Dandadan has been on a very good run of form lately. The Evil Eye arc and its aftermath (or one could call this part of the same arc) is a very good one. But as with most of Dandadan, it works better in anime form by a good measure. You just have to give credit where it’s due. It’s like Dungeon Meshi and Trigger – sometimes a studio you historically struggle with just gets it right. Trigger has a more extensive track record of success than Science SARU to be sure, and SARU’s production issues with this show are well-documented (and typical of them). But on balance, they’re really nailing this one.
If you look closely, most of the stuff that happens in this series is instigated by Seiko in one fashion or another. She’s clearly not the protagonist or deuteragonist (though which is which here could be debated), but she is the prime mover. And the sun around which everything else orbits, as this arc really highlights. Who invited Jiji to stay in the first place? Seiko. She’s also the one who sent Okarun and Momo to Byakuja Village to deal with the parents and house issue.
Seiko is also the one who’s been trying to reach Hayashi, the mysterious exorcism group she needs to deal with Evil Eye. The idea is loosely based on an ancient Shinto concept; the heavy metal part is strictly Yukinobu. The Hayashi group that shows up at Seiko’s house is quite reminiscent (except for the bassist) of the visual kei bands who peaked in popularity 20 or 30 years ago – perhaps X Japan more so than any other. They seem a little discombobulated while they’re introducing themselves and acting as their own roadies, but once they get started on “Hunting Soul” it’s clear they’re very good at their jobs.
This was another of those manga scenes that had readers brimming with anticipation. And again, the adaptation absolutely delivered. Rather than an existing band it put together a kind of supergroup of producer/arrangers and musicians, with vocalist and seiyuu Taniyama Kishou (who turns 50 on Monday – happy birthday) putting in a vigorous and convincing shift as vocalist Toshirou. It’s a serious head-banging performance that has everyone- well, head-banging. But in the end Seiko doesn’t perform the exorcism, and Jiji is the reason.
This whole “pay it forward” thing seems to be a rule to live by for Seiko. Someone in her position being a strong believer in Karma would hardly be surprising. But this goes deeper than that for her. A pattern should definitely have become obvious by this point – Peeny Weeny, Acrobatic Silky, obviously Turbo Granny. If you start out a villain in Dandadan, there’s a pretty good chance Seiko will eventually welcome you to the family. Whether she’d have gone ahead if Jiji hadn’t intervened is something we’ll never know, but he did – remembering the promise he made to Evil Eye, and all the pain he saw through the spirit’s eyes.
Of course all that stuff is one thing – actually living with E.E. is something else. Okarun is first to step up to help, and that means Aira and Momo are going to be trying to outdo each other in backing him up. The house is a wreck as is, patched up with cardboard boxes, and Momo decides to accept a part-time “restaurant” job offer from a classmate. But when her two gal pals drag Okarun out on a “date” after school, it soon becomes clear there’s more to this scenario that meets the eye – and what meets Okarun’s eye is quite the spectacle indeed.
