Is it Better to Read the Dandadan Manga or Watch the Anime?
Dandadan Manga vs Anime Fans around the world have been in love with the Dandadan series thanks to its combination of supernatural and sci-fi elements, quirky characters, and exciting plot twists. With the anime adaptation gaining popularity, everyone’s wondering how it can keep up against the manga. In this article, we’ll explore the key differences between Dandadan’s manga and anime, focusing on storytelling style, characters, and adaptation changes. And finally, answer the question, should you read the manga or watch the anime? Dandadan’s Visual Style One of the most obvious differences between the manga and the anime is the visual style. The manga tends to lean towards more darker tones with a lot of detail and grit. While the anime has a more colorful and exaggerated approach, making it feel more lighthearted. Not to mention that in the manga, the scenes become more moody and dramatic which further emphasizes the suspense and horror aspect of the series. They have these really sharp and expressive details that make the scenes more intense and heavy. This is especially true with recent episodes. On the other hand, the anime has a more colorful palette and the animation feels like it has a more cartoonish effect to it. This makes it so much more comedic and adds a bit more of that fantastical touch. The characters look somewhat simple which makes the humor even funnier when they make over-the-top facial expressions and poses. This also applies to the action scenes, making them appear more dynamic and vibrant than the ones in the manga. Dandadan’s Storytelling Most of the time, anime adaptations make changes to the narrative of the source material to adjust the pacing or make it appeal more to the audience. Even though it looks so good so far, Dandadan is no exception. Yes, the anime stays faithful to the manga’s storyline because it keeps most of the dialogue and plot. However, there are some changes when it comes to the pacing. One instance is that the anime adapted scenes to maintain a smoother flow during fight scenes and extend their visual impact. A very notable example of such a change was the introduction of the Maneki-Neko form of Turbo Granny. In the manga, Turbo Granny’s Maneki-Neko form continuously unfolds over time. However, the anime teased this a lot earlier by using scenes of Turbo Granny in this form. It was like a sneak peek at an upcoming plot twist. To be honest, the manga adds a lot more suspense and makes the readers even more curious. Political References and Censorship in Dandadan Another area where the anime is very different from the manga is the removal or censorship of some of the political references found in the story. This includes very subtle connections to politics from our world like how the American government is heavily involved with alien conspiracies. One example I loved while reading the manga was when former U.S. President Barack Obama had a reference in a magazine that Okarun read in Chapter 1. This exact moment wasn’t included in the anime to avoid any legal issues, especially since the series would be released worldwide. That’s why they used the “President #44” character as a replacement. This isn’t limited to Dandadan though as most series that have aired internationally have had to remove or cut out any controversial content. While this change in the series didn’t affect the broader storyline, it did slightly shift the tone and impacted how satirical and funny the anime can be. Dandadan’s Tone and Atmosphere Probably one of the most significant differences between Dandadan’s manga and anime is the tone and atmosphere, which we’ve mentioned a few times before. The manga has this horror-like and somewhat tense atmosphere because of how it uses the artwork, themes, and even some graphic details. It leans really heavily towards the supernatural elements of the series helping readers immerse themselves in the world of yokai, folklore, and aliens! However, when you look at the anime, the vibe is more action-packed and comedic. They toned down the horror elements and favored a vibrant and adrenaline-filled atmosphere. For example, in the manga, the fight scenes are very heavy when it comes to the suspense and anticipation but in the anime, there are a lot of flashy moves and fast-paced action. This shift was actually beneficial as it made the series more accessible to a broader audience, especially Shonen fans who prefer a lighter experience. But it doesn’t end there yet. The difference between the two mediums even extended to the dialogue and humor of the show. The manga used a lot of sarcasm and dry jokes to build the character interactions between our two MCs, Okarun and Ayase. Meanwhile, the anime has slapstick comedy and exaggerated reactions to make the humor feel more direct and connect it with the visuals. The changes may or may not have made the story feel both familiar and new, depending on whether you’ve read the manga first or watched the anime. How the Dandadan Anime Enhances the Manga Experience Ultimately, both the Dandadan anime and manga offer very unique experiences and each one has its own strengths. The manga appeals a lot to readers who enjoy suspense and horror because of the art style and darker tones, while the anime’s colorful animation and light-hearted comedy give it an atmosphere that’s somewhat similar to your typical shonen shows. For the hard-core fans of the manga, you have to try the anime because it gives you an opportunity to see your favorite scenes brought to life with sound, movement, and some banger visual elements. Newcomers might like the anime a lot more because of how fast-paced and accessible it can be and at the same time, it also captures the original essence of Dandadan while being able to add its creative touch. Long-time manga readers should, of course, read the manga to experience Dandadan first-hand without the censorship and changes. Although the changes are somewhat subtle, … Read more
