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In the past few years, Dandadan has slowly but surely become one of the biggest shōnen franchises out there, and its popularity skyrocketed with the release of Science SARU’s award-winning animated adaptation. This is now one of the best and most beloved anime series in the entire world, and for very good reasons.
Thanks to the efforts of its talented animators, directors, writers, and composers, this is an excellent anime that does many things very well, especially when compared to its contemporaries. These are things that Dandadan does better than nearly every other anime, which also serve as perfect examples of what makes this show so special.
1 A Well-Written Female Main Protagonist
Momo Ayase Is One Of The Best Female Characters In Anime
A lot of popular anime in the market (especially those that belong to the shōnen demographic) really struggle to write compelling female characters, let alone main characters. As a result, some of them can end up feeling clichéd, one-dimensional, or as an excuse to do shallow fan service scenes. Fortunately, Dandadan managed to avoid all of those issues with its excellent main character, Momo Ayase, who can easily be considered one of the best female characters in all anime.
She has a friendly and bubbly personality, but she also has an agency of her own and is surprisingly strong in battle, meaning that she doesn’t always need to be saved by others. On top of that, she’s also quite deep and has gone through a fascinating development. While the original incarnation of Momo from the manga was already great, the anime elevated this character, thanks to her expressive animation and Shion Wakayama’s outstanding voice performance.
2 Dual Protagonists
Momo And Okarun Share The Limelight Equally
Writing a story centered around two protagonists is an extremely challenging task for most writers because it means they’ll have to spend an almost equal amount of time and effort developing both of them at the same time. Most shōnen anime usually have just one sole protagonist because of this, but even some romance anime often run into this problem, and end up making one of the protagonists feel a lot more underdeveloped or clichéd than the other.
As a unique show that combines many different genres in one, including both action and romance, Dandadan doesn’t have this problem because Momo and Okarun are an excellent duo of protagonists that seamlessly share the limelight. They both have an almost equal amount of screen time and, as a result, the story has managed to simultaneously develop both of them in a natural way. At the end of the day, Momo and Okarun are such good dual protagonists that it’s almost impossible to choose one over the other.
3 A Captivating Romance Story
The Audience Actually Wants Momo And Okarun To Get Together
The subject of romance in anime can be either hit or miss. Shōnen anime very often fail tremendously in that regard, mainly by writing unbelievable romances between characters that have little chemistry. But, weirdly enough, even romance anime can also fail to write good relationships because of the exact opposite problem, since they often rely way too much on clichés (like needless drama, misunderstandings, romantic rivals, etc.) that eventually make the audience stop rooting for the main characters.
Despite being an action shōnen series first and foremost, Dandadan prominently features a romance story between the main characters, Momo and Okarun, and it’s written very well. They have impeccable chemistry, the growth of their relationship feels completely natural, and despite the occasional moments of jealousy or drama, they never act toxic toward each other, which results in the audience actually wanting them to get together someday. While this was already a very solid component of the original manga, the anime adaptation improved their endearing romance thanks to its cinematography, soundtrack, dialogue, animation, and voice acting.
4 A Perfect Mix Of Sci-Fi And Fantasy
At Its Core, Dandadan Is A Series About Two Different Worlds Clashing
Most popular anime fall into just one genre, like sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc., and while they may occasionally implement small elements from other genres into their stories, they mainly stick to only one of them, from beginning to end. However, Dandadan has been notorious for its perfect mixture of both sci-fi and fantasy (with some prominent horror elements) ever since the original manga came out, and this became even more evident when Science SARU released its anime adaptation.
After all, Dandadan is a story about two characters from two different worlds getting to know each other and accidentally making these two worlds clash against each other as a result. Momo only believes in ghosts, and Okarun only believes in aliens. This simple premise eventually evolved into an awe-inspiring adventure filled to the brim with dangerous spirits, alien invaders, and cryptid monsters, and yet, this combination of these two contrasting genres never feels unnecessary or overwhelming. Like its two main characters, they perfectly complement each other.
5 Brilliant Interpretations Of Real-Life Myths
It Features New Spins On Well-Known Yokai, Spirits, And Aliens
Since the anime industry is almost entirely based in Japan, it’s not uncommon for most series to feature their own interpretations of classic yokai and other mythological creatures from Japanese folklore, like Yamato no Orochi, Kuchisake-Onna, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and so on. However, Dandadan stands out because its depictions of famous real-life myths are surprisingly unique in comparison.
The main yokai character in this anime is Turbo Granny, an absurd Japanese urban legend that most Western viewers may have not heard about before, not to mention that it also features appearances by all sorts of other yokai, like the Acrobatic Silky, the Kuchisake-Onna, the Kasa-Obake and more, and they all have interesting personalities, designs and abilities. On top of that, Dandadan also makes excellent use of cryptids and alien creatures from other parts of the world, like the Loch Ness Monster, the Flatwoods Monster, or the Mongolian Death Worm, which appeal more to non-Japanese audiences, and it’s ultimately a risk most mainstream anime are not willing to take.
6 Its Beautiful Animation Is Not Used Exclusively For Fights
Some Of Its Best-Animated Sequences Are Not Even Battles
Nowadays, the quality of an anime’s animation is enough to determine if it’s going to end up being a worldwide success or not. For example, some of the most popular shows on the market right now, like Demon Slayer or Solo Leveling, exclusively reserve their most talented animators and artists for high-octane and violent fight scenes between powerful characters, which results in some of the best action sequences in the entire industry. Of course, the Dandadan anime is also being made by a talented group of artists and animators, but curiously enough, some of its best-animated sequences are not even fight scenes.
This show also focuses on mystery and romance, meaning that many of its romantic, comedic, or horror scenes are brimming with fluid, detailed, and colorful animation. And while Dandadan does have its fair share of action sequences, most of them are chases instead of one-on-one fights, like when Momo and Okarun were being chased by Turbo Granny around town or when Momo, Okaru, and Aira escaped from the Loch Ness Monster and the Mantis Shrimp in their school. At the end of the day, being able to claim that some of the best-animated scenes in a modern-day anime are not even part of a battle feels both odd and satisfying.
7 A Catchy Soundtrack
Kensuke Ushio’s Music Perfectly Fits Every Situation
The quality of background music (not counting the Opening or the Ending) in mainstream anime can vary a lot. Sometimes it feels like a lot of love and care was put into it, but most of the time, it feels like an afterthought, made exclusively to fill any awkward silences. Nevertheless, there are a few exceptions to modern mainstream anime series that have remarkable soundtracks, and fortunately, Dandadan is one of them.
The main composer of this show is Kensuke Ushio (known for his work on Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and Chainsaw Man), and he was a perfect choice for this story. The music he created for Dandadan is very diverse, extremely catchy, and most important of all, it fits every specific situation it’s played in, whether it’s a comedic, romantic, creepy, or action-packed scene. This is definitely one of the best anime soundtracks out there, and it’s so good that it’s even enjoyable to listen to on its own.
8 Creative Opening And Ending Sequences
The OPs And EDs Of This Show Are Anything But Generic
Every seasoned anime fan knows that Opening and Ending sequences are an important part of every show’s identity, and it’s an aspect in which very few of them fail to succeed. However, most modern anime feature OPs and EDs that, despite the quality of their music and animation, can feel extremely generic and/or safe. Fortunately, Dandadan doesn’t fall into this category, because it has some of the most distinct and original sequences in the entire industry.
Due to its colorful and surreal animation and its catchy music, the Season 1 OP, Otonoke by Creepy Nuts, quickly became one of the most beloved Openings of 2024, not to mention that it also made the show go viral, allowing it to attract an even bigger audience. The Season 1 ED, TAIDADA by ZUTOMAYO, was also quite memorable and adorable, which is an impressive achievement, considering that most people nowadays choose to skip the Ending credits in anime. And now that Season 2 is out, Science SARU has delivered two more incredible animated sequences: the new OP, On The Way by AiNA THE END, and the new ED, Doukashiteru by WurtS.
