Dandadan Review: Where Japanese Folklore Meets Modern Manga

The Most Energetic Manga of the Decade

Dandadan should not work. It is a manga about a girl who believes in ghosts, a boy who believes in aliens, and what happens when they discover they are both right. It is simultaneously a supernatural action series, a romance, a comedy, and a genuine horror manga. By all rights, this tonal chaos should collapse under its own weight.

Instead, Dandadan is one of the most thrilling manga being published today.

The Premise

Momo Ayase, a high schooler who believes in the supernatural, gets into an argument with Ken Takakura (nicknamed Okarun), a classmate who believes in aliens. To prove each other wrong, Momo visits a UFO hotspot while Okarun visits a haunted tunnel. Both encounter exactly what they did not believe in. Momo is abducted by aliens. Okarun is cursed by a yokai called Turbo Granny.

What follows is a series that escalates constantly — each arc introduces wilder threats, deeper character development, and increasingly jaw-dropping action sequences.

The Yokai Are Real (and Accurate)

What sets Dandadan apart for Japanese readers is how faithfully it draws from actual Japanese folklore. This is not generic “ghost manga.” The yokai and spirits in Dandadan are pulled directly from regional legends that Japanese people grow up hearing.

Turbo Granny (ターボババア): This is a real urban legend in Japan. The story goes that an old woman on a bicycle chases cars on highways at impossible speeds. Every Japanese person knows this story. Tatsu transforms this comical urban legend into a genuinely menacing antagonist while keeping the absurdist humor intact.

Acrobatic Silky (アクロバティックさらさら): Based on the “nure-onna” and silk-themed yokai traditions. Japanese folklore is filled with female spirits associated with water and fabric — each region has its own variation.

The Flat Woods Monster: Tatsu does not limit himself to Japanese folklore. He pulls from global paranormal lore, blending it with Japanese sensibilities. This cross-cultural approach reflects how modern Japanese pop culture absorbs and remixes global influences.

The key difference from how Western media uses Japanese folklore is authenticity of feeling. When Japanese creators use yokai, there is an inherited emotional register — part fear, part respect, part familiarity. Yokai in Japanese culture are not simply monsters to be defeated. They are part of the spiritual landscape, entities to be understood and sometimes negotiated with. Dandadan captures this nuance.

Art That Defies Belief

Yukinobu Tatsu, who previously assisted Tatsuki Fujimoto on Chainsaw Man, has possibly the most dynamic art in current manga. His action sequences are kinetic masterpieces — characters move across panels with a fluidity and impact that makes most manga fight scenes look static by comparison.

But what truly amazes is his range. The same artist who draws devastating punch sequences also renders quiet romantic moments with genuine tenderness. The contrast between explosive action and soft character interactions gives Dandadan its unique emotional rhythm.

His creature designs deserve special attention. Each yokai and alien is visually distinct, unsettling, and often beautiful in its grotesqueness. The Turbo Granny design — an old woman’s face stretched across a supernatural form — captures the exact feeling of Japanese urban legend horror.

Romance Done Right

Dandadan has one of the best romantic subplots in modern shonen manga, and this is largely because it does something rare: it allows its characters to grow emotionally at a natural pace.

Momo and Okarun’s relationship develops through shared trauma, mutual respect, and genuine vulnerability. In a genre that often reduces romance to blushing and misunderstandings, Dandadan lets its characters have honest emotional moments. They protect each other not out of obligation but out of genuine care that develops organically.

For Japanese readers, this resonates with changing attitudes toward relationships. Younger Japanese people increasingly value emotional honesty over the performative shyness that older manga often portrayed. Dandadan reflects this shift.

The Supporting Cast

One of Dandadan’s strengths is its expanding cast. Each new character brings their own yokai encounter, personal trauma, and growth arc. Jiji, Aira, and the Evil Eye crew all start as seeming side characters before becoming essential to the emotional core of the series.

This approach mirrors Japanese community values — the idea that strength comes from the group, not the individual. As the cast grows, so does the found family that forms the heart of the series.

Humor as Survival

Dandadan is genuinely funny. The humor ranges from crude body comedy to absurdist situational comedy to character-driven wit. But the humor serves a deeper purpose: it is how these teenagers process fear and trauma.

In Japanese culture, using humor to deflect from painful emotions is common and culturally understood. The characters in Dandadan laugh because the alternative is breaking down. This gives the comedy an emotional depth that pure comedy manga lacks.

Why It Matters

Dandadan represents the best of what modern manga can be: wildly creative, emotionally genuine, visually stunning, and culturally rooted without being inaccessible. It proves that you can blend genres, tones, and cultural references into something that feels completely fresh.

For international readers, Dandadan is also an excellent gateway into Japanese folklore. The yokai and spirits it features are real parts of Japanese cultural heritage, presented with affection and accuracy.

Verdict

Dandadan is essential reading for anyone who loves manga. It has the action of Dragon Ball, the heart of a romance manga, the horror of Junji Ito, and the comedy of Gintama — all somehow working in harmony. Yukinobu Tatsu is a generational talent, and this series is his masterwork so far.

Rating: 9/10

The only minor flaw is that the pacing occasionally rushes through emotional beats to get to the next action setpiece. But when the action is this good and the characters are this likeable, it is hard to complain.