With the first season concluding and the second one announced for July 2025,Dandadan(sometimes stylized asDAN DA DAN) has been met with fanfare and accolades, making it one of the most-watchedanimeseries in 2024. It ranked fourth globally on Netflix’s Top 10 list for non-English TV shows and acquired over 9.3 million hours viewed in a single week. Yet, with so much great anime on Netflix, not everyone has had time to dive into the series, let alone know what to expect.
Rated TV-M and drawing inspiration from the world of supernatural terrors and sci-fi horrors, many have been led to believe that the series is horror. Let’s look closer at the popular series, define what it is and what genre it falls under, and why it’s supposed to be mature.
‘Dandadan’ from Manga to Anime
Written by Yukinobu Tatsu and serialized in April 2021, the mangaDandadanwould sell over 5 million copies, with each volume selling between 100,000 and 130,000 copies in the month after its release. Tatsu would have a successful debut property, but he had cut his teeth working with Tatsuki Fujimoto, the mangaka behind the hit titlesFire PunchandChainsaw Man.
The route to anime was essentially guaranteed and would eventually debut on August 18, 2025 (a day later in Japan), produced by Science Saru studio, with Hiroshi Seko writing. The anime team would also work closely with Yukinobu Tatsu to ensure the anime series stayed close to the source material, resulting in the series being consideredone of the best anime of 2024.
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TheDandadanmanga and anime follow two high school students, Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura (nicknamed “Okarun”), whohave conflicting beliefs in the supernatural and aliens. They eventually make a bet, with Momo sent to investigate potential aliens who have landed on Earth and Okarun sent to investigate supernatural happenings. These interactions lead to both characters awakening their inner powers and forming a bond to fight against both threats. The two team up with other allies to combat yokai, yurei, and aliens.
Is ‘Dandadan’ Horror?
With the inclusion of ghosts, monsters, and aliens, one would expect thatDandadanis a horror anime. Yet, the series falls into the familiar genre-bending trappings of many other anime shows, with ‘creepy’ elements that appeal to its audience but are not strictly horror. It is similar to other popular series likeTokyo Ghoul,Jujutsu Kaisen,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, andChainsaw Man,primarily aimed at the Shōnen crowd (target audience aged 12 to 18). While this demographic expands beyond and certainly appeals to an older fanbase, the point is more to focus on powers and adventure than actually scaring the audience.
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Dandadandraws inspiration from horror and has ‘scary’ creatures and dark visuals, but it is not itself horror. Horror anime is one of the more underdeveloped genres, as most releases favor the Shōnen approach. OVA (Original Video Animation) of the 80s and 90s perhaps has the best mature, horror-driven anime with titles likeL.I.L.Y. Cat, Demon City Shinjuku, andGenocyber.Junji Ito reigns supreme in manga and animein the modern era, andYami-Shibaioffers consistent bite-sized horror. All the above titles are more focused on evoking fear than creating a sense of adventure and fantasy likeDandadan. However,if you are only going to watch one horror anime, Satoshi Kon’sPerfect Bluewould be the closest you could get to a story reminiscent of its live-action counterparts.
Why Is “Dandadan” Rated TV-M?
So, ifDandadanis aimed at a young adolescent audience and is not horror, why does it still carry the TV-M rating label? The series has a bit of a yonic and phallic obsession, pushing some of its plot, which will get almost any show slapped with a rating regardless of how they approach it.Dandadanis not graphic in its nudity, but it does become essential to the story. This can be seen early on when Momo Ayase’s powers are awakened after being taken aboard an alien ship and given an implied probing.
However,Dandadanfocuses on more penile themes, with much of Okarun’s powers and adventures centered around his nether regions.This includes an early plot in which he gets his member stolen by a monster known as Turbo Granny, which causes him to lose his powers. This leads to a search for his penis as his balls are the source of his power. While he can recover the shaft and regain some of his abilities, much of the first series centers on his search for his testicles to return to full power. Yes, the main element that makesDadadanrated TV-M is arguably juvenile.
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Still, it is also not the primary draw, asthe action, visuals, and pacing make for a highly engaging watch, regardless of the silliness of penis powers. The focus on genitals also does keep it in the realm of Shōnen, as crass as it is, with thosecoming of age yearsoften focused on trying to understand sexuality. Don’t let any of the crude elements deter you;Dandadanis a hit among anime fans for a good reason and is certainly worth checking out.you’re able to streamDadadanon Netflix, Crunchy Roll, or Hulu.
