Season Review: DANG! Season One
Overview (Spoilers Below):
After their sister Ruthie (Stephanie Hsu) blows up their perfect life, Andrew (Andrew Law) and Eunice (Poppy Liu) show her the fun in being flawed as she helps them adult.
Our Take:
We all have that one sibling who is the complete opposite of us. While we try to live our normal, “perfect” lives as best we can, our brother or sister tends to disrupt that normalcy with their carefree attitude, whether they’re younger or older than us. But at the end of the day, our differences are what make us family, though I wish I could say the same for these siblings. Netflix kicks off this year’s fall season for adult animation with the eight-episode series that’s as messy as the siblings’ lives. Named after a statement to voice our frustration, “DANG!” is what happens when you put three distinct adult siblings under one roof, and the result is pretty much what you would expect out of an animated sitcom.
“DANG!” follows the Dang kids, with Andrew and Eunice living life as aimless twenty-somethings. However, their struggles get even more complicated when Ruthie, their top-class older sister who’s expecting her child, prepares to move in with them. What follows is a series of mishaps in New York City that has the three siblings help each other rebuild their lives in their own dysfunctional way. While Ruthie tries and fails to teach Andrew and Eunice how to act like responsible adults, they assist Ruthie in adjusting to her new changes after her affair resulted in her pregnancy. Amid these raunchy misadventures, “DANG!” reflects life itself and the imperfections that come with it. Sure, things may not go the way we wanted them to go, whether you’re “perfect” or not, but they’re what make life more interesting, especially when you’re living in New York.
“DANG!” is another series that blends adult humor with slice-of-life premises that form an overarching narrative. In this case, the series explores the modernities of New York living, like modern dating, and Asian culture through its satirization amid its journey through adulthood. Unsurprisingly, it aligns with other adult animated shows from different streaming services, but not in an excessive, obnoxiously crass way. Yes, the jokes in “DANG!” do involve drugs and sex, but they’re restrained in favor of a tale involving three dysfunctional siblings surviving the wild world they call life. That’s what makes this series a bit more enjoyable than I initially expected. However, that doesn’t mean it deserves a place in the big leagues regarding adult animation.
There were plenty of jokes that I found humorous, while the others were on-the-nose, including ones involving sexism, notably Andrew’s gayness. But even with the mild amusement, the series basically goes through the narrative motions of other slice-of-life shows, with a few moments being a bit better than others. One such example is the fifth episode, with Andrew showing his old Christian school friend, Kevin, the ropes of being gay. While it’s not the best LGBT representation I’ve seen, that episode still did a solid job showing how Andrew’s rules kept Kevin from truly “coming out”. I would also credit the main voice actors for elevating their characters’ chemistry with their performances. Series creator Andrew Law was a standout, conveying Andrew’s awkwardness and timidity with solid comedic timing and balanced energy. It’s also nice to see Stephanie Hsu in more stuff, with her performance as Ruthie being another decent example of her talents.
Some shows in the adult animation lineup would make me want to say “Dang, this is bad!” However, “DANG!” is one of the shows that made me actually state, “Dang, this is not bad.” I wouldn’t say it’s a great animated sitcom that delivers plenty of adult jokes and underlying themes to coincide with the characters’ messy lives. But I would be lying if I said I was bored of its usual slice-of-life shenanigans. Andrew Law created a fairly enjoyable yet by-the-numbers look at dysfunctional siblings navigating the imperfect world around them, bolstered by its voice cast and amusing comedy. Like some of the other Netflix animated shows I’ve experienced, “DANG!” is something I won’t mind seeing more of regarding its execution, even if it’s not as “perfect” as Ruthie.
