Amid slapstick humor, wild storytelling, and Science SARU‘s gorgeous animation, it’s easy to overlook a key component of what makes Dandadan a breakout hit: the romance. But while it’s not at the forefront of every episode, the growing affection between Momo Ayase (Shion Wakayama, Lycoris Recoil) and Ken ‘Okarun’ Takakura (Natsuki Hanae, NieR Automata ver1.1a) brings a special element to its story that grounds it and gives the audience something to invest in with these core characters. This creates something many other battle shonen severely lack.
The key element that initiates the inertial force of this duo’s attraction is the fact that neither of them is seeking it. More argumentative than affectionate, the pair initially bonds over their shared feelings as outcasts. Love isn’t what either of them is looking for. Momo is obsessed with the impossible standard of her conceptions of an actor, and Okarun just wants a friend. How they stumble into their feelings reinforces the grounded nature of their love, making it such a more subtle element to the series.
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Continuing out of this unwitting beginning is the second piece that makes the duo in Dandadan such a special couple: they are presented as near equals in romance. Although we see that Momo has dated other men, her track record is poor. She may have been in relationships, but she’s never been in love before.
Dandadan lets its two main characters be inexperienced in love.
Her social experience gives her some advantages over Okarun, but not too many. Rather than setting up the tired high school romance scenario of a guy who’s never spoken to a girl, meets the socially confident beauty, Dandadan lets both characters be awkward, inexperienced teenagers. This makes them equals, rather than having one constantly rolling their eyes at the other’s inexperience or lack of awareness.
This newness allows for the opportunity for awkwardness and discomfort to play out. In episode five, finding herself in an embarrassing position, Momo says some harsh things to Okarun. Not liking how vulnerable her feelings make her, she overreacts to the situation. This failing on Momo’s part is a good thing, narratively speaking, because it gives her the chance to grow naturally. She recognizes what she did, knows it was wrong, and addresses the problem not just by apologizing, but by standing up for her friend, as only she could.
Just as their budding romance in Dandadan gives Momo chances to learn and grow, so too does Okarun. Timid by nature, even once he discovers the superpowers he gained from Turbo Granny, he is still often hesitant to use them. At least until he needs to help Momo. Then the shyness vanishes, and Okarun steps out of his shell to protect her without thought or hesitation. But just like in real life, even these generally positive changes can be taken too far, resulting in further realistic stumbles for the duo.
The couple struggles with their intense feelings.
Okarun’s assertiveness nearly causes him to lose control when he lets his powers out on an unsuspecting classmate who regurgitates a nasty rumor that has been started about Momo. These powerful feelings, ones he hasn’t even yet fully become aware of, are also causing him to make a terrible mistake. The intensity of love is hard to grasp. The natural struggle to cope with the changes brought on by adolescence is further highlighted by the presence of Okarun’s powers.
Okarun isn’t alone in seeing his strength turned against him at times in Dandadan. Being no more familiar with these new emotions than her counterpart, Momo also comes to show a less flattering side of love, even if her weakness is played for laughs.
As their fellow student Aira Shiratori (Ayane Sakura, Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective) enters their growing circle of friends, Momo struggles with the concept of sharing Okarun’s attention with someone else. In particular, someone who could be a threat to her status with him. There are times when Aira’s mere addressing of Okarun with a question throws Momo into a fit, causing her to levy insults like “skank” at her. Given the level of loneliness we see play out in Momo’s past, her desire to jealously hoard Okarun is understandable, but something she needs to curb.
The setbacks they experience don’t tarnish the love story between Momo and Okarun.
The fact that the connection between the two requires effort and work, rather than simply falling into place, makes the pair’s success all the more powerful. The narrative doesn’t just hand them love. They earn it, as do all those who manage similar feats in the real world. This creates a layer of relatability that much of the wild story lacks.
The awkwardness, hiccups, and natural evolution of the romantic feeling between Dandadan‘s star characters allows the show to be so much more than just another quirky shonen battle anime. It fleshes out the central pair, making them far more together than they’d ever be separately. This allows the show to maintain a heartfelt, grounded core, rather than fly off the rails with its wild plots and psychedelic visuals.
Dandadan Season 2 is currently airing weekly on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu.
