Summary
Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Dandadan, Episode 7, “To a Kinder World”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
One of the most beautiful things about anime production is the electrifying feeling one gets from the opening seconds of a new episode when the viewer can instantly tell it’s going to be special. The intersection of a production team that has already proven itself week after week and a director with a vision strong enough to make those 23 minutes unforgettable.Dandadan’s seventh episode is like that, and it isveryspecial.
Last week, Okarun, Momo, and fellow student Aira Shiratoricame face to face with Acrobatic Silky, a spirit that had been following Aira for a very long time, calling itself her mother. After they all got devoured by the spirit, it was a mix of Momo’s quick thinking and Turbo Granny’s blessings that freed them from the monster’s belly, giving them a chance to strike back.
A Distinctly Dazzling Opening
Dandadanhas been commendably consistent, visually speaking, over the past several weeks, but to the aforementioned point, the latest episode leaves a bold impression early on. The first-person perspective and the shaky-cam effect that accompanies it evoke found footage cinematography. Combined with the frantic vocal performance and eerie locale,it’s a subtle but striking openingthat will only become that much more significant by the end.
The second thing that stands out is the character art. However frightening and bizarre Acrobatic Silky looked last week, she looks that much more haunting and cool, yet strangely, her movements are also a bit more human. Something about her detailed features and the longing conveyed as she extends her hands toward Aira connects her closer to the viewer, even as every monstrous quality is accentuated twice as hard.
Dandadan’s Switches up Its Style
Frankly, everyone looks great this week, which isn’t to say that it is better than what has come before. It’s just that the way they are animated is a bit different - different enough that the episode feels distinct from what came before, as it should. This isn’t a typical episode ofDandadan,even if the action is as expectedly hectic. The character’s facial expressions are somehow more lively than ever, to the point of going off-model just for the sake of sheer emotion.
This is the kind of episode where it’s as if the animators are playing a game to see just how consistently they can present the most interesting shots possible. For instance, the above-pictured scene of Turbo Granny emerging from Okarun’s backpack and just popping a squat. Not only are Okarun’s facial expressions fun, but the creativity in making Turbo Granny look like she’s sitting on a throne atop his back is just a perfect encapsulation of her character.
Most impressive of all are the subtle, realistic gestures depicted throughout. The character acting is so much more grounded than before, save for the most explosive supernatural feats, the majority of which subside before the opening theme even hits. Action is front and center this week, but only becausethe rest of the episode has only one goal: to crush your heart, and then bring you back to life.
The Story of a Mother and Daughter
Dandadanhad to present something different from the very beginning because that attention to detail and lifelike style meant everything going into the episode’s latter half. Learning the story of Acrobatic Silky and the kind of woman she was in life was bound to be tragic from what traces of it the viewer was privy to before. But to witness it in such vivid detail? To those who never read the manga (such as myself), it is so much more powerful than expected.
Frankly, “vivid” feels like an understatement, and it’s tempting to say that it shouldn’t have worked this well. This is a story that is unashamedly weird in its plot, characters, and subject matter in general, yet succeeds throughthe earnestness of its script and inspired conception. Yet here, this episode explores the struggles of single parenthood, prostitution, and crushing debt. It’s a lot, and it might feel overwhelming, but it’s never done poorly.
Dandadan Outdoes Itself Yet Again
This is the story of a mother who works so tirelessly, not simply toprovidefor her daughter, but to foster a dream that will give her child a better life than she did. Most of all, it’s a mother’s bravery, to spare her child the worry of knowing what hardships were endured to build that future. All the pain is worth it for that dream, but the fear of reality crushing that dream looms constantly, and when it crashes down,Dandadanholds nothing back.
It works in part because of the presentation, the music, and - I can never praise it enough - the sound design. The real reason it works, however, is the same reason that everything else in this story does. This story wasn’t abouttwo kids justtheorizingabout the occult- it was a story about them being thrown headfirst into the occult and having to deal with it.Dandadanisn’t a story that ponders or speculates - it simplydoes.
The rest of this season could fall off significantly, and it would all have been worth it for this episode alone.
This week, it did something a lot heavier, but it did so with the same earnestness that allowed every other episode before it to shine.Dandadanhas been pretty awesome so far, but with this, it’s safe to say that the anime has presented its first masterpiece of an episode. So impeccably raw, so consistently enthralling, and so utterly satisfying by the end - the rest of this season could fall off significantly, and it would all have been worth it for this episode alone.
