How do you recommend to someone a series that is so preposterous, so over-the-top, so absurd that it will make you go ‘wut’ at every scene? A series that in the very first episode has aliens wanting the human’s ‘banana organ’ and a malevolent spirit called turbo-granny saying that she will let the protagonist ‘suckle on her teet(tit)’. Well, you don’t; there is no logical way for me to recommend DanDaDan to any casual viewer of anime. With that being said, I do firmly believe that DanDaDan was one of the most refreshing, innovative and genius series to be produced last year. I assume that a large part of its popularity derived from being broadcasted on wide-spread platforms such as Netflix and as such I also fear that not many will appreciate it for what it truly accomplishes.
Let me start with the basics: on the surface DanDaDan is a shōnen through and through but it combines two settings that normally would not work as well together, sci-fi and supernatural fiction. Within the same world, the existence of both aliens as well as spirits becomes a reality and the cast of protagonist is forced to fend them off with the use of their own absurd abilities. When I say that this series is over the top, I mean it; it is ultimately a fever-dream, a series that makes no effort in explaining the absurd notions and scenarios it creates and as a viewer, you either go with the flow or just stop watching. The suspension of disbelief reaches unheard peeks and this is probably why the mix of genres works so well; furthermore, while being a shōnen in many aspects, it also manages to be a rom-com comedy, high school drama and an exploration on existentialism altogether.
The manga
Anyway, I was curious so I just went on and read through the manga; consider that the anime adapts the first 40 or so chapters and by now we are at about 180 total. And yes, rest assured that it gets even weirder and yes, it is still a roller coaster of WTF moments. It becomes more of a shōnen, adhering to the tropes that we all know and love, while also adding its peculiar blend of humour and personal touch to the mix.
What I will say is that the manga uses white to a great effect: backgrounds are sometimes left empty and that puts a different emphasis on the characters. Usually this is achieved through a preponderance of darker colours and shadings in other works, but DanDaDan takes a different approach and further enhances its uniqueness (it is not the only manga to do so, but it is still worth mentioning).
The anime
I already mentioned how bombastic and over the top this series is, and this is one of those cases where the anime understands how to transpose the manga and how to heighten its quality even further. Made by Science Saru, these guys know their craft – they are the same ones who previously made DevilMan Crybaby. By taking advantage of the white void spaces of the manga, they add a splash (well, in this case a bucket) of colour and create backgrounds that are visually stunning. The packed action scenes have seamless transition and a fluidity that is stunning. The music is always on point, from the opening theme created by Creepy Nuts which encapsulates perfectly the work’s spirit, to the use of classical pieces for various moments (not gonna lie, hearing Rossini’s famous overture for a running scene just made perfect sense and had me smiling all the way). Science Saru understands its work when adapting a manga but also take great pride – as they should – in using their personal touch (which may even be defined as experimental in some sequences).
The passage from manga to anime in this case creates a contrast between a more minimalistic approach in the former and a more bombastic one in the latter. They are two different mediums, but the creators respectively know how to truly capture the intent of the various scenes. Both products feel polished to almost a maniacal degree and that is why DanDaDan deserves more than a mere second glance; I hope that the hype will not be limited by the whims of the market and that the series will manage to eventually end on a high note.