#she's thinking about okarun either way

[mj-ackerman]

I know a lot of people have already pointed out how the posters in Momo's room changed from Ken Takakura (the actor) posters to an alien posters.

But the changes happened after they rebuilt her house using the nanoskin, and the nanoskin takes the very form someone is picturing, right? So I'd like to think that Momo tried to restore her room to the way it was but when she tried to picture the Ken Takakura posters, instead of Ken Takakura, the actor, she ended up manifesting Okarun's face instead, so that's why she changed the posters to alien posters.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Ways I can think of that “DanDaDan” differs from other shonen series:

* Female MC is as important as male MC

* Canon romance gets consistent development through the series. I think that’s part of the reason why the MC ships with the rivals (Aira, Jiji) aren’t as popular with the fandom for once. The main ship is actually getting good development, so the fanbase doesn’t have to make up headcanons to fill in the space.

* Flips the found family trope on its head by having the main group despise new people whenever they show up and they even actively try to kick them out. The new people only end up staying because they keep lingering around to the point that the main group just gives up and lets them stay.

* The rivals aren’t emo or angst-ridden. Aira is a delusional tryhard popular girl while Jiji is a himbo drama queen. I’d even go as far to say that the MCs are the ones who are emo and angst-ridden.

* Supporting cast is more than just important, they become integral to the story. I’d say that the further you read into DanDaDan, the more it becomes an ensemble cast where everyone is a protagonist in their own right.

* World-building is all over the place, but in a good way. Most other shonen are pretty consistent with what kind of world their characters live in. MHA is superhero-based, Naruto is ninjas and magic, Bleach is spirits, and so on. DanDaDan feels like the author just throws whatever cool shit they can think of into the story. That’s actually the reason why I wrote in a different post that DanDaDan reminds me more of Marvel/DC than any other shonen series, it manages to capture the catch-all insanity of those comics.

* Doesn’t rely on hidden power-ups. The main characters either have to outsmart the villains or they have to train to get better with the powers they already have.

* The pervert comic relief guy is actually endearing for once. Not because of his pervert tendencies, but because he’s so oblivious to how socially inept he is that it’s kind of funny. This is gonna sound strange, but he sorta reminds me of Thor in Thor Ragnarok. Full of himself and oblivious to how dumb he can be. He’s Thor without the good looks lol.

* Flips the “nerdy outcast loser somehow gets a harem” trope. Instead of making Okarun cooler than how he actually is, the story emphasizes that the women who fall for Okarun are as weird as him. Momo is a weird outcast, Aira has main character syndrome, Vamola doesn’t understand how to human because she’s literally not one, Rin thought Okarun was a vampire (and wanted him to be).

* Flips the “elderly figure in charge of the teenagers” trope. I don’t really get motherly figure vibes from Seiko Ayase, I get more “cool wine aunt who is stuck with her niece” vibes. In fact, there was the arc where Okarun showed up to her in spirit mode to get her help with fighting off the alien invasion and Seiko’s response was, “Well, I’m not in the area and I have other shit to do, so you kids figure it out.”

* The series takes the piss out of the trope of mystical/magical items that the group acquired to get their powers. I mean…the main mystical MacGuffin in the series are Okarun’s balls.

* Okarun was about to go into an “I’m weak / I wish I was stronger / I want to get stronger for my friends” breakdown, but Turbo Granny told him to shut up and keep fighting.

* Not afraid to put the “cool girl” in as many funny situations as possible. Off the top of my head, the series built up Momo as this cool, tough girl who doesn’t take shit from anyone…then several chapters later, Okarun found out she got a job at a maid cafe.

(Feel free to add to the list!)

[sideblog-usernametaken]

Ok so Dandadan analysis time because I've been seeing some of the old conversations about it again. So two things about Dandadan (Not the only things but two important ones):

One of the over arcing themes is bodily autonomy

This series is a romcom

Rant below the cut.

A major reason people don't like Dandadan and/or are willing to dismiss it outright is because of the SA scenes. More specifically, a lot of people believe these scenes are fanservice and have no narrative reason to be there. They do have a narrative reason to be there though. These scenes aren't supposed to be fanservice either they're intentionally supposed to be upsetting/unnerving (I won't get into how here because other people have articulated this better than I can, and they will continue to do so as long as this misconception exists).

When people think of "violations of bodily autonomy" or "violations of consent" they usually think of rape or sexual assault. It is the beginner's example to the concept, largely because everyone with common sense agrees that rape and sexual assault are bad so it's easier to point out why they're bad. This also makes it easy place to start a narrative around bodily autonomy.

The very first scene of Dandadan is of a guy trying to coerce Momo into having sex with him even though she clearly doesn't want to. The same episode/chapter directly puts this kind of behavior on par with rape and sexual assault by paralleling the time Momo kicked him to the time she kicks the rapist aliens so hard she breaks their space ship. It's very clear that the narrative's stance is that not only are rapists bad, the people who aren't legally rapists because they technically got "consent" first (through coercion) should be treated with the same level of disdain. This isn't the kind of thing that you write into a series without legitimately thinking about the dynamics of consent and bodily autonomy.

Continuing on: The series also touches on the double standard between male and female victims of sexual assault. Okarun gets laughed at for having his genitals stolen, and Seiko just does not believe Momo got abducted by aliens. This very clearly parallels how in real life people will believe male victims got assaulted, but their assault is also brushed off as not that important or something they "should've enjoyed" or a sign of weakness. Especially if the assaulter was a woman. Meanwhile female victims are usually accused of lying regardless of any evidence they provide. These two things hold constant in Seiko's reactions throughout Dandadan. She literally rides in a space ship but doesn't believe aliens are real, and even when she's helping Okarun she's usually also doing a bit at his expense.

Going even further, Dandadan also branches out into other forms of violations of bodily autonomy that aren't thought about as often. For the sake of the analysis I'm going to do bullet points regarding each character. Fair warning: There will be major spoilers here so if you haven't read the manga keep scrolling until you stop seeing bullet points.

Acro Silky: It's very easy to point out that she was a sex worker, but what I don't see is people talking about the other ways she had to sell her body to keep her and her daughter afloat. She worked in janitorial services (A lot of manual labor) and as a store clerk (A lot of standing). Individually these two jobs are not necessarily coercive, they're not great but they aren't pulling you into something you didn't know about from the start. The thing is though, none of these jobs pay enough by themselves for Acro-Silky to make a living, meaning none of them are properly compensating her for her manual labor. This is an instance of manufactured consent, while she technically agreed to take these jobs, it's clear that she wouldn't be working all of them unless she had to. This is kind of an expansion of the coercion from the guy in the first scene but on a societal level where Acro-Silky wasn't in the position to be able to say "No" and move on. As a result, her freedom is restricted. She can't spend nearly as much time with her daughter as she wants to and she can't afford to get her nice things either. To top it off, any time she did spend with her daughter she spent physically exhausted because of her work.

Mr. Shrimp: Similarly to Acro-Silky, Mr. Shrimp is forced into work he does not want to do because of limited options and the need to support his child. What sets him apart though is that he's a migrant worker and his employers physically abuse him because they can get away with it. This is an exact parallel to how migrant workers are treated in real life. He even goes to work on a farm and it's potrayed as him making an honest living to support his family which is exactly what the majority of migrant workers are trying to do. Mr. Shrimp doesn't technically "have to" work on a dairy farm now, but he chooses to enthusiastically because it's his only option that doesn't require him tk disregard his morals.

Jiji: Jiji is an example of bodily autonomy violations of minors in regards to medicine. This one is a bit more complicated so stick with me here. When the Evil Eye starts possessing Jiji, the adults around him unanimously agree it needs to be exorcised and start preparing for the ritual. When Jiji decides "Hey, actually I want to try to co-exist with him" Seiko is his only adult advocate, and even she turns around on the idea when the Evil Eye has a close call with Momo. This parallels how in real life adults will make decisions for the children in their care regardless of their wishes, and how even the adults trying to be accommodating will still go against the kids' wishes sometimes. It also does a good job of accurately capturing the nature of these disagreements too, because yeah the Evil Eye is a problem so it's understandable why all the adults want to just get rid of it even if Jiji doesn't agree. But Jiji's stance of "Yeah this will be a pain but it's one I want to deal with" is also understandable. Like, imagine instead of an exorcism we're talking about getting an amputation that would be technically helpful but isn't strictly necessary.

Vamola: One of Vamola's initial goals when she's introduced is to find a strong man and have kids with him. This isn't something she actually wants to do but is something she has been obliged to do because she is one of the few survivors of a planetary genocide. She has been marked as her people's only chance at a continued survival because the rest of her people are too old to have children. Her mother and the rest of the surviving Sumerians gave everything they had to get her off planet safely as "the last thing left on Sumer to defend" so she has unfathomable amounts of pressure and survivor's guilt to go out and have kids. She doesn't get to figure out if she wants to have kids or not, that's just something that has already been made up to her and her only choice now is with who. Luckily, the story currently has her in a position where she can have peers, a (comparatively) normal life, and she doesn't have to think of her mother's request for a while. But even if it's not the primary focus in her life right now it's still there.

Rin: At a very young age Rin was forced into the role of caretaker. With a bedridden grandmother, a deceased father, and a mother who had to work long hours to make ends meet, Rin had to learn to be independent fast. She was basically forced to, otherwise her already unstable home life would break apart even further. To make things worse, Rin knows the predicament that she's in and her mother doesn't yet. Rin's mother thinks she "got lucky having such a good kid" and doesn't realize the pressure has gotten bad enough that Rin is already giving up on her passions to take care of her grandmother to give her mother a break. Mostly because Rin knows their family doesn't really have any other options and she doesn't want to place an even larger burden on her mother by adding more grief on top of it. It's essentially the "parent running themselves ragged to support their kid" story we've seen at least twice now but from the perspective of the child.

Zuma: Similar background to Rin where his father died and he took on a caretaker kind of role for his younger brother. Except his brother dies and this absolutely breaks his mother, to the point she commits suicide and tries to take him with her. Zuma is in the position where he has lost both his caretaker and the person he took care of, and he is fully aware of why that happened. This manifests as rebellion and him forming a gang that protects kids at his school from bullying and harrassment. He's becoming a caretaker again, but this time it is an active choice he has made. He doesn't technically have to start his gang or protect anyone, he has an adult taking care of him now and if he wanted to he could spend the rest of his highschool years stepping back and being a kid again. But he doesn't, and society labels him a delinquent for stepping in when the adults who should have didn't. This is another way that Dandadan shows how minors often have their opinions dismissed by adults who believe they know better.

Much shorter less spoilery rant:

Dandadan is a romcom. I have seen too many people complain about basic romcom shenanigans as if it's bad or generic writing instead of being genre conventions. "Ugh, there's a love triangle," Yes romcoms tend to have those. "Ugh, so many girls are into Okarun," Yes, and a lot of guys are into Momo, they both get romantic rivals because it's a romcom. "They keep going back to the romance and I don't like it," It's a romcom there's going to be heavy focus on the romance, you disliking that is a genre preference not a writing issue.

Like, do people not understand the concept of blended genres? Yeah this is a Shonen battle series but it's also one that has decided to be a largely character driven romcom. This is like someone walking into a horror comedy and walking out complaining that there were jokes and the horror would be better without them. The jokes are the point and the horror is a vehicle to get there. If you don't like jokes, go find a pure horror movie to watch.

[funlovinzara]

The unexpected hangout

𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝒾𝓇𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝓂𝑒

(Music is intended to be played in the story, wear headphones <3) (long fic)

I grew up in this town for as long as i can remember, i wasn’t introverted, but i wasn’t an extrovert either. I spoke when i had to, leaving me with a group of friends here and there. Beginning high-school was another story, i still had my small group of friends including this one girl Momo. I don’t exactly know how i became friends with her but shes been the friendliest since i could remember.

But i find myself drowning in the sinkhole of over working, and i think she could tell because she recommended a sleepover/hangout with another one of her friends that she thought i would like. Momo is the only one i can truly be myself around so how can i expect her friend to even like me. I open to learning many subjects, although i don’t pick a favorite i like things about conspiracies or random theories to keep me up thinking.

My phone dings with a message, its from Momo

Momo👻: I’ll be at your place around 7! My friend is still coming over, trust me you and him are going to be great friends.

Me: Him? He’s a guy? You must be setting something up

Momo👻: Well I’m just saying if things between you guys progress than it is what it is but thats NOT what I’m trying to do at all🤣

Me: What if he’s really rude or something i cant handle more stress I’m too tired for this, if i wanted to have a guy friend then i would have asked.

Momo👻: No he’s not like that he’s a total nerd, he would never do anything harmful. Ive been friends with him for awhile, i talk to him about aliens and stuff all the time

Me: What makes you think i wanna deal with boys at all. I’ll try to be friends with him i guess but if he does anything that i can’t respect he’s getting out of my home

Momo👻: Alrightt no need to be so stuck up, your stressed just relax for a bit.

I stare up at the starry night and then bring my eyes to the clock, Momo is a few minutes late. But as a coincidence, she knocks at my door as soon as i have that thought. I go down the stairs to see her open the door, hmm must have been unlocked, but i remember locking.

Maybe i should be nice, ill try my best too. I mean she wasn’t worried about him or anything. Momo swings the door open giving me a big hug, i look behind her to see a boy. We make eye contact and he looks away timidly and fiddles with his hair. Momo knew i had a thing for nerds, she’s definitely setting something up.

(I was a little scared to introduce myself though…)

“This is my friend i told you about, his name is okarun!!”

He looks back up shyly, extended his hand to give me a hand shake. I give him a handshake back, flashing the tiniest smile to show the least bit of comfort. He steps closer to me to whisper something quiet enough not for Momo to hear

“M—my name is actually Ken takakura…” I nod my head to make sure Momo doesn’t think anything is up, i wonder why she calls him Okarun though. Momo yawns making her way to the living room and into the kitchen, opening the fridge to look for her favorite drink i usually keep at my place.

“Hey…y/n you don’t have any more of that drink..”

“Sorry, I’ll buy some more soon.” She walks back over to the entrance of the home where me and Ken were still standing awkwardly “its alright, speaking of which, the gas station is only a 5 minutes walk from here. I’ll go run and buy some!! My grandma gave me some money incase i wanted to get snacks!”

I look at her in despair. I whisper yell at her before she walks out the door “You’re leaving??!? Now???! Me alone with a boy??!!”

“Cmonn I’m gonna be back I’ll make it quick.” She gives me a sly wink before shutting my own door at my face. I turn around slowly, lifting my head up to look at Ken embarrassingly. He was looking at me but he shifted his gaze to some random spot in the house. I didn’t want to stand here forever..

“We can just go to my room for now while we wait…”

I guide him up the stairs towards my room, i leave background music playing to calm me and i accidentally forgot to turn it off. We enter my room and his eyes lighten up like a puppy. I had a fluffy rug, thick bed sheets many tiny figures and posters, with a neat desk and dim lights. He felt a comforting feeling as he heard the music that was left playing.

He looks around and he notices i have a book on my desk titled “conspiracy’s and theories #1: Aliens? Are they real?” I sat on my bed and i saw him approach the book for a closer inspection, his eyes glow as he looks up at me.

He realizes he touched something without asking and he places the book down quickly while fiddling with his hair again and re-adjusting his glasses. He looks down at the floor in embarrassment with a blushing face.

“I have the same book..d—do you like…aliens..?”

My goodness he is so cute. I snap out of my daydreaming after staring at him.“Well…i like reading about them. They seem cool to me and i like the unknown. I watch a-lot of documents.”

He looks up at me, with his hand still in his hair. “Do you know anything about…UAP’s and UFO’s..? I softly replied, “Yes i do read about them a little.” His eyes were in full on dull mode, he was so ready to rant. I realized he was still standing, and i was on my bed. He’s not a bad guy at all, he’s just really shy, well— so am i.

I pat the spot next to me signaling him to sit down next to me. I try to get more comfortable, i sat in a criss cross position. He looks at me with his face flushing again and he slowly makes his way to the bed, he sat in the same criss cross position facing me. His hand still in his hair obviously, his head down, he muttered…

“There have been many sightings of aliens..I—I’ve done alot of research. I should have brought my b—books but i thought that you weren’t really going to like….me..”

“Oh, i thought the same about you…that you were going to be kind of rude to me. But you like the same things as me.”

He hesitantly brings his head up to make eye contact with me, his face a pink tone due to the blush. My open window blows a cool air into the room, moonlight hitting his eyes and shining them. I avert my gaze to him to see him pondering into my eyes, his lips part as he was going to say something until we could hear the door open. It was Momo, that was really quick.

We rush back downstairs to see her with multiple bags, more than what she said she was going to buy. “Oh man, i really should have called you!! They had an amazing deal and i got so many snacks for half off!”

Me and Ken look at each-other, we slightly giggle at the goofiness of Momo. Momo ran up the stairs and came back down with a giant blanket from my closet, she places it on the couch with the snacks she bought on the table

“Cmon guys let’s watch a movie!!” I sat down with Ken trying not to be to close to make me uncomfortable, through out the movies we watched i could feel him land his attention on me. But he was very slick with it, i could hardly tell.

At the end of the night after all the movies, Momo and Ken helped clean up. Momo grabbed all of her belongings and so did Ken and they were about to leave. “Bye y/n! See you tomorrow!!”

“B—bye…” i didn’t want it to end like this… “Okarun.” He turns around and looks at me with confusion and a bit of fluster. “Could I see your phone for a sec?” He hands me his unlocked phone and i quickly type my number and my name into a new contact space and hand him his phone back. He looks at what I’ve done and his face goes from pink to a rose red. He looks up at me like his face was about to explode

It seems like he wanted to say thank you, but Momo pulled him out of the door in a hurry. The door shut on me again, but instead..i don’t feel lonely anymore. I feel a warmth entered my soul.

We could be friends…

This took forveerrr please but i love this alot like i really wanted to get the emotion in here😭🫶🏾

[littlemisssquiggles]

Why did no one tell me about the little “omake” chapters of DandaDan?

I was today years old when I learned the existence of these little extra omake or bonus chapters of Dandadan that expand on what’s going on with some of the other DanDandan characters like the Aira and Evil Eye Jiji one for example.

I thought it quite cute that Evil Eye cared enough about Aira to help her with getting her old friends to start talking to her again. That was actually oddly sweet of him.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the Evil Eye might secretly have a widdle crush on Aira. Doesn’t have to be true. I mean it’s just me spitting here.

But I’d be lying if Evil Eye crushing on Aira is definitely feeding into my thoughts on Aira and Jiji eventually being a couple.

I DO LIKE the Jijira ship. I mean Dandadan got me wracking up new ships to love like Uno cards with each new arc.

Already I’m Team Momokarun - obviously. Otherwise why am I even here if not to suffer at the hands of Yukinobu Tatsu as he proceeds to write the most beautiful shoujo romance love story disguised as a shonen battle anime that the world has ever seen and taking his sweet ass time doing it too. That magnificent romantic bastard.

---

I’m Team Jijira - I just think they’re NEAT okay? Our secondary BAKAS IN LOVE potential couple next to Momokarun.

No seriously, I think these two can actually work really, REALLY well together if Aira would just come to her senses of seeing that Okarun is OBVIOUSLY in love with Momo and NOT her, get over him and redirect her interest to the guy who is actually always by her side more than Okarun. Meaning Jiji.

As for Jiji and where he stands on love and romance. To all the people who keep saying that Jiji is in LOVE with Momo, I raise you one important question? Where? Where is this love you keep insinuating that Jiji has for Momo?

Believe me, I have watched the anime. I have read the manga up to date and all I’ve seen so far is a good boy who just simply cares very deeply for his childhood friend and is very protective of her. Nothing more.

I mean Aira is more obvious with her feelings for Okarun than Jiji is for Momo.

I dunno man. The Momiji ship and its shippers is giving me Zutara from Avatar vibes. Ya’ll up in here painting this magnificent love story between these two characters and telling everybody who would listen about it but when you actually read the ACTUAL canon content, there is nothing to insinuate anything like that at all.

Then again, I might just be biased because even IF Jiji DID in fact have a crush on Momo … that means shit because WE KNOW Jiji will NEVER end up with Momo BECAUSE SHE IS IN LOVE WITH OKARUN AND HE LOVES HER TOO!

Not unless Tat-Tat writes an arc where there’s an alternative universe/ reverse time line type shit where Momo ended up with Jiji instead of Okarun due to weebly wobbly, timey wimey stuff.

And now thanks to Aira omake chapter with the Evil Eye, I have more reasons to believe that Jijira could be a possibility. Either way, my Jijira shipping heart has been fed.

---

I’m Team Vaminta: or Kintola? Whatever the official Vamola x Kinta ship is called. Doesn’t matter. Vamola is (literally) a queen and Kinta is her king. Nuff said!

My goat and baby girl deserve each other!

---

And finally; I’m Team Rinuma - yes, yes, I KNOW Rin and Zuma have yet to actually officially interact in the story but how can I NOT ship them prematurely. The girl with gravity powers making people float and the boy with the umbrella? C’mon it’s like poetry. The ship practically writes itself even if Tat-Tat hasn’t gotten there yet. I see the vision and I’m embracing it while I can; dagnabbit!

---

So yeah, those are my current favourite Dandadan ships. Returning to the omakes, I also enjoyed the Chiquitta one.

Did not know Chiquitta was attending school on Earth. I mean it would make sense since his father is currently working on Earth so that Chiquitta can get all the milk he can get to keep himself healthy and strong. Yeah makes perfect sense actually.

Loved the chapter showing Chiquitta protecting his classmates from older bullies. Like father, like son. Chiquitta got hands man! That’s our favourite kappa son!

Also Chiquitta imitating Jiji of all people when interacting with a girl is insanely cute. Of all the people for Lil Chiqui to copy, why Jiji of all people? Then again, better him that Kenta, am I right?

There’s also speculation now that the little girl that suspects Chiquitta to be an alien is actually related to Okarun.

Like she’s his little sister and that Okarun comes from a large family where possibly some of the background characters we’ve probably overlooked throughout the story may allegedly be related to our favourite Yokai speedster.

Personally I’m down for this theory since it’ll actually confirm Okarun as being from Earth instead of my crazy theory of him secretly being a member of a humanoid alien race who was abandoned on Earth at birth and raised by a human family or someting like that. .

Because we have yet to glimpse into what Okarun’s home life is as yet, it’s got me wondering if Okarun even has a family. I mean surely he has to have a home because in spite being a loner/outcast for most of his school life, Okarun is always well-clothed, well fed and stocked up on occult-related magazines.

So outside of the alien heritage theory, it wouldn’t surprise me if Okarun actually comes from a pretty wealthy family and the reason why he’s always seen ready and flexible to go off on his own without his parents wondering about his whereabouts is probably because Okarun’s parents/caretakers are probably living a life where they’re never home with him.

Perhaps Okarun’s parents work overseas and the reason for Okarun’s deep fascination with the occult is cause its related to his parents’ occupation.

Maybe his parents are archaeologists or astrologists or a pair of people who study these kind of things and often have to travel abroad for long periods of time while Okarun is left alone; unable to accompany them due to him attending school in Japan.

I mean, it would make sense why we haven’t seen them as yet in the story. To me, Okarun living alone because his parents work overseas sounds more plausible than them secretly being alien.

Perhaps the little girl who suspects Chiquitta of being an alien doesn’t necessarily have to be someone related to Okarun. Perhaps she’s his neighbour or something. Or maybe she doesn’t even know Okarun and is just someone related to Chiquitta’s side of the story.

On the subject of aliens, it would actually be pretty funny if Okarun’s parents were another pair of refugee aliens who have been living on Earth for years and thus Okarun is secretly an alien who was born and raised on Earth.

Like his parents brought him up on the occult to desensitize him to the existence of the alien race. Their race; although they never revealed the truth of their alien lineage to Okarun, wanting him to grow up believing himself to be just a “normal human boy on Earth” when he actually isn't.

I mean that’s another theory for the pool of possibilities.

If Okarun parents are indeed secretly aliens then imagine them being Ken Takakura fans as much as Momo is because his movies were the first thing they were exposed to once they came to Earth and thus they decided to take the surname of Takakura and named their Earth-born “alien” son, Okarun after him.

It would honestly be insane if there comes a time when Momo gets to meet Okarun’s parents and the first thing they bond over is their shared love for Ken Takakura.

That would actually be insanely cute.

Overall, these are just little headcanons. For all I know, there’s probably no twist to Okarun at all.

He could really just be a regular guy who, despite everything that life had thrown at him, lucked out and found the love of his life and the literal girl of his dreams when she just happened to be passing by on a bad day and noticed him for the first time.

That really could be just it.

Then again; who really knows.

We really have to see what Tat-Tat has cooking up in that noggin of his for this ongoing love story he's made.

The most I will say is that the longer the story drags on with us readers never seeing or knowing anything about Okarun’s homelife, the more this squiggle meister will start to believe that he’s secretly an alien until it’s debunked by the actual story.

~LMS (2025)

[laincelebi]

so i talked about how cool a scenario like okarun losing control and momo being the only one to calm him. but hunter-4life replied and said "what if it was momo who lost control over her powers and okarun didnt have his powers anymore", so i have ideas. Imagine momo having her powers forcefully awakened in a way she lose control over them and it starts affecting everything around her, to the point it becomes very dangerous. And maybe either the others cant do much or okarun doesnt wait for anybody to try to save momo. As it could be a situation that even momo is in danger due to losing control of her powers. So he runs to save her and gets hurt in the process, he is glad she is fine but she feels a lot of guilt cause she was the one that caused that dont know i think it would be a cool idea for a fanfic. anyone who wants to do that or the okarun losing control feel free to use the ideas XD i jsut want to read more fics about them.

[alkaisheonhelp]

Details I Noticed in Dandadan!

Today is number #7 of this series I made and to be honest with you, I have not expected this to gain so many attraction! And for that I thank you sincerely.

Now! For today's topic isss;

The different Aura that effected people!

The anime made Aura's to be this bundle of energy inside you and honestly it's not wrong to say that.

Although by this entire page, you can probably see what I'm talking about.

Aura in the universe of Dandadan is weird, to me at least. It's easy to understand once you know, but it became a little bit more confusing once you factor in momo's power.

Keep in mind that no one else actually can see Aura, I think, even the spirit's can't really see them, they just know that it's there. I think.

Seiko (our standard for anything supernatural, not counting aliens) need to use the mirror and a bucket of water to look inside, it probably means her seeing their aura.

And for all we know, the people that is spiritually aware so far, can't see aura either.

Now, as presented before, we can see how okarun's aura and seiko's aura is different through Momo's eyes.

One engulfed the entirety of their being, while another just sit calmly in the middle of their body.

Although the anime makes it an emphasis using the colors instead. It's kind off clear on the reason why.

Okarun, at that point in time is still cursed, while Seiko is fine with no problem whatsoever. However, when we see Other spirit Aura such as acro-silky

Just like in this page, it looks similar to how a normal aura would look! (Although in the anime they made okarun's(first cursed), turbo granny's, and acro-silky's aura have more black to emphasis the difference between human and spirits, or is it yokai?)

So, with this I made a conclusion that only people not spirits or yokai that are actively being cursed are the ones engulfed in Aura like Okarun. Of course I couldn't be sure 100%, since in the manga, I don't believe we've seen another cursed person just yet. Honestly I hope we see more on how momo's power interact with aura

However! Some of you may say "but Op what about when turbo granny cursed him a second time? Wouldn't that means that his aura would still engulfed him??"

Worry not! Since I do have theory!

As we know, the panel I gave you are the panels in which okarun's was first cursed, having his entire balls and schlong taken. Even with turbo granny stating it clear that yes, this kid is cursed, and yes you have to face me if you want the cursed uplifted

For the second time however, it was when they (kind off) succeed with beating turbo granny, at this point they believe that okarun's fine and well, his organs are back and everything can go back to normal.

That is of course up until he realize his balls are missing.

A major difference in here are the fact that for the first time; turbo granny actually does take his organs with the intention to cursed him.

While for the second one, turbo granny have the intention to stay hidden in okarun's body, so that she could recover while still being hidden.

This is what I think majorly contributed to the fact that okarun's aura isn't engulfing him when he's cursed a second time.

The fact that turbo granny doesn't want to be found.

"Then what about when Granny's power is stuck in him??"

Well looky here;

As you witness I think it probably has the same principle as when okarun's was possessed, but of course without the direct physical changes from turbo granny.

Man, that was long!

Please reminded that this is all for fun, and I did this all by myself without any help!

And may I remind you! This series is for things I wondered/ noticed! Not just the things you might missed, but also things that makes my head spins for a looongg time!

As always, see you in my next post, and I loved to see your own spin on my take. And of course, in a respectful way that is

Welp, that's it for now! Buh byeee!

[kny-agere]

Little!Okarun hcs

★彡☆彡★彡

- In his edit I gave him little sticker earrings

- He definitely loves to match with Momo

- Also he calls her Momo which she loves

- And teases him about it when he’s big (which he hates)

- Little!Okarun LOVES Turbo granny

- I imagine she feels like porcelain or plastic or whatever she’s made of?

- Either way he rubs his hands all over her bald little head

- The only way she can get away is if she replaces herself with a stuffed animal

- She also hates that Okarun calls her “kitty”

- He meows kinda quietly sometimes when thinking about her <3

- Seiko is much kinder when Okarun is regressed but he’s still a little scared of her

- And he starts to cry when she yells at Momo

- But then Momo ends up running to him whenever she gets in trouble

- They’re horrible babysitters sorry

- Unfortunately Turbo granny is the best out of all of them but lacks authority

- He gets embarrassed about cuddling but loves a little head pat

- Also can only be carried by Jiji

- Or else he gets embarrassed but he LOVES being carried by Jiji

- Ok sorry that’s it for now part 2 at another time maybe 😋

[crypt1dcorv1dae]

I think I realized something.... Everyone with yokai transformations exhibits some kind of change in personality, which is entirely outside the control of the person, but I feel like it makes it clear with Zuma that.... They're almost... Embodying a character trope, when they do it? Zuma acts like some kind of romance protagonist when transformed,ade clear when he wasted one of his two umbrellas to shield momo from rain despite it being... An entirely idiotic decision, which he is shocked by when he changes back

And aira probably has a less obvious change than others given she's pretty high-and-mighty either way, but she definitely has a much more intense attitude and I forget what the word is, but she has a word she keeps using over and over to describe herself, her actions, etc, and acts kind of like a "princess/queen" type of character who thinks she's above others and is haughty and rude

And that explains why okarun keeps saying "yo" at the end of his sentences, it's not as common nowadays but having some kind of suffix a character adds onto the end of sentences IS a trope, think Naruto ykno? So idk WHAT exact trope he's embodying, but he definitely IS... Honestly he gives me soul from soul eater vibes and it's not just cus the design is kinda reminiscent of him he's gotta a kinda similar mode of speech and depressed air about him idk

[tomyo]

Now that the anime finally released and people made gifs of the opening, can we talk about Okarun and his effeminacy?

I don't want to reduce it down to "boy not masculine, therefore effeminate", I think he definitely embodies masculinity too but subliminal messaging keeps hitting my brain when I see his cuts in the first part of the DandaDan opening. The posing 4 poses he does invokes imagery of girls doing model posing, specifically the one with his hands on his cheeks while being more creeped out still makes me think of a pose a girl would do to show off her nails. Honestly his design in a different Shonen he would've been the fav uke of fujos everywhere.

I would say there's definitely meant to be SOME statement about gender in DandaDan as both Okarun and Momo use less common pronouns for themselves; Jibun instead of Boku/Ore and Uchi instead of Watashi/Atashi. It's also notable that Okarun has a lot of similar facial traits to the girls in the series; short flat eyebrow, large rounded eyes, and a rounder face which I think personally was really effective because the panels of the characters staring into the fourth wall is literally imprinted on my brain. And it's not just the design style of the series since we see Jiji who uses that more traditional Shonen facial type.

While I didn't think too much about this initially since an underdog male protag who isn't as manly (yet) is a pretty common occurrence, those opening scenes really make me think more on his otherness. I think it's a notable fact that he fits into and doesn't look out of place in Momo's clothes. It reflects a lot on how they both present more gender neutral. One of the things I do appreciate about the series is despite recently showing he's made a lot of physical growth, it has not resulted in him being drawn any more traditionally masculine. He is often outpaced by Momo in terms of fighting ability as well and often still needs her to finish a battle while she's more independently capable. He's also more of the worrier in these situations; the one who has to chastise or watch after a battled out Momo.

We also know that to some extent Okarun has a complex about this; he tried to get buff in secret and felt worried for how he compared to Jiji. I don't think these are bad traits necessarily (I liked him pushing his limit in the recent arc) but I do worry how this could possibly lead into Momo's characterization as well, the girl protag getting sanded down so the boy protag can stand in the limelight as a true male hero. While I don't think it would fully go that way, I've been burned by so many strong female characters (Sakura in particular) becoming more muted as a series went on. As far as I can tell (translations can bury some context), he isn't particularly focused on manliness and tends to avoid the two pitfalls of a male hero; The underdog who becomes more stoic/manly as the series goes on or the pathetic dude just normal enough to get a harem. In fact looking at that for a second, this series definitely pulls of the love dodecahedron with basically everyone crushing on one of the two but in the case of Momo's love rivals, it isn't really that they are crushing on Okarun for his traits but due to the narratives they build in their own heads; Aira needed someone to fill the tragic anti hero lover of her heroine story, Vamola believed she had to find someone strong because her adopted family wished that for her, and Sawaki fantasizes over the idea of a vampire ravishing her. (And to avoid derailing further, it could be interesting to examine how on the flip side Okarun's rivals tend to like her more so from bonding with her). But most of all, what made him and Momo work was not magically working for either other but a lot of effort and connection. Their initial bond coming from in a sense the excitement of discovery all the while they're still fighting over dumb shit and nudging each other as friends, they don't try to project (well at least they don't succeed to) an inauthentic persona around the other. He's not above telling her off but never in a way that isn't portraying them as equals and it's sprinkled in throughout the series how consideration for each other is taken (he bought her Golgo 13, he's given food when he brought Sawaki over, etc.) that by the time he is having those stereotypical protection moments, it doesn't feel like it undermines her as a capable person but rather shows off a natural protectiveness that anyone would have for someone they care about.

Which a final thought is again on what the possessions tell us about each person. I keep theorizing in some ways Turbo form represents elements Okarun wants in himself, he's got more muscles, is more traditionally handsome, and refers to Momo and others more casually (chan opposed to San) but strikingly it's rare his two forms are ever compared or commented on. Now with those powers gone, it's possible the idealer him he desired is no longer reachable.

[runescrepe]

no one cares but i must share my thoughts on momo and zuma cause ik they will be misinterpreted!!!

(ship them if you want tho, it’s you’re life and the ship is very cute and wholesome)

spoilers for the manga below the break

ok, so.

off the bat we’re shown what kinda relationship dynamic momo and zuma have. it’s lighthearted, they’re both smart yet are sharing two brain cells, it’s super funny and wholesome honestly. it’s cool seeing momo having to work without the help of okarun as her right hand too.

firstly, i think this arc does a great job of showcasing momo’s actual feelings towards okarun. no one is disagreeing that she has feelings towards him, but you really see just how much she thinks about him the whole time she’s stuck in danmara.

there’s even this clever transition to show she’s dreaming of him

now that that’s established, let’s talk about the inn scene itself.

when they arrive they realize they have to share a bed, a common romance trope that i’m sure tatsu put there on purpose.

like all of tatsu’s romance red herrings, we’re lead a bit to believe they’ll actually share the bed. however, zuma quickly brushes that idea aside by telling momo she can have the “first shift” of sleep, while he waits in the hall.

this scene is mirrored when momo says zuma can shower and have the first shift, while she waits in the hall.

i feel this is meant to establish a few things about their relationship. one, it’s meant to place them on a even playing field. they’re both being respectful to one another and are total strangers having to work together. we see zuma outwardly slap his face to clear his head. i think this is less like okarun telling himself not to think momo is cute, and more like zuma ridding himself of some lingering nerves about the situation. i think momo was feeling the same, she just didn’t react in the way zuma did. either way, they both seem to calm each other by saying the other will wait outside, making them both say “cool” to themselves.

afterwards, zuma comes to get momo to sleep the first shift, helping her to the bed, where she says this in her half-sleep fog

interestingly this is zuma’s reaction

this is where i think a lot of people get the wrong idea of zuma’s or even momo’s feelings.

after hearing her say that, he tucks her in and sits outside the room to give her privacy, but also to think. once again i think this particular scene is meant to mirror momo sitting outside the room thinking of okarun. only instead of zuma thinking of the boy he likes, its the family he lost. his brother. perhaps he’s even thinking about his adoptive father, officer bega. momo was more than likely dreaming of okarun, so when zuma helped her into bed she may have mistaken zuma for him.

zuma, on the other hand, has that reaction because it reminded him of his family, more likely his little brother. how many times did he help his brother to bed, having to tuck him in so he wouldn’t fall asleep out of bed? did his brother ever ask him to say “i love you” when their dad passed and he wanted his big brother to comfort him? or maybe his mom did dreaming of her late husband.

i’ll continue in my roblog bc i can’t add more pics over mobile haha

[goshdangronpa]

Dandadan x Tokomaru

Surprisingly not much would change than I expected. Komaru takes the role of Ayase and Toko takes the role of Okarun. It would start similarly with Komaru noticing Toko all alone and taking an interest in her after she noticed her reading an alien book that Hiro loaned to her.

Komaru already believes in ghosts so that fits. Toko doesn’t actually believe in aliens but she finds it so absurd to believe in ghosts she just has to prove this prep girl wrong. Komaru getting defensive makes the bet to prove whether or not Ghosts/Aliens are real.

Toko goes for the Turbo Granny that Komaru has been following sightings on. Meanwhile Komaru goes to find aliens based on what Hiro blabbed to Toko (something about aliens abducting his burger).

They’re both correct. Toko sees the Turbo Granny and faints as she about to possess her and Komaru gets abducted by aliens. Komaru awakens psychic powers and Toko gets Turbo Granny abilities. Similarly Komaru uses her ability to prevent Turbo Granny from fully possessing her and Syo comes out and helps defeat the aliens causing the ufo to crash.

After all that crazy stuff happens. They call Hiro first cause he must know something and he recommends asking his mom, Hiroko (who’ll be taking the role of Granny Seiko). With Hiroko’s help they defeat the Turbo Granny trap her in one of Komaru’s old plushie (Could be a Monokuma doll).

The duo also realizes something. Toko fainted before the Turbo Granny possessed her. it was actually Syo who got possessed and in turn now she retains the abilities of the Turbo Granny. So if Toko needs to use the Turbo Granny’s power she’ll switch to Syo instantly. Speed of the turbo granny with Syo’s scissors makes her quite a force.

Komaru’s psychic abilities are shown with her ahoge acting like a radio antenna. After being told to visualize it like truth bullets, She can “Move” grab or “knock back” things with her mind. Maybe with practice she can do more.

Hi, anon! Thanks for sharing this with me, I'm pleased that people feel they can share fun Danganronpa ideas with me like this.

Personally, a big part of the appeal of Dan Da Dan's central pair is that Okarun DOES believe in aliens. In that way, he and Ayase match each other's freak. Perhaps a different ship might be better for this scenario ... but that's not why we do these things. I'm lowkey developing a Little Shop of Horrors AU, and I'll be damned if it's not tsumioda!

Just gotta find a way to make it work, then. In that light, it's at least true to Toko's character that she'd make this claim just to stick it to someone she considers foolish. She makes this bet thinking she'll win either way, and she's dead wrong. Scenario saved!

It'd be interesting to have Hiroko in the Seiko role. For starters, she'd know more about aliens than ghosts instead. Maybe she's a longtime hippie, the kind who's visited UFO hotspots around the world and has dubious claims of experiences with aliens? Additionally, she has no relation to the Ayase analogue. She's the mom of a classmate whom Toko doesn't even consider a friend. Might be terribly funny if Komaru mistakes Yasuhiro as a rival for Toko's affections.

The ideas for Genocide Jack's possession and Komaru's psychic powers are my fave parts of this whole thing. Looking forward to the moment when Komaru makes the Loch Ness Monster dance. Now who'd take on the roles of Aira and Jin ... (Is Yasuhiro already the latter?)

[mysticdragon3md3]

👻👹👺 👽🛸👾🟡🟡

Dandadan ep6.

.

I'm sorry but after realizing there are more parallels between Dandadan and Natsume Yuujinchou, I spent most of this episode fixated on how much better Natsume Yuujinchou is, compared to the parallel elements.

Maneki Neko yokai: TurboGranny vs NyankoSensei.

Young grandma with spiritual powers: Seiko vs Reiko.

Fighting yokai.

Turbo Granny thinks she's so cool and that she has powers as a Beckoning Cat, and she attributes saving Ayase and Okarun to her "Luck powers"…but it wasn't that effective for me. I just kept thinking about how much cooler Madara is. Whenever Nyanko Sensei turns into his Madara form and helps Natsume out of a jam, it's just so much cooler and intimidating. Earlier in the episode, with Turbo Granny sneaking around the school, I just kept thinking of how much more endearing Nyanko Sensei is. Not just cuter, but also just funnier, hanging around explicitely, shamelessly for snacks.

And when the Acrobatic Silky yokai kept trying to talk to them, I just kept thinking about how Natsume would have been able to put that spirit to rest. He would have talked to it, while being resilient enough to survive just talking while it was violent. He would have used his powers of Empathy to resolve the yokai's inner conflicts, and it would then be able to transcend past these lower desires like Violence and Force.

And I kept thinking about how often the subject turns to something as crass and childish and testicles. Then I'd think "Natsume Yuujinchou didn't need to do that to hold our attention." (And I'd remember how in this same anime season, Ranma 1/2 remake is getting so many more laughs out of me, also bigger and more spontaneous, without the cheap, low hanging, crass humor.)

I think I just want to watch Natsume Yuujinchou. lol It really is one of my top 3 anime. (And Ranma 1/2 is still my favorite manga.)

But I agree with The Normies' reactions: This new character Aira is kind of insufferable. Actually, she's not so bad. I was actually kind of indifferent to her. But she also doesn'tadd anything i particularly like. She could be kind of funny in a chuunibyou way or in an Amelia Sailoon type of self-centered self-righteousness that no one takes seriously. But I never really liked Amelia either. I'm just glad Aira is turning into this type of deluded "I'm the main character" person, instead of staying as a bully archetype. Because I CANNOT STAND FUCKING BULLIES. I have dropped several very good anime, just because of the reoccurring bully characters. Thankfully, Aira has avoided that for me.

But watching reactors made me more aware of how many times in the episode, the direction was trying to be funny, but I just stared at the screen, mouth agape, not laughing at how stupid the situation or characters are. And not in the affectionate, amused type of "OMG They're so stupid!!!! LOLOLOLOL" that I've been reexperiencing all autumn with the Ranma 1/2 remake anime and rereading the manga---BOTH making me laugh out loud, uncontrollably, frequently, multiple times, spontaneously. Ranma 1/2 shows I've been having a great time with Stupid, and I've been extremely grateful for it. But Dandadan isn't pulling it off, like Ranma 1/2 is.

Remembering how much better Ranma 1/2 and Natsume Yuujinchou are, just kept making moments in Dandadan feel kind of bland. I mean, I like Dandadan's deuteragonists, but I I kept feeling that I could be experiencing better episodes. Especially since Ranma 1/2 remake and Natsume Yuujinchou season 7 have been airing in this exact same season as Dandadan. It's hard to not feel the comparisons.

I know someone is going to stand up for Dandadan, but I'm just talking about MY PERSONAL tastes. Dandadan is a well-made show. I still like the deuteragonists a lot. I love yokai and demon-hunting anime/manga. But so many Shonen Jump anime nowadays are just not my thing anymore. And it usually becomes clear after the first few characters introduced. Because then they start introducing more of the regular cast, and I end up HAAAAAAATING them. I loved Yuuji and Gojo; Megumi was nice. But then Nobara, Todo, and Mai got introduced, and with the exceptions of Kasumi Miwa and the Tokyo sophomores, I just couldn't stand those later characters. Even sooner with My Hero Academia: I loved Deku and All Might. But I fucking can't stand Bakugo. Which is a shame, because I liked other core characters introduced later: Todoroki, Iida, Uraraka, etc. And then after all the hype for Chainsaw Man, I just couldn't get into that tone, after the first episode. And then Denji became obsessed with boobs. Back in 2019, I struggled thru Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba. Once again, I loved the deuteragonists, but all the other successive characters were grating to me. I really began to think that maybe I had grown past my Shonen-obsessed phase. Maybe the entire Shonen genre was no longer for me. Maybe I'm just into iyashikei and Shojo yokai series now. But I totally get if someone who still holds Shonen as their favorite genre, would prefer Dandadan, as opposed to whatever speaks more to me now.

Dandadan really is like if Natsume Yuujinchou had more mainstream stuff added to it. The fandom kept injecting romance into Natsume Yuujinchou fanon, because it's absent from the canon. (Even the anime adaptation kept a charcter in the main cast, who was a one-shot character in the manga, just to have a regular cast member with a crush on Natsume.) As an AroAce, I appreciate that good stories don't always need romance, and finally getting the spotlight on how platonic relationships can also be intensely meaningful. So Dandadan took a bunch of elements from Natsume Yuujinchou and added romance---as it's CENTER, no less! (Apparently. I didn't realize Dandadan was a romance until I heard all the meta discussions.) People also complained that Natsume should learn martial arts to fight yokai…While totally disregarding that that addition would turn the series from being about Empathy, into being about "fighting monsters". And guess what Dandadan is? An action series, fighting monsters (yokai and aliens). An action series, just like how a zillion other Shonen series revolve around action. Let Natsume Yuujinchou maintain it's themes of Empathy and Compassion resolving the conflicts (without some contrived in-world mechanic that makes all the violence healing; see Bleach's Zanpakuto and Konso). There are so few series like that, compared to the flood of Shonen. There will always be tons of Shonen action series to do action. Let them handle it. Let Natsume Yuujinchou stay Natsume Yuujinchou.

I'm reminded that i almost dropped Dandadan after ep1, so i shouldn't be so surprised that i have a lot of criticisms of it, when compared to one of my favorite series of all time. But I'm going to stick with Dandadan. Being okay doesn't mean it's bad. And I've been wanting to get into a new Shonen series. Even tho the genre has been proving to be less for me and my apparently changing tastes these days. I do miss having an action series that can inspire/make me feel Fighting Spirit. But we'll see if my changing tastes will allow that for me anymore. Maybe it's just time to accept that maybe my Shonen-genre-obsessed phase is over, and maybe i need to learn to let it go.

Or maybe i just watched ep6 while in a depressed mood (because of irl horrors), so of course my brain fixated on flaws. I really need to stop expecting media to make me happy enough to pull me out of my bad moods. It didn't work with Wreck It Ralph, Capt America, Tangled, and I'm sure some anime. The only media proven powerful enough to do that with me has been Rumiko Takahashi. I really need to stop expecting anything else, besides Takahashi and my all-time favorites, to meet that standard.

[strewbi]

I think Dan da Dan has a lot of interesting stuff to say about the pressure that adulthood puts on kids. A pressure to define themselves as “woman being” or “man being,” they’re threatened at all corners by beings who want to define or remove or consume their sexuality to make themselves feel better. When, left to themselves they’re regular kids who are figuring themselves out, making mistakes, and making friends, falling in love. Like the whole thing is just screaming at these nutso monster-adults to just leave them the fuck alone.

And in episode 9 we had this pressure from the aliens to fall in line with adulthood, with the businessman uniformed workforce and the relentless psychic pressure of that route that can paralyze a kid. They want to steal a young man’s vitality, they want to violently consume young women. They couldn’t possibly care who they are individually, or what interesting inner lives, or incredible power they hold. The aliens only want to turn young men in to business men and turn young women into makers of more businessmen.

In this episode all the kids have a relationship to their body that is in practice totally about function and survival, they joke and react and blush about their bodies but ultimately when the chips are down their bodies are as important as their lives, something worth protecting, but also have nothing to do with the outside alien pressures being imposed upon them.

Okarun’s gender is a blurry thing, being part teen boy and part dead grandma, but either way he’s exactly himself. Everyone in the show wants to slap a negative label on Momo, but she’s exactly herself. Aira tries to control what she’s labeled as, but at the end of the day she isn’t any of those things, she’s exactly herself.

ITS A REALLY COOL SHOW!!

[littlemisssquiggles]

Alright, I need to gush about Dandadan for a hot minute…

So this squiggle meister has hopped onto the Dandadan hype train. Ever since its anime adaptation release last year, I’ve been riding the high of my newest anime craze.

Not only am I all caught up on the anime (eagerly awaiting season 2 coming out this year) but I’ve also taken to following the manga; which I’m all caught up on too.

Speaking of which, the newest chapter of Dandadan dropped today - Chapter 181- and I’ve got some things to say about:

Firstly, the return of Unji Zuma. It’s nice to see that the Danmanru Arc wasn’t the last time we’ve seen our Umbrella King.

Zuma’s a cool character. I basically see him as a male Momo since the two share the same stubborn, headstrong yet surprisingly compassionate and loyal personality traits that make them really fun characters to watch further develop. In this squiggle meister’s eyes, Zuma is as much as cool older brother character to Momo as Jiji is.

However, judging by Zuma’s new look in the upcoming arc, I have a sinking feeling the manga is setting us up again for yet another wrench in the ongoing development of the Okarun and Momo love story.

I already made this point over over Twitter but ---

It CANNOT be a coincidence that Zuma, who was described as “Momo’s ideal type” cause he bares a resemblance to her celebrity crush Ken Takakura, now with his hair grown out and sporting a pair of glasses looks like a punk tough guy version of Okarun.

That can't be a coincidence, no? Like I said, I think the manga is setting us up yet again for another fake red herring love triangle and misunderstanding to further push the Momokarun ship into official couple status.

After all, we’re already half way there with Okarun’s recent confession.

Not to mention that last time, during the Space Globalist Arc, after the whole misunderstanding with Vamola, the first time Okarun actually admits to being in love with Momo is while “rejecting” Vamola.

I feel like Zuma is being set up to be Momo’s Vamola, y’know what I mean? I don’t know if Zuma is going to be confirmed to secretly like Momo.

I mean I hope not cause like I said, they have way more sibling energy to me than that of Momo and Jiji and Jiji is literally her childhood best friend and first crush).

But I do hope that Zuma’s presence will provide the catalyst to Momo professing her love for Okarun.

I mean, Zuma did over hear Momo whispering “tell me you love me” in her sleep and he gave her a look.

Surely, that’s got to come back sometime later just as how Momo’s “Lova Ya” note to Okarun came back, right?

While I doubt this will mean that Zuma will develop a romantic interest in Momo, if so is the case then I hope it will lead into Momo turning him down cause she will FINALLY admit that she’s already in love with Okarun.

THIS HAS TO BE WHY ZUMA IS BACK!

Outside of him bringing in a new arc, Zuma is here to be the FINAL PUSH for Momo to admit she loves Okarun. He has to be!

Zuma is literally the embodiment of everything Momo wants in a potential boyfriend. He looks like Ken Takakura. Underneath his tough exterior, he is genuinely courageous and has a benevolent spirit that drives him to go above and beyond for others in his care. Zuma is such a “good guy” that he got a whole school gang of delinquents to rally behind him. He is such a “good guy” that he’s even willing to help the poor Daiki kid with his curse.

I mean Zuma is just a really cool character.

And him being around again rocking dem big glasses and fluffy hair like Okarun is definitely gonna be confusing for Momo. At least that’s what I think.

Either way, I stand by what I said.

I think we’re entering the home stretch to Momo x Okarun being official.

I don’t know how many more arcs and chapters again it will take to get us there but we are getting there.

Zuma is the key.

If he isn’t gonna be yet another lying ass fake "potential love interest" like Aira, Jiji and Vamola all were then at least let him be a “real bro” to Momo.

I know he kinda blind right now but please let Zuma have the emotional wisdom to see through Momo’s BS of stalling her confession to Okarun and give her a firm kick in the ass with dem big Geta sandals he’s got on to get her to FINALLY return her feelings.

Bruh, we are almost to 200 chapters.

We need to see Momokarun canon before Luffy finds the One Piece. While we’re still young and our shipping hearts are still beating.

- LMS (2025)

[moayase]

𝗚𝗘𝗧  𝗔  𝗟𝗢𝗔𝗗  𝗢'  𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦  𝗚𝗨𝗬--  the  kindest  of  sentiments  flying  out  in  the  most  irritating  of  ways.  if  momo  could  see  past  her  ego,  peel  away  a  couple  of  layers  of  stubborn  pride,  she  might  have  been  able  to  appreciate  the  concern  hiding  between  each  word,  the  silent  pleading  in  those  normally  silly  eyes--  𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴  𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦  𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦  𝘰𝘧  𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺  𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩  𝘯𝘰  𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘺  𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴.  it'd  be  sweet  if  she  weren't  so  damn  exhausted  with  nothing  but  a  deep  set  scowl  to  offer.

instead,  all  knives  are  pointed  at  him,  as  if  he's  the  root  of  her  stress,  of  the  stupid  curse  she'd  managed  to  get  placed  on  herself,  as  if  he's  the  reason  why  okarun  won't  wake  up  yet  or  why  he  even  got  so  hurt  in  the  first  place.  it's  on  her,  really,  and  it's  on  all  those  fucks  who  think  playing  invasion's  the  way  to  go.  but  a  girl  can  only  beat  herself  up  so  much  for  so  long,  and  those  pricks  are  still  days  away,  so  it's  not  like  she  can  do  anything  about  𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺  either...

all  her  bitter  is  begging  to  be  let  out,  to  latch  its  claws  onto  whoever  else  it  can  and  drag  down  and  down  along  with  her,  misery  loves  company  after  all.  so  maybe  she  lets  herself  get  caught  in  his  attack.  guilt's  easy  to  steer  clear  if  she  has  a  reason  to  let  ire  escape,  ❝   get  yer  damn  hands  off  me,  shitbrain!!!!  whaddya  think  yer  doin'?!!   ❞  her  fire  rages  on,  fueled  by  just  how  impossible  it  is  to  worm  out  of  his  grip,  burning  away  until  she's  𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵  𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩  𝘵𝘩𝘦  𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵  𝘰𝘧  𝘩𝘦𝘳  𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴,  ❝   are  ya  that  fuckin'  stupid  or  somethin'?  or  maybe  you  just  don't  give  a  shit  about  any  of  this.  whatever  it  is,  y'need  to  get  a  fuckin'  grip  dude,  i'm  so  sick  of  you  always  treatin'  things  like  a  goddamn  game.   ❞

ft. jin 'jiji' enjoji, @hawxve | continued from x.