Dandadan – 06

Oh Airi, if only you knew where it’s been…

Dandadan continues to do a great job of capturing the feel of the manga using the means available as an anime. This series is irrepressibly silly to the point of being straight-up dumb at times. But that’s part of its charm, you know? Dandadan is clever without trying to outsmart anybody. No gag is too lowbrow and no twist too unlikely. There is some semblance of order to its chaos, but it’s mostly the chaos we’re buying here. My instinctive reaction is that has a somewhat limited shelf life as a hook. And indeed, I have been finding the manga less charming as it starts to repeat itself. But maybe those anime means can keep the magic humming along past where the manga started to feel a little stale.

Shiratori Aira is the main driver of events this week, but we once again get a little hors d’oeuvre with Momo and Ken to kick things off. This time around we find Okarun accosted by a gaggle of walking dicks who want him to introduce them to Momo. The rumor, they say, is that she’ll sleep with anybody. It makes sense that Ken getting friendly with Momo would attract attention. He loses his cool and his Granny powers make an appearance, which one imagines would really get tongues wagging. But the upshot for now is that the idea that Momo might be cute won’t leave Okarun’s head. And that causes all sorts of complications between them.

The adorable factor with this two and their misunderstandings is rapidly rising. But with Turbo Nyanny having hitched a ride in Okarun’s backpack and Aira on the warpath there’s not much time to fixate on that. Aira (who’s the one spreading the rumors that Momo is a slut) is convinced that Ayase Momo is an akuma. Not only that, she’s found one of  Okarun’s balls – which, as Granny promises, is encased in gold and on the large side – and decided that it’s a sacred item and she’s been chosen to save the world. You know, because she’s so pretty and all.

Delusions of grandeur doesn’t begin to cover it with Aira – she’s really out there where the buses don’t run. But she’s in trouble too, as Granny belatedly shares the information that the ball will likely have awakened her spiritual powers – and will draw youkai to her. She and her henchmen shanghai Momo in some kind of old machine barn, and that’s when Acrobatic Silky (Inoue Kikuko) makes her move. Based on the popular Hasshaku-sama urban legend from 2chan, she’s been creeping up on Momo ever since Momo gained the ability to see her. Aira has convinced herself that Acrobatic Silky is Momo’s Familiar, but she’s a whole lot worse than that.

This fight is pretty much a free-for-all, with Turbo Granny acting mostly as a barely-interested observer. Apparently at some point Aira called Acrobatic Silky “Mommy”, and the youkai has been obsessed with her ever since. One by one she devours the kids, starting with Okarun, then Aira, and finally Momo (who she blames for turning Aira against her). But Momo has a trick up her sleeve, and it involves the cross one of Aira’s flunkies procured for her “exorcism” of Momo (which turns out to be a lighter). One severe bout of heartburn later the three of them are regurgitated and Momo is fixing to start the counteroffensive.

As usual with Dandadan (in either form) this all works much better in the experience than the description. Aira rubbing Ken’s ball all over Momo’s face and Momo scolding her not to worship a scrotum may not be Vinland Saga, but it’s the sort of inspired lunacy this series takes to like a duck to water. Don’t take it or yourself too seriously and enjoy the ride, that’s the way to come at this one. Do that and it’s hard to see how you’re not going to have a pretty good time with it.