I really enjoyed the art style for Dandadan and I thought the concept was very unique and entertaining. There were panels that were definitely creepy and created a shock value. However, I just felt super uncomfortable with how this manga started off, with a very r*pey tone. I unfortunately will not be ordering this for our store as I would not want this manga to get in the hands of young children who don't understand the material.

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a decent start to a manga. I like the concept of these two not being friends at first, but challenging each other and it going horribly wrong. One unlocks supernatural powers and the other fights a possession curse. It's interesting and starts off pretty quickly.

I think the humor is pretty funny. I would say the only thing I did not like was a scene where the girl is essentially about to be r****. I think a trigger warning would be good for some people of this manga. It does have an explicit rating on the cover, but it came out of nowhere real fast. If that is something you do not like to read, please steer clear of this title. I hate when they do this to female characters like that. There are other ways for her to be in danger without it being sexual.

After that, I thought the plot was more interesting. I would give the second volume a chance. However, if it keeps with the same sexualization of the female main character, I will probably stop.

In this first volume, we follow Momo Ayase and Okarun. They become friends after Okarun tells Momo that there is no such thing as spirits and she tells him that aliens don't exist. The two quickly try to prove to the other that what they believe in actually exists. I really enjoyed reading this first volume and I'm excited to see where this story goes!

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.

What the F did I just read. This story is at times hard to follow and a tad bit disturbing. At the same time you want to know what happens next. It’s like the car crash you can’t look away from. I’m not even sure where the title comes from. You have two characters. One is a popular girl, and the other is a geeky nerdy boy. They end up stuck together because of UFOs and evil spirits. They must find a way to work together, exercise the Demons, and not get tortured. The beginning of this book is very rapey. There is no rape but it’s very rapey. Plus, the emphasis on schlongs, the having and not having of them, as well as the quite frequent gratuitous semi naked girl who is supposed to be in high school is a bit much for this reader. I like the story when it’s being crazy, I don’t like the story when it’s being unnecessarily sexual because it’s done in such a way as being degrading to women. I am interested enough to see what happens in book 2 to see where this goes, but if I’m more storylines doesn’t start taking shape this will be a short series.

Momo is recovering from a bad breakup and looking for someone to console her. After she defends the class nerd, he assumes she must be interested in aliens like himself. Nicknaming him Okarun, Momo tell him that she doesn't believe in aliens, but ghosts are a sure thing. Determined to convince each other that aliens and ghosts exist, each one sends the other to a spot where paranormal activity is said to occur. Momo finds herself kidnapped and about to be assaulted by perverted aliens. At the same time, Okarun is attacked and cursed by the a ghost known as Turbo Granny, who is after his privates. In the nick of time, Momo has discovered her new powers which include suppressing the curse threatening to take over Okarun.

I'm not a huge fan of this title, which relies so heavily on sexual humor and assaulting the main characters. It definitely has an ecchi feel to it. I don't care for the storyline and probably won't continue this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Viz Media for the ARC! This is a wild romp! Momo Ayase saves a fellow student from bullying and gets mispercieved as a fellow believer in alien encounters, but their bizarre meeting gets wilder when he, nick named Okarun by Ayase, encounters a spirit known as Turbo Granny, and Ayase gets abducted by aliens set on breeding! How will they get out of their zanny situations? A mix of humor, paranormal adventure and comedy.

Ok, I should've read the description more closely (or read reviews in advance), because this was DEFINITELY not for me. It jokes about sexual assault way too much for a 'fun' comedy/SF manga, and I could not stand the tone overall.

Dandadan is wild, a mix of shonen and seinen themes and styles that nails all of them. Goofy and all over the place. Love it.

-Opinions are my own and do not represent the organization I work for.

A typical duo of nerd and hot girl is nothing new, and this iteration does not do it for me. The occult and extraterrestrial aspects open the potential for world-building, cool monster designs, and fights though I did not find it refreshing nor intriguing, oddly the work came across horny; to note there is a scene involving aliens and probing (which I will not go into detail), a hot grandma, and other forms of attraction (notably who Ayase finds attractive archetypally speaking).

Certainly, this appeals to younger teens who want a little bit of excitement, particularly those who genuinely want to see a potentially fun dynamic duo cooperate in battle with mystical and intergalactic. Unfortunately, this series is not for me.

Sadly I can’t say I was a fan of this one. I only got about 10% of the way through and I could not finish it. It wasn’t objectively bad it just wasn’t for me

Two kids with opposite beliefs, supernatural experiences vs extraterrestrial occurrences, challenge each other to see who is right. Both are correct, and they discover it in the worst way: the alien auction, spirit possession and wacky adventures.

Besides that, fan service it's so entertaining! WEIRD AS HELL but fun.

I once again find myself with a new manga series that had me not entirely sure what to expect but also not expecting what it was that I got.

I'm going to be honest, I DNF-d this some time around the the attempted rape of the female character by aliens. I was intrigued by this volume and I did like the art style, however I grew a little uncertain the more I read. As I've said before, I'm not averse to silliness in a manga and this seemed like a standard silly little shounen series.

However, I do have an issue with attempted rape and sexual assault in general being used repeatedly as some kind of joke. This is more than likely just an issue for me but I found I couldn't stomach reading the rest of the volume.

Momo and the class nerd, who she’s nicknamed as Okarun, fight about what is actually real - monsters or aliens. Okarun sends Momo to a building rumored to have high alien activity, while Momo sends Okarun to a cave rumored to be haunted by demonic ghosts. Both find out the other is right. Momo is assaulted by aliens and they attempt to probe her, while Okarun finds a creepy ghost grandma who is obsessed with eating his penis. The two fight out of their terrible situations but now are being followed by the grandma ghost. Momo brings Okarun to her grandmother’s house where she can protect them with her substantial supernatural power. The three devise a strategy to try to get the ghost grandma off their tails.

This is a pretty wild story with a lot of inappropriate moments that would probably automatically exclude it from my school library. The first major inappropriate joke is within the first twenty pages, but the mangaka doubles down with a ghost obsessed with eating penises who is the main antagonist of this first volume. I can see how this story would be considered humorous, especially as we’re seeing more stories coming out that make sexual punch lines integral to the storyline, like Chainsaw Man. This story is also ridiculous for ridiculous' sake at some moments, like Undead Unluck, so it will appeal to readers of that over-the-top humorous style.

Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Adult

Dandadan marries the supernatural and paranormal to produce an off-beat comedic adventure series with a tinge of romance. I found the art fantastic but the casual sexual violence a bit off-putting personally. May have to give it a second shot since I know there is a hype around this one despite how niche it feels.

The first English volume of Dandadan recently dropped and we got an opportunity to review it. Upon reading the synopsis I was not particularly impressed as I expected a cutesy love story about a girl and a boy who each have their own beliefs and bicker over who is right. But boy, was I wrong.

The story literally went from 0 to 60 and it was wild in every way imaginable. Random aliens who want to procreate with your banana organs? They exist. Schlong stealing granny ghost? She’s real. Momo and Ken’s journey begins as a friendly challenge and both of them are trying to prove each other wrong. But as Momo gets abducted by aliens and Ken gets possessed by Turbo Granny, a vengeful spirit who lives in a tunnel, the two must come together to help each other out. After escaping aliens they are faced with yet another challenge, as Ken has lost a (somewhat) essential body part. Aided by Seiko, Momo’s youthful grandmother, the two try to devise a plan to stop the Turbo Granny.

The writing in Dandadan is absurd in the best way possible. The comedy is spot on and Yukinobu Tatsu manages to bring together the two conflicting personalities that give the story a perfect rhythm. The romance is neither here nor there, but interactions between Momo and Ken (or Okarun, as she calls him) are hilarious. Combine this with very detailed art and fighting scenes that can easily match some of the better-selling shonen series of today and you have a winner.

Dandadan definitely came as a welcome surprise to me. The humor, which I thought was a bit crude at first, was so well done that it ended up being the best thing about the story and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

Someone recommended this title at New York Comic Con and I was excited to read it, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I felt like the summary of the series that I got sounded so much more interesting than the actual story. The art style was really nice, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested in the plot. I can see other people being fans of the series, so I might purchase it in the future.

Honestly. the more mental these manga get, the more i seem to like them. It's a little worrying to be honest. What does that say about me?

Dandadan Volume One introduces the main characters and the events that will drive the overarching story of the series.

Dandadan Volume One
Written by: Yukinobu Tatsu
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: October 11, 2022

The story opens with a girl named Momo Ayase being dumped by her boyfriend and dealing with a broken heart. It turns out she’s looking for a guy like an actor named Ken Takakura, and she thought she found him in the guy who dumped her. After this, she defends a nerdy boy from taunts at school, and it turns out he’s into aliens and unidentified aerial phenomena (which he insists is the correct term instead of UFOs). Momo, meanwhile, is the granddaughter of a spirit medium, so she has a belief in spirits. The two of them argue over aliens and spirits, and they give each other a challenge to prove to the other that what they believe in is real.

As luck would have it, the nerdy boy encounters a spirit of an old woman, while Momo encounters aliens. The boy is possessed by the spirit, while Momo is captured by the aliens. Let’s just say that in both cases, there’s some… “horniness” involved. It turns out that the nerdy boy possessed by the spirit arrives and tries to save Momo, but while in captivity, Momo has awakened spiritual powers and can help free herself. Right at the end of the first chapter, the nerdy boy’s name is revealed… and it’s one Momo never wants to hear again, so she starts referring to him as “Okarun.”

Yes, all of that was in the first chapter. But let me just say that by the time I finished the chapter, I wasn’t really sold on Dandadan. While we do get some minor character development for both Momo and Okarun in the following chapters, and Momo’s grandmother becomes an important character in the volume, these developments only slightly improved my opinion of this volume after I finished reading it. Even though Momo’s grandmother becomes an important character in the volume, I found that I personally didn’t care much for her as a character. To be honest, I suspect that I’m not the target market for this manga, and there just wasn’t enough here to personally get me interested in the story or to truly care about the characters.

I do have to give Tatsu credit for the art, though. All of the characters that appear in Dandadan Volume One all have a distinct look to them, and he’s also able to give the spirit and the aliens an appropriate look to emphasize just how different they are from the humans that are in the series. There are also some decent action panels included in this volume as well.

While I may not have personally enjoyed Dandadan Volume One, I believe that the target audience that the series is aimed it will find more to appreciate about it than I do. It’s not a bad series, because Tatsu has obviously put in effort in both his story and his art. And he also seems to know who his audience is and what they’re going to want out of this series. However, at this point, I’m not sure if I’ll read the second volume of the series if VIZ Media makes a digital review copy available for it.

If you enjoy stories about teenagers getting entangled with the supernatural and things that are out of this world that include a decent helping of horniness, then you’ll likely enjoy Dandadan Volume One.

I love Dandadan, but I won't be buying it for my high school library. That said, it's a wild and wacky ride that's worth taking for adult readers.