English Dub Review: Dandadan “Merge! Serpo Dover Demon Nessie!”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Wielding Acrobatic Silky’s power, Aira fights the Serpoians alongside Okarun and Momo.  The frustrated Serpoians power up their crustacean-like minion.

Our Take:
Having the perverted Serpoians return following their debut in the first episode was understandably long overdue.  However, instead of targeting Momo this time, the aliens are now after Okarun for his spiritual abilities, but what they don’t realize is that they’re in for another rude awakening.  It turns out that Aria is now the latest student to gain powers from a yokai, with her abilities being from Acrobatic Silky following their confrontation two episodes ago.  Upon watching the previous episode’s conclusion, I became curious about how Aira would harness her new powers against the aliens.  Fans of the manga had been waiting for this moment to be adapted since the anime was released. But as a newbie, I was eager to see if Aira’s actions could compensate for her personality and actions toward Okarun in the previous episode.
Unsurprisingly, Aira was able to hold her ground for a while with her agility and prehensile hair.  But, of course, she couldn’t handle the Serpoians alone, as Okarun and Momo must come together to help her defeat the Serpoians and the Loch Ness Monster alien.  However, the only obstacles standing in their way are a naked Okarun and Momo and Aira arguing about who gets to lead the team.  What we got is another exhilarating and superbly animated showdown that benefits from its presentation, comedy, and chemistry.  Is it better than their battle with Turbo Granny in episode four?  Well, I would say it was definitely close to being as outstanding as that episode, with the minor setback being Aira’s annoyingly lovesick personality.  Other than that, the episode continues the show’s impressive streak of strong episodes that balance character dynamics with chaotic, action-packed fun.