Dan Da Dan Dub

Wait, this Guys was Momo’s First Crush?!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , ,

Dan Da Dan Ep 11 Review

Jealousy, envy, coveting; call it what you want, but when we feel it, it’s never a good thing. And right now, Ken Takakura is feeling both jealous…and dejected. When Momo’s old friend and first crush shows up at her doorstep, the poor boy’s already low self-esteem takes an even bigger nosedive. Thankfully, this episode revolves around him getting a reminder of why he shouldn’t be so quick to give up on his feelings. And, in typical Dan Da Dan fashion, it happens in the most hilarious, over-the-top fashion.

Is Jiji’s Gojo’s Long-Lost Cousin?

At the end of the last episode, Momo opens her front door to find a tall, athletic, and handsome young man standing outside. This is Jiji, Momo’s old friend when they were little kids, and, according to her grandma, her first crush. His family moved before middle school, and, to make a long story short, their house is haunted. So haunted that the ghost chased off every medium they hired…or made them kill themselves. Now his folks are in the hospital, and Seiko is the only one who can purge the ghost. But since she’s useless outside their city, Momo will have to do it. That won’t happen until the next episode though.

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The main focus of this episode is the arrival of Jiji and how he affects the status quo. Played by Aleks Le, Jiji is, essentially, a younger, even goofier version of Gojo from JuJutsu Kaisen. Given how goofy Gojo can be, that should tell you what kind of person he is. Between his good looks, his extroverted personality, and charisma, he quickly wins over everyone at school. Even Seiko likes him, though that’s because he compliments how amazing she looks. Momo, though, sees him and finds herself questioning why they were friends to begin with.

It should be noted that Jiji was one of the people who made fun of her for believing in ghosts as a kid, a fact that he deeply regrets. Combined with the possibility that he returned her crush (and may still have one), it’s clear he’s trying to make amends for his past actions. However, Momo just finds him annoying now, preferring a more solemn guy like Ken Takakura…the actor. She still won’t admit that she’s fallen for Ken-Chan.

Speaking of which, poor Okarun’s already low self-esteem takes an even further nosedive here. Jiji is everything that he isn’t, or at least what he thinks he isn’t. And since he’s starting to fall in love with her, that is making him jealous. Rather than get angry and aggressive over it, though, he decides to bow out. While that normally would be the right thing to do, in this case he means to cut himself off from Momo altogether.

Don’t Stop Fighting for Momo, Okarun!

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Love and friendships can be hard when you are young, and with how introverted Ken-Chan can be, it’s understandable that he doesn’t see how good a person he really is. If he higher more self-esteem, he would be able to recognize that Momo’s one-time friend now greatly irritates her with his antics. Fortunately, since he is a protagonist, the universe provides him with the reminder he needs…in the silliest way possible.

Dan Da Dan has shown us many crazy things: aliens of all sorts, ghosts, and more. But I think the sight of an anatomical mannequin running through the streets to find his girlfriend at a dump might be the craziest thing I’ve seen on this show. And that’s counting the race with Turbo Granny! But seeing him be so passionate about reuniting with his love lights a fire in Okarun. Thanks to that, he’s able to overcome his insecurities and fight for his friendship with Momo. Not that he needs to fight for it, mind you. The reason why he and Momo work so well together is because they’re polar opposites. They balance each other out, keep the other grounded. Rest assured, their friendship is stronger than either of them realizes.

Sad to say it, though, but next episode will mark the final episode for this first season of Dan Da Dan. However, with how popular it has proven, it’s going to get a second season. And I look forward to seeing that come to pass.

I Give “First Love” a 3/5

Who Said Being Friends Was Easy?

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dan Da Dan Ep 5 Review

Looking back on my teen years, I am torn. On the one hand, I never had that many friends that I was super close to, but that was due to my own choices and/or the fact that they weren’t within walking distance of my house. On the other hand, that meant I never had to deal with any of that teen drama that you see on TV and in books. That meant that I never had to deal with drama with the friends I did have, as opposed to Okarun and Momo. Now that they’ve forged their friendship through the bonds of conflict, they have to face the real challenge: maintaining said friendship. And when you’re a teen, misunderstandings can happen. A lot.

Awkward Friendships Ensue

So, Okarun and Momo have become best friends after fighting off aliens and ghosts together, but once they get back to school, they have to deal with the realization that they have opposing personalities. Momo is pretty, popular, extroverted and outgoing. Okarun, though, is introverted, shy, and has a hard time asserting himself. So despite the two clearly wanting to stay friends, a series of events ensues that nearly leaves them back as square one: at each other’s throats.

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To be fair, its not entirely their fault. This is probably the first true friendship both have had (I’m saying this because Momo’s friends seem pretty shallow), and they don’t how to properly communicate. It’s like what happened with Rudeus and Eris in Mushoku Tensei, only not as heartbreaking. Thankfully, though, fate conspires to ensure that the two of them make up before the damage becomes irreparable.

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This other girl with pink hair bumps into Okarun, and she starts acting all cute and nice to him. However, as soon as she’s out of range, Momo hears her bragging to her friend about how she was messing with the guy. And Momo’s response? Watch.

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Admit it. We’ve all met that kind of person that needs to get hit by a washtub once in their lives. And afterwards, the two of them reaffirm their friendship. However, there’s one problem. Okarun…lost his balls.

How is Turbo Granny Still Around?

If it weren’t for the fact that he lost another important part of his anatomy, Okarun’s suffering would make for good black comedy. Either way, Momo can’t stop laughing over it.

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It doesn’t take long for Momo’s grandma to get to the bottom of whose behind this: it’s Turbo Granny. Right before she disintegrated, she jumped back into Okarun’s body to hide until she regained her strength. Unfortunately for her, the trio’s exorcism forces her into a porcelain cat but leaves all her power inside Okarun. In other words, she’s powerless and at their mercy, while Ken Takakura can become Kenny Phantom.

The bad news? Turbo Granny lost Okarun’s stones. And according to the preview for the next episode, guess who finds one of them? The pink-haired girl!

So, after some fun teenage drama, it becomes clear that Momo and Okarun’s troubles are far from over. Now they’re stuck working with Turbo Granny until they can get the man’s junk back! So, expect things to get even crazier from here. This episode was basically a cooldown before the insanity continues, and I am all for it.  

I Give “Like, Where are Your Balls?!” a 4.5/5