REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Episode 7 — “To a Kinder World”

Momo and Okarun have managed to get Acrobatic Silky away from Aira, but it is seemingly too late to save their classmate. DanDaDan Episode 7, “To a Kinder World,” has the duo facing off against Silky, fighting for their lives.

The battle itself takes place within a large warehouse, where the duo is running through a maze of boxes and other obstacles. A neat aerial shot shows the spider-like Silky perched above, looking down at a running Okarun, which helps establish the setting quite well. It is a unique way to initially put the duo at a disadvantage and make it more enjoyable when they manage to get the upper hand.

Momo, ever the brains of this dynamic duo, figures out that Silky’s webs can’t be easily removed from the surfaces they stick to. She uses this to guide Okarun on a path that tangles Silky up and leaves her immobilized. It is an ingenious way to trap the villain and gives Momo and Okarun a chance to take the initiative in the battle.

With Silky trapped, it should be easy for Okarun to use his full power to blast her away. Problem solved, episode over, everyone leaves unscathed. Except it doesn’t work out that way. Like other episodes before it, Dan Da Dan Episode 7 showcases the fact that Momo and Okarun are just kids and are way over their heads. Okarun does not know how to unleash his powers in a controlled way, and Momo, understandably, reacts pretty poorly.

DanDaDan Episode 7 continues evolving the story and the characters.

This evolving dynamic between the two always circles back to the fact that they are young. They are dealing with problems way above anything that someone in high school should ever have to care about. It makes their arguing feel more authentic and explains how they can swing back and forth from being very close to being at each other’s throats in the blink of an eye.

It also frames what happens after the fight with Silky in a whole new way. Aira, as Turbo Granny so callously tells them, is dead. The revelation floors them, but they instantly go into overdrive, trying to find a way to bring her back. They react in a shockingly mature and responsible way for a duo yelling at each other constantly while searching for a missing testicle. It is a sign that they are continuing to grow and, at their core, are selfless people trying to do the right thing.

The heart of the matter in DanDaDan Episode 7 starts to drive the series in a more dramatic, emotional way. Sure, there is plenty of humor and innovative action sequences, but the real way to keep viewers engrossed is by giving them an emotional attachment to the characters. Highlighting their hearts for others gives everyone watching a more sincere reason to root for them.

They ultimately learn to use Silky’s aura to bring Aira back to life. This complicated process involves some truly creative steps. Dan Da Dan Episode 7 does a great job of explaining what is happening through the eyes of Momo and Okarun. They are figuring this all out on the fly, and so are viewers.

DanDaDan may be funny, but it’s also deeply emotional.

This also dives deeper into how weird and mysterious the powers in DanDaDan are. Something new is discovered and explained in every episode, and there are so many layers to the different powers and how they work. Landing the pacing of how to explain these systems can be tricky.

Do it too quickly, and viewers can be overwhelmed, but if it takes too long, they will get bored and tune out. DanDaDan has found a great balance by organically unfolding more layers in each episode in ways that never feel forced or too drawn out.

The exploration of Acrobatic Silky and her backstory is where DanDaDan Episode 7 really stands out. She is not just some evil monster; she has deep emotional ties hinted at early on. In the middle of the episode, a lengthy flashback had me on the edge of my seat with a box of tissues in hand. Her life, once full of love, takes a dark turn, explaining how she ended up where she is now. It is a brilliant piece of storytelling that adds another layer of depth to the episode and makes everything happening so much more meaningful.

DanDaDan Episode 7 gets dark during all of this and reminds viewers that the world Momo and Okarun entered, thanks to their powers, is not nice. They will encounter genuine evil and pain. Still, as Aira shows, love and kindness can be found if they are willing to look for it.

DanDaDan Episode 7 blends dark lows with emotional highs, making this episode hit harder than any of the previous ones. It is a masterclass in storytelling and shows how much potential this series has to be an all-time classic.

DanDaDan Episode 7 is airing now on Netflix and Crunchyroll.