MANGA REVIEW | "Dandadan" - Volume Nine
I believe I should start off this review of Dandadan Volume Nine with an apology. It’s clear that I should’ve cut some slack for Kinta Sakata, the latest edition to the ghost & alien-busting crew. Sure, he’s kinda creepy and pervy, and he looks like the kind of person you’d avoid eye contact with in Akihabara. Pretty sure he smells, too, he’s got that kind of aura to him. However…wait, what I was trying to say?
That’s right, Kinta’s a pretty — and I’m using that word VERY loosely — smart fellow, especially when it comes to the world of kaiju monsters. And it’s a good thing, because there’s a behemoth that looks like a certain character often hanging around Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku. Although Okarun figures out a plan to take on the monster, it’s Kinta that comes up with the main design to defeat it. After all, if you want to defeat a giant monster, you need to go full-on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!
It’s highly appropriate that the giant robot winds up being Buddha. And in true Dandadan fashion, it’s hilarious when they first try to move their new weapon. I’m actually surprised that it just didn’t blow up with the first push of a button, although the consolation prize of seeing Okarun ejected in wild fashion is good enough. But once Kinta figures out how everything works, we’re treated to a robot vs monster battle this side of a 1970s Spider-Man tokusatsu.
Credit must be given to Momo for knowing how to actually taken down the monster. She knows her professional wrestling, so a mere punch and kick won’t tame the wild beast. Nay, it’s a super-cool finisher that all kids will emulate with their stuffed animals soon after the match is over. And then, the big reveal of who is controlling the robot, and color me shocked when it’s a kind of being you’d least expect.
Then again, this is Dandadan. Yukinobu Tatsu went to the Tatsuki Fujimoto School For Zero Fucks Storytelling, so the unexpected should be the most expected. And hey, new alien girl waifu, although she appears to be a threat to Momo and her relationship with Okarun when the former monster plans a big wet one on his lips. It makes you almost feel bad for Kinta, who should’ve been on that receiving end, but not enough to console him.
Of course, new cast member equates to new classmate, which Momo must now assist with helping. Now dubbed Vamola, she attempts to assimilate into her new surroundings. That means new school clothes, speaking the human language, and facing off with one butt-ugly mirror-loving princess monster! A perfectly normal day in the world of Dandadan!
This fight winds up being the perfect opportunity for Vamola to win Momo’s trust. It also results in one of the goofiest battles in the manga’s history. Magic mirrors, German suplexes, a little makeup and pose-striking, and a little word akin to saying “Beetlejuice” are what’s mixed together to make what turns into a great bonding moment for Momo and Vamola. Not only is it beautifully (and not-so beautifully) drawn, but it’s funny as all Hell!
In one moment, Dandadan goes full-on Sentai, and in the next it turns into a horror show, only for it to flip the switch and become a silly rom-com. This manga wants to be whatever the heck it wants to be, and do it in the best way possible. You’ve got to give Dandadan a lot of respect for that, especially with what it accomplishes in its ninth volume. Simply put: it’s top-tier entertainment!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
