Warning: Contains spoilers for episode 12 of Dandadan.
This article contains a discussion of intense sexual topics.
Dandadan has just completed its first season and it has been a truly legendary run. The film's gorgeous, creative animation and overall direction did wonders to make the already incredible story even better to tell, and it's easily a contender for the best anime of the Fall 2024 anime season, if not 2024, as a whole. .
Dandadan is easily one of the biggest anime of 2024, but that doesn't mean it has gone without criticism. People having trouble with the story and writing is one thing, but more than that, DandadanThe season 1 finale has been at the center of controversy for its continued use of the anime's most controversial element. This controversy, however, is a big part of the reason why Dandadan It's such a good series, and with how important it is in the grand scheme of things, there's a lot of merit in analyzing it all.
The Controversy Behind Dandadan Season 1 Finale Explained
Why do so many people hate the ending of Dandadan
The controversy surrounding DandadanThe first season's ending stems from the final scene with Momo. In the end, Momo decided to relax in a hot spring after she, Okarun, and Jiji were unable to locate the spirit haunting Jiji's house, and suddenly, a group of adult men known as the Kito family entered the hot spring, as well. The men looked and acted very scary towards Momo from the moment they appeared, and sure enough, Dandadan Season 1 ended with an uncomfortable moment of the Kito family trying to rape Momo.
Ending on a cliffhanger with this kind of subject matter is bad enough, but the specific way it was formatted makes it even worse. Not only does this drag out the moment longer than the manga, but it also ended like this, with the second season not debuting until July 2025, which means Dandadan ended with Momo about to be raped knowing that it wouldn't solve anything for over half a year with season 2. The scene is one thing, but for many people this aspect makes it even worse, and attracts an incredible amount of criticism because of it.
Dandadan's season finale continues with the anime's biggest criticisms
Dandadan's problems started long before the end of season 1
DandadanThe first season's ending was always controversial, but it's made even worse by the way it continues a common criticism of the series. A note as high as Dandadan started, one problem people had with it is how explicit the sexual content was with things like Momo's first scene being her ex-boyfriend propositioning her for oral sex, Turbo Granny constantly talking about breasts and penises, and the Serpoians trying too hard explicitly rape Momo. Dandadan was a success from the start, but unfortunately, Dandadan has faced criticism for its explicit sexual content since its debut.
Unfortunately, the rest of the first season didn't do a good job of alleviating these complaints. Momo and Aira were victims of intense moments of fanservice, especially in Dandadan Episode 9 gradually saw them strip down to their underwear, and while Okarun was subjected to similar content, he received much less attention from the camera and was largely played for laughs whenever he appeared. The sexual content of Dandadan is constant and pays more attention to female characters than to male charactersand this hardly went unnoticed by fans and critics.
It's one thing for the season to end with Momo about to be the victim of sexual assault, but with so many similar moments before her, sexual assault presented in DandadanThe end of the first season apparently exemplifies the criticism that Dandadan is an anime that uses sexual assault as a driving force for its story much more than necessary. Fanservice, even of an uncomfortable nature, is common in anime and manga, but Dandadan it gives the impression of doing much more than the average series, and this created a very negative impression for some.
Dandadan's Most Controversial Element Is Part of What Makes It Great
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Dandadan's Biggest Controversy
The controversy surrounding DandadanThe sexual content of is quite justified, but at the same time, it is missing an important detail. Dandadanlike many Shonen anime, is at least partially a coming-of-age story centered on the ups and downs that people go through as they grow up, and a common part of that is the confusing and often terrifying sexual experiences that people go through when they are young. As such, Dandadanthe constant use of aggressive sexual content works because it ties into the coming-of-age elements of the storygiving much more depth than normal fanservice.
DandadanThe fanservice works even better when compared to Momo and Okarun's relationship. As early as the first episode, whenever Momo has a bad sexual experience, Okarun is always there to bring Momo back to a state of normalcy and remind her and the audience that things then DandadanThe aggressive sexual content of also works because it highlights how people sometimes have to struggle with relationships before finding a good one like Momo and Okarun's.. There's an argument that it still goes too far, but even that doesn't change why it works so well.
Will Dandadan remain as controversial in season two?
Can Dandadan season 2 avoid the controversy of season 1?
There's a lot to discuss Dandadanuse of fanservice, and a big question is whether this level of fanservice will remain in Dandadan season 2. Not only will season 2 have to immediately pick up on the intense suspense of season 1, but Jiji will gain a new form that forces him to fight in his underwear, something the show will certainly play up as comedy. Add in how much the series has revolved around this type of humor so far, and Dandadan is required to continue using sexual content for comedy and drama in season two and beyond.
Even if that's the case, of course, this shouldn't be treated as a shortcoming of the series. Not only is it Dandadan is still fun to watch, but with how often its sexual content has a purpose beyond fanservice, Dandadan is one of the few animes that knows how to make tiresome fanservice work as a way to enhance its storyand the second season will probably have the same clever writing as well. This does not necessarily mean DandadanThe style is above criticism, but overall, it's far from the problem some people consider it to be.