The Problem With Dandadan's First Season

The anime adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s critically acclaimed manga, Dandadan, was one of the most highly, if not the most highly anticipated anime of 2024. Despite being threatened by leaks in the months prior to its premiere, the series went on to live up to the expectations of the community, with the production by Science SARU being lauded for its brilliant adaptation of the manga’s content for the format of animation.

Despite its glowing reputation, and incredible run from the first episode, there’s a major problem with the series’ first season that almost undermines its dreamlike trajectory so far: the final episode. Here’s why Dandadan episode 12 is the series’ worst so far, and why it threatens the otherwise highly enjoyable journey.

The Success of Dandadan’s First Season

Moments of Profound Brilliance With Each Subsequent Mini Arc

Dandadan can easily be considered a phenomenon in anime as the first season was brilliantly adapted by staff at Science SARU, with Fūga Yamashiro as director, series composition by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Naoyuki Onda and music by Kensuke Ushio. The brilliance of the direction taken with the series’ visuals was incredibly satisfying, with the central dynamic between the main characters also giving great depth to already very likable characters placed in one of the most interesting and ambitious settings, overlapping the supernatural with the paranormal while also offering some of the hardest hitting emotional moments in 2024 anime. Dandadan’s first season was an example of successful adaptation, and each development of the story saw the anime come even further into its own, with episode 7, “To a Kinder World”, being an important peak in the first season’s run.

Let’s Recap Dandadan Episode 12

Jiji Is Introduced and The Crew Goes to His Haunted House

At the end of episode 11, Granny Seiko reveals that she will be housing a certain individual who needs a place to stay because his parents have been hospitalized. Jin “Jiji” Enjoji, Momo Ayase’s childhood friend and her first crush is set to stay with her and her grandmother until his parents are discharged; however, his eerie account of what goes on in his house, and his suspicion that the terrifying entity he keeps seeing, rendering him unable to even sleep, is at fault for his parents’ hospitalization. His arrival creates friction in Okarun’s perception of his relationship with Momo, becoming the catalyst for Okarun’s discovery of romantic feelings for her. Jiji came to Granny Seiko’s house because he knew that she was a spirit medium, and wanted her help with purging whatever might be causing his troubles, but because her powers are only active within the bounds of Kamigoe City, she won’t be of much help at Jiji’s house in Daija Town, so she sends Momo and Okarun with him to investigate.

The neighbourhood where Jiji’s house is located is eerily quiet, with absolutely no one around. After they take a look around Jiji’s very modern house, Momo and Okarun are disappointed to find absolutely no sign of alien or ghost activity, so Momo takes the opportunity to make use of Daija Town’s onsen, where she encounters and is attacked by a group of men with evil intent, men whose skin is strangely grey and their eyes oddly inhuman. The anime ends on a cliffhanger, with Momo being held underwater by the men, and Okarun and Jiji discover something ominous in the hollow walls of the house, which actually has a secret room. The ending of the final episode of Dandadan season 1 is abrupt, and it cuts off in the strangest place, especially if you know where the story goes from here based on the manga.

The Problem With Dandadan Episode 12

Awful Cliffhanger Placement Heralds Disaster For Pacing

What was truly irritating about the last episode of Dandadan season 1, especially with knowledge of the developing arc, is just how unnecessary it feels. Momo is placed in a very dangerous situation that could also be quite distressing for some viewers, and that feels like the dark possibility and the nefarious intentions of the men attacking Momo are being held above the heads of the viewers as a tool for cheap suspense and discomfort, while conversely, Okarun and Jiji’s discovery is far more effective a tool of garnering suspense, one reminiscent of the crumbling away of Wall Maria to reveal a Titan’s face at the end of Attack on Titan season 1, that works incredibly well given the haunted/cursed house theme of the arc. Even if one hasn’t read the Dandadan manga, it is quite clear that episode 12 leaves season 1 in a very awkward place; right in the middle of introducing a new character and breadcrumbing interesting aspects to develop his origin story.

Jiji’s backstory is tied to a story of immense pain and loneliness over a long time, and its development might be the best of the Dandadan main quartet (or quintet if Turbo Granny counts). Introducing the character only to postpone the development of what’s possibly the most mindblowing arc of the early series feels like a bad idea, one that makes one wish they either could have slated the series for an irregular number of episodes to effectively close out the Cursed House arc, or ended the series at the point of Jiji’s introduction to have his entire deal become the focus of early season 2. With knowledge of the manga, and the pleasant experience of the anime all the way to episode 11, the way episode 12 of Dandadan ends is a shock because the series has been paced decently thus far, and the immensely positive reception of the series guarantees continued interest when season 2 eventually drops, not to mention the quality of this part of the story in the original manga that is deserving of being explored in one go.

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Based on Yukinobu Tatsu’s popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan blends action, comedy, romance, and supernatural thrills to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the extraordinary, although the former believes in ghosts and the latter believes in aliens. Determined to confirm their side’s existence, they set out to find their proof.