REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Episode 8 — “I’ve Got This Funny Feeling”

After an intense confrontation, Momo and Okarun were able to rescue Aira and foil Acrobatic Silky’s plans. In DanDaDan Episode 8, “I’ve Got This Funny Feeling,” the gang presses on with learning how to function with a third classmate thrown into the mix. The opening scene features Momo, Okarun, Aira, Turbo Granny (in cat form), and Seiko all eating at the same table.

There is some pretty severe awkward silence, only broken up by the slurping of food. It serves as a reminder that the series can use more than just over-the-top humor to be funny. The moment when Momo and Aira are visible as reflections in Okarun’s glasses while he sits there awkwardly is hilarious and sets the tone for what comes next.

Momo seems to think that Aira has essentially joined their little gang. After all, why else would she be hanging around? It turns out it is because she thinks something fishy is going on. She tells the group why Okarun is the way he is (a question I’m sure he asks himself regularly) and points out that Seiko, Momo’s grandmother, looks like a 20-year-old with grey hair. Aira voices questions that viewers have likely had for several episodes, so it is great to see these characters confronted with the absurdity of everything happening around them.

DanDaDan Episode 8 captures how Momo views the world around her.

While she might be right that everything is more than meets the eye, Aira is completely wrong in her analysis. She assumes they are all demons bent on destroying the world. Momo, mouth stuffed with food, calls her an idiot and tries to explain that they are not demons.

The two start slurping noodles in the middle of their argument, even bashing away the Japanese subtitles meant to convey what they are saying with full mouths. It is a hilarious way for the two characters to have a somewhat severe conversation while the tone still feels light.

Ultimately, Aira still does not believe there aren’t any demons at play here. She firmly believes Okarun is a demon, although she does reveal that she has feelings for him. This is another layer between these characters, who already have pretty complex relationships. These layers help keep the storytelling interesting, with new twists and turns always waiting around the corner.

It would not be an episode of DanDaDan without some good old-fashioned ball humor. Turbo Granny is going to put Okarun’s ball back for him, but the scene somehow devolves into Seiko setting up a baseball batter’s box in front of Okarun. Once again, the series takes a somewhat serious moment in Okarun getting his family jewel back and gives a funny twist that feels seamless. The humor isn’t forced and feels right at home with how we expect these characters to behave.

Sometimes, the third wheel makes everything worse.

The duo now has to find the remaining missing ball, but there seems to be a wedge between them. Momo tells Okarun she will see him on the school roof at lunch, and Okarun shyly tells her he can’t. He comes up with reasons to avoid her, and it is pretty apparent that something is up. Just as the two were getting closer, there is some work to do with their relationship now.

It turns out that Aira is the issue between them. Her feelings for Okarun are uncontrollable, leading to a highly awkward interaction. Momo walks into them on the floor in a compromising position, and it noticeably affects her emotionally. She was starting to care for Okarun, and this looks like a betrayal on Okarun’s part.

Everything that happens in DanDaDan Episode 8 can be explained as simple misunderstandings taken to the extreme. No one can accurately explain or understand what is happening in multiple situations, which makes everything out of whack. This profoundly changes character dynamics and gives the series a new way forward to rectify things and get back on track toward the character’s ultimate goals. The supernatural twist at the end forces Okarun and Aira to confront reality and ties together loose threads from previous episodes in a new climactic way.

DanDaDan Episode 8 uses excellent character moments in brilliantly funny ways to chart a new path forward for the heroes. Some serious misunderstandings need to be clarified, but the threat they now face might be the catalyst they need to clear things up and bring Momo, Okarun, and Aira together as a new and better-than-ever trio.

DanDaDan Episode 8 is airing now on Netflix and Crunchyroll.