Eagle-eyed fans of Dan Da Dan may have noticed a discrepancy in the first episode of the anime that deviates from the manga. We had the opportunity to interview the show’s director, Fuga Yamashiro, about his choice to implement this alteration.
Dan Da Dan is a highly-anticipated anime for the upcoming Fall season, with a scheduled release date of October 3, 2024 on streaming services.
Despite the series’ first episode premiering at Anime Expo during the summer, its initial episodes were leaked online shortly after. As a result, many fans have already had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the visually stunning action it has in store, months before its official release.
Caution: Ahead are spoilers!
Those who read manga may have noticed a small change in the major climax of episode one. As Momo is being taken by the Serpoian aliens, her spiritual powers awaken and a flashback occurs to the start of the episode when she tried to kick her terrible ex-boyfriend during an argument – a fight she ultimately lost.
As Momo kicked one of the aliens, she dramatically freed herself from their clutches at that very moment. This resulted in a much more impactful scene, highlighting her character development and newfound power as a spirit medium.
Despite its absence in the manga, this callback was noticeably absent during her confrontation with the Serpoians. We had the opportunity to interview the director of Dan Da Dan, Fuga Yamashiro, regarding his decision to incorporate this scene into the climax of the episode. He believes that the author of the manga, Yukinobu Tatsu, also intended for this moment to be included but was unable to do so.
In episode one, Momo gets abducted by aliens and manages to awaken her spiritual powers.
Yamashiro explained, “I included the kick because I believed the author had intended for it to be there as well. However, it was likely removed in the manga version to maintain the flow. Therefore, I added it in for continuity.”
My goal was to recreate the author’s vision by utilizing the unique capabilities of the medium I was working with. Incorporating a brief insert, which effectively conveys a sense of speed and rhythm inherent to animation, provided a flashback element that enhanced the overall experience.
“I believed it was crucial to create a powerful emotional release in the scene, in terms of its content. This can be seen in contrast to the opening scene, in which Momo attempts to kick her boyfriend but is unable to due to his defense. However, after encountering Okarun and confronting her own inner turmoil, she experiences personal growth and is able to successfully land the kick on the Serpoian, sending him flying.”
Dan Da Dan is proving to be a standout premiere for the Fall anime season, with its attention to small details elevating an already impressive story to an even greater level.
Without a doubt, the eye-catching action sequences and stunning fight scenes that Dan Da Dan flawlessly adapts from the manga’s monochromatic pages cannot be overlooked. For Yamashiro, the key to effectively bringing these moments to life in an animated format is to treat each fight scene as its own unique story.
Dan Da Dan is chock full of action sequences that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.
According to Yamashiro, the manga is packed with consecutive and impressive panels that never lose their impact. However, it was quite challenging to link all of them together with natural acting. A significant amount of effort was put into ensuring that fight scenes, for instance, were not just a series of visually appealing shots, but rather a cohesive story in their own right.
According to Yamashiro, the most enjoyable aspect of bringing Dan Da Dan to life is finding the rhythm of each episode and transforming the visuals from a storyboard into dynamic, animated scenes. He acknowledges that this is also a challenging task to accomplish.
“According to him, the most enjoyable aspect of adapting Dan Da Dan was what is known as ‘cutting’ in Japanese. This step involves determining the timing of the episode and creating the rhythm of the visuals, which allows one to see the final form of the episode for the first time.”
Naturally, you can have some idea of how the episode will appear by reading the storyboard, but during this stage, you bring it to life through actual visuals. Choosing the right pace can be a challenging task!
Fans can catch the first three episodes of Dan Da Dan in theaters from August to September, or watch it on Crunchyroll and Netflix starting October 3.
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