In 2023, Netflix succeeded in adapting the manga into live-action One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. But another anime in its catalog seems cut out for this type of endeavor.
DanDaDan: the anime that Netflix should bet on?
For several years, Netflix welcomes fans of Japanese animation and manga, or by obtaining exclusives as exciting as Pluto from the M2 studio or Ranma 1/2 from the MAPPA studio (to give recent examples), or by adapting cult series into live-action, such as One Piece. The latter also had enormous success when it was launched in 2023, even though the bet was rather risky… But an anime present in the Netflix catalog seems cut out for a live action adaptation. It is obviously a question of DanDaDanthe adaptation by the Science SARU studio of the eponymous manga by Yukinobu Tatsu.
Launched October 3, 2024 on Netflix, ADN and Crunchyroll, DanDaDan is definitely the anime phenomenon of this fall 2024, and it could even be the most exciting anime of the year. Recounting the occult adventures of Momo Ayase – a young high school student who believes in ghosts – and Okarun – a shy nerd passionate about extraterrestrials -, DanDaDan is a clever blend of sci-fi, horror and romantic comedy. This is one of the best current Shūeisha series, published weekly on the platform Shōnen Jump+.
The series is a true global phenomenon. A recent Netflix report reveals that DanDaDan ranked in the top 10 of the most viewed series on the platform in several territorieswhich says a lot about the enthusiasm that the anime arouses. Moreover, its episode 7 centered on the Silky Acrobat was unanimously praised, and obtained one of the very best IMDb ratings of the year for a series episode in 2024: 9.8/10. A well-deserved note, which again says a lot about the scale of the phenomenon.
One of the greatest strengths of DanDaDan is located in the incredible ability of Yukinobu Tatsu to mix inspirations as diverse as j-horror films as Ring by Hideo Nakata (which was the subject of a restoration by The Jokers Films) or Sadako vs. I can de Kōji Shiraishi, the manga Tom by Junji Itō, the shōjō he read in spades or even Berserk by Kentarō Miurawho inspired him in particular in the staging and drawings of certain breathtaking plates. (These are obviously claimed influences.)
The manga’s ability to alternate between brutal breaks in tone – very present in Asian cinema, and more particularly South Korean cinema -, moving from pure comedy to anguish can be easily transcribed on the screen. Narrative arcs like that of the Kito Family – on which season 1 of the anime should probably end – or even the ghost Reiko Kashima could, if they were adapted into live action, unite many spectatorsalready passionate about the slow-burn evolution of the romantic relationship between Momo and Okarun.
Source: hitek.fr
