Dandadan’s New Episode Is All Smiles

Key Takeaways

• Dandadan switches things up with a more relaxed episode to let the characters get closer together.
• Characters face the aftermath of their battle and the awkward moments that followed their victory.
• The show’s charm has become more apparent than ever this week, through nostalgic vibes, cute romance, and the treatment of antagonists.

Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Dandadan, Episode 10, “Have You Ever Seen a Cattle Mutilation?”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

From heartbreak to hilarity, Dandadan has consistently switched things up these past few weeks, giving each episode a sort of distinct tone, be it a focus on banter or battle. As the anime approaches the end of its first season, rather than ramp up the chaos, it pumps the brakes to let the characters grapple with recent events and new feelings in an unexpectedly wholesome chapter.

Previously, things got wet and wild for Okarun, Momo, and Aira, all of whom faced a new batch of alien foes in a void space resembling their school, but gradually filling up with water. After yet another masterful plan by Momo – and the help of the other two – they emerged victorious… which unfortunately also meant appearing in the middle of their school naked.

How Do They Even Begin to Explain?

… Yukinobu Tatsu’s apparent kink for sexually intimidating older women is becoming blindingly apparent.

There are a lot of things about this series that carry a nostalgic charm. For instance, I sometimes get a bit of an old Gainax vibe from the show – perhaps not in the art style or the script, but definitely in the boldness of its characters. A pattern is emerging among the cast, one in which author Yukinobu Tatsu’s apparent kink for sexually intimidating older women is becoming blindingly apparent. The school nurse, Queen Sensei, is a prime example.

No kink-shaming here – much respect, honestly. Queen comes on strong, demanding to know if the main characters’ aforementioned nudity was the result of bullying; an act of concern that can only be received with the air of a threat given her threatening aura. Her design is far too out there for her not to be important later, but I found myself hoping she’s just a completely regular nurse just for the sake of making an already funny scene even funnier.

Lessons Learned and Axes Buried

Episode 10 progresses the story in two major ways. First, the trio begins to interrogate exactly why the aliens have been so aggressive as of late. Second, they grapple with how to explain why they were all randomly nude in the middle of school. The first is thinking long-term but the second is an immediate issue, through which the characters’ growth is on full display, especially for Aira, who continues to impress with each passing week.

Gifted with a golden opportunity to escape from the humiliation of the day’s events, she finds herself wracked with guilt at the thought of Momo taking the blame. It’s an impressively acted scene and the moment between her and Momo afterward was meaningful without rushing into any kind of friendly reconciliation. They’re still not friends per se, but if Aira is mature enough to acknowledge her past rude behavior, Momo is certainly mature enough not to rub it in.

Even better, Okarun finally gets to explain the big misunderstanding from before to Momo, and his embarrassment at telling her the real reason he was behind the school is adorable. He just wants to get stronger to impress her, and she can’t help but tease him for being so nervous about it. It’s the summation of a season’s worth of adorable chemistry, and the animation never fails to imbue every slight gesture between them with subtle romantic tension.

Mr. Mantis Shrimp’s Marvelous Sendoff

The second pattern emerging this week – and one which is even more delightful to behold than the previous – is the treatment of antagonists after their time in the spotlight. Turbo Granny turned into a mainstay of the cast, Acrobatic Silky had a spiritual resurrection in the form of Aira’s transformation, and now it’s Mr. Mantis Shrimp’s (AKA the Dover Demon) turn.

Any time that a show takes its major/minor villains and makes them allies or just keeps them around for the fun of it, it’s hard not to smile. It’s not hard to feel for the guy once his kid comes into the picture, especially after what happened in Episode 7. The more somewhat human expressions in his eyes help too, giving his previously spooky design a cute charm that quickly grows on the viewer.

The Happiest Alien Abduction Ever

Dandadan’s international appeal is pretty simple to understand when you look at episodes like this. No matter one’s nation or native language, the allure of the supernatural and the conspiracies derived from that fascination are universal. It’s fun to think about the unknown, and this series respects that obsession as much as it likes to poke fun at the extremes of such concepts. In this case, it doesn’t even have to go that far to be effective.

Evoking imagery as classical of alien conspiracies as a UFO abducting livestock, Dandadan wears its inspirations on its sleeve and looks great while doing it. This episode was so unexpectedly wholesome, even with its standard for cute romance having evoked many a grin in the past. Two episodes remain, and hopefully, it’s a satisfying enough finale because I can already tell it’s going to be sad to say goodbye to the series (even if only for a time).