One thing about Dandadan, it’s pretty much never met a freakshow it didn’t like. You never have to worry about things calming down too much because there’s always another loony around the corner. Jiji is a first-class oddball to say the least, and thus he fits right in. But we haven’t even seen the half of it with him yet. Hell, we haven’t seen the tenth of it. And Jiji isn’t even the weirdest thing about this episode. Dandadan will never win any prizes for subtlety (though the character dynamics are deceptively complicated), but for sheer manic energy it’s pretty hard to beat.
Jiji may be a goober of the highest order, but he’s good-looking and athletic. When you’re as insecure as Okarun that’s plenty (along with Seiko’s introduction) to convince you your prospects are doomed. He has nothing to worry about of course, but he can’t see that at all. That whole “see you tomorrow” exchange between them was as romantic as it could be, but I guess once needs a bit of experience to be able to see that. Even romance manga experience, and one gets the sense that Ken doesn’t partake in that as a rule.
So why is Jiji here, anyway? In between compliments to Grandma he explains that to Momo. His family (friends with hers) moved to a big house out in the boonies. But soon Jiji began to get the feeling something wasn’t right. And eventually some sort of strange entity started revealing itself to him. Five famous mediums failed to exorcise the house (three committed suicide) and soon his parents’ health started deteriorating. They’re in the hospital, and they turn to the one person they’re told might be able to help – Momo’s granny. Except she farms this out to Momo, promising as many school uniforms as Momo wants if she can solve it.
But first, school. And Jiji makes quite the first impression. Momo’s gyaru friends are quick to be taken in when Jiji says they live together, though they do offer a spirited defense of Okarun. In point of fact it’s Ken Momo chooses to have lunch with, though Jiji soon sweeps her off her feet with yogurt-flavored Pompy (if Pompy is a real product I can find no evidence of it). Again Okarun fails to see the forest for the trees and quickly lapses into depression, but soon enough (this is Dandadan after all) things start moving way too quickly to be concerned with such things.
Any good anime fan will know that the health class mannequin is always one of the seven school mysteries. This one (played by Sugita Tomokazu) has gotten quite the power-up (most likely due to a new piece of anatomy). He’s headed somewhere in a hurry, and Momo catches a glimpse of a glittering golden ball. A merry chase ensues, but Taro (that’s the dummy’s name) is quite the speed merchant. He has a goal in mind and he’s not going to stop. That goal is the dump, where Hana (Hirano Fumi) – the love of his life despite the gap in their manufacture dates – awaits him.
Well, this is just very silly and frantic. Not as epic in scale as some of what Dandadan does and has done, but effectively bonkers. Ken seems quite taken in by mannequin romance, but that’s his damn nut up there, and you have to think he’s going to want it back. As for Jiji, we haven’t even gotten a taste of the paranormal weirdness that brought him into the plot in the first place and he’s already pretty out there. All part of the Dandadan experience, which you can only hope comes with side airbags.
Raikou
December 14, 2024 at 11:25 amDandadan has amazing romantic buildup for the main male/female, something that most action shonen didn’t have.
Along with the animation and voice acting, never a dull moment with this anime.
sweejen
December 15, 2024 at 11:56 pmYou could pop Taro into the Golden Kamuy cast and nobody would blink an eye.
Guardian Enzo
December 16, 2024 at 6:33 amAs I said after Episode 3 (not with Taro specifically in mind but he takes it to a meta level): “Dandadan is a bit like Golden Kamuy in that it’s packed to the gills with large-than-life characters who run around like they own the place“.
ruicarlov
December 16, 2024 at 8:00 amDidn’t expect the return of the William Tell Overture, but I’m sure glad to see it back. It really goes with the manic energy of these chases.
Guardian Enzo
December 16, 2024 at 8:40 amAnd public domain.
Simone
December 16, 2024 at 10:39 pmThe OST was released, the title of the track is apparently “William Hell Overture”. Which is a fun portmanteau of William Tell and the other piece it mashes it up with, the Galop Infernal by Offenbach.
Nicc
December 18, 2024 at 5:54 amWe get an introduction to Jiji and… as you said, he fits in perfectly with the rest of the weirdos. It’s quickly established that the “first love” thing is something from the past. Maybe she did like him at some point, but now she just finds him irritating. Oh, and Aira thinks that Jiji is another one of Momo’s minions that she’ll have to overcome. And he is a lot to take in. He’s there because of trouble at home. His family moved out to a new home in the countryside, but he always felt that something was off. It turns out that the place is haunted and nobody has been able get rid of this entity. A few have even died after trying. His parents are now sick and so here they are. There’s a suspicion that something awakened his ability to see entities, such as a certain golden ball, though Jiji says he’s never seen one. As it’s something that’s once again beyond grandma’s boundaries, it’s up to Momo again to deal with it. Getting unlimited school uniforms is a good deal, though.
So, this is what a 20 CHA and 4 INT build looks like, eh? Jiji very quickly makes an impression as he transfers to school and easily charms the girls in class and I also did appreciate how Momo’s friends are still on Momo-Okarun ship. Later on, Momo drops in when Okarun is working out. Yep, that point is lost on Okarun as he’s been busy drawing up scenarios where Momo dumps him. Indeed, there’s no time for him to dwell on that as an anatomical mannequin runs past them and it seems to be wearing something familiar.
It is a fast fella, but this is right in Okarun’s wheelhouse as he transforms and we get another wild chase sequence. “William Tell” is back too as the chase goes through the city and ends in a junkyard. Apparently, the mannequin named Taro is there to confess his love to a female one named Hana, who seems to have recently been dumped there. I like the twist there. Seeing that confession seemed to have given Okarun an epiphany as well too regarding how he feels about Momo. Sure, it took confessing mannequins for him to do so, but whatever works.