This work, which is serialized in the manga magazine app “Shonen Jump +”, has a total circulation of 3.2 million copies (as of November 2023) and is a popular work that is said to be the flagship work of the same app. It has been featured in various media even before the decision was made to make it into an anime, so there may be some people who have heard of the title even if they haven’t read it.
The three main elements of this work are “occult,” “battle,” and “love.” These three elements intertwine at a good tempo, rocking the reader like a rollercoaster. In this article, the author, a fan of the original work, will explain the appeal of each of the three elements: “occult,” “battle,” and “love.”
*This article contains spoilers.
The biggest feature of this work is the large number of occult beings that appear, such as monsters, aliens, and unidentified mysterious beings (UMA). They all have different characteristics and personalities, but all of the characters have creepy visuals that will give you chills.
These strange monsters attack Momo and friends with incredible power, making the story even scarier. What’s more, the monsters have their origins in urban legends and anecdotes. Even people who don’t know much about the occult are sure to have heard one or two of them.
The monsters are terrifying and vicious. However, the monsters that appear are not just scary. Each one has a unique backstory that makes them lovable.
For example, the first yokai Okarun encounters and is cursed by is Turbo Granny. Although a modern yokai, she is said to have extremely strong spiritual powers and has been haunting various parts of Japan since ancient times.
Turbo Granny always appears in places where the spirits of young girls who died an untimely death reside, which leads Momo’s grandmother, Hoshikoshi, to speculate that “maybe she was going around to comfort young girls who could not rest in peace.”
Not only Turbo Granny, but all the other monsters that appear in the story try to kill Momo and her friends with overwhelming force, but many of them have such strong regrets and feelings that they cannot rest in peace. The backgrounds of the monsters depicted in the story will bring you to tears.
They engage in fierce battles with aliens with various abilities, but these aliens end up becoming their allies.
The first alien Momo meets is the Serpo alien, who is initially repelled by Momo’s psychic powers, but launches a surprise attack on Momo and Okarun again. The clever Serpo aliens realize that they cannot win on their own, so they hire ferocious UMAs and other aliens to attack Momo and his friends.
Momo and her friends have a hard time, but one of them ends up joining their team. He has unavoidable circumstances that force him to attack Momo and her friends. What are those circumstances, and who will join their team? Experience this exciting unfolding story!
The second attraction is the battles! It’s an essential element of any classic shounen manga. The fast-paced battles with the monsters in this work are a sight to behold.
When Momo is captured by the Serpo aliens, her powers begin to blossom, and she awakens to the supernatural ability to grasp living things and objects with telekinesis in the form of hands. However, even with her supernatural powers, the monsters are still formidable, and Momo and her friends are constantly put in a difficult position when they are attacked by superhuman forces. The moment when they manage to overcome such a situation is incredibly exhilarating!
Momo develops her own psychic powers, but the other characters gain the powers of monsters as the story progresses, allowing them to fight. For example, Okarun gains his powers after being cursed by Turbo Granny.
At first, he cannot maintain his sense of self without Momo’s help in suppressing the power of the curse, but he gradually grows and is able to control it himself. The power of the yokai affects not only his fighting ability but also his personality and appearance, and the changes he undergoes are unique and fascinating.
What kind of yokai powers will Aila (Shiratori Aira) and Jiji (Enjoji Jin), who appear later, gain? Keep watching the story with excitement.
What makes the battles in this game so interesting is Momo’s quick thinking! Even in hopeless situations, she never gives up or panics, but instead uses her flexible thinking to come up with solutions.
When he was attacked at home by a giant alien called the Flatwoods Monster, he noticed that the monster was dressed as a sumo wrestler and came up with the idea of making the monster put his hands on the ground. When he was attacked by a giant crab-shaped earthbound spirit, he ran into the large bath and poured boiling water over it. He thought that boiling a crab would make the crab’s flesh firm, so the muscle fibers would harden and make it slow to move.
モモの数々の打開策に仲間たちはいつも助けられており、「綾瀬さん天才っスか」と言われることもたびたび。それに対して必ず「知ってる」と返す彼女が私は大好きです。
彼女の柔軟な発想は頭の回転の速さももちろんですが、怪異を前にしても自分を見失わない胆力があればこそだと思います。普通なら恐怖で足がすくんでしまうような不気味な妖怪や宇宙人を前にしても「キモ！」「ヤバ！」などと発言し焦りや驚きは見えるもののモモはモモのまま。
彼女の戦いっぷりには「その発想はなかった！」とあなたもきっと驚かされることでしょう。
最後にご紹介する本作の魅力はラブ！ 怪異たちとのハラハラドキドキの戦闘の間に入る高校生たちの恋物語にファンは別の意味でドキドキさせられています。メインとなるのは本作の主人公であるモモとオカルン。
怪異との戦闘では女子高生とは思えないほどの度胸で自分を見失うことのないモモですが、恋愛ではらしくない行動ばかり。そして不器用を自称するオカルンも恋愛でうまく立ち回ることができるわけもなく……。
恐ろしい妖怪や宇宙人たちとの戦闘の合間に描かれる高校生の甘酸っぱい恋模様もファンは楽しみに見守っています。
モモは友達も多く社交的なギャルですが、恋愛に関しては経験が浅く、オカルンに対する恋心の扱いに苦戦。対するオカルンは、モモが初めての友達であるため最初はそのことに浮かれていましたが、徐々に自分の気持ちに気づいていきます。
度重なる怪異との戦闘で絆を深めていき、相手への恋心も募らせていく2人。好きだからこそ時にはすれ違ってケンカをしたり、嫉妬したりしながら、少しずつ距離を縮めていく姿には読者もドキドキ・キュンキュンさせられます。
しかも、そんな甘酸っぱいシーンが思わぬ場面で挟まれてくるところがファンを虜にするポイント。怪異との戦闘でハラハラしていたかと思うと次の瞬間にはキュンとさせられてしまう、まるで感情がジェットコースターのように揺さぶられるのです。
恋愛だけではなく、高校生たちが友情を深めていく姿もぜひ注目していただきたいポイントです。
例えば、モモとアイラ。初めは自意識が高くちょっと嫌なキャラクターとして登場するアイラはモモとも相容れない様子でした。しかし、ストーリーが進むにつれて、口ではケンカしながらも内心では信頼し合う友達になっていきます。
また、オカルンとジジはお互いにモモを想う恋敵ではありますが、互いに親友と呼び合うような仲に。そんな高校生たちがワイワイと賑やかに過ごすシーンは、怪異の存在を一瞬忘れてしまうほど穏やかで微笑ましく見ることができます。アニメでも彼らの眩しい青春を見るのがとても楽しみです！
「オカルト」「バトル」「ラブ」と魅力たっぷりの『ダンダダン』。恐ろしい妖怪や宇宙人に恐怖を掻き立てられ、激しいバトルにハラハラさせられ、妖怪たちの過去に涙し、高校生の甘酸っぱい恋にキュンキュンする……。さらに、本稿では触れていませんが、ギャグ要素もあるので笑わせてもくれます！
今なら「少年ジャンプ＋」で原作漫画が全話無料開放中。10/31までの期間限定公開とのことですので、原作漫画を読んでアニメの放送に備えてみてはいかがでしょうか。本稿をきっかけに『ダンダダン』のファンがひとりでも増えてくれると嬉しいです！
少年ジャンプ＋｜人気オリジナル連載が全話無料！の最強WEBマンガ誌
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