Dandadan season 2 episode 1 review: Science SARU turns things creepy with the Kito Family

Dandadan season 2 episode 1, titled Like, This Is the Legend of the Giant Snake, premiered on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at 12:26 am JST. Following the anime's successful first season, fans have eagerly anticipated the premiere of Dandadan season 2 anime.

While the anime indeed had a great premiere, revealing its opening and ending theme song videos, it wouldn't be as tantalizing for those fans who have already watched the episode as part of the Dandadan: Evil Eye Movie. Nevertheless, let's take a deep dive into Dandadan season 2 episode 1, to analyze how Science SARU has handled the second season's debut episode.

Dandadan season 2 episode 1 review: Narrative criticism

Momo Ayase as seen in Dandadan season 2 episode 1 (Image via Science SARU)

Dandadan season 2 episode 1 adapts chapters 35 to 38, right from where the previous anime season ended. Okarun and Jiji found a hidden room plastered with talismans, while Momo Ayase was in a pinch, trying to get away from the "gators" at the hot spring.

The episode effectively introduced fans to the bizarre and creepy Kito family. The Kito family was the landlord of Jiji's house. While they had the most peculiar appearances with greyish skin tones and uneasy smiles, they were normal people who took it upon themselves to keep their village safe from the volcano.

Naki Kito and her family in Dandadan season 2 episode 1 (Image via Science SARU)

According to the legend, the villagers once used to offer sacrifices to the Tsuchinoko to keep the creature from destroying the village with the volcano. The Kito family seemingly followed this and offered their tenants sacrifices to the Tsuchinoko, hoping to satisfy the giant snake. Shockingly, the legend was never true. In fact, there was a good chance that the Tsuchinoko was never a snake but a Mongolian Death Worm.

As for any changes in the narrative, Science SARU basically did a one-to-one adaptation of Dandadan chapters 35 - 38. However, there were some minor changes to the story's developments close to its end.

Okarun as seen in Dandadan season 2 (Image via Science SARU)

In the manga, when the Tsuchinoko attacks the Kito family, it happens to miss Naki Kito and another family member, allowing them to run away from the creature. However, in the anime, Tsuchinoko's attack is depicted in such a way that all Kito members are eliminated at once.

Later, during the anime's conclusion, Dandadan season 2 episode 1 shows Okarun acting strange and crawling toward Jiji while turning into Turbo Granny. However, this development never happens in the manga. In the manga, Okarun is only shown to act strangely, punching the window behind him. Hence, it is to be seen in future episodes what Science SARU has been planning by making these two changes.

Production quality and cast performances

The Kito family as seen in Dandadan season 2 (Image via Science SARU)

As expected, Science SARU did a marvelous job in animating Dandadan season 2 episode 1. The anime's latest episode, directed by Kayono Yamada and brought to life by Jong Heo's storyboarding, set up the tone for the entire Cursed House Arc.

While some humor was added to the episode, its main focus was the creep factor and action.

Dandadan season 2 episode 1 did a great job of making its audience feel creeped out by the Kito family members, especially the male characters who attacked Momo Ayase. They not only attacked her at the hot spring but also at Jiji's home. The strange thing is that, despite wearing clothes while entering Jiji's home, they again disrobed while fighting Momo.

The anime again saw Momo Ayase at the epicenter of action scenes as she fought the Kito family using her hand-to-hand combat techniques and spiritual energy.

Another highlight of the episode was the scenes involving the Tsuchinoko. While the Tsuchinoko itself didn’t appear particularly menacing at first, the yellow filter used in those scenes created an eerie atmosphere, making the entire setting feel claustrophobic.

Tsuchinoko as seen in Dandadan season 2 episode 1 (Image via Science SARU)

As for the cast performances, while Shion Wakayama (as Momo Ayase), Natsuki Hanae (as Okarun), and Kaito Ishikawa (as Jiji) performed as well as they did in the previous season, the highlight of the episode was certainly the cast members who voiced the Kito family. Unfortunately, it seems like the anime has only credited Masako Isobe for the voice of Naki Kito.

Final thoughts on Dandadan season 2 episode 1

While Dandadan season 2 episode 1 was quite a stunning experience, for fans who watched the movie before, it is bound to be a much less exciting watch. Hence, while it is a must-watch for fans who haven't watched the movie, the same cannot be said about the ones who have already watched it.

Momo Ayase and Turbo Granny as seen in Dandadan season 2 episode 1 (Image via Science SARU)

Besides that, the only problem with the anime was that the premiere did not look like it was from the second season but a direct continuation of the first season. Therefore, to those fans, Dandadan season 2 episode 1 might look like a premiere for cour 2, not season 2. However, that might hardly be an issue for anyone.

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About the author

Gokul has been an anime writer in Pop Culture division at Sportskeeda since 2022. His love for watching anime and his interest in the ever-growing anime industry inspire Gokul to produce insightful content about the genre on a daily basis. He holds a Master's degree in Communication & Journalism, and has worked for close to 3.5 years in the field.

Gokul likes to thoroughly research about the anime he is writing about and only credits a source after verifying its credibility. He loves the popular Shonen anime, Black Clover, for its memorable characters and their development throughout the story.

When not racking his brain behind his next anime story, Gokul likes to play video games, read manga, and play football.

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Edited by Gokul Chettiyar