The TV anime " Dandadan " is based on the popular manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, which is currently being serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine app "Shonen Jump+". The first season was broadcast on the late-night anime slot "Super Animeism TURBO" on MBS and TBS from October to December. The unique visual beauty of the show, including the powerful battle scenes with the monsters, became a hot topic, and the backgrounds and pasts of the monsters, such as monsters and aliens, were also depicted, causing a great response. It has been announced that the second season will start airing in July 2025. We look back on the first season of the popular work " Dandadan" and explain the charm that has captured the hearts of so many people.
◇The "density" of the original work is reproduced in the anime - the attention to detail of up-and-coming director Fuuga Yamashiro
"Dandadan" is an occult battle and coming-of-age story that began serialization in "Shonen Jump+" in April 2021. It depicts Momo (Ayase Momo), a high school girl from a family of spiritualists, and her classmate Okarun(Takakura Ken), an occult enthusiast, as they face one strange phenomenon after another. The anime is directed by Yamashiro Fuuga of Science SARU. He has worked on "Inu-oh," "The Heike Story of the Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" and more, and this is his first time as a director with "Dandadan."
The original work is packed with many elements, including the occult, youth, romantic comedy, and battle. When we interviewed Director Yamashiro, he said that the most important thing he kept in mind when adapting "Dandadan" into an anime was to "reproduce the density of the original work in the anime." To that end, he thoroughly researched the monsters and aliens that appear in the work, and sprinkled in various "little details" such as "Acrobatic Sarasa has a self-inflicted wound on his left hand" and "The Flatwoods Monster emits mist and floats." Furthermore, he felt the influence of special effects works such as Tsuburaya Productions in the original work, and by adding these elements, he tried to express in the anime "the hodgepodge feeling and jumbled impression that are characteristic of the original work."
Another appeal is the good tempo of the dialogue between the unique characters. Director Yamashiro said that during recording, he had instructed the voice actors to "add contrast and give the impression of emotional instability," and that he had the dialogue speeded up to "about 1.25 times faster than normal anime." On the other hand, he said, "I had the actors read the dialogue slowly for the innermost parts of the story, so that there was a contrast."
By sprinkling in various elements and using gaps and a sense of tempo, we aimed to recreate the feeling and impression one has after reading the original work in the anime.
◇The impact of the epic episode "Towards a Kind World"
The seventh episode, "Towards a Kind World," completely changed the impression of the series, which had a strong impression of battle action from the early encounters with the Serpo aliens and Turbo Granny, the fight with the Flatwoods Monster, and the fierce game of tag with Turbo Granny. In the seventh episode, the sad, eye-opening past of the monster Acrobatic Sarasa was depicted. It was a hot topic on social media as a "divine episode," and the sight of Akusara saving Aila's life with her own aura brought tears to the eyes of many viewers.
Even after the game of tag with Turbo Granny at the beginning, Hoshiko explains the background of Turbo Granny, saying, "The old woman always appears in places where the spirits of girls who had died unjustly resided. Perhaps she went around comforting girls who were unable to rest in peace."
"Dandadan" features a variety of strange phenomena, and also touches on their backgrounds and pasts. In an interview, the original author Ryu said, "After all, many of the elements of monster stories are created from tragic events from the past, so I wanted to make it a bit more entertaining and fun. Even when listening to various ghost stories, monsters and monsters were originally human, and they didn't become what they wanted to be. So they don't feel like villains. I think they are people who are struggling with their own conflicts."
Ryu also commented, "After all, it would be too sad if there was no hope. Since it's entertainment, I want to end it by showing readers something of hope." The hope that underlies the work is also carefully expressed in the anime.
"Dandadan" has captured the hearts of so many people because it is a perfect balance of powerful occult battles and deep drama about humanity and the supernatural.
After the battle with the aliens at the end of the first season, in the second season, Momo, Okarun and others will face a new threat at the mysterious house of Jiji (Jin Enjoji). Let's look back on the first season and get ready for the second season to air next summer.
