DAN DA DAN: First Encounter

Momo believes in ghosts, Okarun believes in aliens, so they make a bet: one goes to an abandoned hospital, the other to a cursed tunnel. Both turn out to be right. Okarun gets caught by an old woman's ghost and Momo's psychic powers wake up. Fuga Yamashiro directed for Science SARU. This is not a film but the first three episodes cut together, screened in cinemas ahead of the television broadcast. The reason is visible on screen: the episodes are denser than television scale. Camera moves, colour transitions and the deformation in the fight scenes all look designed for a large screen. Kensuke Ushio wrote the music. The opening, Otonoke by Creepy Nuts, stayed on the charts long after broadcast. The tone keeps sliding: horror, teen comedy and a fight sequence often occupy the same scene. Who it is for: anyone wanting a big-screen taste before starting the series. Who it is not for: viewers expecting a complete story; three episodes end and the narrative simply stops.