Title: Dandadan
Author: Yukinobu Tatsu
Demographic: Shonen
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy
Published: 2021 – Present
English-translated Volumes: 14 and Ongoing
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.45
Rating: 8/10
Momo and Ken couldn’t be more different. Momo is a popular girl with tons of friends and admirers while Ken is an introverted nerd who’s never had a friend in his life. But one day, Momo passes by Ken’s classroom and notices that he’s getting bullied. While Momo steps in to stop the jerks, Ken is left desperately trying to figure out what is happening. Jumping to conclusions, Ken assumes Momo is interested in his magazine that talks about UAPs and aliens. And things quickly spiral out of control as they start a heated debate about the existence of aliens versus spirits. You see… Ken is positive that aliens exist while Momo believes in spirits. And after a stalemate, they agree to the ultimate challenge. Ken will go to a haunted tunnel to see if a spirit appears and Momo will go to an abandoned hospital known for being an alien hotspot. As it turns out… that tunnel? Yeah, a spirit appears that curses Ken. And that abandoned hospital? Momo gets abducted by aliens. Long story short, a chaotic sequence of events unfolds with alien spirit battles, awakened abilities, and human/curse transformations.
Pros:
Absolutely Hilarious
The humor in this manga is cheeky and playful. Momo and her grandma are a bit tactless leading to some hilarious character interactions that really lean into Ken’s innocent and socially awkward nature. There are also some laugh-out-loud moments and reveals that are completely unpredictable. You quickly realize that you truly never know what to expect from this story. That applies to the battle scenes as well, which are completely ridiculous and chaotic starring a variety of odd and quirky villains.
Characters
In the midst of this absurdity, we have an adorable budding romance between Momo and Ken. But being high school students, they’re not entirely sure what to do about their feelings leading to a slow burn romance. As they get more and more comfortable with each other, we get some satisfying moments between the shy lovebirds.
We also meet a variety of additional characters that make the story wilder and wilder. Each character adds their own flavor of insanity to this unpredictable adventure. My personal favorites are Turbo Granny and Seiko. I especially enjoyed the Bonus chapters that added some satisfying one-off moments for our support characters.
Cons:
Jarring Backstories
With our growing crew of misfits, the author includes some jarring character backstories that are completely opposite of the chaotic fun vibe that we’ve grown to expect. Fair warning, this story includes a few scenes that could be triggering for some readers – specifically suicides and child sacrifices. And these moments come out of nowhere. There’s no buildup or subtle clues that let you prepare for these shocking moments.
Overall…
This is a fun manga series that leans into complete mayhem. Dandadan features a charming romance, a misfit family dynamic, and a mash-up of ghosts, spirits, aliens, and more making it a creative and absurd adventure. Give Dandadan 11 chapters and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Caroline’s Library 