After a riot of referential anime references, live-action food, and power metal exorcisms, the latest episode of Science Saru‘s anime adaptation of Dan Da Dan delivered the most romantic episode of the show’s sci-fi meets yokai madness yet between its protagonists. You bet your ass we’re going to gush about it.
In the seventh episode of Dan Da Dan season 2, “Feeling Kinda Gloomy,” the show picks up from the cliffhanger of its previous episode, where Okarun witnesses Momo Ayase working at a maid cafe. After being forced to go by Momo’s besties Miku and Muko (and the in-universe presidents of “Momokarun,” the ship name of Momo and Okarun) the girls make a riot out of poking fun at Momo like any teenagers would when they ambush their friends at work. While Momo working part-time at a maid cafe came as a shock to Okarun, she later explains that she’s only doing so to pay for a new phone, a gripe she’s routinely remarked about since it got broken way back in the show’s premiere. All the same, Miku and Muko had a ball teasing Momo on her first day, and further propel her and Okarun’s romance by taking a group photo performing a “moe moe tri-beam” before slipping it into his pocket.
Mortified, Momo tells Okarun he should head home, but ever the mild-mannered gentleman, he says he’ll wait around until her shift is over to walk her home. Momo handwaves him away, worrying he’ll catch a cold, and shoos him away. All the while, Momo sneaks glances at the clock as she slowly wears down in her day, wondering if Okarun has stayed true to his word. And sure enough, when Momo thought Okarun had high-tailed it back to her place (he, Jiji, and Aira are crashing at the Ayase residence now after the events of the season’s opening), Okarun shows up in a huff, apologizing for being late with their group photo clutched in hand. After catching himself extending a hand to Momo to walk her home and trying to play it off like he was motioning to secure his backpack,, Momo clutches his hand, saying, “ain’t so cold now.” Now, shippers can add screenshots of the two handholding scenes to their dedicated computer files, featuring the pair timidly holding hands from a couple of episodes ago and their accidental kiss from season one.
But because Dan Da Dan is a shonen anime with shojo romance in its DNA, we got even more drama in our midst this episode with the love rectangle, including Aira’s crush on Okarun and Jiji’s crush on Momo. While Aira’s jealousy of Momo was shelved to be handled in what’s sure to be an Okarun/Aira-centric episode next week, this episode saw some trouble in paradise for the love triangle between Momo, Okarun, and Jiji.
While Okarun and Momo were making their way back to the Ayase residence, Jiji was back at home training to get his Evil Eye possession under control. While he seemed to have his Ranma 1/2 water transformation under control, Aira spilling her boba tea on him after they both ran up to Momo triggered his transformation. Luckily, with some quick thinking and a bit of luck, Momo was able to spit water on her childhood crush, transforming him back to his usual self.
When Jiji goes to check up on Momo, after Evil Eye choked her and ripped at her shirt, Okarun shoves him forcefully away from her, still concerned about the potential threat. It’s a perfect recreation of the moment from the manga, one that has become a meme among readers, often accompanied by the caption “She good, bruh.” We’re sure to get our fair share of anime-flavored memes soon, now that the scene has finally been adapted so faithfully.
What made this episode so special, beyond it cranking up the slow-burning romance between its leads, is how it’s yet another example of Science Saru doing a spectacular job adapting manga creator Yukinobu Tatsu’s ongoing manga. In contrast to contemporary shows that settle for a one-to-one copy-paste of manga panels and call it a day, co-directors Abel Gongora and Fuga Yamashiro embellish and add additional scenes that build on the manga, truly adapting it into the medium in every sense of the word. Not only did we have an opening montage adapting what was a few panels into a full-blown montage of Momo’s workday underscored by Frédéric Chopin’s “Nocturne in E Flat Major,” we also got a POV camera angles from Okarun’s perspective as his peepers tried their hardest not to get caught gawking at Momo in her maid getup.
Take past episodes showcasing the pair taking interest in each other’s hobbies, with Momo throwing Ultraman poses and Okarun reading what looks like a manga of Ashita No Joe while practicing throwing punches and trying to get stronger through training with Turbo Granny and the boxing single-father alien, Peeny-Weeny, and that’s how love starts, you know? We’re here for the slow burn.
New episodes of Dan Da Dan air every Thursday on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu.
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