Space Dandy's opening theme tune contains all you need to know about the series - "Space Dandy. He's a dandy guy in space." It says all fans need to know about what the show's about, what kind of characters there are, what the tone is, and more.
Space Dandy was released between January and September 2014. It first grabbed American audiences' attention with an advertisement stating it was from the creators of Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Cowboy Bebop. Intrigued anime fans who tuned into Toonami on Saturday nights were treated to psychedelic space adventures and precisely the kind of material that the commercials promised. It was directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, the legendary director behind Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo in the past. The series was also animated by Bones, who, as advertised, animated Soul Eater and Fullmetal Alchemist; for a better idea of Space Dandy's more avant-garde moments of animation, they also went on to animate Mob Psycho 100. The style of storytelling and animation these two creative bodies are known for can be felt all throughout Space Dandy.
The show follows the adventures of the eponymous Space Dandy. He is accompanied by the robot QT and the cat-like alien Meow. The three of them travel the galaxy aboard the Aloha Oe in search of undiscovered alien life; on the off chance that they find any, they can register it and earn a large sum of money. At the same time, unbeknownst to them, Dandy is being pursued by Dr. Gel of the Gogol Empire, who believes he is the source of some great power.
Like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy is episodic. It's essentially a series of short stories that don't really have any bearing on each other. Regardless, each one of them is packed with so much emotion and meaning that they almost seem like they could function as their own feature-length films. While there are echoes of an overarching story, most episodes can be watched and enjoyed completely independent of one another.
Part of what helps this series, in particular, be so episodic is its lack of continuity. There's an in-universe explanation for this, but, for the most part, nothing about any one episode has to logically connect to the others. In fact, Dandy and co. could die in an episode, and it wouldn't prevent them from going on more ridiculous space adventures in the next.
This factors into another important aspect of Space Dandy, its absurdist humor. The series uses its sci-fi setting to put its over-the-top characters into out-of-this-world scenarios. Adding the extravagance of quality animation to this makes for a uniquely entertaining experience.
Of course, not everything about Space Dandy is geared towards the comedic. The show can cover a broad range of emotions when it really wants to; it can be heartwarming, tragic, upbeat, or even thought-provoking, depending on what story is being told. It's just that the comedic tone is at the center of the series.
It's also worth noting that this is one of the rare anime where fans prefer listening to the English dub over the original Japanese. Part of this has to do with the fact that many episodes from Season 1 actually premiered on America's Toonami block before their Japanese release. Besides that, Funimation used some pretty talented voice actors on this project; Colleen Clinkenbeard, J. Michael Tatum, and Joel McDonald are just a few examples. Additionally, Ian Sinclair is so perfect as Dandy that he reprised the role convincingly in a live-action commercial for the Season 1 DVDs and Blu-rays. These actors really breathed life into their characters with enjoyable and memorable performances.
For everything Space Dandy did for its audiences, it doesn't get talked about a lot nowadays. This might have to do with the fact that the series is almost a decade old now. Anime fans who haven't seen it should make room in their schedules to do so; those who have seen it should spread the word. Space Dandy may be old, but it's still a creative masterpiece.