After already being turned into a two-part movie, the sci-fi slice of life manga series Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction is getting a TV adaptation too. And unlike the movies, this adaptation is getting an official Western release.
Even better is that the show is starting very soon, with the first episode premiering on Crunchyroll on Thursday, May 23 at 8pm PT / 10pm CT / 11pm ET (any UK readers will need to wait until 4am BST on May 24). There will be 18 episodes in total airing weekly and the show promises to feature “brand new footage” not seen in the movies. So, even those who’ve watched both movies have a reason to check it out.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the original manga, Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction begins with an alien spaceship appearing above Tokyo. However, that’s not the focus of the story, with it jumping ahead three years later and centering around the normal lives of high school girls Kadode Koyama and Oran “Ontan” Nakagawa as they learn about growing up, adult life, and how the supposed alien invaders may not be the true threat to humanity.
Just like the movies, production has been handled by Production +h, with Tomoyuki Kurokawa as director, a screenplay by Reiko Yoshida, and music by Taro Umebayashi. All three held the same roles for the movies, so things should feel consistent between the two adaptations. Voice actors Lilas Ikuta and ano have also reprised their roles as the two leads, Kadode and Oran. There’s so far no mention of whether the show will get an English dub, but there’s little reason not to watch it regardless, especially since there’s no sign of the two movies ever leaving Japan.
Written by Inio Asano, the original Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction manga ran from 2014 to 2022, and has sold over three million copies. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, it was named one of the year’s Best New Manga and was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2019.
