As 2024 comes to a close, Dan Da Dan has become the talk of the shonen town. From the chemistry of its two leads to its banger opening and offbeat style, Science Sarus adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsus supernatural romcom has captured hearts and minds of animation fans, whove been tuning in on a weekly basis to see what madness Momo Ayase and Okarun will get caught up in next. In early December, io9 spoke with Momo and Okaruns respective dub actors, Abby Trott and A.J. Beckles, who came to the material through different avenues. Beckles was already reading the manga prior to auditioning, while Trott only knew of it through the audition. They both became captivated, and were pretty shocked they booked the partsand how much the dub specifically has been singled out as great in its own right. Seeing some of the comments about how some people enjoy the dub, and have switched over to it, has been really cool, said Beckles. The sub v. dub war has existed since the dawn of time, but he said Dan Da Dan avoided getting looped in thanks to heavy marketing for its dub, and the actors having proper time to record. That isnt always the case with anime, and according to him, the shows better for it: without preconceived notions surrounding either the Japanese or English voices, viewers have been free to like whichever version they want. Gkids/Science Saru While audiences have sung the shows praises for months now, some viewers were thrown off by the first episodes second half, wherein both Momo and Okarun find themselves in peril by otherworldly beings. While Okarun gets chased around and possessed by the demonic Turbo Granny, Momo ends up in a more harrowing situation wherein shes kidnapped by aliens called the Serpo, who strip her down to her underwear and prepare to steal her reproductive organs. Its a pretty sudden tonal shift, not helped by there still being traces of comedy as the Serpo call said organs bananas.When asked, both actors readily acknowledged how unpleasant the scene could be to watch, and neither faulted anyone for jumping off the show because of it. For Trott, the scene is a key moment for her character, since thats when Momos psychokinetic powers emerge. Once she realizes what she can do, she immediately goes on the offensive, and several of the seasons big action beats have involved Momo getting a better handle on her abilitiesso to have her come into that power and immediately use it to kick the Serpos butts was satisfying. In that scene, were not saying the Serpoians are good, its quite the opposite. Theres a lot of dynamics to this anime, and definitely some hard parts to get through, said Trott. But the good outweighs those tough to watch moments.Beckles shared a similar sentiment, and pointed to how Momo using her grandmothers advice and getting a surprise assist from Turbo Granny as examples of how women support each other throughout the story. As a manga reader, he indicated things improve going forward, saying viewers would see, as the show continues, that it does take those moments more seriously. The two actors also highlighted Okaruns presence and healthy perspective on women, which lets the show contrast him with the more invasive Serpoians. Gkids/Science Saru After its fourth episode, Momo and Okaruns slow burn romance really begins to take shape. Their growing relationship is all the more notable since other shonen often have romance as an addition to their stories rather than the core. Tatsu famously revealed that while pitching Dan Da Dan, his editor Shihei Lin recommended he read shoujo (or young girl) manga, which puts focus on personal and romantic relationships. If Lin hadnt doled out the advice, the series might not be what it is now, and would likely lack the same impact and excitement around it. Audiences love a good love story, and they know when its not hitting. But because theyre so well-written and clearly definedand can never be normal around the other, especially in publicits hard not to root for Momo and Okarun.Even when the pair are caught up in some wild stuff, their feelings for one another inform nearly everything they do. Learning this was a love story didnt change either actors handling of the material, but Trott said the scene where Okarun and Momo bicker for the first time made it clear where things were headed. For Beckles, some of his favorite scenes for his character are when Okaruns just trying to figure out how to talk to a girl for the first time, or telling Momo how much he cares what she thinks. The dynamic between the leads is just as important in the booth. When it comes time to record, the actors both said they prefer when the others already come in first, since it allows them to feed off one another. Trott said she gets so much from her co-lead, especially since Okarun often provokes a certain response from Momo that makes her adjust her responses accordingly. The sames very much true for Beckles, who admitted the more intimate, romantic scenes would trip him up since Okarun tends to speak from his heart.Where Momos encounter with the Serpo helps trigger her psychic powers, Okaruns experience with Turbo Granny leaves him with a partial essence of the spirits powers, which let him transform into a faster, smoother, and more laid-back emo version of himself. As Beckles explained it, finding a default voice for Okarunwhich hed then use for when the characters more expressive or in his Turbo modetook several recording sessions. In those early episodes, Okarun was always screaming or whispering, and there was so much of it happening back-to-back-to-back to establish a baseline. Beckles credited voice director Alex von David for guiding him toward moments to make his voice more nerdy or more endearing. Alex has the overall vision, and he knows where Okaruns going. I really leaned on him on the points where it was difficult, but its good when its a challenge to try and do something the right way. One specific challenge he cited was episode fours goodbye scene between Okarun and Momo, which he called one of his most infuriating moments to record. Since he came into the booth first that day, it was hard to consider Okaruns thought process, how Trott would perform during her recording time, and the meaning behind each goodbye uttered. Once [Abby] recorded first the next day, he said, the puzzle pieces started to connect. I could play off her emotions, and it could build that way. I dont think we couldve gotten that endearing, childlike read without her See you later!'Gkids/Science Saru During our talk, Beckles and Trott shouted out several others thatve made Dan Da Dans adaptation a success. Along with the fans and von David, they gave glowing praise to their fellow dub actors Lisa Reimold (Aira) and Barbara Goodson (Turbo Granny), and their own characters respective Japanese performers, Natuski Hanae and Shion Wakayama. (Trott called Wakayamas Momo one of her favorite anime performances ever, and a perfect embodiment of Japans gyaru subculture.) Going on this journey has been a blast for them both, so its good well be hearing them again on Netflix and Crunchyroll with season two in July 2025. And while they couldnt say anything about whats to come, Beckles teased that where things left off is tame compared to where the show goes later. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.