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It is tough to describe Dan Da Dan. Not just because it is filled with bizarre imagery like alien robot penises and giant crab monsters made of the ghosts of murdered girls, but because it works so hard to defy genres and description. You can certainly call it a Shonen anime, considering all the action and battles that take place, but the producers worked hard to make sure we never forget that Dan Da Dan is a romantic comedy at its heart.

We spoke to Hiroshi Kamei, one of the producers of the Dan Da Dan anime, and he explained that the romance element of the manga wasn’t one they could overlook. “Dan Da Dan is a series that incorporates various elements such as action, battles, and the occult,” he told us. “But romantic comedy is also one of its essential aspects.”

At no point is that focus clearer than in Episode 5 (Like, Where Are Your Balls?!). After the epic clash against Turbo Granny, the anime spends half an episode with Okarun and Momo just missing each other during their lunch break. “Episode 5 doesn’t feature major action sequences,” Hiroshi Kamei said. “But it is packed with smooth exchanges and the charm of its romantic comedy moments. There wasn’t an intentional effort to slow the pace; in a way, it’s an episode that feels representative of Dan Da Dan.”

For us, the fact that Dan Da Dan is one of the few Shonen anime that nails delivers both stunning action and touching romance makes it a standout show of 2024 and we can’t wait to see that continue in future seasons.

Each week, Popverse's resident anime expert Trent Cannon runs down the latest and, dare we say "greatest," in anime and manga in Popverse Jump. Some recent columns have included... 

• Why the finales of My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and One Piece feel like the end of an era in manga
• Why is One Piece more popular now that the anime is 25 years old? We asked around and found out
• Dan Da Dan is weird, profoundly inappropriate, and the perfect anime this season
• Why One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy is the perfect anime hero for the dark times ahead
• 40 years after its debut, Dragon Ball is a pop culture force like few others
• Dan Da Dan's most emotionally devastating sequence proves that sometimes words aren't necessary
• Gnosia, the "Among Us meets Everything Everywhere All at Once" visual novel is getting an anime adaptation that needs to be as weird as possible
• Assassination Classroom is a Shonen anime well worth revisiting, ten years on
• Sony is making big moves to own the anime industry by buying Kadokawa, publisher of Oshi no Ko, Sword Art Online, and Konosuba