2024’s weirdest and wildest new anime, Dandadan, could be the next big international hit, according to the director of MBS TV (one of Japan’s major anime TV broadcasting networks). Anime has exploded in mainstream popularity in recent years. While the medium was once a guilty pleasure among fans, and shamed by “normal” people (like all great nerdy past times), the immense success of classic shows like DragonBall Z and Once Piece, as well as contemporary sensations like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba (not to mention the entire filmography of Studio Ghibli), have helped to normalize anime. Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer were the two biggest shows of the last few years, but an industry expert believes that Dandadan could be the next big thing in anime.
Speaking at an MBS TV press conference (via @Dandadanverse on X), Shinichi Tabuchi, the network’s Director of General Programming, made a bold claim, saying that Dandadan will be just as popular as the two biggest modern anime shows of all-time. As well as their immensely popular episodic series, both Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer released feature-length films within the last few years in select theaters. Many of the screenings were sell-out successes, cementing the shows’ popularity among more casual audiences, as well as die-hard anime viewers. Tabuchi claims that Dandadan will reach the same heights, saying:
“I’m sure it will spread like Jujutsu Kaisen, Haikyu!! [another immensely popular anime], and Demon Slayer.”
Dandadan is categorized as a Shounen anime (a genre of anime targeted towards late teenage/early adult males). Despite its categorization, Shinichi Tabuchi says that Dandadan has global appeal, and that the new anime is “interesting even for old guys like us, [it’s] about facing unexpected events while accepting each other’s diversity.”
What Is Dandadan About?
Much like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, Dandadan blends its exciting action with paranormal elements. The anime (created by Yukinobu Tatsu) follows Okarun, a young man who believes in aliens, and Momo, a young woman who believes in ghosts. While setting out to prove the other person wrong, they’re shocked to reveal that both exist, and they’re incredibly hostile. Across their journey, they will encounter, face-off against, and occasionally befriend bizarre creatures inspired by Japanese Yokai (demons) and other popular spirits and urban legends. The official synopsis reads:
“A story of young love and occult battles begins. When Momo and Okarun’s beliefs clash, they’re thrown into a world of ghosts, aliens, and awakened powers.”
The series already has the immense hype of the manga fandom behind it. Dandadan is an incredibly popular manga, which has a reported circulation of 3.2 million copies. But can it become the new Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen? In order to do so, Dandadan needs to capture the attention of casual audiences . Even audiences who have never touched manga before, but have dabbled in anime movies like the works of Studio Ghibli, or perhaps Akira or Ghost in the Shell, have definitely heard of Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen. It will be a tall task to get Dandadan to reach similar heights, but it’s not impossible. After all, Chainsaw Man, a series that’s about a superpowered teenager, whose sole mission in life is to touch a pair of boobs, was also a major international sensation.
Dandadan
streams on Netflix and Crunchyroll on October 6, 2024.