Anime Director Shinichiro Watanabe Wants To Make More Space Dandy - Exclusive

While all of Shinichiro Watanabe's anime have had definitive and satisfying endings, his original creations tend to be episodic enough that it would be possible for him to return to them for additional chapters. We saw this happen with "Cowboy Bebop": while there was no room for a sequel series, "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" was able to fit seamlessly into continuity between episodes 22 and 23. Had it been a bigger hit, "Samurai Champloo" could have easily had a similar prequel or middle-chapter movie. "Carole & Tuesday" wrapped up all its important plot threads, but the main characters are still alive and working together at the end of the series, so a sequel could be possible.

If Watanabe had his way, however, there is one anime of his, in particular, he would want to return to — again and again. Speaking with Looper in an exclusive interview via translated emails ahead of the home video release of "Carole & Tuesday," Watanabe made it clear that he would love to make more seasons of his 2014 sci-fi comedy series "Space Dandy."

When asked if there were any older anime of his he would like to make either a movie or another season of, Watanabe answered, "I think I could keep making more 'Space Dandy' forever. I'd make so much of it, up to a season 50 or something, that people would get angry and say, 'That's too much! Stop it already!'"

"Space Dandy" follows the adventures of a guy named Space Dandy (described in the opening credits as "a dandy guy in space"), who explores the galaxy hunting for new alien species and visiting the Hooters-esque "Boobies" restaurant, alongside his vacuum robot QT and the cat-like alien slacker Meow. Each of the show's 26 episodes takes place in a different alternate reality, allowing different animators to ignore continuity and experiment with creative styles and unpredictable storylines.

The series finale offered explanations for the multiverse's mysteries, allowing for some sense of a satisfying wrap-up, but also kickstarted yet another cycle of reincarnations for Dandy and his crew. Notably, the final sign-off wasn't "The End" but "May Be Continued?" Alas, this great show wasn't a major popular success, even with significant promotion from Adult Swim's Toonami block in the United States, so a continuation seems unlikely. Of course, it might be better to have just two perfect seasons than to get exhausted at season 50...

"Carole & Tuesday" is now available on Blu-ray.