Dandadan

Our popular protagonist Momo Ayase and her opposite, the introverted and antisocial protagonist Ken Takakura, cross paths when Ayase rescues Ken after he becomes upset about the bullying he suffers at school. Believing he has made a friend thanks to Ayase saving him, Ken decides to talk to her about his passion and hobby. Takakura holds a very strong belief in the existence of aliens and that UFOs are real, constantly reading and researching the topic. When Ayase notices Ken's curiosity about aliens, she finds it meaningless. However, the truly strange thing is that even though she does not believe in UFOs or aliens, she does believe in supernatural spiritual entities. This does not come across as credible to Ken, who considers it a superstition. Thus, a fierce competition begins between the two, each trying to convince the other. One day, to prove they are right, they send each other to places where aliens and spiritual entities are said to exist. Although they initially do not believe in each other, the duo's adventures begin when Ken encounters a paranormal entity called Turbo Nine and Ayase is abducted by aliens. Will Momo's psychic powers and the paranormal powers Takamura gains be able to help this pair? What do all these events mean?

Production

The anime is directed by Fuuga Yamashiro, who also served as assistant production manager for the popular series Devilman: Crybaby. The voice of Momo Ayase, one of the series' main characters, is provided by Shion Wakayama, who has also voiced characters in anime such as Trillion Game, Lazarus, and Dr. Stone. Ken Takakura is voiced by Natsuki Hanae, known for his work in anime including Tokyo Revengers, Tougen Anki, Tokyo Ghoul √A, Jitsu wa Watashi wa, Gamers, Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Sakamoto Days. You can access the introductions for Tokyo Ghoul √A, Jitsu wa Watashi wa, and Gamers on our site. Introductions for the other mentioned anime will be featured on our site in the future. The anime was produced by Science SARU, and the first season consists of 12 episodes. It was released on the Netflix platform. Additionally, there is a second season of the anime, and its introduction will soon be published on our site.

Review

If I were asked to summarize this anime in a single word, it would undoubtedly be "weird." The anime really is weird. Whatever you're looking for, it's there. Want aliens? Yes, they're here. Want paranormal events and entities? Of course, they're there too. I can hear you asking if there are superpowers—how could there not be? What about drama, action, comedy, romance? It's hard to believe, but all of it is present. There's even friendship, human relationships, and the psychological trauma that societal pressure creates within a person's inner world; even that is here. I feel like saying that when all of these elements are combined so beautifully and appropriately, an anime just like its name, Dandadan, comes into existence. (I know the joke isn't great, but I love puns 😊) Now, let's move on to my detailed comments. This time, I'm making a change and want to start with the characters. Because generally, I've talked about the subject matter and the weirdness. As diverse and absurd as the plot coherence is, the characters in this anime are equally cliché. But don't get me wrong, I genuinely love this. One of the main characters, Takakura, is a typical introvert, a crushed character with no talent in anything, much like many shonen protagonists. Our other main character, Momo, is again a talented, popular character who protects and pays attention to the loser character, familiar to us from similar anime. But as I said, I'm not very complaining about this. I enjoy the development of the characters here, specifically the process where the weak character grows stronger over time and catches up to the other character, along with what happens during that journey. For those who dislike clichés, there are so many eye-catching different absurdities, action, etc., within the anime that I am very confident this cliché won't stand out.

Another aspect of the anime that I love is the subject matter it deals with... Aliens and paranormal events (such as ghosts and monsters). The action brought by these two themes is really well-crafted and connects beautifully to each other every time. These topics and the action keep the desire to watch and the sense of curiosity alive constantly.

Another beautiful aspect, which I think is definitely one of the most important sides, is the silly events and progression in the anime... Without containing any sexual messages whatsoever, the topic of our male protagonist's testicles revolves around for episodes. Or, our female character's reproductive ability becomes essential for the alien brothers and turns into a research subject. You won't believe it, but many such silly topics and events are very important in the anime. When all this nonsense combines with comedic elements, we can say an entertaining work emerges.

There is some romance between the characters in the anime, though not as heavy as the other themes. This suits people who don't like romance, while also being able to make people who do like romance smile, at least a little.

Perhaps the only negative aspect we can point out about the anime is that the events repeat each other quite a lot. Unfortunately, the events that happen can sometimes fall into repetition. But still, if you like the absurd events and action, and if you're also looking for some comedy and romance here and there, it is definitely an anime I can recommend. Watch it, and have others watch it too.