Space☆Dandy S2 – 06

In space, no one can hear you make driving safety violations

Maaaan I’ve been busy lately. But not too busy to watch Space Dandy! It’s been delivering week after week so I wouldn’t ever dream of missing out on the action. A big plus is that this week focuses on the lovely ladies of the show, and they’re both not who they seem to be at all.

Seeing the ladies have a big chunk of screentime is a welcome change from mostly following the trio of male idiots. Honey and Scarlet proved to be interesting topics for the episode, and I almost wish we had more time to develop the story behind Scarlet’s desperation and Honey’s latent abilities as a half-Cloudian. This is one of the few times I have to lament the format of switching things up every week, because it can be very limiting at times. It was a successful episode all around, but I still feel like I want more. Especially Honey! She’s a surprisingly tough cookie.

She can serve you pineapple pancakes or she can piledrive you into pieces

In fact, it’s really nice how both women completely shatter the stereotypes developed around them so far. Honey has been depicted as the bubbly blonde working at Boobies. How could you not see her as the ditz with big boobs that was solely there for Dandy to drool over? I’ve seen that role time and time again, so I was quick to pigeonhole her as nothing but a fanservice character. I figured her appearance in a race (in season 1) was a one-time thing done for – yet again – fanservice. I never thought Honey would secretly be a thrill-seeker with a love of wrestling (both watching and reinacting it!) and a a sharp wit to keep her out of danger.

It is possible to be girly and ride a sick motorcycle off into the distance and also be smart. It’s just…very rare. And very cool. It’s really nice that they made Honey not just the poster girl for Boobies, but a badass chick with a variety of interests. The half-Cloudian thing is a bit random, but it explains why she has gathered so much knowledge that she crashes Dr. Gel’s storage device. I loved watching her completely lull Dr. Gel into a sense of false security so that she could steal all of his information, beat him to a pulp, and then make it back in time for her work shift. She really knows how to play the system to get what she wants, but not in a cold, manipulative sort of way. Honey just wants to have a good time and she’ll do whatever it takes to make sure her life stays just the way she wants it. Even if it means luring Dandy to “save her” with some promised special service in return. She definitely didn’t need any saving, and I doubt she ever will.

*romantic saxophone music plays*

Scarlet came as another surprise to me, although less because of stereotypes and more because of how I thought of her. To me she seemed like the mysteriously hot girl of the cast whose strictness was just a barrier to be broken. Underneath, there was supposed to be some adorable dere dere side that all the guys longed to see. Instead of being the hot business lady I expected, she’s a lonely woman who drinks away her sorrow. There are no men close to her trying to break past her strict side because there are no men close to her at all. It’s surprising that she’s ignored by everyone when she has so many positive traits.

Scarlet’s failures look even worse when shown next to Honey. We learn that Honey isn’t only sexy and popular, but she’s also really cool and frighteningly strong. Meanwhile, we learn that Scarlet is desperate, disgruntled and not quite as refined as we initially thought. The combination of these revelations makes Honey look super cool while Scarlet looks…pretty sad. Who would have thought that out of the two women, Honey would be the badass?

It’s like choosing Katherine or Catherine

All in all, I really enjoyed seeing my expectations get completely shattered. I was more focused on the ladies than Gentle, to be honest, but he was important for tying everything together. His “cloud” which was literally a flying cloud (of the weather variety) that doubled as a cloud (of the data storage variety) was a cute concept. The Ambiancians, however, irked me to no end. If they appeared for only one brief period, I could have handled them. But Space Dandy is not a show that is improved with a laugh track. I appreciate the effort to jam-pack this episode will content, but there’s no point just throwing in another alien to randomly turn the show into a sit-com.

Next week seems to be jumping on the rock band trend. I would really love for it to be another musical-based episode complete with a concert music video. But one thing that’s predictable about Space Dandy is that it never does the same thing twice. But whatever happens, I know it’ll be good.

The crew wants to procrastinate on alien hunting until next week

About Overcooled

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.