#Dandadan thoughts

[everythingseasoning]

Turbo Granny is actually so complex, I’m sorry for hating you Turbo Granny. TW: brief mentions of SA. And a few spoilers from episodes 1-7.

Why did Turbo Granny attack Okarun, hurt an innocent boy by stealing his privates? Turbo Granny is a yokai that resided in a tunnel where boys would discard the defiled, mangled bodies of girls they sa’d. She would comfort the spirits of those girls who couldn’t move on and find peace. The reason she attacked Okarun, and stole his privates was because she 1. Assumed he was scouting out the area to discard yet another poor girl, 2. She’s a yokai, which means she has lost some of her senses due to becoming a ghost with haunted memories. Her regrets became a driving force in all her motivations— death warping her when she was “reborn” as a yokai. So, she attacks all the boys who step foot in the tunnel, regardless of if it’s a misunderstanding or not. 3. Turbo Granny is a prideful old woman. She equates the living as trespassers when they enter her tunnel, and she gets PISSED. That’s also why she kept trying to kill Momo and Okarun (Ken), even after coming to know that they weren’t bad people.

Turbo Granny’s gift of speed and running makes sense with her trauma: she ran faster than all those who couldn’t get away.

Now, Turbo Granny, like all yokai, is morally gray. Death and trauma creates lenses that people/ghosts see the world through, and consequently, act through. She shows no empathy for Acrobatic Silky, saying that her life was worthless when Acrobatic Silky was dying. (And we allllllll know just how tragic and deserving of peace Acrobatic Silky is). She had earlier stolen Okarun’s (Ken’s) private part, despite him being an innocent kid who didn’t realize the rules of the living and dead meant he wasn’t supposed to trespass into their territory. But she is undoubtedly with nuance, and yet another example of “hurt people hurt people.” She acted unfairly, did something horrible to Okarun, and kept trying to kill the kids, and if we only look at that, we can easily hate her. It’s important to see that her trauma and her death made her into somebody deadly, angry, with a deep hatred for guys. Despite her evil actions, she still looked after the lost souls of sa’d and murdered girls. She was trying to do what she believed was good (aren’t we all? or, such is the case for many hurt people), though she was also a prideful cunt.

[littleholmes]

I’m caught up on the dandadan anime and I’m about to start reading the manga, and there’s a lot I love about this series but one of the biggest things is how these teens have to live the aftermath of these situations and we get to see it—and the next event happens like 10hrs later. So many series have these teens experience these significant wild events and then we see a little bit of the aftermath and next incident is a bit away and they go to school like normal or there’s a mini time skip or it’s back to back if we’re in the final arcs.

Not dandadan and I lowkey love it because it’s so real.

Things are awkward the next day because they just fought something last night and the next day and what do they say to each other and how do they find each other in the middle of the school day? Oh and then something else happens!

They just brought someone back to life and she’s still thinking they’re demons and they gotta deal with that dynamic in school and rumors. And Okarun still needs to get fit and learn how to fight because these encounters keep happening and he’s not ready. Oh and Ayase and Okarun’s control over their abilities keeps morphing as they get stronger through the fights forcing them to adapt.

They just fought a bunch of aliens in the middle of the school day and their clothes are gone and their classmates disappeared but then reappeared when the fight ended and they’re naked in the hall in the middle of the day surrounded by their peers and gotta figure out how to get clothes and deal with adults.

Speaking of, they need new clothes now because that’s the third time in like less than two weeks that their clothes were destroyed by all the supernatural shenanigans going on. Then something else happens!

It’s constant—they’re dealing with all of this constantly coming at them at like 4pm but then at like 10am the next day here comes something else—but they’re in school, having to go through their regular day and the awkwardness and aftermath of all these events and what that does to their regular lives just like other series, but we get to see it and the every day impact and idk I’m rambling but I love it

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Okay, I finally watched the DanDaDan anime (manga reader here). My initial thoughts:

1) I’m weirdly annoyed that the anime changed “all out” to “full throttle”.

2) I’m not used to Aira’s cutesy, high-pitched voice. In my head, she sounded more like an airheaded popular girl, like Glinda from Wicked. Not gonna lie, I don’t really like it. I will say though that I liked the moment where we hear Aira’s “real voice”.

3) They nailed my dawg Jiji. But I guess there was only one way to do the character anyways (annoying himbo). EDIT: Okay, one complaint! The animators kinda chickened out in making him look derpy. He’s way more handsome in the anime, while in the manga, there’s straight up panels where it looks like something is wrong with him lol.

4) It goes without saying that they nailed Momo and Okarun.

5) I think my overall problem with the adaptation is that it’s missing some of the personality from the manga. Admittedly, this is probably me being biased since I read the manga and I’m not really into animation in general. But from my perspective, some of the humor and wit is lost in seeing the scenes actually be animated. It’s hard to describe, but when I’m watching the show, the scenes just don’t come off as funny or as impactful as the manga. It’s the same feeling I got from the Spy x Family anime, there was just something lost in the change in mediums. Sorry y’all, that’s just my perspective.

6) That being said, while I prefer the manga overall, the Acro Silky backstory was done better in the show.

7) The cliffhanger was basically the studio telling you to read the manga lol (which you should!)

[clownmitts]

your momokra is THE momokarun. like when i picture momo and okra i think of your art IMMEDIATELY . thank you for feeding us 🙏🏻🙏🏻

I have read and reread and rereread this message ever since it hit my inbox, it makes me tear up every time, seriously thank you so so much!!🥹🫶💖💖💖💖💖

[crypt1dcorv1dae]

THE QUICKSTER

[nathen-s]

I was thinking about something…

Spoilers under the cut!

It’s curious how every other girl who fell for Okarun did after seeing him like Turbokarun or after his “glow up” of confidence.

Like Aira and Vamola fell for him after meeting his yokai form, when he was strong, fast and depressed haha. Although their encounters were in different contexts (Aira thought he was a demon and Vamola was looking for a strong man to marry).

And what to say about Rin, who literally made a self insert fanfic with him as a vampire in her mind. Again as well, after noticing his yokai form.

But with Momo was different. She fell for him when he was still the invisible weird boy, no strength nor social skills at all. Not even balls 😭 He was really self conscious about his true self poor baby and worried about making Momo tired of him. Even when he got curse he didn’t want to disturb her with his problem.

It was in that exact scene, when he handed her his uniform to wear and said his famous line when Momo fell. This kind little and shy gentleman won the baddie’s heart and he didn’t even notice.

And she thought “what a loser, I wanna smooch him so bad” or something like that hahaha

Momo fell first but Ken fell harder.

I love this pannel <3

I’m yapping now. Anyway sleep well and drink water

[averagemrfox]

By total chance I just learned about Rie Ota. She’s a japanese actress and stuntwoman and the first woman to portray a kaiju in Godzilla.

Did a double take when I saw her in the Baragon suit because I realized Vamola must be an homage to her

The video doesn’t have English subtitles but she makes her own kaiju sound effects lmao

[weabooii]

Ganzan Daishi | Ward Against Evil

[californiannostalgia]

On Dandadan's Dual Protagonists

I've watched the anime and read some chapters of the manga, and I think I understand why Momokarun works so well.

The antagonistic forces in Dandadan's world are violently nonconsensual and deal with deprivation of agency from women, children, etc. Momo and Okarun are to each other the first person to respect their boundaries. Possibly the first person that they hear apologies from, after an inconsiderate comment was pointed out.

These dual protagonists will take down the other's walls to have an unflinching talking-to, especially when there are things that need to be said. But they always respect boundaries when they're lined out. This is what lets them be comfortable around each other, to the point where they allow the other to come much further into their personal bubble than anyone else.

Momokarun make allowances for each other that they would never think to make for anyone else. They trust each other with their lives. They shared one intense fight for safety and agency, and then they just kept on going like that. They make each other feel powerless in affection and powerful in companionship. But most importantly, they make each other feel safe.

The two themes of Dandadan are consent and compassion, by the way.

Aira hugs the scary ghost that killed her and tells her, 'I love you.' Jiji cries for a demon and willingly gives up bodily agency for him. Ayase "shounen-protagonist" Momo is strongest when she's fighting for someone else's sake. Takakura "my-friends-call-me-Okarun" Ken will throw himself in between the worst monster and its victim, because isn't that just what you do when you see someone in trouble?

Not only is Momokarun a practice in consent, but they're also about that compassion. Within the narrative, the first person Momo found new empathy for is Okarun, and vice versa.

Ah, to be known and loved by the first person who really, truly saw you.

[xylveon700]

Saw the comparison made on X and I had to contribute

[lorddetaur]

I wanted to track when Jiji started having two ahoge. It started when he refused to let Evil Eye be exorcised.

[everythingseasoning]

i love your brain. i meaaaan the way you think about the jjk characters is soooo different from what i usually see, but it’s good, thoughtful and cannon complacent! can’t wait to see more of your analyzations <3

THANK YOU!! Hahah I try, but I’m also still learning how to assess characters in a nuanced way. It takes at least a basic understanding of people/psych, phil, etc studies, before a person can really do a good job.

My Anime Analysis Masterlist for anyone who wants it!

This was such a sweet message <333 Take care anon!!

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I don’t know if this was the author’s intention, but I like to think that in DanDaDan, Jiji and Aira were meant to be parodies of typical anime protagonists and Okarun and Momo are who you get when the author liked the side characters over the leads.

My reasoning:

1) Aira and Jiji have the anime protagonist hair colors (pink, red) while Okarun and Momo have regular hair colors.

2) Momo would be the high school bully/mean girl in a different series. The one who gets in the way of the likable MC.

3) Okarun could probably pass as the lead in some harem series since he’s the unpopular geek. But the thing that makes me think that he would be a side character is that he’s incredibly obsessed with the occult and he’s not afraid to show it. He has too much personality to be that kind of character, so a better comparison would be that he would be the weird friend of the MC in a different series.

4) Aira deluded herself into believing that she’s the main character of the series. She has the typical storyline of a protagonist in that she was a regular girl who came across a magical item, but the story makes clear that she’s just delusional and doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

5) While Jiji has that main protagonist trope where all the characters fall in love with him, he’s portrayed as the most obnoxious, annoying character in the group.

6) Aira, the nice girl who has a heart of justice like a typical protagonist, is revealed to actually be shallow and vain.

7) My follow-up to point 5, Jiji is introduced like the handsome male lead, but he’s drawn/animated in such a derpy way that you don’t really get to see his handsome face a great deal of the time.

8) You can read Momo and Okarun’s character arcs as them becoming more like the typical anime protagonists. Okarun starts off as the weirdo occult enthusiast who no one likes and develops into the cool, confident guy who everyone finds handsome. Momo starts off as the standoffish mean girl who pushes people away and develops into more of a welcoming, kind girl who learns how to be more trusting of others (especially when she meets Vamola).

In a way, Okarun and Momo become what we, the audience, thought Jiji and Aira were going to be when they were introduced. They’re side characters who became the main characters.

[whitesheepwrites]

"A show about some kids trying to get a boy's balls back shouldn't be making me cry!"

I think Dandadan is a very good example of how having comedy helps enhance the drama and vice-versa. Too much comedy gets annoying, too much drama gets tiring. If you know how to balance both, however, you can get your audience to lower their guard towards each aspect enough to slip in and hit when it counts, without the comedy cheapening the drama or giving people whiplash with sudden heavy topics.

[pamillie]

I feel like the more I surf the Dandandan tag, the more I come across people grossly misusing the term “fan-service”.

Here’s my take no one asked for.

(A read-more for descriptions of SA, etc)

The depiction of nudity, the SA, and the bodily violation shown in Dandadan are meant to make viewers uncomfortable at times, but are also meant to convey humor or terror or to be relatable.

I think the story exists in this balance between being whacky and goofy and not taking itself seriously while also having these very mature moments with depth.

The murdered girls in the bound spirit that Turbo Granny was guarding. The exploitation and violence that Acro Silky experienced as a woman- just as the two most prominent examples in the anime so far (there are so many more in the manga).

But time and time again, the teenage characters themselves are not being overtly sexual. Sure, there’s ball jokes and awkwardness and the like. But it’s never escalated to the point of making the characters seem horny or perverted.

I think Dandadan is a lot of things. It’s wrong to say that it’s totally and intentionally a gritty and symbolic metaphor for sexual violence just as it’s wrong to say it’s nothing more than a stylish battle shonen or a raunchy romantic comedy.

What I think it does strive to be though is universally relatable. Women and girls can (unfortunately) relate to the depictions of SA we see through Momo. Young men and teenage boys can relate to feeling worthless or useless based on a perceived lack of masculine traits like Okuran does. Or the feeling that they have to craft a likeable or palatable persona just for others to value them- despite the grief or loneliness they’re experiencing privately- as Aira and Jiji experience.

And not for nothing- I think the point I keep coming back to when I try to explain the appeal of Dandadan to other people is how it captures how SIMULTANEOUSLY traumatizing and precious being a teenager is.

Puberty is inherently traumatic. Going about life as a child only to suddenly be ogled like an adult, when all the while you haven’t even come to terms with the changes going on with your body? It’s terrifying. It’s vulnerable!

Is Momo still ‘valuable’ after being called a slut or being pursued by older men? Is Okuran still a ‘man’ even if he lost his junk?

People keep saying that ‘the story could be exactly the same with aged-up characters and then it wouldn’t be gross’ but I disagree. The story would NOT be the same.

Because something else you gain with puberty and growing up is a radical and empowering acceptance of yourself. It’s this scary uncharted territory of deciding who you are and how you want to be perceived by the world. It can be a rejection of who you were before or boldly asserting who you’ve always been. There are other times in your life where you will change or develop but there’s a reason coming of age stories set from around 12 to 17 are so timeless and universal.

The fact that Tatsu is telling this genre-bending subversion of a story in a generic high school setting is actually the most genius part about it in my opinion.

It takes itself just seriously enough to be emotionally gripping and realistic while also reminding you that the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you probably wasn’t even that bad- you were just fifteen.

So anyway- stop calling it fan service. And just accept that stories about puberty deserve to exist. Especially if they can accurately portray both how hilarious and traumatic it actually is.

[kepparoni]