Overall, the inaugural season of Dandadan was phenomenal. Science SARU's adaptation was packed with incredible animation, excellent music, and enough heart to make me teary-eyed over a couple of mannequins. Still, to enjoy the rest of the season, many of us had to actively forgive the alien strip search in episode 1.
Warning: mentions of sexual assault. Spoilers ahead for Dandadan's first season.
Kicking off the series with Momo Ayase, the series' teenage female deuteragonist, moments away from getting sexually abused by aliens was an understandable hurdle -- even a turn-off -- for many. But those of us who haven't read the manga were apologetically told by those who have that the strip search was a one-time thing. "Dandadan's obsessed with consent," I remember reading on social media. But the ending of episode 12 does not reward us for giving Dandadan the benefit of the doubt.
In episode 12, Science SARU decided to make a smaller moment with a quick resolution in the manga a much bigger deal. They decided to leave the entire season on a cliffhanger of whether or not Momo will be gang-raped.
Dandadan's fast pacing means that story arcs only last two or three episodes, and the season one finale left us smack dab in the middle of one. Momo, male deuteragonist Okarun, and Momo's childhood friend Jiji travel to a hot spring town to exorcise Jiji's house of the evil spirit haunting it. The thing is, the townspeople lurking at the end of the road seem pretty dang haunted themselves.
We only met Jiji at the very end of episode 10, and we first traveled to his house during episode 12. Ending the season in the middle of the story arc feels something like riling yourself up to go to a party, getting there, and the host kicking everyone out five minutes later. It's a strange kind of dissatisfaction.
But the bigger issue is where Science Saru decided to place the cliffhanger for Momo's storyline. Momo chooses to separate herself from the boys and indulge in self-care by heading to the hot springs -- hell yes, girl, treat yourself.
In Japan, hot springs are almost always separated by gender, and you go in completely naked. So Momo's and the viewers' hearts all stop when five older men enter the spring because old age had obscured a sign that would've informed Momo this was a co-ed bath. The men creepily comment on her beauty. Momo's vulnerability is immediately and horrifically obvious. The men slowly, eerily approach her.
So far, it's okay. The scene is an effective portrayal of predatory men. It's so effective, actually, that I think it does an excellent job of illustrating to male viewers why this situation is threatening from a female point of view. As a woman and a hot spring fanatic, I can confirm that Momo has found herself in my personal nightmare scenario.
The issue comes when Momo is unable to use her psychic powers to fend off her aggressors. She's pushed underwater and knocked out, and that's the last we see of her for the season. So one of our two season finale cliffhangers is, "Is the deuteragonist about to get gang-raped?"
Which just feels ... in deeply poor taste.
In Yokinobu Tatsu's manga, this scene is resolved quickly. The manga doesn't focus on this scene as much as the anime does. Science SARU's Dandadan anime pads it out and actively makes it bigger by making it into the season cliffhanger.
Usually, for a season cliffhanger, you want something like, "Will this character survive?" Or, "Who was THAT character?" "Will this character be raped?" is certainly a new one. But it's new for a reason: it's in incredibly bad taste. It's not a "fun" or "compelling" cliffhanger.
Sexual assault is a traumatic event. Leaving a highly charged event like this unresolved, dangling in the air for months, is actively triggering for people. That is the kind of feasible reaction that someone should've probably mentioned in a meeting.
Dandadan was likely finished months ago, so this decision was made before audiences' adverse reaction to the strip scene in episode 1 became clear. But it still feels like an irresponsible, bizarre decision.
I believe all my friends who say the manga isn't to be judged by the strip scene in episode 1. I'll keep watching Dandadan when it comes back for season 2 in July 2025. I was excited to start the manga after this season ended. I'll just read it, but the ways I want to "see what happens" are significantly different from what I'd hoped.