Dandadan: the evil eye, explained

Yukinobu Tatsu's Dandan has a unique blend of science fiction and supernatural elements that fuels people's long-documented obsession with “that which is not of our world”, and thus borrows many of its concepts from urban legends, folklore, and the vast number of phenomena inexplicable and events that have been speculated about for a long time.

One such concept is the Evil Eye, a concept widespread across several geographic regions including the Mediterranean, the Levant, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, all of which have some account of a curse cast on a target by means of a glance malevolent. What does the evil eye consist of? Dandanand how does the concept of the series differ from its conception in real life?

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What exactly is the evil eye?

The curse of evil intentions

The evil eye is a curse that humans have believed in since prehistoric times, and it involves a malevolent look (you know, like throwing “daggers” at someone?) cast on someone. The inspiration behind such a curse is usually envy, which is why it is a fairly common idea to delay the telling of good news until it is at some point in the past to prevent envious individuals from casting the evil eye and making so what the cool kids would describe as “locking in your blessings.” Talismans or artifacts created to protect against this curse are believed to date back 5000 years, and the most famous include the nazar, a bead or amulet fashioned after an eye, which looks like this🧿; and also the hamsa/khamsaalso known as the Hand of Fatima, a palm-shaped amulet depicting the five fingers of the hand which is commonly used as a wall decoration and a well-known protective talisman against the Evil Eye.

The association of the gaze or eyes with calamity has been represented in various cultures in very different ways; for example, the story of the Gorgon Medusa is about a ferocious monster in the shape of a woman with snakes for hair with whom eye contact leads to petrification. Eyes have also been considered “windows to the soul” throughout history, perhaps in part due to their function as the primary means by which humans receive information from the world, and also for their role in the countless facial expressions that appear to them. human beings have. in their repertoire that communicate vital information about how a person is feeling or what they are thinking.

In Dandadan

A childish evil spirit

Jashi, known in English as Evil Eye, is a yokai related to the Tsuchinoko sacrificial house. Jin Enjoji, better known as Jiji, Momo's childhood friend, unknowingly lived in a house linked to a giant earthworm monster to which a certain family had been secretly sacrificing people for over two centuries to keep the nearby volcano dormant. The Evil Eye is a spirit linked to the house where Jiji lived with his parents, the one that had become the sacrificial altar. Originally, Evil Eye was a young boy whose entire life was spent in solitude and imprisonment only to end up sacrificed to the volcano. From then on, the boy's spirit remained tied to the site of his death for several years until, at some point, a house was built over it and a new family moved in. Their child could see the ghost, but his parents could not. The family's stay ended when the parents took their own lives due to the psychic effects of Tsuchinoko earthworm monster, which would push the inhabitants of the house to suicide.

When it was decided that the child would also be sacrificed, the Evil Eye became angry, took possession of the boy's body and vowed to kill all those responsible for the human sacrifices that had taken place. In Dandanthe Evil Eye is an evil spirit that causes anyone who makes eye contact with it to kill themselves, making it a type of entity similar to the Tsuchinoko. While he had protected Jiji from the psychic waves of the Tsuchinokothe Evil Eye ultimately wanted to possess Jiji, who possesses immense spiritual energy and athleticism, and use his body to destroy humanity. Momo and Okarun soon discover that Jiji can regain control of his body if hot water is poured on him, with the Evil Eye taking over whenever a non-hot liquid comes into contact with him (it's as if Ranma 1/2). Having seen his memories, Jiji felt empathy for him and his deep desire to play with other children, but probably due to his long search for revenge, his idea of ​​play and violence became intertwined. Okarun promises to satisfy his bloodlust once a week if he promises to only fight him and allow Jiji to control his body.

Based on Yukinobu Tatsu's popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan blends action, comedy, romance, and supernatural thrills to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the extraordinary, even if the former believes in ghosts and the latter in aliens. Determined to confirm the existence of their faction, they set out to find evidence.