Yeah, Dandadan is one crazy-ass ride even in manga form. But if it was going to work as an anime it needed an adaptation that could turbo (pardon the expression) boost that. And so far at least Science Saru is delivering it. They do have some history of productions cratering (Japan Sinks was indeed a prophetic title). But if they can keep it up – and given the popularity of the manga I wouldn’t think they can use budget as an excuse – this series still has a chance to level up into a pretty major kaijuu,
Nothing is easy where Turbo Granny is concerned, and (non-turbo) Granny’s master plan is no exception. The first part is simple enough – schlep out to the abandoned tunnel and confront the old bat. But getting her to take the bait and agree to a race requires a little finagling. And then there’s the race itself. Momo sets the rules – it’s onigokko, no finish line. If Granny catches them, it’s bon appétit. T.G. agrees to the terms, expressing her disdain for anyone who cheats. She then proceeds to cheat with extreme prejudice.
Well, it is true – Momo-chan never expresses how Granny was supposed to count. She’s already foiled the strategy of unleashing Okarun’s curse form against her by returning his tadger to him. And now, having taken quite the shortcut to get to “ten minutes” she proceeds to capture and envelop Momo for the presumed purpose of eating her. Okarun is next, and without his curse mode he’s got nothing to throw up against a spirit of her power. Except, of course, for sucking that teat.
Did I need to see that? Not hardly. But Dandadan just does stuff, that’s the lay of the land here. This unexpected attack certainly does knock Turbo Granny off her game for a moment. But then the location-bound spirit shows up, and that means trouble. Fortunately despite being cocooned in T.G.’s… whatever they are, Momo still has her aura-vision operating at full power. She takes the measure of the obaba’s aura and sets to putting the squeeze on it with equally extreme prejudice.
The chase which follows is certainly memorable. It’s not like Science Saru is the first anime to use the William Tell Overture for a frantic chase montage – FLCL did it to superb effect almost a quarter-century ago. But if you’re gonna copy, you may as well copy the best. Pocket Turbo Granny in tow (and pissed, even for her) the kids set off, the location-bound spirit giving chase. It, by the way, has taken the form of a giant crab. Because spirits take the form of a freshwater crab to cross the River Styx, obviously (what, you didn’t know that?). Granny does her part by raising an army of the dead from the local cemetery to join the chase, and much chaos ensues. Or, as we call it, Dandadan.
It’s not Citizen Kane, but this series knows what it’s good at, and it’s this kind of thing. The bit with the train was especially fun. The revelation from non-turbo Granny in the end – Turbo Granny was actually fused with the location-bound spirit because she tended to console the spirits of murdered girls, many of whom were disposed of at the site – is a reminder than Dandadan has a very dark side. At the end we also got more unhinged antics between Okarun and the Ayase women, a reminder of another side. All in all it’s a heady mix, and it’s getting exactly the sort of treatment it needed to soar as anime.
Nadavu
October 26, 2024 at 12:18 amDamn, that was one hell of a ride, and the show knew how to perfectly finish it, as well. The parting of our two heroes, where sayonara slowly dissolved until the emergence of mata ashita, was a perfect way to end the crazy chain of events that started back in episode 1 and didn’t let up until right now.
ruicarlov
October 26, 2024 at 6:09 amI don’t remember the William Tell Overture chase in FLCL, but this was amazing. And aparently the anime team just went ham with it and enlarged something that was shorter in the manga.
And true to Japanese history, it has a Giant Enemy Crab. Regular Granny ensured she dealt MASSIVE damage.
Nicc
October 28, 2024 at 9:12 amIt’s time for Momo and Okarun vs Turbo Granny and what a show that was. With their training arc cut short, the only way to go was to play tag and get her out of the territory. They at least get back to the tunnel when the original plan kinda falls apart immediately (No plan survives first contact with the enemy, eh?) as Turbo Granny ambushes them from both sides and gives back Okarun’s noodle, which means he can’t borrow her powers anymore. Oops. Momo is at least successful in goading Turbo Granny into the game of tag. Ten minutes does sound like a decent head start. Alas, she kind of forgot to set the ground rules on how to count. Yep, Turbo Granny says he doesn’t like cheaters, but does so immediately.
Momo gets captured first and then Okarun. It looks like they’re down for the count, but Okarun decides to take a bite. That buys Momo just enough time shrink her down to size, but then the location-bound spirit shows up, which is a Giant Enemy Crab. I didn’t know about the River Styx thing, but everybody knows that when we encounter one, we attack its weak point for massive damage. That’s unfortunately not an option for Momo and Okarun and Okarun is able to use Turbo Granny’s powers again to make an escape.
It’s a wild chase all over the city and there’s really no place to hide as it’s all her territory. The William Tell Overture is indeed a popular piece. Another anime that used it was “Musekinin Kanchou Tylor” during a climatic showdown. No further spoilers here. Yep, and because everything does exist in this setting, that also includes undead as they’re being chased by a giant crab and an army of zombies. Momo eventually gets one up on the Turbo Granny by getting her to get on a train that’s headed out of the city, where grandma is waiting right at the border. Turbo Granny is defeated, which also released the souls of murdered girls. It seems she did tend to the spirits of them (I wonder if that’s the explanation on why she came out of Momo’s phone because she was being abducted by strange men).
Even after all that, the Ayase women had a hankering for crabs that night as everything returns back to normal. Yep, it’s not “sayonara” as they’ll be seeing each other at school again. After all that has happened, the normality of being in school should be refreshing and the preview suggests that we’re head back to school.