Abel Gongora, the co-director of "Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye," talks to IndieWire about joining the directing team of the popular anime series and seeing the first three episodes on the big screen.

Editor’s note: The following story contains spoilers for “Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye.”

Season 1 of “Dan Da Dan,” the action comedy adaptation of the manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, ended on a tantalizing cliffhanger, as main characters Momo and Okarun — two oddball teenagers who gain powerful abilities to defend the world against threats both supernatural and extraterrestrial alike — arrive at the home of Momo’s childhood best friend Jiji to help discover the root behind a curse, and only just begin to crack into what’s lurking underneath the house before the credits role. Fans of the show thus had to wait five months for the story to continue.

Now that the show’s back, it’s coming back with style. After Season 1 of “Dan Da Dan” received critical acclaim and healthy viewership, the first three episodes of the second season are premiering in movie theaters as “Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye.” Following a quick recap of Season 1 to get newer viewers up to speed, the special movie event dives into the curse of the Evil Eye haunting Jiji, leading to some of the show’s most compelling drama and fight scenes. For Abel Gongora, the co-director of “Dan Da Dan” Season 2, the movie’s release offered an exciting opportunity to see his work on the big screen for the first time — but a nerve-wracking one at the same time.

“Normally, I see them on my computer at home with the headphones on,” Gongora said to IndieWire in an interview. “The problem is that I see so many mistakes, because it’s so big, that I’m like ‘Ah, I wish I fixed that, or I wish I did this in this case.’ I can’t help but see a lot of things that I would like to fix if I have the time. But of course, now it’s too late.”

‘Dan Da Dan Evil Eye’

Gongora was promoted to co-director of “Dan Da Dan” for Season 2, working alongside Season 1 director Fūga Yamashiro. A Spanish-born animator based in Japan best known for directing “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” Gongora was responsible for Season 1’s frenetic opening credits sequence, which he describes as a take on the opening credits for 1967’s “Ultraman.” For Season 2 of the show, which promises to be bigger and bolder than the original, the heads of animation company Science Saru decided to promote Gongora to co-director alongside Yamashiro; the two have known each other for years, both having worked with company founder Masaaki Yuasa.