DanDaDan. What even is DanDaDan? DanDaDan is a manga series that began serialization in April of 2021, on the Shonen Jump+ app. Ever since the manga’s debut, the series has been roaring in popularity, allowing the series to become an anime. But what’s it even about? Why is it so popular? And what is with that title?
DanDaDan is about 2 high school students, Momo Ayase who believes in spirits (also known as Yokai), and Ken Takakura (Okarun) who believes in aliens. Momo and Okarun try to prove each other wrong by sending one another to discover their beliefs. After an eventful night, they find out that Yokai and aliens do exist. Now the pair have to ward off the paranormal while trying to get back Okaruns family jewels.
Now that summary sounded weird, right? Of course it did, and that’s why everyone loves it. The series was able to gain tons of popularity because of how unexpected the storyline can get. Nowadays, many manga series follow the same template because it’s safe. It’s easier to create a series that’ll sell and stick to the blueprint over a series that’ll go off the rails and is completely random.
It also helps that the mangaka, Yukinobu Tatsu, isn’t new to the manga business. Before starting his own series, he was previously an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto; the creator of Chainsaw Man. Chainsaw Man, in of itself, is widely popular in the manga/anime community. The series has amazing artwork and storytelling. Being able to work on a huge project, such as Chainsaw Man, gave Yukinobu a massive lift in the community.
But back to DanDaDan, besides the randomness that takes place in the series. Why do people like it so much? DanDaDan shows aspects that many manga series can’t achieve; for example, a strong female lead.
Our lead character is Momo Ayase. Right off the bat, we are shown how brave and, funnily enough, stubborn she is. She isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in, what she wants, and what she sees as right. We’re shown this in the first volume and episode of the series alone.
While yes, many series have a female lead; most of the time, the mangakas never do them justice, they either set the female lead as way too bossy and stubborn, or helpless. Momo Ayase is the best representation of a girl in high school. She’s into the trends, she cares for her friends, and she wants to find love. Wait, love?
Another key reason people love the series is the realistic aspect they cast on the characters’ romance. From the start, we can see that the story has Momo and Okarun set up as love interests. As we see the characters grow, we can see the romance blossom between the two.
What people love the most about their relationship is that it’s realistic. It shows how awkward teenagers feel when they like each other. It shows how teenagers always have that person on their mind, how they want to talk to them, to see them. It’s so realistic that you’d think you’re being called out.
And of course, most importantly, people just love the main plot line. Being able to see our protagonists fight these supernatural beings with these insanely drawn designs is so pleasing to the eye. If you were to search up “DanDaDan aliens and spirits”, you’d be able to see just how awesome each one looks.
Not to mention the detail in the characters and supernaturals backstories. Some can tug on your heartstrings while others can be silly little haha’s. The attention to detail Yukinobu puts into his series is incredible, you can tell how passionate he is about it. But we haven’t talked about what most people want to know. What is with that name?
As of now, the only reason we know why Yukinobu decided on the name DanDaDan is because, well, he was struggling with ideas. It’s as simple as that. When Yukinobu was trying to come up with plot ideas, his editor suggested “Draw whatever you like without worrying about the plot.” There, DanDaDan was created with the title he chose on a whim.
Overall, DanDaDan has many aspects that people enjoy and praise very much. As of now, the anime is on a weekly schedule, releasing every Thursday at 11:00 am CST, while manga chapters drop every Monday on the Shonen Jump app.