Space Dandy kicked me in the nuts.
It’s such an amazing show. I love the variety of art styles that are on display, and the beautiful, wild swings they take with animation. The episodes are punchy nonsense and are hilarious. The tone shifts wildly. If I talk about sour music, then I can call this a sour show.
It’s fantastic to watch while high on a much stronger CBD gummy than I anticipated.
Or so I thought. I might have to go back and watch a very specific episode while high on a much stronger CBD gummy than I anticipated to see if I can yank out some catharsis.
Specifically, the first half of the episode “The Lonely Pooch Planet, Baby.”
SPOILER!
Having landed on a deserted planet made of metal scrap, they find a solitary, lonely dog. Dandy plays with the dog for a few hours, giving her love and affection for the first time in what is implied to be a very long time. It is revealed that the dog claims she was essentially exiled for reasons she did not understand and somehow ended up here. It is heavily implied that this is Laika, a stray dog who became the first animal to orbit the earth. Very soon after playing with Dandy, she thanks him for giving her kindness and affection, and she goes to sleep, finally passing away. THIS MOTHER FUCKING SHOW MADE ME WATCH THE DEATH OF LAIKA THE SPACE DOG AFTER A LIFE OF LONELINESS ENDED ONLY AFTER RECEIVING KINDNESS AT THE VERY END. Dandy proceeds to build a rocket to give her a worthy space burial.
The show goes off the rails as it usually does from there, but holy shit I was weeping. I’m tearing up just remembering it and writing this out.
I’m not religious or particularly spiritual. My existential disposition is pretty solid, both from a needs standpoint and a resilience standpoint, but nothing presses my buttons like personal connection across space and time.
For a show about a main character who is a stupid sleazy jackass getting into hijinx so he can go to his favorite breasaurant “BooBies”, it provided a properly solemn and touching gut punch that would have gotten me even if it were not a surprise.
Part of the magic of the show was the way it steamrolls right past it into stupid jackassery again.
Watch Space Dandy if you can. It’s not for everyone, and you’ll know by the standard two or three episodes, but hot damn is it good.