Dandadan's first three episodes have screened early, and the first reactions make us think it could be a Demon Slayer-level hit

The first three episodes of Dandadan have been shown in theaters – and fans are already predicting it's going to be anime's next big breakout hit.

Dandadan, a Science Saru adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu's supernatural manga, sees a budding relationship blossom between classmates Momo and Okarun. The wedge between them? They both believe in very different types of supernatural activity, with one believing in ghosts and the other believing in UFOs. After a series of unlikely events, the two team up and come into contact with – you guessed it – ghosts and UFOs.

"Yeah, man, the Dandadan anime is going to be a HUGE hit," one wrote on Twitter. "Those first 3 episodes were absolutely perfect and I didn't even notice that it went by so quick. [Director] Fuga Yamashiro captured the essence of the series completely with his amazing direction skills." Others praised series director Yamashiro, saying he's "cooking up a classic."

Another attendee was similarly effusive. They said, "So good I'm gonna see it AGAIN... The animation and sound is so good! PACKED theatres. Most fun I've had at an anime screening."

One fan continued the hype, adding, "To put it quite [simply] this truly is something special and most likely will be groundbreaking imo."

Finally, an audience member who watched First Encounter remarked: "Definitely a contender for anime of the year!"

Dandadan, fittingly, has a pretty peculiar set of release plans. Dandadan: The First Encounter – the first three episodes of the anime – have been packaged together and are currently showing in cinemas until September 19.

After that, we'll have to wait until October 3 to watch Dandadan on streaming. In a rare move, it's coming day-and-date to both Netflix and Crunchyroll.

Unfortunately, Dandadan was also a target of a major Netflix anime leak earlier this year – but it's clearly done nothing to dampen the hype surrounding the sci-fi series.

For more, check out the latest on more exciting new anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 and Demon Slayer Infinity Castle.