Summary

Collider’s Laura Adams talks with DAN DA DAN Season 2 director Abel Gongora for the theatrical release of DAN DA DAN: Evil Eye.

Gongora and co-director Fuga Yamashiro team up for DAN DA DAN Season 2, exploring new genres and experimenting with animation techniques.

Gongora reveals challenges faced in bringing Jiji’s transformation in the Evil Eye arc to life, marking it a standout episode in Season 2.

When DAN DA DAN premiered in October 2024, it became an instant hit with anime fans. An adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s popular manga, the anime series featured dynamic and colorful action sequences that only a studio like Science SARU could pull off. The series also included a highly energetic and fun opening sequence that left fans buzzing on social media and turned the theme song, “Otonoke,” by Creepy Nuts, into an anthem. This opening was directed by none other than Abel Gongora, a Spanish animator who was one of the first five staff members to join Science SARU. Now, for DAN DA DAN Season 2, Gongora is stepping into the role of co-director alongside Fuga Yamashiro. With DAN DA DAN: Evil Eye now hitting theaters, Collider’s Laura Adams sat down with the director to discuss the challenges and new additions introduced in the anime’s sophomore season.
‘DAN DA DAN’ Explores Different Genres

“As a director, it’s also interesting because we get to change the mood and try things in a different way.”

COLLIDER: Congratulations on winning Best Anime Opening Sequence at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards! Is there any pressure to top that? ABEL GONGORA: You mean for the next opening? Yeah! I imagine there is. DanDaDan masterfully balances humor, emotion, and horror, sometimes all within a single episode. How do you approach crafting that distinctive mix of tones? GONGORA: Oh, I think that’s a very good thing, because some animators like to do action, some like to do comedy, maybe, or everyday life scenes, so I think that’s good for the team. And as a director, it’s also interesting because we get to change the mood and try things in a different way, and we don’t always have to do the same kind of work. So yeah, it’s pretty cool. Yeah, it’s always funny how sometimes an episode starts, and you’re laughing or thinking, “Oh, this is weird,” and then you end up crying your eyes out because something gets emotional suddenly. So that’s awesome. I wanted to know if there is a character that you are particularly drawn to, and what about them it is that you like? GONGORA: I’d say Turbo Granny is really funny. She makes me laugh all the time. But my favorite now would be Jiji, especially because in the Evil Eye arc, he’s kind of showing more of what he thinks, how he feels. He looks at the beginning like a clumsy guy, kind of like a funny extrovert, and then we discover he has a really sad backstory. And then we also see him having a lot of compassion and empathy with the Evil Eye kid — that’s an even sadder story — so I thought that was really touching. Yeah, I really like Jiji.

Image via Science Saru

Were there any technical differences introduced in Season 2 that weren’t present in Season 1? GONGORA: We have a similar approach, but maybe we are trying to use more 3D in a different way. We are trying new things, like having 3D characters sometimes, and trying to make it look cool. For example, in the Evil Eye arc, we have some cuts that are very difficult to do with traditional animation, so we try to mix it with 3D but make it still look similar to the other cuts. We also have a little bit of experimentation with pencil cuts, like a rougher texture kind of animation. So yeah, we are trying new things sometimes. That sounds exciting.
‘DAN DA DAN: Evil Eye’ Is a Collaborative Effort

“We’re always very free, and he’s really great.”

Image via Science SARU

The series is, of course, based on Yukinobu Tatsu’s wonderful manga. Is the mangaka heavily involved in the production of the show? GONGORA: Yeah. During the script part, he supervises everything and checks a little bit of everything we do, but he’s also super open. He doesn’t give a lot of notes. We’re always very free, and he’s really great. He also participates in most of the recordings, so he always brings good ideas. So yeah, he’s really great with us. How do you and the team add your own unique perspective to Tatsu’s work? GONGORA: The story has to fit in the episode, but normally we have a lot of moments we need to add or develop to make it last the 20-something minutes. So we usually have to find ideas to make some things longer or the fights more interesting. The manga has a pretty fast rhythm, so we need to add a lot of things. So I guess that’s when we get to be more creative. That’s probably where you see more of the studio’s personality. Every episode has a different director. Yamashiro and I are the directors of the season, but then each episode has its own director. That person also brings their own taste or vision. And of course, sometimes if it’s not fitting the show, we might tone it down, but yeah, there’s a little bit of personality from every director. This is a bit more of a personal question. I want to know if there are any lessons from your previous experiences directing that influence your approach to this season. GONGORA: Yeah, for sure. Every project is like a big lesson. And so I guess everything you learn before is going to be used somehow in doing the storyboard and everything. I think the most important thing is learning how to communicate with the team and anticipate problems during production. That helps everybody. So I think I’ve learned a lot about how to communicate and be more open. To not get angry when something’s not going well. Things like that. Yeah, that’s important. I do have to ask if there are any more theatrical releases on the horizon for DanDaDan. GONGORA: Oh, I don’t know about that. [Laughs]

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I also want to ask about your experience. How has your experience been co-directing this season? And how do you guys navigate creative differences when your visions don’t align? GONGORA: We haven’t had a lot of disagreements in general. We have a similar background because we’ve worked together for a long time at Science SARU. We kind of learned from Masaaki Yuasa, who was the creator of the studio at the beginning, and Eunyoung Choi too. So we kind of learned from them, and we have similar points of view in general about cinema and animation. We agree on many things. And of course, sometimes we don’t agree, but it’s not such a big deal. If it’s more about his episode, I would say, “Okay, you can do what you think is better.” And he might say the same, like, “Okay, I want to do it in my episode this way, even if it’s not what you wanted,” and I might be okay with that. In general, I think it’s working. That’s good to hear. So you basically just flow with each other’s ideas whenever necessary. That’s awesome.
Jiji’s Transformation In ‘Evil Eye’ Is Set to Be Epic

“Because it’s a little bit artistic, it could have been a disaster.”

Image via Science SARU

I want to know: was there a particular scene in Season 2 that proved especially challenging to bring to life, either technically or emotionally? GONGORA: For the moment, I’d say when Jiji transforms into Evil Eye. We wanted to try new things and make it cool, but because it’s a little bit artistic, it could have been a disaster. So we needed to be careful. I think it turned out looking cool, and we achieved what we wanted, so I’m pretty happy with it. But yeah, it was really challenging. Without revealing any spoilers, do you have a favorite episode in Season 2? And what makes it stand out to you? GONGORA: Connected to what I was saying, it would be that episode: the transformation. So it’s the second episode. I really like the background with the houses and how it’s built. This tower of houses and everything looks very cool and a little bit illogical, because the houses aren’t horizontal; they’re at every angle possible. And then having Jiji struggling and going down the stairs, Momo is also following… I thought, “That’s really cool.” This might be a stretch, but this is such a big story, and I feel like it lends itself to being so many different things. Have you ever discussed doing a spin-off of the anime? GONGORA: I mean, I couldn’t decide that. But I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it. But maybe I will take note and talk about it. [Laughs] Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye is in theaters now.

Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye

Release Date

June 6, 2025

Runtime

93 Minutes

Director

Fuga Yamashiro, Abel Góngora

Writers

Yukinobu Tatsu, Hiroshi Seko

Natsuki Hanae

Ken Okarun Takakura

Shion Wakayama

Momo Ayase

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