Dan Da Dan is a wild mix of awkward teen woes, strange powers, and unexpected friendships — and that same energy was present during the English dub’s panel at Anime NYC. AJ Beckles (Okarun), Abby Trott (Momo), and Lisa Reimold (Aira) entertained fans with games like “What’s In the Box,” live line readings, and other crowd-pleasing antics.
The series centers on two teens with supernatural abilities who battle yōkai and aliens alongside a cast of allies.
But despite Dan Da Dan’s flashy, over-the-top style, it also doesn’t shy away from heavier themes, touching on depression, childhood trauma, and even assault.
After the panel, the cast spoke with Polygon about what lies ahead in the back half of season 2 — highlighting Bryce Pappenbrook’s debut as newcomer Kinta Sakata — and reflected on what gives the series its emotional punch.
“At its core, Dan Da Dan is a story about kids growing up — how hard it can be to be a kid,” Beckles says. “It’s about all these misunderstood people. Momo is cool, but different. Okarun isn’t the most popular, but there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just misunderstood. Jiji’s a jock who doesn’t act like one. And Aira is still figuring out who she is.”
The show also captures all the awkward milestones of being a teen: navigating crushes, owning your quirks, and finding your place.
“There’s a lot of really deep stuff about agency and what it means in society,” Beckles said, “but at its heart, it’s just about kids. And that’s why so many people connect with it.”
Anime NYC also marked Reimold’s first guest appearance at a convention, and her first time participating in a panel in her career. The voice actress says she was ”very scared” about her first appearance, although she ended up stealing the show with her impression of Barbara Goodson’s Turbo Granny.
“I know everyone there is there to have fun,” she says. “That makes it a lot easier, because everyone just kind of wants to feed off of each other’s energy.”
It feels fitting that the English dub cast experience their own brand of awkward growing pains, much like their characters, as they get to know one another and find ways to bond. Beckles, Le, and Trott already share a natural rapport from past projects, and now they’re joined by Reimold and legendary voice actor Bryce Pappenbrook, best known as the voice of Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan.
“I’ve worked with Bryce on Demon Slayer for a long time,” says Trott, who voices Nezuko Kamado. “I especially love watching him with fans at conventions — he’s one of the best.” She adds that Pappenbrook had nothing but praise for Dan Da Dan’s director, Alex von David, whom he credits with shaping his career. “I told him Alex was our director, and he said, ‘Alex von David changed my life. It was because of the time he takes and his unique directing style.”
Beckles also praises von David for both guiding his voice acting and elevating his career.
“I was nominated for best performance at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. I don’t think that happens without him,” the Okarun actor says. “I truly think his direction made my performance as good as people think it is, but a lot of it is him helping me out. And having Bryce, he’s like a legend in his own right, and he’s such a nice guy.”
Pappenbrook steps into Dan Da Dan’s second season as sci-fi mecha geek Kinta Sakata, who makes a big splash in his debut trailer — teaming up with the gang to outrun a towering kaiju through the city. Producer Hiroshi Kamei and the cast called it the crown jewel of season 2’s back half, but Trott sums it up best.
“If you’ve read the manga, you know it’s one of those moments where you wonder, how are they going to animate this? And then you see it, and it’s like, oh my god, they did it.”
Dan Da Dan is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix, with new episodes every Thursday.
