Space Dandy 05
Well it didn't take long to find my new favorite episode. While the previous episodes have been fairly silly with some gag as the main attraction, this episode takes on a more somber approach and takes the time explore the characters of the universe.
Ditching the two sidekicks QT and Meow, Dandy goes a mission to hunt an alien for his next big bounty. Dandy being the impatient man he is approaches the alien without listening to the full intel gathered by other hunters. It is here when he is taken by surprise that the alien he is hunting is no more than a child.
After a little back and forth between the two, Dandy manages to capture her. She is abrasive and harsh towards Dandy, treating him as another adult who wants to take advantage of her. After a bit of squabbling, Dandy learns her name is Adélie.
Much like any child around her age she displays an intense desire to be taken seriously as an adult and not just some kid. She demonstrates this by insisting taking the train as an adult. However, she is not above taking advantage of her age and uses it as a bargaining tool to force Dandy into an agreement to see her grandfather. Her intelligence to know when to take advantage of each situation makes her all the more endearing.
A Merry Companion is a Wagon in Space, Baby
Usually I dislike montage segments as a substitute for real character development but it works in Dandy's case as we know this story between the two of them is only for this one episode. Not only does this montage do a great job displaying the bond Dandy and Adélie develop but it's also serves as a world builder. The fish in space gives off this wonderful mystique to the universe and there is some influences from the 70s seen in the design of the car and dinner giving the setting some unique flavour.
It is this turning point when Dandy is mistaken for Adélie's father that she begins to open up to him. She has been alone for some time, constantly hunted by other alien hunters and her only companion her stuffed animal. She has needed some type of father figure for sometime and she has found this figure in Dandy.
Dandy continues to play the character of the selfish pervert while in secret he looks for Adélie's family. It is here we really get to see some character development in Dandy. He plays off his cool and collected persona but in reality has a heart and cares about his friends. However when Dandy finally reveals his true intentions he is easily misinterpreted from his previous actions.
When Dandy begins to see her off without mentioning that Adélie's grandfather is waiting to meet them, Adélie understands this as Dandy abandoning her. Feeling used by her only friend she runs away to seek solace from her sorrow. The scene where she hides in an alley to cry was incredibly powerful. It is her that two bounty hunters who had previously failed to capture her make their move. She soon realizes that she needs Dandy and calls out for his aid while she is captured by these bounty hunters. Dandy, transformed into her penguin stuffed animal in their previous encounter tries his hardest to rescue her despite his less than intimidating stature. The effort penguin Dandy goes through to rescue her enforces that Dandy does in fact care about her.
After Adélie meets with her grandfather, Dandy and her part ways ignoring the bounty he could receive for bringing her into the agency. Despite their short time together, Adélie wishes to grow up faster in order to see him again. The relationship developed between the two, while short, was incredibly powerful and done extremely well. If all side characters are done this well I will be very impressed with Dandy.
