Dandadan (Volume 8) – You’re Weak!

Dandadan Volume 8 Cover

Okarun and Aira find themselves up against a group of spirits given power by the fear assigned to their portraits in the school music room. It’s all part of Turbo Granny’s plan, but how will this help anyone?

Dandadan (Volume 8) – You’re Weak!

What happened?

The musical spirits were the perfect way for Turbo Granny to show Okarun how important tempo was to his fighting style. It was why he couldn’t keep up with the Evil Eye despite being much faster. So, as Okarun settled into a tempo of his own, he noticed how much easier the fight became. Of course, the spirits weren’t about to let them get the upper hand, summoning an entire army of choir singers and even a handful of giants. Aira kept the giants busy while Okarun closed in on the spirits. Turbo Granny told him that he would have to take out all five of them in a single beat if he was to have any chance of defeating them. Amazingly, Okarun did it and they were returned to the school music room where Turbo Granny threatened to activate a second round. Thankfully, she didn’t.

After returning to Momo’s house where things were getting tense as they struggled to work out what to do with the Evil Eye, Okarun called Jiji outside and revealed that he was going to beat the hell out of the Evil Eye and ensure that Jiji wouldn’t have to worry about hurting anyone again. Everyone was sceptical, but Seiko was impressed by his display of manliness and wanted to see what happened next. Aira threw some cold water on Jiji and then stepped back as Okarun went all out. After thoroughly beating the Evil Eye, Okarun revealed that he didn’t want to fight any more because the Evil Eye was too weak. The Evil Eye was upset because it was the most fun it had ever had. Eventually, Okarun managed to convince the Evil Eye to not hurt anyone else and then they would fight once a week. The Evil Eye agreed to the agreement but had to hand over his cursed underwear which did not accept the terms. For now, it would appear that the Evil Eye was contained.

Then, rumours of a golden ball haunting an apartment building spread around the school. Could that be Okarun’s missing ball?

What did you think?

There were some very funny moments in this volume, however, I am a little worried about the way the cast is growing and how we’re not seeing nearly enough of Momo. After how much I enjoyed her character in the earlier volumes, I was surprised to realise that Aira is now my favourite character (other than Seiko who is constantly hilarious and criminally underutilized). Part of it is because of how incredible the design of her Acrobatic Silky form is, but also because of her spirit in the fights. I’m hoping that Momo gets a lot more time in the coming volumes so that she can at least find herself on par with Aira.

Overall, this is probably my least favourite volume so far, but it was still enjoyable. The space Kaiju with the golden ball wasn’t nearly as weird and wonderful as some of the things we’ve seen so far. I’m hoping that there will be more to it and that things will get a lot crazier again. This series has been at its best when things are completely out of control. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will rediscover the quirky goodness that grabbed me and dragged me into this wonderfully bizarre world.

What was your highlight?

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of the latest new character to be introduced – Kinta Sakata. He’s a nerdy-looking guy who is jealous of Okarun’s friendship with Momo and Aira. He doesn’t understand how he has been able to surround himself with these attractive and well-known people. As a result, he sees Okarun as his rival or enemy. However, after hearing Momo talking to Okarun about his golden ball, Kinta decides that saucy language is the way to get the girls’ attention. This idea is hilarious and ridiculous all at the same time.

However, the way that Kinta tries to use saucy language is even funnier. He has no skill for talking to people and that shows when he throws a bunch of words together in the hopes that they will get the girls to like him. Of course, Momo threatens to kill him, but he’s still convinced that this is the answer. So far, despite this being funny once, I’m still not convinced that we need Kinta in the story. I already think the addition of Jiji is too much since the trio of Momo, Okarun, and Aira was working so well as it had an awkward dynamic that I would have preferred to see explored more. I will be very curious to see if I end up changing my mind on this in later volumes.

Series Information

English TitleDandadan
Japanese TitleDandadan
GenresAction, Comedy, Supernatural
DemographicShounen

Manga

AuthorYukinobu Tatsu
ArtistYukinobu Tatsu
VolumesOngoingChapters
1I am an Awkward Fellow After All!1-5
2Now My Balls Are Gone!6-14
3I’m Supposed to Protect Her…15-23
4First Love!24-32
5You’ve Been Protecting Me?33-40
6This Damn House!41-49
7Pardon the Intrusion!50-58
8You’re Weak!59-67
9It’s About the Powerbomb!68-76
10This is the Power of Words!77-85


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What did you think?