Review of Dan Da Dan
Yukinobu Tatsu's Dandadan evokes countless expressions of freedom and creativity. While many shows of the supernatural genre tries to play it safe with traditional themes, Dandadan showed us how far creativity and imagination can really take us. As someone who enjoys anime not just for the viewing experience, Dandadan itself feels like an art form, crafted with vivid imagination. Watching the OP song itself is madness enough. It felt as if we were being pulled into the Twilight Zone of bizareness. Then, the music beat hits and we are greeted with perhaps the most stylistic and catchy opening of the year. "Otonoke" by Creepy Nuts isalmost indescribable by words alone. The amount of colorful elements are embedded with its alluring tunes, dancing movements, and body language. To say the least, even if you've never planned to watch Dandadan, we should agree tha the opening song is far from normal.
Dandadan's plot synopsis shows tons of potential although not not entirely unique. We've seen it in similar anime such as Mob Psycho 100 and FLCL: characters who meets and building a bond through fated encounters. Momo Ayase's encounter with Takakura Ken (nicknamed Okarun) is such an example. Their idealogy clash about the existence of supernatural pits the two as rivals but this quickly changes into an unique friendship and perhaps something even more.
That's the basis of the plot but it goes beyond much further than dealing with the supernatural. Dandadan's ability to use witty lines and character language is one of its highlights. The two main characters are so different in personalities that you'd think they are from different planets. It's what makes this show's chemistry contagious enough to draw an audience. We want to see what they fight for, and how they do it every episode. From early, the duo goes up against a flatwoods monster and later confronts the infamous Turbo Granny (yes, you can practically picture what she may resemble). Dandadan's 'monster of the week' translates to how the protagonists approach these monsters. All common sense are tossed out the window when confronting these monsters. However, Dandadan doesn't rely on shounen style strategies or battle tactics. They fight the monsters head on almost in cartoony fashion at times. A main selling point of the show is not how to confront these monsters but the cinematic battles themselves. It's an expression of creativity but also intertwined with madness and colorful usage of its cinematics and emotions.
Speaking of which, emotions is among an important factor for character development and relationship bonding. We find out through episode 7 when the character Acrobatic Silky receives perhaps one of the most emotional background story in recent anime memory. You'll have to truly watch and experience it for yourself to understand its impact. But because of strong emotions, Momo and Okarun builds a closer relationship among themselves. These range from a comical accidental kiss to real trust forged between the duo. To add on to the mix, characters such as Aira Shiratori adds even spicy drama among them.
By far, Dandadan takes advantage of its small yet colorful cast through its usage of character emotions. Momo, Okarun, and later on Aira, are at the epicenter of this. The nature of this show draws its attention on how characters behave around other. For example, Aira quickly develops an infutation towards Okarun while the latter is unable to respond accordingly. Meanwhile, countless teases are thrown between Momo and Okarun as they show their attaction towards each other. In classic example, Okarun also shows signs of jealousy when Momo's childhood friend pays her a visit later on in the show. Other characters such as Seiko serves as role models for the younger cast even though they are decorated with peculiar characteristics. From day one, we can see that Dandadan is far from an ordinary show despite taking place in a familiar normal setting. The line that draws between normalcy and the supernatural really goes out the bounds.
Dandadan's success should be counted for what it set out to do from the very first episode. The bizarreness of its themes and unorthodox humor is a major draw for the audience. It might not be suited for everyone but certainly evokes emotions. The one element holding back this season is its shortened length at 12 episodes. There are far more material in the manga that deserves to be adapted but with season 2 announced, our hopes aren't far away.