Before I begin this review, I would like to thank Viz Media and NetGalley for this opportunity.
Please Note, The Following Review Will Contain Mature Themes.
It’s the first review of the year, and we’re looking at one of the strangest shonen titles coming from Shueisha and Viz Media today. It’s a title that has Horror, Paranormal Phenomena, Humor, and Action packed into one volume. I’m referring to Yukinobu Tatsu’s DanDaDan.
A Nerd having to fight powerful spirits and aliens all vying for the secret powers of his Family Jewel, so who better to fight by his side than his high school crush, and a yokai named Turbo Granny?
When it comes to the Paranormal, Momo Ayase and Okarun are on opposite sides of the Paranormal Spectrum regarding what they’ll believe in and what they won’t. Their quest to prove each other wrong takes an interesting path of secret crushes and paranormal battles they have to participate in to believe.
Our tale began with her new friendship with a UFO Fanatic, who she nicknamed Okarun because he has a name that is not to be said aloud. Momo strongly believes in spirits, believing that aliens are nothing but nonsense. Her new friend, however, is the opposite. To settle their differences, the duo set out to prove each other wrong, Momo goes to a UFO Hotspot, while Okarun goes to a haunted tunnel. It’s a story of young love, odd and perverted Aliens, and Spirits.
In terms of a story, it is intriguing to read a story that focuses on paranormal phenomena like UFOs, Ghosts, and Yokai with a humorous but vulgar twist to it. If you’re not familiar with Yukinobu Tatsu, he was a former assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man. In a sense, Tatsu used what he has learned in horror and shock value from his time with Fujimoto. In terms of Yokai and Spirits, I was not familiar with the urban legend behind Turbo Granny. Her appearance is downright creepy and horrific, as you would expect in this story, but the vulgarity involved was disgusting. This feeling would also be the same with the aliens in the story, The Serpo.
The artwork looks great, and the character designs are unique and eye-catching, I will not be reading this story again. Yes, it is humorous and has some great action, but Sexual Assault is no laughing matter. It isn’t a bad series but this isn’t a story for me. Dandadan Volume One is available wherever books are sold.
Final Grade:
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