Top 5 anime for fans of Dandadan
Instantly recognizable thanks to its stylish art direction, memorable characters and idiosyncratic blend of horror, supernatural action and comedy, the anime adaptation of manga series Dandadan set to debut soon as part of the fall 2024 anime season. For anime and manga fans unfamiliar with the series, Crunchyroll — set to be the series's streaming home for most of the world outside of East and Southeast Asia — summarizes the series like this:
"This is a story about Momo, a high school girl who comes from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult fanatic. After Momo rescues Okarun from being bullied, they begin talking. However, an argument ensues between them since Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens exist, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts exist.
- Crunchyroll
To prove to each other what they believe in is real, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital where a UFO has been spotted and Okarun goes to a tunnel rumored to be haunted. To their surprise, they each encounter overwhelming paranormal activities that transcend comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to overcome these new dangers! Their fateful love begins as well!?
The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts!"
The main draw of Dandadan is how well the series blends off-the-wall humour and the main characters' ongoing hijinks with effective moments of genuine supernatural horror. It's a unique tone, but Dandadan isn't the only series that does it well. With that in mind, here are five more anime series that are sure to win over fans of Dandadan. When Dandadan, these series will help fans pass the time waiting for new episodes every week.
1. Monogatari
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
The multi-season anime adaptation of a light novel series that has been running since, the Monogatari series is weird by just about any possible metric. Although the high school setting is fairly mundane at a first glance, not unlike in Dandadan, it's clear that there are a lot of bizarre, supernatural elements at play. The first series in the franchise, Bakemonogatari, sets the tone for the franchise: art direction that relies on bizarre visuals, a male lead who recently turned back into a human from a vampire, a weightless female lead, magic weight-stealing crabs.
Bakemonogatari has a similar structure to Mononoke, another entry on this list, with each series telling its story via multi-episode plot arcs each dealing with a different supernatural entity. In focusing on cast of high-schoolers investigating the supernatural, it has a lot in common with Dandadan, though it retains a unique identity takes to its visual flair.
2. Mieruko-chan
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Miko Yotsuya is a normal high school student who suddenly develops the ability to see ghosts and spirits. Rather than using her ability to willingly become a paranormal detective or a medium, she has the reaction most people probably would have in her situation and hopes the problem will go away if she just ignores it. As the ghosts begin to interfere with her life in more obvious and insistent ways, just ignoring them becomes increasingly difficult for Miko, fueling much of the series's humor at Miko's expense.
Mieruko-chan has the most in common with Dandadan of all the entries on this list, being a high school-set horror comedy. Like Dandadan, Mieruko-chan has fantastic art direction and especially creature design, along with alternating moments of both genuinely hilarious comedy and genuinely frightening horror. As Miko starts to reluctantly accept her abilities, she does start working as a sort of medium, helping the spirits pass on and creating several legitimately touching moments. Despite the clip above only being available in Brazilian Portuguese, Mieruko-chan is addtionally available on Crunchyroll in the original Japanese, English and Spanish, with English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese subtitles.
3. Level 1 Demon Lord & One Room Hero
Where to watch: HIDIVE
After 10 years, the Demon Lord reawakens after being defeated by the hero Max and a party straight of a classic RPG. Reborn in a childlike form, the Demon Lord seeks out Max for revenge, only to discover that not only has the world changed from a fantasy RPG world to something basically consistent with present-day Japan, but Max has also gone on to become a deadbeat living in a rundown apartment. The Demon Lord goes on to try to convince Max to return to his old heroic self.
In the world of Level 1 Demon Lord & One Room Hero, the existence of the supernatural is not up for debate. The similarities with Dandadan come from how the supernatural interacts with the characters' otherwise normal everyday life. It's fundamentally a story of Max and the Demon Lord coexisting and going about their day-today lives. There's also a female ghost haunting Max's apartment, who doesn't have much impact on the plot, but does pop up every now and then to scare the audience.
4. Mononoke
Where to watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll
Unlike Dandadan, Mononoke is definitely not a comedy. However, there is still plenty of common ground between the two series. Mononoke's stylish visuals and storytelling and compelling supernatural mysteries are sure to appeal to Dandadan fans, while also providing a change of pace due to its feudal Japanese setting and darker, more serious tone. Mononoke is a masterpiece of visual design and psychological tension. It's essential viewing for fans of mystery and supernatural anime.
Although the tone is significantly different from Dandadan, the supernatural mystery angle will appeal to fans of Dandadan. At only 12 episodes long, the original Mononoke anime series is easy to binge and the first movie in the planned trilogy has been announced to be coming to Netflix in the near future.
5. Black Lagoon
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
On the surface, Black Lagoon is the entry on this list that has the least in common with Dandadan. Dandadan is an off-beat comedy about high school students dealing with the supernatural. Black Lagoon is basically a Quentin Tarantino movie as an anime. Although the action in Black Lagoon is heavily stylized, the series is ultimately grounded in reality with no overt supernatural elements. As scary and unsettling as Black Lagoon can get at its darkest, it ultimately boils down to not shying away from the most brutal aspects of life in the criminal underworld.
However, what makes Black Lagoon reminiscent of Dandadan is that both series are carried by the interactions between the male and female leads. Dandadan's plot is driven by the relationship and growing affection between Momo and Ken, Black Lagoon features the developing almost-romance between Revy and Rock. Despite the drastically different tone and setting, both series following the burgeoning relationship between a more obviously assertive female lead and a outwardly timid and assuming male lead who can find his edge when pushed.
Fans of Dandadan have a lot to look forward to! Not only is the anime adaptation set to debut imminently, but there is also a bevy of other anime shows similar to Dandadan to watch. Fans of supernatural mysteries and horror comedies have plenty of options right now.
Based on their geographic location, international audiences will be able to stream Dandadan on at least one of multiple services including Netflix, Crunchyroll, ADN and Muse Asia. Fans interested in learning about the anime can check out the official Dandadan anime website here.