DAN DA DAN
a review by Homuragi
a review by Homuragi
_This review contains SPOILERS for DAN DA DAN_
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I did not expect DAN DA DAN to be as enjoyable as it is. I opened up my laptop, downloaded Episode 1, and the rest is history. Unless you dropped the show because of the infamous 'assault' scene, I'm sure most agree that the first episode set the tone for us. Ayase Momo, a gal who doesn't believe in aliens, and Takakura Ken, an occult-obsessed nerd who doesn't believe in spirits butted heads, resulting in both of them being attacked by what they didn't believe in. As weird as that sounds, I found myself at the edge of my seat, taking in and enjoying the unique concepts, as well as the colourful scenery, which I don't think I even need to discuss at this point as everybody understands the production level of Dandadan (Science Saru really outdid themselves).
This is what happens when you allow a Tatsuki Fujimoto student to express all his creativity in his creation. At first glance, you may perceive the show as a mess, shuffling random ideas and having them animated to a high level... I mean, it is, but it's also more than that. Throughout the ordeals Momo and Okarun (his nickname) face, they gradually begin to appreciate each other's company more and more, loving each other more and more, casually forming the best romantic relationship in the battle shounen industry.
It is the best romance and it's not even close. Momo came into Okarun's world much like how Yamada came into Ichikawa's world (Bokuyaba), bringing in colours that he never even knew existed. After not being able to bond with other humans for a long period of time during his adolescence, Okarun resorted to desiring communication with fictional beings. Momo single-handedly changed all of that by doing a small act of shielding him from bullies. Okarun didn't want to miss this opportunity, but he also had 0 experience in making friends, so he did the only thing he could. He bantered with Momo about his beloved occult and aliens. He took that chance and made a life-long friend.
As the episodes went by, the viewers got invested in their relationship almost automatically. Full episodes dedicated to their love, small moments that have so much impact. I don't know about you guys, but me personally, I was grinning like an idiot watching them seek each other's company like there was no tomorrow. Diabetes all the way. Momo gets carried away sometimes, hurting Okarun in the process, but she always makes up for it later on by simply thinking in a rational manner and communicating. Now you know not all gals are toxic bitches.
Nah. So, there are just certain periods when you know an anime has reached peak status and this is that period. After getting his damn balls stolen by Turbo Granny, Okarun, along with Momo go on a mission to recover them, only to be chased down by the granny, a local spirit, and hundreds of corpses. However, this was not an ordinary action sequence. Science Saru's wild animation and colouring was one thing, but who in the fuck decided it was a good idea to remix classical music and use it as a soundtrack for battles? Kensuke Ushio. The goddamn goat. 24 minutes of top-quality production.
Just when you thought the anime was all shits and giggles, they explain to you how the local crab spirit was made up of young girls who were violated and brutally murdered in that area and how Turbo Granny comforted them. So, now the audience understood that they shouldn't expect all rainbows and butterflies from the show. Alas, it didn't matter if they understood or not because Episode 7 did not care.
The acrobatic silky yokai's story was revealed in the form of a flashback montage, displaying a single mother's struggles through breathtaking storytelling. She sold her body, she worked as a cashier, she cleaned malls, all of those just to give her daughter a fulfilling life. She danced alongside her daughter, she made her nice curry, she even bought her a pretty dress using the debt money she had been saving. A poor decision. The gang did not care about her circumstances. A tragic scene unfolded as the loving mother tried to shield her daughter from the gang violence, only to be beaten up and blinded. They took her daughter away, they took her joy away. An act of desperation is beautifully represented in the form of a POV shot in motion. In that moment, in that instance, everybody felt the sheer volume of desperation. Everybody fell silent. Only the sound of sniffing could be heard and the warm sensation of fresh tears streaming down their faces could be felt. The anime industry united as every single viewer silently whispered the sentence: 'Thank you mom'.
(I'm sure a lot of you stopped hating Aira after this. Who would dare dislike a character voiced by Ayane Sakura )
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PS: The OST did not help either. I'm sure 'To a Kinder World' made it into many people's top OST list. It was, in a way, the new 'I Really Wanna Stay At Your House'. I hadn't cried like that since I got my ass whooped by mama in 7th grade.
I wouldn't say DAN DA DAN is peak fiction ,but calling it peak anime is not a stretch at all. A 9-9.5 in my books. The fact is that you won't see an adaptation like this for a long while. This one enhanced its source material so much: the background details, the colouring, the cuts, the movement fluidity, the voice acting etc. I was beginning to think that Frieren wasn't gonna have a competitor at all for Anime Of The Year.
▶ Video (btw, this what we got after bawling our eyes out for 24 mins straight)✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺
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