Dandadan, Vol. 1 (1)

As someone who gravitates towards dialogue in storytelling—a habit that began in my teens with The Wheel of Time—I often find myself glossing over non-dialogue sections unless I'm fully engaged. This has made audiobooks my go-to; otherwise, I risk missing half the fun.I was initially skeptical about manga, fearing I wouldn't really appreciate the visual storytelling. After seeing some recommendations online, I decided to dive into "Dandadan" by Yukinobu Tatsu, for my first Manga and I am very happy that I took the plunge."Dandadan" opens with Momo Ayase, who believes in spirits, and Ken Takakura ("Okarun"), who is convinced aliens exist. After Ayase de-escalates some bullying targeted at Okarun, they strike up a conversation and place a bet involving local haunted sites—an abandoned hospital rumored to house UFOs, and a tunnel haunted by a ghost named Turbo Granny. It turns out that both the rumors about both these locations were accurate.Despite my usual struggle with non-dialogue elements, "Dandadan" hooked me with its vivid storytelling and dynamic art. I admit I'm still learning to fully appreciate the art. I have re-read the first volume several times and I still find new things that I glossed over previously.My primary Criticism is the integration of 'adult themes.' At times, these elements feel forced, reminiscent of a teenager's exaggerated notion of maturity. The most egregious of this is the aliens attempted 'probing' of Momo Ayase. However, after the initial chapters, the content shifts towards more potty humor moments, which align better with the overall tone of the series."Dandadan" was an excellent entry point to manga, I love the supernatural elements and the character dynamics. Despite some reservations about the explicit content, the series offers a unique blend of horror, comedy, and action. Highly recommended for those looking for something unconventional yet thoroughly entertaining.

Great art. It's a fun and entertaining story. I love the mash up of the paranormal aliens and the horror elements with the yokai.

This manga centers on two very different high schoolers: tough redhead Momo Ayase who believes in ghosts and quiet friendless “Okarun” who believes in aliens. After their surprise meeting turns into a fight with each saying their myths don’t exist, they make a bet to prove each other wrong. A shocking outcome happens that not only proves both aliens and ghosts are real, but Okarun’s experience gives him ghastly ghost powers. Momo has no choice but to ask her “very” young-looking grandma for her spirit expertise to help get Okarun’s missing organ, and it involves confronting the Turbo Granny spirit again.It is, no doubt, a swift and engrossing manga that won me over from the first page. There’s a lot of exhilarating turns in the story that blends horror and fantasy, opposites attracting and plenty of ghost action. Momo and Okarun’s interactions also give us a lot of humorous moments and their chemistry is very fun to see. I can’t wait to see how the duo will deal with the supernatural and their relationship. Another binge-worthy manga, and a great read to start the new year. <b>A (100%/Outstanding)</b>

Great manga I couldn’t put it down, very fast paced and fun. Animated very well,I look forward to reading more of the series.

The Art is AMAZING! There’s 2 page spreads, amazing character designs. Faces that are goofy at times and deadly serious at others. The actions lines! The shading! The writing! The fact that Momo and Okarun bounce off each other so well!

This may have been the oddest thing I’ve ever read, and it WORKS.Firstly, I’ll say that you should trust the content warning on the cover. Some of it was definitely disturbing to look at, though again, in… weird ways. Yet all that bizarre things within the story is what makes Dandadan work!We mostly follow two students in this first volume (with an introduction to a family member of some importance to the storyline as well) as they discover the freaky and unexplained. Like, they literally face both a spirit and aliens at the same time.Do I think it’s weird that the unnatural things they have faced so far were so sexually focused? Um, yes. I do. And if that might bother you, Dandadan may not be for you. But nothing is actually taken past ‘the line,’ so to speak.I don’t REALLY know how to explain this well, because its strengths also make it very difficult to properly describe without straight up spoiling things, but what I will say is that I’ve never read anything like this before and I will 100% be picking up volume two as soon as I am able. And maybe that’s exactly what’s needed to be said.

Absolutely love this series! I watched the 1st season of the anime and immediately had to start reading the manga. It's been quite a while since I've gotten this addicted to a series. Most definitely recommend to any manga or anime fan!

I can't say enough good things about this manga. The art is wonderful, the writing is quite excellent. Awesome action scenes and a very sweet romance.