Inio Asano is the acclaimed mangaka behind Goodnight Punpun, and now his work is being animated for the first time with Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, a new anime series released by Crunchyroll adapted from a pair of films. With a unique premise, incredible visuals, and a fascinating plot, every fan of anime has reason to be excited for the Crunchyroll debut of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction episode 0 on May 23rd at 8:00 PM PST.

Based on the manga series by Inio Asano, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is a unique series about a world potentially on the brink of collapse, but not necessarily for the reason that might seem most obvious. Within the world of the series, a massive spaceship appears over Tokyo on August 31st. While the ship crashes into buildings and causes some destruction, it is not initially clear whether the aliens are hostile or not.

Episode 0 of the series primarily focuses on a manga editor named Nobuo (voiced by Giles Panton) who wakes up eight years after the spaceship’s arrival. After blacking out during the initial ‘invasion’, Nobuo’s body was taken over by an alien, causing him not to remember the details of the new society that arose in the aftermath of the spaceship’s arrival. Episode 0 proceeds to play out like a short film detailing Nobuo’s attempts to reunite with his daughter Kadode, after being apart for the intervening years.

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction Episode 0 is an Incredible Start

The Series’ Atmosphere & Cast Are All Incredibly Strong

Debuting with its English dub, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction starts off with an absolute explosion of a first episode. Though future episodes of the series promise to be more of a slice-of-life following Nobuo’s daughter Kadode and her best friend Oran before things got bad, episode 0 mixes action, intrigue, and character moments to wonderful effect.

A tired and burned-out manga editor, Nobuo serves as a wonderful introduction to the world. Though he certainly has an emotional reaction to learning about what happened to him, and the world at large, in between his gaps in memory, there is a kind of subdued energy to the character that is quite telling. Instead of reacting with horror and shock to many of the revelations he learns, Nobuo quietly accepts the changes that have come to the world. While this lack of a reaction might be off-putting to some viewers, it’s entirely an intentional choice that works well within the narrative.

With works like Goodnight Punpun, Solanin, and the manga industry indictment Downfall, Inio Asano’s works tend to feature characters underreacting to a series of increasingly horrible events. Instead of underselling the stakes though, this sort of emotional blankness makes it all the more shocking and effective when characters do display genuine emotion. Emotion doesn’t trickle in with Asano’s work, it bursts through with tremendous force.

Dead Dead Demon’s Atmosphere Sets Itself Apart From Other Apocalyptic Fiction

Dads wading through a post-apocalypse to either protect or find their kid (whether adopted or biological) is a popular trope in the wake of media like The Last of Us franchise. While this sort of thing usually results in a meditation on violence, Dead Dead Demon’s shows a far softer side of things. Nobuo isn’t an action star and he isn’t a violent man. He wants to find his daughter but still finds room to care about others. This quiet warmth makes him a refreshing character who avoids many of the tropes associated with post-apocalyptic fiction.

Another positive effect of Nobuo’s emotional numbness in episode 0 is how that plays with the atmosphere. The atmosphere is key in Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction as it informs so much of the world and characters. Despite the horrible and harsh state of the world, there is a quiet humanity that accompanies Nobuo and his two companions, Kimiko and Hako. The world and the people in it may certainly be cruel at times, but that doesn’t mean the characters themselves don’t care for each other and can’t be warm.

Reinforcing this is the high-quality animation present throughout episode 0. Makoto Shinkai praised the movie version of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, and it’s easy to see why when watching Episode 0. The characters are all visually unique, with no two faces looking alike, and their animation is distinct enough that characters even move differently.

Fans Who Enjoy Episode 0 of Dead Dead Demon’s Should Prepare For Something Different

As strong as episode 0 of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is, what follows in future episodes will prove quite different. The main series should follow Nobuo’s daughter Kadode and her best friend Oran as they essentially try to ignore the spaceship and just go about their lives. Instead of being a focus, Dead Dead Demon smartly uses its aliens to reflect on humanity and their response to the unknown.

Ultimately, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction has an exciting start, and if the series’ trailers are anything to go by, then things will only grow more interesting as fans learn about what Kadode and Oran were up to between Nobuo blacking out and Nobuo waking up again. Inio Asano’s works are unique, making manga like Goodnight Punpun almost impossible to adapt to anime. Still, with Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction Production h+ has proven just how beautiful the acclaimed mangaka’s work can be when put in motion.

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction episode 0 will be available on Crunchyroll on May 23rd at 8:00 PM, PST.