Dandadan

Note: For the purpose of this mini review the anime covered Chapter 1-27 whereas the remaining of the manga this review will be covering is Chapter 27-167.

There is something simply enchanting about Dandadan. It’s first and foremost a romance and coming of age of Ken Takakura (Okarun) and Momo. These two have such a wonderful dynamic; it’s the make it or break it, as it’s the emotional anchor. Seeing that relationship blossom as the cast grows in size is something great to see. Beyond all of the eccentric moments—with the aliens, yokai, kaiju battles, exorcists, and music ensembles—it’s the chemistry not just with the two main leads but the whole cast that makes it work.

I will briefly touch upon the anime and just state that Science Saru did a wonderful job in Season 1. Fuuga Yamashiro at the helm (as director) did a brilliant job capturing the cinematic style of the mangaka in animation. It’s a faithful adaptation, yet it’s thankfully not a frame-by-frame adaptation, but sometimes they take an idea, and the wonderful staff in Science Saru would add their own spin to it (one particular backstory comes to mind). The vivid colours, music, pacing, and just overall direction are just brilliant as an adaptation, so much so that I read the manga straight afterwards.

Thankfully, the manga is also great in its storytelling. The art style is inspired by Kentaro Miura. It initially surprised me, but then I read the Cursed House Arc, and everything clicked. They are two completely different beasts, but you do see homages or even see how Miura’s panel layout influences the artist. Some other obvious influences were the Ring and Junji Ito's iconic manga, Tomie. The series in general does a pretty great job at finding the comedy in horror-like moments. But it never really hampers the emotional beat of the scene; it’s very well thought out in that manner. The last major influence was Tsuburaya's Ultraman. I’m pretty clueless about the franchise beyond reading an Ultraman manga that is supposed to be the sequel to the original TV show. But see, the alien designs side by side with Dandadan, the influence is evident, and for the beast, it’s very fascinating.

The quality of writing does get better as it progresses, I think this is most apparent with both the backstories and just general character dynamics. None of the arcs were weak, all serve a purpose and pretty much all tug on those emotional strings. My favourite arc so far would be the latest completed one, the Onbusuman Arc; both the creativity and emotional moments are at an all-time high in the series. If you thought the storylines in the anime were great, it only gets better from there. The couple of chapters after that arc were also brilliant, and the heavy implication for the series going forward. In general, I can read or watch these characters daily lives, and it would be utterly engrossing.

In conclusion, it’s a fun coming-of-age tale with two teens experiencing love and being thrown into the deep end of Yokai’s and Aliens. The relationship is a lot better than you would expect going in and only gets better as it progresses. I would recommend checking out the manga if you enjoy the anime quite a bit, if you didn’t, though, it does get better in my view but not to a point where if you disliked it prior, you won’t enjoy it.