Dandadan is a manga under the Shonen Jump label about Momo Ayase and Okarun, a pair of teens enamored with spirits and aliens who suddenly find both to be all too real. After a bad encounter with both results in Okarun losing his genitalia, Momo and Okarun must battle spirits and aliens alike to get them back, all while slowly falling in love with each other along the way.
With its surreal premise, gorgeous artwork, and surprisingly heartfelt writing, Dandadan is one of the best, albeit underrated, Shonen Jump manga in recent years, and it’s finally receiving an official anime adaptation. According to a recent trailer, Dandadan’s anime will be produced by Science Saru with a 2024 release window and will have Fuga Yamashiro directing, Hiroshi Seko writing, and Kensuke Ushio composing the music.
With the track record of the staff involved, Dandadan is already being set up to be one of the best anime of 2024, and if that happens, it will more than succeed at living up to its manga legacy.
Dandadan Is The Perfect Follow-Up To The Legacy Of The “Dark Shonen Trio”
One of the best things about Dandadan is that it’s a perfect follow-up to the “dark shonen trio” of Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. Like those three manga, Dandadan is a manga with incredible art and battle choreography centered around pitting humans against demons with storytelling darker than what one might expect from a shonen manga, and Dandadan’s Yukinobu Tatsu even previously worked as an assistant on both Chainsaw Man and Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. Dandadan does a great job of capturing the same aesthetic of three of the biggest manga in recent years, and it also having a great anime adaptation would sell that point even further.
Dandadan’s Anime Staff Make It An Easy Contender For Best Anime Of 2024
Even more than its story, the biggest draw to Dandadan’s anime is undoubtedly the pedigree of its staff. Director Fuga Yamashiro and composer Kensuke Ushio have both contributed to incredible Science Saru productions like Devilman Crybaby, Tatami Time Machine Blues, and Ping Pong, and Hiroshi Seko’s writing credits include great productions like Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan season 4, and Mob Psycho 100. Add in character and monster designs from Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’s Naoyuki Onda and Mob Psycho 100’s Yoshimichi Kaneda, and Dandadan’s anime staff can easily make it one of the most impressive and must-watch anime of 2024.
The biggest point in Dandadan’s favor, of course, is that Science Saru is the studio in charge. Science Saru is famous for producing anime with incredible animation and surreal visuals like Devilman Crybaby and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, so they’re probably the best anime studio to handle such a surreal and bizarre story like Dandadan. Science Saru’s recent success with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off sells their talents even further, so with them in charge, Dandadan’s long-awaited anime has the perfect chance to be another dark Shonen Jump anime that stands out as one of the best of its year, regardless of how underrated the manga may be.
Sources: Anime News Network, Otaquest.
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