The Magic of Dandadan
How do I explain to my friends that one of the most endearing and feel-good shows I’ve ever seen is an anime about 2 high school kids trying to find the boys missing balls? Yes I mean those “balls.” No I’m not joking, this show is so sweet and funny and can even be tragic and beautiful and it all revolves around a ghost who stole a high school boys balls. Yes there are ghost, aliens, and cryptids all over this show. Welcome to Dandadan.
First thing you’ll notice when you start Dandadan is the absolute banger of a song for its opening credits. It’s a Japanese hip-hop song called “Otonoke” by Creepy Nuts. I’m sure the group's name helped them land the gig. However this song is good. In October 2024 it was the number one song on the Japanese music charts. I don’t speak Japanese but the song is so good that I played it on repeat multiple times a week. It even ended up in my 2024 Spotify wrap list. This song really sets up that feel good vibe the rest of the show encourages.
So what is Dandadan about? Let me break it down for you. Light spoilers for beginning of the series. High Schooler Momo Ayase believes in ghost but not aliens. Her classmate Okarun believes in aliens but not ghosts. Momo challenges Okarun to go to the haunted tunnel and Okarun encourages Momo to go to an abandoned hospital with frequent UFO sightings. Meanwhile they are on the phone getting to know each other as they venture into unknowns. Feels like the first phone call you have with your crush. I also failed to mention Okarun has never had a friend before so seeing him smile while talking to Momo is genuinely very sweet.
However it turns out ghosts and aliens are real. Now here is where it gets “weird,” the tunnel is haunted by Turbo Granny, a ghost who targets men as vengeance for all the women who have been abused or murdered by men in the past and unfortunately for Okarun, Turbo Granny does not care that he’s harmless. Meanwhile the abandoned hospital just so happens to be a base for a group of aliens who are studying human reproduction and sadly for Momo, they are in need of a female womb. Admittedly the alien scene made me feel uncomfortable as the aliens undress Momo down to her underwear and prepare to do some unconsenting activities to her but a now possessed Okarun ends up at the hospital, confusing the aliens. Okarun, seeing Momo in trouble, regains control of his body and is able to use the power of Turbo Granny to fight the aliens. Meanwhile Momo discovers she possesses psychic powers. The two fight their way out, defeating the aliens. Happy ending? Not even close. Turbo Granny’s spirit is still inside Okarun and a side effect of this is he’s missing his “family jewels.”
From the Chapter 9 of the manga. Please note: Manga word bubbles are read from right to left.
From here on out the two become inseparable friends and their friendship is quite sweet. But they are in high school so hormones and misunderstandings are bond to happen. Oh and now they are on the radar of some very aggressive aliens, evil spirits, and the occasional cryptid.
Dandadan has such a beautiful unique look and style to it’s animation, it’s hard to look away. First time director Fūga Yamashiro really knows how to capture the small moments on the characters faces. He really knows how to bring the pages from Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga to life.
Currently there are only 12 episodes of the anime released with a second season coming in the summer of 2025. In the meantime if you prefer to read the manga their are 181 chapters out at the time of this article. If you are an anime or manga fan there is a lot to love about this series. I highly recommend.