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Mondays and Thursdays have become red-letter days for the anime community because they allow fans to read new chapters of the megapopular ongoing shonen manga Dandadan and watch new episodes of its anime adaptation, Dan Da Dan, by Devilman Crybaby studio Science Saru.
As of publication, the second episode of Dan Da Dan had finally dropped on Hulu, Crunchyroll, and Netflix—a shared streaming privilege further bolstering the mutually assured of the show as the new hotness in anime. Like its explosive premiere, episode two of Dan Da Dan excels in action, science fiction, and, most notably, the slow-burn romantic comedy unfolding between the odd couple protagonists Momo Ayase and Okarun. Dan Da Dan‘s unique flavor of shonen romance is all thanks to advice the series editor imparted to the creator when pitching the series.
In the lead-up to Dan Da Dan‘s world premiere, GKIDS announced a special theatrical screening of the anime called Dan Da Dan: First Encounter. Before experiencing Dan Da Dan‘s first three episodes, moviegoers were regaled by a special video interview segment with Dan Da Dan manga creator Yukinobu Tatsu, editor Shihei Lin, anime director Fuga Yamashiro, and actors Shion Wakayama (Momo Ayase) and Natsuki Hanae (Okarun). Although the exclusive interview video went a tad long and slightly scooped the visual spectacles that lie in wait, it featured insightful trivia about how Yukinobu successfully pitched Dan Da Dan that many anime fans should follow by example.
This was so cute! I am a fan of the show 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/WDGLVWBxH3
— Krystal D. Creative ☀️ (@krystalshanelle) October 7, 2024
After serving as an assistant to Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto (as many new age mangaka seem to have done), he routinely pitched shonen battle series to Lin. Seeing how his fellow assistant mangaka went on to make successful series adapted into anime like Spy x Family and Hell’s Paradise, it’s no surprise that Yukinobu would try his luck in the same genre. However, rather than accept any of his pitches, Lin suggested Yukinobu pump the breaks on all the shonen stuff and instead brush up on reading a bunch of romance manga. While it isn’t unheard of for shonen (literally translated as “boys manga”) to feature romantic elements, they tend to be pretty bare bones. Fortunately, the shojo genre exists and has been feeding the manga-reading masses for years.
Unlike shonen, shojo series are manga typically geared toward a female audience and depict more nuanced explorations of personal and romantic relationships. Think shows like Fruits Basket, Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, and the best-selling shojo manga of all time, Nana (although it dips into the more mature sub-genre, josei). According to Yokinobu, Lin recommended he read around 100 shojo manga before he got back to him with a pitch. Evidently, Lin’s shojo suggestion was the final puzzle piece Yokinobu push his shonen-meets-The X-Files series also include a budding romance between a boisterious gyaru desperately in love with the idea of meeting a stoic man like ’50s-era actor Ken Takakura and an occult nerd who happens to share his name and demeanor.
All that to say, more anime fans who find themselves solely watching shonen series like Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Adademia, or Demon Slayer owe it to themselves to broaden their horizons and check out other genres the medium has to offer—whether that is checking out more mature seinen series like Vinland Saga, diving into the sweet sorrows of josei tragedy that is Nana, or making plans to check out A Silent Voice director Naoko Yamada and Science Saru’s upcoming film, The Colors Within. Animation is a wonderful genre so fans owe it to themselves to widen their palate, just like Yukinobu did in the creation of Dan Da Dan.
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