Review of Dan Da Dan

Personally, I had absolutely no expectations. I was expecting yet another anime about teenagers who find themselves fighting against a bunch of monsters. I wasn't entirely wrong, until I realized that this was a disturbing high-school romantic comedy. DandaDan is absurd, strange AND funny, but sometimes it takes on serious, tragic and violent overtones. This kind of contrast is not the only one to be found in the series. It all starts with the meeting between Okarun and Momo, who are complete opposites in their personalities, their beliefs and, later, their powers, which themselves contrast with what they are. Momo is self-confident, courageous, even to the point ofrushing in headlong and impulsive. Yet her abilities force her to remain more an observant than an initiator of action. As for Okarun, he's the cliché of the shy, friendless, bullied boy who lacks self-confidence. Yet the Yokai form conferred on him by Mémé Turbo is not insignificant. He takes on a particular look, changes the way he speaks and is the first to go into battle. He seems more confident, more in phase with himself. These opposites create harmony, the duo completing each other in every way.

This harmony is the basis of their relationship, the basis of the romance. There are the inevitable clichés of a high-school romcom, with misunderstandings, cheesy internal dialogues and uncomfortable moments. But to cooperate, Okarun and Momo don't have to stay victims of the unsaid. They communicate, and that changes.

The offbeat humor, the uneasy relationship with sexuality. It's all part of DandaDan's identity. If it seems strange to us, it's because that's the point. The anime is disturbing and plays with it. This impression is clearly exaggerated by the animation. The exaggeration of movements, the deformation of bodies and the lack of detail support the idea of a certain action. We're no longer into beauty but technique. The use of bright colors accentuates the dynamism, which almost reminds me of the animation in Devilman Crybaby.

DandaDan is part of the same movement as Chainsaw Man; it's an offbeat, trashy series capable of dealing with serious subjects while making us forget our own problems with absurd humor. The script itself isn't particularly original, but it's what surrounds it that makes the series appealing. It's beautiful, it's funny, it's full of pop culture references. It's a smartly made anime.