It seems there’s a bit of a debate going on in critical circles about the state of Dandadan Season 2. What nobody is disputing is that this was originally planned as two consecutive cours, so the six-month break was an unscheduled one. What I don’t think one can reasonably deny is that the first season ended awkwardly as a result – not even really with a proper “FU” cliffhanger, but just in the middle of something. And that something happened to be a bit squicky, what with Momo’s situation with the crocodiles.
But what of the production itself? Well, I guess I’m something of an agnostic on that. I don’t see the disaster some are seeing, but there were a lot of moments this week that felt under-animated and awkward to me. Science Saru has a bad reputation in terms of scheduling and working conditions – and that’s in an industry that’s so draconian that you really have to be awful to stand out. Dandadan has turned into a blockbuster, with all the baggage that carries – and that spells danger. Overall the production side is still working for me, because I like the direction and most of the stylistic choices. But if there really are big problems under the hood, they’ll likely only get worse as the season progresses. Something to watch.
This week kicked off what’s actually one of the best and most important stretches in the manga. The story goes very dark, as this series does from time to time. The Mongolian death worm is the obvious MacGuffin of the piece, but it’s transparently more a sidebar than the main event. This is a story of human cruelty, make no mistake. That doesn’t mean the MDW isn’t a major problem, swallowing sacrifices for all those centuries and holding a village in its sway. And now it’s sending out psychic waves (thank goodness Turbo Granny is along to provide commentary) which promptly cause Okarun and Momo to try and kill themselves. Jiji, for some reason, seems to be immune.
“Some reason” is in fact the Evil Eye (Tamura Mutsumi). It was pretty important that the anime get this backstory right, and I think they mostly did. Suicide has often been a third rail in anime (understandably), though it seems to be all over this season so far. I was a little afraid the adaptation would try and soft-pedal these chapters, though frankly it would have been a disaster if it had. Evil Eye’s entire arc is built around the theme, and then you have the MDW and its psychic waves on top of that. It’s unpleasant, but that’s this arc plain and simple.
Momo and Okarun had the stage largely to themselves in S1, albeit with plenty of help from the likes of Turbo Granny and Seiko. But among the supporting cast in Dandadan, Jiji is probably first among equals. At times he shifts into being a third main character, and this arc is really his story. His manic side annoys some fans – I don’t mind it myself – but that’s mostly on the shelf here. Now we get a chance to see the karmic pain Jiji has been carrying with him that’s the cause of his overcompensatory behavior in the first place.
When we first see Evil Eye, he cuts a pretty hideous figure. But that ain’t the half of it. He has the power to cancel out the worm’s psychic waves, that we see for sure. Granny warns the kids not to look him in the eye or that, too will drive them to suicide. She and Jiji have a profound disagreement about just what Evil Eye is and whose side he’s on. That he’s caused numerous tragedies and in fact caused Jiji specifically serious distress is indisputable. But Jiji sees what no one else does, the pain that Evil Eye his endured, what made him this way. Jiji can’t see him as an enemy – but the evidence on the ground (well, under it) suggests that Granny may be right about this one.
Dandadan does serious and dark very well – Acrobatic Silky is ample proof of that. It doesn’t shy away from the darkness, and thankfully the adaptation has been faithful to that. But irrespective of the pain Evil Eye has endured, he’s a huge threat in the here and now. He takes over Jiji’s body, and in the process demonstrates why Seiko kept calling him a “genius”. Beat the crap out of the worm? Damn straight – but EE shows no inclination to stop there, and it’s Momo and Turbo Granny who’re on the wrong end of his soccer skills. We still don’t know the full extent of Evil Eye’s powers, but with the weight of countless generations of wronged souls crying out for revenge at his disposal, his punches pack a serious wallop.
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