The ‘Dandadan’ controversy, explained

If there has been an outlier, it has been the most anticipated 2024 series, Dandadan. Taking a page out of other Shōnen such as Bleach, the anime is an exciting and humorous supernatural series.

Starting as a manga series written by Yukinobu Tatsu, the story follows two protagonists with differing beliefs in the occult. Momo Ayase is teenage girl who believes in ghosts but is skeptical about the existence of aliens. Conversely, Ken Takakura aka Okarun thinks that aliens and UFO’s are real but doesn’t believe in the paranormal. Both agree to investigate the others’ beliefs to prove if they’re real or not. A clever unification of different occult studies, both characters learn that everything they believe in is real.

Dandadan also balances its comedic elements and the serious in a variety of ways. Turbo Granny is one well-done example demonstrating this dynamic. The vengeful spirit poses a large threat to the characters but is foul-mouthed and bizarre in her repeated attempts to steal the characters’ genitals. Dandadan fires on all cylinders and naturally invites appreciation and criticism in equal measure. The season 1 finale of the anime threw the internet into a tizzy with a shocking cliffhanger.

Momo is left in dire straits in the Dandadan season finale

The final episode of Dandadan season 1 follows the Cursed House Arc, depicted in chapter 33 of the manga. After a failed mission with Jiji and Okarun, Momo takes a break in the hot spring only to get literally and figuratively into hot water. The Kito family, comprised of adult men, follow Momo into the hot spring where things escalate quickly. The cliffhanger ends as the men attempt to sexually assault the teenage girl. The moment set the internet afire with the controversial moment. Many fans took issue with cutting the season off at that moment with no resolution. Season 2 of the show will likely take over a year to make it to the airwaves, leaving viewers in a state of anxiety for some time.

The germination of the controversy starts in the first episode of Dandadan due to the sexual nature of Momo’s story. She gets abducted by aliens who want to harvest her eggs. Even upon viewing the first episode, fans were upset.

With the context that Momo had already been objectified, the season finale didn’t feel right with viewers. Many cited the constant attack on Momo as a negative. However, there is also the alternative perspective. The attacks on Momo are supposed to be negative. Dandadan isn’t posing a narrative where sexual assault is a good thing. The Kito family are the villains of the arc and act accordingly. If they didn’t do villainous things, then they wouldn’t be very good antagonists. Other users on Reddit pointed out this fact.

Especially considering this is a horror series, this is tonally consistent with the parameters that the anime has set up. This isn’t the first time that anime fans have called out storylines in the final run of certain arcs. Upon the conclusion of Attack On Titan, many took issue with Eren’s turn into a villain, particularly with his role in The Rumbling. Eren enacts a genocidal plan, completing his villain origin story. By the end of the series, Attack On Titan reveals he had planned this out so his friends would be forced to make him the villain which would ultimately heal the world. Attack On Titan had always been about the horrors of war and how even the best-intentioned can find the road to hell. Anime has a long history of telling thematically complex stories. Dandadan is not the first and it won’t be the last.