The Fall 2022 Manga Guide

Dandadan

What's It About? 

Takakura, an occult maniac who doesn't believe in ghosts, and Ayase, a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, try to overcome their differences when they encounter the paranormal.

Dandadan has story and art by Yukinobu Tatsu, with English translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian, and Viz will release its first volume both digitally and physically at October 11.



Content Warning: Attempted sexual assault

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Is It Worth Reading?

Christopher Farris

Rating:

Dandadan is one of those manga where just reading the chapter titles on the table of contents lets you know you're in for a good time. Seeing that whatever the hell happens in this volume is going to culminate in "Kicking Turbo Granny's Ass" is a strong sales pitch, you feel me? And Dandadan delivers pretty well on that tone straight out of the gate. It hurtles along with the irreverent, juvenile attitude demonstrated so effectively in something like Chainsaw Man, which makes sense, given that author Yukinobu Tatsu previously worked under Fujimoto himself. Granted, that immediate tonal signifier also means this book doesn't necessarily put its best foot forward, with much of the opening chapter dedicated to its main heroine being stripped, strapped down, and threatened with rape by aliens. It does seem to be trying to shoot for that particular flavor of "So absurd it actually comes off as less skeevy" but I don't know that it quite gets there, and definitely merits a heads-up regardless.

Once that's out of the way, courtesy of that extremely-likable leading girl Momo Ayase manifesting her powers, Dandadan hits its stride with the string of fantastically-flavored 'Hell Yeah' moments it's looking to evoke. Much of the mechanics of what's going down here aren't especially inventive if you've read any occult/supernatural super-powered fighting manga before, so it's down to style and personality to carry this one so well. Just to start with, the chemistry between Momo and cursed companion Okarun is immediately appealing. There's a neat symbiosis growing in how their powers work together during fights, and it's nice to see a developing-couple dynamic based less on begrudging companionship and more on odd care and respect. Their repeated co-catchphrase of "You're a genius Miss Ayase!" "I know!" is one of those bits that sums up their own personalities and their connection enjoyably well.

The fantastical fights Tatsu is putting to page here sell the series as well. Again, pulling off trickeries of technicalities on various creepy crawlies isn't new ground, but the particulars spice it up, letting us relish in stuff like the characters sumo wrestling a giant Flatwoods Monster, or the odd recurring fixation with schlongs getting bitten off. I guess that's one reason to center your first fight around an imminent sex crime, so we'll be immediately in favor of vengeful schlong-removal. But those sorts of simple, crass indulgences underscore pretty much all of Dandadan's tone, from the proper introduction of a badass cigarette-chomping spirit-medium GMILF, to Okarun unleashing his reclaimed shonen-manga spirit powers by aggressively biting some ghost tiddy. It's that sort of series, and it's absolutely not going to be for everyone, but you will have a good time with it if you find yourself receptive to its…particular charms.

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Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

I love ridiculous stories as much as the next person and folklore much more than the next person, but Dandadan's first volume didn't really work for me. The main reason is the ongoing sexual assault jokes: when heroine Momo is abducted by (as the content advisory calls it) randy aliens, the first thing they do is shred her clothes and chain her to a padded chair in a compromising position. Then they attempt to rape her with their robo-dicks. It's clearly meant to be funny, as is the later gag when they come back, but that's the kind of “humor” I could very much do without, thanks. Clearly the creator of this manga doesn't agree, because alongside Momo's problems is the hero, Ken (or Okarun), whose encounter with a yokai known as “Turbo Granny” leads to her first propositioning him and then stealing his penis. Later, to fight her, he chomps down on her breast while she tells him to stop.

But if these things aren't a dealbreaker for you, there is some entertainment to be gleaned from the book. The basic premise, that Momo doesn't believe in aliens and Okarun doesn't believe in spirits so they try to prove each other wrong with disastrous results, is a solid one. Naturally nothing goes to plan, and both teens learn that aliens AND spirits are very much real and pretty terrifying, swiftly turning the story into a ghost/alien busting caper. The humor remains on the crude level, but the story gets a decent amount out of it, and Okarun being possessed by Turbo Granny leads to some weird but decent gags. I'm not entirely sure why Momo's grandmother looks like she's twenty, but I suspect the answer is “fanservice,” and since she delivers on that front, well, I guess it works.

Dandadan's first volume does mostly leave me cold. I don't love the sexual assault gags and the rest of the humor doesn't quite work for me either. It's got its interesting elements and the art is interesting, but I have zero interest in seeing where the story goes from here.