Have you ever been watching X-Files and thought, wow, I love this, but it would be even better if it was an anime set in high school, and also if all the aliens were obsessed with stealing Mulder’s cock and balls? DanDaDan is here to answer your prayers.
The anime, which premiered on Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll this week, is a perfect blend of slapstick action comedy and sweet high school romance. The series revolves around characters Momo Ayase, a no-nonsense teenage girl who believes in spirits, and Ken Takakura, a nerdy loner who is obsessed with UFOs. After meeting in high school and wanting to prove the other wrong about the existence of their hyperfixation, they instead learn that they’re both right: aliens and spirits are real. And for some reason, they’re obsessed with Ken Takakura’s dick.
The Dandadan subtitles are a lot lol pic.twitter.com/EL1539b38r
— Charles PM (@CharlesPulliam) October 4, 2024
The manga, which is illustrated and written by Yokinobu Tatsu and currently running in Shonen Jump, shows just how twisty and turny this zany concept can get. As Momo and Ken inevitably start to fall for each other, they also meet alien sumo wrestlers, ancient snake spirits, and a hair metal band that performs exorcisms. I was lucky enough to catch the first three episodes of the anime adaptation when it premiered in theaters last month, and it translates the mile-a-minute genre changes perfectly. If you’ve seen other anime produced by Science Saru, like Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. They have a knack for mixing down to earth human moments with fluid and inventive animation. I especially love the opening theme, which I think captures both the lighthearted and action-oriented parts of the series.
Right now the series is releasing weekly, so I have a bit of a head start. If the entire show is as good as those first three episodes, then DanDaDan is going to be a lot of people’s new favorite show. And don’t worry, Takakura will get his penis back—eventually.
