The ending of Dandadan will leave you hanging

Summary

• The development of Okarun and Jiji's relationship was a highlight, making Jiji more endearing and balancing his personality.
• The season finale felt underwhelming, lacking the excitement one would expect.
• Despite the disappointing ending, Dandadan's strong storytelling and character development shined throughout the season.

Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Dandadan, Episode 12, “We Go to the Cursed House,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.

It's strange when an episode is, by all accounts, pretty good but has the unfortunate curse of being the season finale at a point in the story that isn't all that exciting (at least not yet). This very situation is what the last episode is about Dandan feel more than a little underwhelming, which certainly isn't ideal, especially after an absolutely impressive first season.

Last week was a busy one for the gang, between Jiji's brave and turbulent debut, Okarun's subsequent desperation at the thought of losing Momo's heart, and the screaming mannequin running around. Having witnessed the sentient dummy's devotion to his beloved (also a dummy), Okarun decided to be more direct with Momo and stop letting fear get the better of him.

Mandatory team building by Okarun and Jiji

The one thing this season needed to achieve before the end was to make Jiji feel like a genuine part of the team and not just an interloper in the cast to give Okarun anxiety. For some, his antics might have been funny enough to make him endearing, but for others – and I must admit, I'm talking about myself – it was a bit much. So it's a pleasure to say that this ending sold me.

Frankly, the execution, at least for me on an emotional level, was pretty spectacular. In Okarun's eyes, Jiji is this third wheel antagonist and nothing more, and the viewer is forced to see him in a similar light. So the instant Okarun realized how much fun he'd been having talking about the paranormal with Jiji, it was like the wool was pulled from his eyes. Suddenly, Jiji is quite well, all because they finally talked like normal human beings (who could have imagined?).

This episode changed the way I see Jiji

The best thing is the couple ago address the elephant in the room regarding their feelings for Momo, but it's much friendlier and funnier. Since the gang finds no traces of spiritual activity at Jiji's house, Momo runs away to the local hot spring and leaves them behind. It turns out to be a conscious choice on her part in hopes that Okarun will make a new friend, which seems super sweet and proves once again how awesome Momo is.

To be honest, the biggest takeaway from this episode was making me realize how childishly I wished Jiji wasn't around much in the same way Okarun was. In a way, it speaks to how magnetic and charming the central love story is and proves once again how effective the drama can be once a wrench is thrown into the gears, so to speak.

A truly anti-climactic ending

As mentioned at the beginning, this episode is fine, it just doesn't feel like a season finale. It ends on a cliffhanger, but it's not the kind you'd expect from the last episode before a hiatus, especially from a show with a penchant for captivating storytelling. To its credit, this is a weakness of many manga adaptations. When the episode count ends at a point that isn't quite conducive to the grand finale, the finale will suffer. It didn't help much, it just needed more.

Of course, now that the episode has been made public, they've announced season 2 for July. Posterity will consider this a negligible flaw, mitigated by the existence of whatever episode will automatically play after it. But still, as a whole creatively, it's a lackluster ending. Okarun and Jiji uncover the first clue to the disturbing truth behind the house's mysteries, while Momo is accosted by creepy guys at a hot spring… the last of which, oddly enough at least, brings the season full circle.

Looking at the big picture

However, there is no need to insist too much on this point. Jiji and Okarun have developed the basis for a fun bond, and the depth of Jiji's supernatural situation is quite interesting. It sucks that the gap between seasons hinges on Momo being the target of implied sexual violence again, but… really, there's not much upside to this, it's just unfortunate.

The last few months have been an emotional roller coaster that director Yamashiro and the Science Saru team should be very proud of.

Dandan's finale was only disappointing in how it closed the book on this season, but it shouldn't reflect too harshly on the rest. The last few months have been an emotional roller coaster that director Yamashiro and the Science Saru team should be very proud of. Don't be surprised if the first words out of your mouth at the end are “Everything!?”