Sunday, December 21, 2014

12 Days of Anime 2014--#5: The Infinite Universes of Dandy

12 Days of Anime #5 Space Dandy Image 1

Before watching the final episode of Space Dandy, I was convinced that there was no way that it could wrap up all the various plot points that it had presented. I couldn't have been more wrong.

(A/N: This post contains spoilers for the finale of Space Dandy.)

12 Days of Anime #5 Space Dandy Image 2

Throughout Space Dandy's run, I'd sometimes come across the same question on Twitter: When are they going to get to the story? And for the most part, I didn't think that Space Dandy would ever have a story. Despite the occasional throwback to a previous episode, each week's installment was self-contained, showing off the creativity of the animators and designers who were on board that week. For the most part, the only "story" was the way that the show, especially the second half, referenced alternate universes, even using them as a plot point a couple times. The implication was that each episode was its own alternate universe, and therefore had no bearing on any of the other events. I was fine with this; how else could a show kill off its characters in the very first episode and still keep going?

12 Days of Anime #5 Space Dandy Image 3

However, the last episode ties all those leftover plot threads, backstories, and lingering questions into the kind of finale that has to be seen to be believed. Even the narrator was in on it! While a lot of Space Dandy was about creativity and having fun, the ending was so impressive in part because I never expected it to have an ending at all, much less one that wrapped everything up while still leaving room for a sequel if they ever try to pursue one. After all, I have to admit that I'm curious what a universe ruled by Dandy would look like.

Images from Hulu.com.

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