellent news is that this episode is so rattling laborious, guys. I imply, actually, Science SARU took off their Velcro sneakers and placed on their Huge Ass Grownup Boots, and within the title of Holy Jesus Leaping Christmas Shitit possesses optimistic bones. I am unable to even correctly summarize all the gorgeous animation and wonderful route on show in “Kicking Turbo Granny’s Ass” as a result of I might find yourself writing about it all. The entire. Each final body. The identical goes for Shion Wakayama And Natsuki Hanae‘s appearances as Momo and Okarun. How am I supposed to select their finest and funniest traces when I’ve to decide on between each silly phrase popping out of those characters’ idiotic mouths!?

The one factor I can consider is to interrupt down the titular ass-kicking into the completely different ‘phases’, as a result of every part of the struggle has one thing new to supply. The opening struggle within the tunnel is each atmospheric and ridiculous, with the present utilizing the digital camera’s warped perspective and absurdly oversaturated pink shade filter to nice impact. That is an episode that begins with Okarun gaining the higher hand on Turbo Granny by taking an enormous chunk out of one among her flabby ghost breasts, and issues solely escalate from there.

Then we run out of the tunnel and become involved in an prolonged Big Crab Chase that is surprisingly intense, with how a lot weight and harmful energy the factor can throw round because it hunts Okarun and Momo. The beat the place Momo improvises a crab from a scorching spring to entice the creature’s tender muscle meat can be an excellent instance of how nicely AND DA AND balances the absurd motion spectacle with the form of significant quick-thinking that provides its heroes extra to do than depend on low cost power-ups and nonsensical magic programs that care extra about breaking actuality than setting the clear boundaries you want for a pleasant struggle. Sure, I am nonetheless indignant about how dangerous Jujutsu Kaisen fell off after the flashback arc. Why do you ask that?

The episode begins to boil – pun very a lot supposed – when Turbo Granny enlists a military of possessed pedestrians to drive Momo and Okarun off the highway. Scoring this complete trippy sequence to a boppy remix of the William Inform Overture is the form of galaxy determination that is so silly it turns into genius once more. I additionally got here so shut to really criticizing the episode round this half, as the cruel pink filter began to develop into an actual pressure on my eyes. Nonetheless, I liked how the present used the colour to delineate the edge of Turbo Granny’s energy because the characters ran alongside the prepare tracks, so darn it, I assume. I’ve no notes. That is simply a type of insanely excellent TV episodes that makes enjoyable of my lack of ability to search out something to criticize about it for the remainder of my depressing life.

If all that is not sufficient, the post-fight episode has some gas within the tank to squeeze pathos into the combination as nicely. The truth that Turbo Granny was some form of guardian spirit for the poor misplaced souls of girls who had been victims of sexual assault and violence is simply So heavy, and it recontextualizes all the pieces we all know concerning the character. Was she gobbling up cocks to forestall extra victims from falling in these darkish tunnels? Did she crash Momo’s cellphone to struggle these aliens out of protecting intuition? This consideration to element makes it not possible to jot down off AND DA AND like low cost, trashy shlock. Somewhat, it is extremely well-crafted and endearing trashy schlock.

Additionally that one silly joke the place Momo simply sits there and gorges on a bit of crabmeat like a rabid little goblin? I laughed so laborious I nearly shot the spicy guacamole out of my nostril. I do not even have something wise or constructive so as to add to that; I am simply mad that I may have choked on a mushy mixture of boogers and jalapeños due to this rattling cartoon.

Judgement:

AND DA AND is at the moment streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

James is a author with many ideas and emotions about anime and different popular culture, which can be discovered on Tweethis weblog and his podcast.