Dandadan (2021)
[ダンダダン]
Volume 1
Author/Artist: Yokinobu Tatsu
Publisher: Jump Comics+
Synopsis:
After a messy breakup, a girl with an interest in the occult befriends a nerdy classmate with a passion for UFOs and cryptids. Little do they realize that all that is real.
Story/Characters:
The Fall 2024 anime season was a bit on the bleak side for me, but the adaptation of this series was the shining light that got me through to the much better stocked Winter 2025 season. In fact, I rewatched the first episode several times, something I don't normally do, and in my inability to wait even a week for the next episode, I went out and got the first ten volumes of the manga. This is another thing that doesn't happen too often. In recent memory, only My Dress-Up Darling and The Apothecary Diaries come to mind. Anyway, suffice to say that this story was quite effective at getting me hooked, but for those of you who aren't in the know, what's the secret sauce?
It's all about Momo and Okarun. Yes, the cast will grow and they're great, but it's the strength of the dynamic with the main pair that hooks you and holds you. In so many stories, in an effort to either make self-inserts or to achieve the broadest appeal, the main couple is so lame. I can't stand it, but we don't have to worry about that here. We have a classic story of opposites attracting in the form of the brash gyaru Momo and the cripplingly shy nerd Okarun, but both of them are so much more than their basic character settings. It was an early scene that first won me over. A sulking Momo sees some boys tormenting the hapless Okarun and all she has to do is quietly sit down in front of him to ward the boys off. The awkward Okarun, trying to express his thanks and to connect with pretty much the only person to ever show even a smidgeon of interest in him, starts rambling about his obsession with UFOs in stuff because that's all he really has. Momo, who was already in a bad mood, loses her patience and tells him to buzz off, smacking away the magazine he's trying to show her. She's just about to stalk off, leaving the deflated Okarun to himself, but then her conscience gets the better of her. She goes back, picks up the magazine, dusts it off, and offers it back to him, making an awkward attempt to make amends by mentioning her belief in ghosts and such, only for Okarun to do a 180 and start mocking her for believing in such nonsense, kicking off a little grade-school spat that brings us to the mutual dare that sets all the events of the story into motion. It's a very well-wrought scene and really gives you a preview of things to come with the character work.
Now, I'm trying to get away from my style of extensive recaps in these reviews, so I'm just going to give you the broad strokes from here on, partially so that you can enjoy how things unfold for yourself. We probably could've had a perfectly charming little story of our two lovebirds slowly bonding over progressively wacky antics trying to prove the existence of the paranormal, but I doubt Jump would've picked the series up. The hook is that this cute little high school romance is also a big shounen battle series with aliens, ghosts, the whole kit n' kaboodle. The way different folk traditions and original content get mixed reminds me a bit of the Monogatari Series and a fair bit goes into deciphering how the Monster of the Week ticks in order to defeat it. (And even when dealing with said Monster of the Week, it's rarely a black-and-white deal. There's often a bit of tragedy and misunderstanding mixed in.)
Our first encounter sets up the premise that both aliens and ghosts are real, while the Flatwoods Monster helps establish some of the limits we're operating under. It's the third battle with the rematch with Turbo Granny that really gets us into the meat of the battle side of the story. Before that, though, we get introduce to Momo's grandmother, who acts as the mentor figure and provides a decent share of the exposition (except where aliens are concerned, because of course none of that stuff exists, a position she'll stick to even when she has extraterrestrial houseguests in the future).
Art:
The art is amazing. You've got solid basic character design that gets pushed hard when it's time for action and nicely creepy monsters. Some of the sequences can be quite harrowing and it easily could've been pushed harder if the author wanted to aim for an older demographic but I think a good balance is struck here with a decent bit of age yet still some restraint. Shoot, the second page alone establishes Momo's kicking prowess (though against jerk ex-boyfriend, she probably shouldn't have busted out that kick on someone who A) blocks, and B) kicks back).
One of Tatsu's artistic quirks is drawing little icons of the characters when they're speaking offscreen that I find very cute. Comedic reaction shots are great and I can never get enough of Momo and Okarun running away in a panic from the latest horror that's been unleashed on them.
Other:
The first page of the volume has full-color posters of Momo and Okarun, and under the dust cover we have profiles of the Serpos and Turbo Granny.
Conclusion:
I can't recommend this one enough. I find it hilarious that I spent so many years hating on Jump and now most of the series I collect are Jump labels. This series is the whole package and this volume starts us off on a real banger. Unless you're dead-set against a battle series (and bear in mind, this is a very well-written and well-drawn battle series), there's no reason not to add this to your collection, or be like me and collect ten volumes in one got and then get the rest of the available volumes over the span of a week or two.
Own It