Summary
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the Dandadan anime and manga up to the point of this article’s publication.
Adapting manga into an anime usually means reducing content to save time and get straight to the conflict. That said,Dandadanseems to have done a stellar job of remaining faithful to the manga. Parts of the currently aired episodes are line-by-line, frame-by-frame adaptations of the manga panels, which has made manga fans happy with the current state of the anime. There are still some changes, however, that will be gone over today in this article.
Some changes are obvious; there’s a theme song now, sound effects, and voice acting. These aren’t the differences that will be covered today, as they are something that happens with every anime adaptation. This article will focus on plot, character, andreferential changesmade in the anime adaptation to date, and how that impacts the anime moving forward. From political censorship to hinting at a major character transformation, it’s time to dive deep into the changes theDandadananime made during it’s adaptation so far.
The Anime Takes a More Colorful Approach
Brighter Colors, Playful Animation, and Exaggerated Comedy
One of the biggest differences between the anime and the manga is the way the story is presented. The manga tended to take itself a bit more seriously, with adarker art styleand a grittier, more detailed style to both its animation and its characters. The language used in the manga is rougher. While the anime’s more colorful approach can be taken more literally, it can also be said the personality and the presentation of the anime itself is also more emphasized.
The characters in the anime are animated more simply to allow for a more comedic animation style, because the anime is trying to emphasize the comedic moments more than the manga had. Most of these momentswere already in the manga, but they last significantly longer in the anime and tend to be presented in a more wacky way than the sarcastic, aggressive style the same moments are presented in the manga. The fight scenes are also drawn out longer, but they are also more vibrant and stylistic than how the manga presented them. The horror in the anime is also slightly toned down in favor of more action-packed presentations.
Removing Political References
Obama? No, This Is Generic President #44
Dandadan’s manga isn’t overtly political, but delving into the world of aliens often means making references to politics, especially in regard to conspiracies surrounding the American government. One instance of this, in the first chapter of the manga Former President Barack Obama isexplicitly shown in Orakun’s magazineabout aliens. The article shown in the manga also references Project Pegasus, which is a popular conspiracy theory claiming that an alleged top-secret time travel and teleportation program was conducted by the United States government.
The anime removes the reference to Former President Barack Obama, instead replacing him with a generic placeholder president. While this is the only change made to the magazine,throughout the mangaany references to political or outer space conspiracy theories scrub references to real-life people, likely to avoid controversy or legal trouble as the anime was going to be dubbed internationally.
Turbo Granny’s Maneki-Neko Form Already Revealed
The Anime Wanted To Hint At This Change Early On
While watchers are not far away plot-wise from this major development in the anime,Dandadanspared no timesharing Turbo Granny’s next form, without telling the anime audience why this cat gets to star in additional scenes at the end of episodes. Right now, we are just seeing a Maneki-Neko going about their daily life inside Seiko Ayase’s house, with no explanation as to who this cat is or why they are here.
A Maneki-Neko (招き猫, literally “beckoning cat”) is a Japanese cat figure that is said to bring good luck to the owner of the figure. They’re often at places of business, to bring luck to business, or in Japanese homes. Traditionally they aren’t said to bepossessed by a yokai,butDandadanis no stranger for creating their own unique and modern additions to traditional Japanese folklore.
Manga readers, however, already know who this is. As early as Chapter 11, Turbo Granny’s consciousness is pulled out of Okarun, and put into a Maneki Neko doll, who quickly becomes a begrudging sidekick to both the protagonists and Seiko. There were never hints throughout the previous 10 chapters implying anything about a Maneki-Neko doll, but the anime decides to sprinkle her in the theme song and ending songs, as well as sharing little slice-of-life shorts ofTurbo Granny’s day-to-dayas early as the first episode.
TheDandadananime is not even halfway through its run at the time of this article’s publication. That said, it’s shaping up to be a faithful adaptation to the popular Shōnen Jump series. There are plenty of moments directly adapted from the panels themselves, and theanime still follows the mangabeat-for-beat. Only time will tell if this trend continues in the anime adaptation, however.
Dandadanis a horror-action series that can be watched on Netflix, Hulu, or Crunchyroll. The manga it’s adapted from can be read on Shōnen Jump+ or bought as a physical volume from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Dandadan
Cast
Based on Yukinobu Tatsu’s popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan blends action, comedy, romance, and supernatural thrills to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the extraordinary, although the former believes in ghosts and the latter believes in aliens. Determined to confirm their side’s existence, they set out to find their proof.
