Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dandadan chapter 54!
Previous installments of Shonen Jump’s Dandadan have successfully demonstrated that action manga don’t need fighting to captivate readers. But the latest chapter really encapsulates this belief more effectively than the rest.
Many manga series struggle whenever an arc concludes because there are always a few chapters of downtime, and although these installments are necessary to set up the next story, the overall pace suffers as a result. This especially happens in action or adventure series like One Piece as their characters don’t translate well in low-level situations where character-boosting romantic scenes are already nonexistent. This isn’t the case in Dandadan since mangaka Yukinobu Tatsu is able to expertly capture seriousness, well-balanced humor and adorable romantic interactions in these transition scenes.
Dandadan‘s 54th chapter perfectly embodies this dynamic, masterfully incorporating all of these elements in just 19 pages. The installment opens with a very dismal scene involving the aftermath of a rather unfortunate yokai possession that previous chapters have depicted humorously – even reducing them to just one page, though they have been some of the wildest spreads of immense chaos in Shonen Jump history. This stunning contrast in chapter 54 showcases the possessed Jiji struggling as the host of an unfriendly “guest” as he is forced to rely on the kindness and understanding of his new friends, most especially Okarun. The two characters’ brief interactions further explore their complex friendship that’s already augmented by the realization that they both have romantic feelings for the series’ other main character Momo Ayase.
Rather than relentlessly shoving it in readers’ faces, the humor begins modestly when Jiji waves enthusiastically in an overly cartoony manner despite his unfortunate predicament as his friends and housemates leave him for school. There, that humor continues when Momo’s close classmates, who have fawned and obsessed over Okarun in the past for quixotically securing Momo’s affections despite her love for bad boys, try to connect with him under false pretenses. Their true objective is later revealed during yet another perfect execution of Dandadan’s adorable romance that mangaka Yukinobu Tatsu has proven to be so adept at. They want Okarun to get embarrassed and interact with Momo who’s working at a cafe where waitresses are forced to wear maid dresses and expected to play the part in an embarrassing way.
All of this occures during a ubiquitous moment that usually breaks or exposes the many faults of action/adventure manga. Dandadan’s last major villain – the Evil Eye yokai – is trapped in Jiji’s body thanks to a powerful sealing spell and can only cause havoc in short, contained spurts. The Serpo aliens haven’t reattempted stealing Okarun or Momo’s reproductive organs in a while. And four chapters ago, the true terrifying identities of the Kito family were revealed to actually be hideous accordion-shaped creatures known as the Subterrarians who had been wearing either human skin or highly convincing disguises that look like large, ugly humans. Any other manga ignoring such an eclectic bunch of villains would undoubtedly suffer. But this current downtime in Dandadan is just as entertaining if not more so than any future battle against the Subterrarians, the Evil Yokai, the Serpo aliens or another unidentified enemy.
You can read Chapter 54 of Dandadan exclusively on Viz’s Shonen Jump App!
