Every once in a while something from the anime industry quietly drops that winds up being a breath of fresh air from the vast selection of generic garbage you’re usually treated to. When I saw that this show was recommended to me on Netflix, I didn’t really think too much of it. Just another anime with a weird gimmick for a focus on the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. So I figured, why not? I’ve got nothing better to watch. Let’s give it a shot.
To be blunt with you, I don’t really have a tight attention span for TV shows. If it doesn’t hook me in the first episode, then I usually drop it. The moment I finished that first episode of Dandadan, I was instantly hooked. And let me tell you, I was so glad that the spur-of-the-moment decision to press play was something that happened.
So what is Dandadan? On the surface, it’s a whimsical comedy about a duo who encounters ghosts and aliens depending on the episode. Not a strange formula. You’ve seen shows like Kekkaishi tackle the supernatural with two main characters. But never have I seen a show so wonderfully executing its balls-to-the-wall comedy with no shame, going full throttle on whatever the hell it wanted to do, ever since Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.
What immediately got me hooked was the dynamic between our duo. You have the main girl Momo Ayase, who sort of looks like a gyaru version of Yukari Takeba. While she might look like a typical delinquent fashionista, she does prove to have a heart and is more than capable of empathy despite being quick to anger. She takes a more central role than her male counterpart as her powers and family background are usually more important to the episode.
On the other hand, you have Okarun who looks like a run-of-the-mill nerd that’s typically unpopular with the rest of the student body. Unlike other wannabe smartasses in fiction, Okarun is endearing enough in his passion for aliens and genuine desire to improve himself that he never comes off as annoying.
The way these two interact is refreshing, to say the least. Sure there’s the typical back-and-forth banter and romantic tension between the duo but the annoying slapstick that you’d normally see in the original Ranma 1/2 is absent in favor of endearing teasing between the two and genuine heartfelt interactions. It makes it easy to root for Okarun and Momo as a couple while simultaneously keeping their interactions engaging.
When Momo first apologized to Okarun for insulting him about his interest, I was instantly on board with shipping these two idiots. You don’t see interactions like that happening a lot in anime. In any other show, I feel that the apology would never have happened until their lives were in danger. It’s refreshing to see a couple whose interaction feels smooth and natural.
It’s during the encounters with the paranormal that the show really shines. The show goes above and beyond how our protagonists deal with dangers by thinking of clever tactics to eliminate the threat. They could be dealing with a sumo wrestler alien that entraps them in a closed space. A hundred-year-old ghost grandma that can run kilometers per second. Or a boxing alien that raps while jabbing punches.
The real premise of Dandadan is actually about finding Okarun’s missing ballsack. After an encounter with a folklore ghost in an abandoned tunnel, one of our protagonists has his dick and balls taken from him after being possessed. He gains powers from the experience but is now missing a vital part of his manhood.
Thankfully he has his faithful crush, Momo Ayase, to help him look for his missing balls. If that sounds awkward to you, it was probably meant to be. You see Momo’s grandma is a spirit medium who is kind of like Bayonetta so she’s inherited telekinetic powers that she uses to great effect. Momo can see spiritual residue engraved on anything and can even grab people and objects with her mind.
What’s interesting is that problems in Dandadan encountered by our protagonists can’t be brute forced conventionally. They’re much stronger than our duo even with their powers and so they have to use their wits to take down the threats that come to them. The rest of the main cast introduced in later episodes prove to be just as entertaining.
The fights themselves are so entertaining to see because of the high-quality animation. It would explain why there are only 12 episodes for Season 1. The ending of the show had me desiring for more. Alas, it kind of ends abruptly without resolution.
Dandadan is an amazing show to watch even if you only have a passing interest in anime. The only big downside is that Season 1 ends in a cliffhanger. It won’t be until Season 2 releases this July that we’ll know what happens next.
Dandadan - Season 1 Review
Dandadan starts strong, hits hard, and ends strong. The characters are all endearing and entertaining to watch. There's not a single moment where you'll want to tear your eyes off the screen. If not for the abrupt ending, this would've been a perfect score.
