*Very minor spoilers ahead*
It's Space Dandy, he's a dandy guy, in space...
If I could rate the show based upon its first 30 seconds it would definitely be a 10/10 masterpiece. The intro... It's just amazing.
My love for this intro now out-of-the-way lets get to the main review. "Space Dandy is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get"© (yes this ingenious statement is 100% to my credit). Overall it looks very nice and appealing there are many differently flavored pralines some you will find tastier than others. They all share the same basis however each one has its own remarkable ingredient(s). Nonetheless, at the end all pralines are some kind of chocolate.
Space Dandy has 3 main characters. These are throughout the season very basic in their traits, emotions and behavior. Due to the shows heavy episodic nature there's no development. But there are designated episodes for each of the main characters that grant them a bit of depth. In these they are able to show some deeper emotions, make new bonds and advance their usual traits or show new ones. Unfortunately the content of said episodes has no lasting impact. However, the superficiality of the characters is not that big of a deal as there's no main theme to follow anyway, but we will get to that later. Furthermore, their characteristic traits are very thoughtfully picked to create a trio that is able to support each episode with interesting dialogue and interaction.
Dandy is the "main" main protagonist he's egocentric, confident, outgoing, reckless and poised. Meow is his sort of sidekick and a meaningful contrast to Dandy as he is mostly restrained and held back in his actions. They often share different opinions and are in conflict regularly. QT is a robot that completes the trio, personally my favorite character. He is pretty considerate and mindful compared to his palls. He mediates the relationship between Dandy and Meow. To conclude each character appends one another and the plot of each episode.
Speaking of plot lets talk about the story. As I already addressed each episode has a standalone plot which is in no way connected to content in other episodes. Every episode has its own tale to tell. Most of them I found interesting, some are definitely better than others, but that's mostly not objective and up to personal preference. Some episodes have small depths of meaning, but it's mostly based on action and excitement.
There is an antagonist faction with a very shallow main antagonist. They exist, we don't really get to know why they exist and even bother about Dandy and his crew on the Aloha-Oe. Still they rarely feel out of place or like just squeezed in to have some sort of antagonist role because they are at least somewhat impactful or even crucial to each plot.
From a technical point of view this is probably due to the fact that many different directors and their respective teams worked on the show.
*BIGGER SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH*
Nevertheless, I don't like that there's no continuity throughout the season at all. The main characters may even die at the end of an episode in spite of that the next episode starts as if nothing happened. Well even the universe itself sometimes basically fades out of existence.
If you like works like Cowboy Bebop or Gurren Lagann with late 90s/early2000s style animation and effects this show is an eye candy. It's funky with flashy special effects yet clean and detailed. Scenes and places are very creative and original and not repetitive. The differing teams working on the show also leave their individual impact in the animation on the show. Overall... It's just.. dandy looking.
Music and sounds are never too shabby, mostly good supporting the science fiction space environment. There are few episodes where there's recognizable more focus on music leading to a next level soundtrack. I really enjoyed those.
The show also includes many references to other anime or (pop)cultural concepts which are nice to identify and discover. Although one of Space Dandy's biggest selling points is humor, funny dialogue and quirky scenes all this is a bit too much based on fan service elements, be it visually and or verbally.
