Space Dandy

Series Overview

Space Dandy (Space☆Dandy / スペース☆ダンディ) is a sci-fi comedy anime from the same team that brought you Cowboy Bebop. It’s also the team that brought you Samurai Champloo, which I think is better than Cowboy Bebop. But, Space Dandy is a bit different from both of those series.

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo both have their comedic moments — Champloo more so. However, comedy is what Space Dandy is all about. So, just because Space Dandy takes place in space doesn’t mean it’s anything like Cowboy Bebop. It’s not.

One thing Space Dandy has in common with those other 2 series is that it’s episodic. There isn’t an overarching story — at least not in the first season (which this review is about). Instead, Dandy and his crew go on wild adventures in each episode that are unrelated.

It’s possible that the second season could try to tie everything together into a single story. But, that’s going to be pretty hard to do. You see, a lot of the episodes of this series don’t end in ways that allow for the story to continue after them. Dandy and his crew don’t always survive the episodes.

Could this series take place in a multiverse where we’re seeing different Dandys? Sure. But if that’s the angle you’re going for, I think you’re reading too much into it. At the end of the day, it’s an anime that’s fun to watch because of the characters and the situations they get into.

I should also mention that Space Dandy is for mature audiences. It’s not an ecchi series. But, it does have what I would consider a small amount of uncensored ecchi content. Because of its designation as being for mature audiences, I expected there to be more.

The Aloha Oe Crew

Dandy is the titular character and captain of the Aloha Oe spaceship. He works as an alien hunter, but that doesn’t mean what you might expect. I thought it would mean he tracks down and kills rogue aliens. Instead, it means he finds unknown aliens and registers them with the government.

Through their job of alien hunting, Dandy and his crew don’t make that much money. But, what they do make, Dandy makes sure to spend at his favorite restaurant, Boobies. Boobies is basically the restaurant Hooters but in space. It’s full of waitresses wearing skimpy clothing.

QT is the first mate of the ship. He’s a vacuum cleaner robot who doesn’t do all that much in terms of helping capture aliens. Instead, his role is primarily to take care of the Aloha Oe. QT is the one who cleans and maintains the ship.

While none of the Aloha Oe crew members are particularly smart, QT is the smartest of the group. He’s usually the voice of reason on the ship. However, that’s a pretty low bar considering the other two. At the very least, as a robot, QT isn’t prone to acting on impulse.

Meow, or Mymyamo, is the final crew member. Dandy and QT originally captured him in a Boobies restaurant thinking he was a rare alien. But, Meow is actually a Betelgeusian, which is a very common cat-like alien. Even after finding this out, Dandy keeps him around because he thinks Meow might be useful.

As it turns out, Meow isn’t useful at all. He spends the majority of his time online — usually on his smartphone. He also eats all of Dandy’s food on the Aloha Oe. And his room is so messy that even QT gave up trying to clean it.

Better than Cowboy Bebop?

Is Space Dandy better than Cowboy Bebop? Most people don’t seem to agree with me, but I think so. Cowboy Bebop is definitely a good anime. But, Space Dandy is more fun to watch. And I get it, Space Dandy is a comedy, so it being more fun makes sense.

However, I also think the format of the series works better in Space Dandy. Both series are episodic for the most part. Yes, Cowboy Bebop actually gets a plot toward the end. But, a lot of the series isn’t much more than filler (cue the angry comments).

With Space Dandy, the episodic nature of the series doesn’t hinder it at all. Each episode is funny in isolation. And because there’s not really a main story, the episodes can do even crazier things. For example, the crew (and everyone else) die and become zombies in one episode.

Episodic anime that are serious are kind of a thing of the past. A lot of older anime were like this. I don’t know why. Maybe they thought it would be hard for viewers to follow the story every week. But, that’s something I’m going to hold against Cowboy Bebop in this comparison.

What I’m trying to say is that I prefer Space Dandy because it’s more flexible in what it can (and does) do. Sure, the characters might not be quite as deep and there’s nothing in terms of a main story. But, that’s kind of the point.

Now, before you let me know why Cowboy Bebop is the best anime ever made in the comments, watch Space Dandy. Even if watching it doesn’t change your mind, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it. Or, you might find out that it’s not for you. But, that’s okay.

Conclusion

So far (season 1), Space Dandy is an 8/10 from me. I’m hoping the second season is even better, though. I’d like to maybe see another main character introduced. Perhaps even a female character.

Also, I want to say that both the OP and ED of this series are great. Though, I’m not sure which of the two I prefer. The song of the ED may be better. But, the OP’s visuals are better.

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My review of Season 2 is Available now.