Anime fans all over the world got a special treat this year with an early screening of Dandadan organized by the 2024 Anime Expo. The anime adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s hit manga, Dandadan, came to life in cinemas when the first three episodes, as well as a special message from the cast and creators, were combined to make a full-length movie called Dan Da Dan: The First Encounter. As one of the most anticipated premieres of the year and one of the most anticipated seasonal anime of Fall 2024, it was highly anticipated by people all over the world. I think that the animation accurately captured the manga’s unique art style, with action-filled fight scenes and amazing character design adaptations.

The story follows Momo Ayase and Okarun, two high school students who find themselves entangled in a world of bizarre alien and ghost encounters. After being dumped by her boyfriend, Momo Ayase meets an UFO obsessed boy, and the two argue over whether aliens or ghosts are real. In a bet to determine who is correct, they visit locations tied to both phenomena, only to discover that both aliens and ghosts exist, leading them on a surreal adventure to fix everything and make things go back to the way they were.

The premiere in Sweden was last weekend on the 7th and 8th of September at Filmstaden. Since the premiere was organized by Anime Expo, the subtitles were in English which made it more accessible to a global audience, including me . I really enjoyed watching the anime on a big screen with loudspeakers, which elevated the experience and heightened the adrenaline rush I felt.

For fans who missed the early screening, the first episode is set to officially air on October 4th at 00:26 (JST). Fans can look forward to the continuation of the story with the fourth episode airing on October 25th, picking up where the premiere left off. Netflix will be streaming the series globally. I’m excited to see how the series continues.