“Whatever I want to do, is what I do. Whatever I don’t want to do, I don’t do.” Space Dandy says this to Adelie in his show’s fifth episode, but the show itself is saying this to the viewer.
Episode five of Space Dandy is a big departure from how the show has been up to that point. There’s no giant alien battle, no giant shaking tits (though Dandy talks about them plenty), and no Gogol empire goons on Dandy’s trail. The plot centers around a super-adorable little girl and Dandy’s simple quest to selflessly reunite her with her grandfather. It couldn’t be more simple or less absurd. Several minutes are dedicated to song montages of Dandy and Adelie just hanging out.
It’d be easy to see fans of Space Dandy get mad about this episode. Those who see Dandy as a throwback to a hyper-masculine, uber-wacky theme that may or may not have ever existed in history might be upset to see an adorable little girl voiced by the hugely popular Hanazawa Kana taking so much screentime. (As a fan of adorable girls and HanaKana, I am not one of those complainers.) I can picture fans crying fowl, calling it a cash-in attempt to appeal to lolicon otaku.
Space Dandy reassures us. He wouldn’t do anything he didn’t want to do. He only does exactly what he wants to do. I’d like to take him at his word.
My Sword Is Unbelievably Dull 