Story 8/10: [WARNING] - I may have spoiled something clever in this section. While the series is episodic and I can't spoil plot points, I'm throwing this up here just in case.
This show is episodic, but that doesn't mean I can't rate the story. I just have to rate the individual stories. This series plays heavily with the multiverse, which you'll easily pick up on not only with the plot of most episodes but also in the lack of continuity. While some of the episode's plots have been done many times before (e.x., a Groundhog Day episode), the show has so much charm that they hold up on their own. While its hard to compare to Cowboy Bebop due to the massive difference in tone, it almost feels like a modern retelling of the classic.
Art 9/10: Space Dandy is beautiful beyond belief. Bones of course has not failed to disappoint, but I feel a bit sorry for myself making this the second anime I've seen simply because it gave me such high expectations in the animation department. The outdoor backgrounds are painted with psychadelic landscapes while the indoor scenes are populated with dozens of wholly original alien creatures. Animation is always fluid and on the odd occasion where it seems more jittery it still fits with the situation. One of my favorite things about the show's look is how Dandy and Meow are animated in their movements. Both feel very alive at all times. I do have one complaint though, and that is that its painfully obvious where they cut corners in some places to save money for the rest.
Sound 10/10: Oh my God, the voice acting! The music is good too and always fits the situation but there's not much to say beyond that. The voice actors though, let me tell you, are phenomenal. I don't know what I can say about it to elaborate, but if you were to give it a listen you'd know immediately.
Character 8/10: Because its an episodic series its a bit more difficult to judge the characters. Dandy is the lovable buffoon who's a bit of an A-hole but not to a disgusting degree. Meow is the cute yet lazy and agressive sidekick, which makes sense considering his feline-esque species. Finally, QT is the classic straight man keeping them away from each other's throats and on task. There's also Doctor Gel and his assistant/henchman/secret lover whom I've forgotten the name of (looks like a bean) but they don't do much. These characters, despite how they may appear, do absolutely nothing in the story and act solely for comedy. Because of their ominous nature in the beginning of the series I know some people are upset by the fact that they aren't important so I felt I should get that out of the way before anyone else was disappointed.
Enjoyment 10/10: Nothing really to talk about here. Its good not-so-clean fun with goofy antics and subverted tropes around every corner.
Overall 9/10: I really wanted to give Space Dandy a solid 10/10, but taking the average of all my scores for its parts came out to an even 9. This anime is clever, silly, brilliant, and a bit dumb all at the same time, and I applaud it for that. However, I had some problems with the second half. It didn't seem quite as creative, but you can hear my thoughts on that when and if I decide to review season two.
