The search for Ken’s golden balls commences and it leads them.. to a lot of SWALLOWING!

Video Review

What Stands Out About This Episode?

The Plot Be Plotting

I made a YouTube video a long time ago about animes needing plots and focusing on it to create real tension in a “happy-go-lucky” story. It’s one of my more controversial opinions that constant slice-of-life for 20+ minutes, leaves something more to be desired. Needless to say, that video caused quite the mixed reaction. I mention this because I believe Dan Da Dan is the PERFECT example of making a romantic comedy slice-of-life anime into something that becomes that much more exciting, fun and compelling like finding Ken’s golden balls!

Every episode of Dan Da Dan has about 2/3rds of slice-of-life, but it sets up perfectly for an exciting end to the episode. I guess part of the 2/3ds can be contributed to setting up Aira’s arc as well. No matter how funny and ridiculous the plot is, it is hard to argue against how much it makes Dan Da Dan THAT MUCH MORE enjoyable of a story. In this case of Dan Da Dan, it goes the “shonen” route with action packed fighting against diddly aliens and swallowing spirits.

Relationship Development

If you read my last post and have already picked up the formula for Momo and Ken’s character development, then it becomes pretty obvious where I’m going to be leading you to next. Every episode shows a different side to Ken and Momo’s relationship as they progress towards what we all want, where they officially become the “ship” that they are meant to be. However, the road towards this payoff comes with many steps and many challenges that all relationships face before getting busy with some “body heat-to-body heat” action.

No matter what “y’all need to quit playin'” people might say “officially,” actions speak louder than words. Momo and Ken are basically girlfriend and boyfriend already, whether the characters recognize it or not. It doesn’t get more obvious than the “accidental kiss” from the previous episode and their reaction to it. This episode focuses on that realization with Ken having another challenger that wants to take Momo’s banana! Naturally, this makes Ken start to recognize how he truly feels for her and also test his bond with Momo by defending her honor from the horny teenagers! Almost every episode thus far, has this “relationship” type of payoff before the plot rears its ugly Alien Diddly head!

The “Heroic” Golden Ball Wielder!

Besides the wondrous plot to find Ken’s magically wrapped golden balls, the biggest attention goes to the archetype that no homeschooler can ever understand, but the other 99.9% of us that are forced to socialize in an environment that is the melting pot of high school—it is.. the HOT CHICK! This episode continues the ascension of Aira Shiratori’s character that was quickly hinted in the previous episode; that only confirmed in this episode is that Aira is that one hot popular girl in school that has a warped reality because of it. It’s like when doors just magically open up for them, where Helga “be struggling in the streets.” Meaning, her beauty is the cheat code that sends all types of addictive pheromones that gets a man’s flustered gaze and a girl’s admiration for a beauty that she can never be. With this reality of Aira Shiratori, her character takes this archetype and bends it into a reality of being chosen by destiny to save the world of all evil, due to her beauty! This is all because of one of Ken’s golden balls giving Aira a sackless teabag from the heavens!

With the Dan Da Dan’s lore expanded with Turbo Granny, it looks like this golden ball of Ken’s unlocked much of Aira’s spiritual powers. This lets her see spirits, but at the same time, the spirits can now see and interact with her. Because of Aira’s warped view of reality and the archetype she is based on, it creates that beautiful comedic irony I love explaining so much in comedy. Most great comedies have this quality in it and Aira is a perfect example of it. In reality, she is a person that generally wants to do good like “save the world,” but the choices she takes are very questionable like kidnapping, zip-tying Momo, spreading awful rumors about Momo, etc. While these are horrible acts, it’s a necessary evil to stop that DEMON that is MOMO AYASE!

When you are a hot and popular girl, it’s only natural that it feels like everything revolves around you and with the drop of a sackless golden teabag, unlocking her spiritual powers, it only makes sense that her “main character syndrome,” becomes even “main-er,” as she stars in her own shojo, wielding God’s gift of Ken’s magical golden ball to rid of EVIL!

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