Dandadan Animators Talk Creating Episode 7’s Heartbreaking Sequence (And How It Changed From The Manga)

For a series that focuses on a young boy possessed by a spirit known as the “Turbo Granny” and comical spirits that fill the anime landscape, Dandadan recently released an episode that is breaking hearts. Dandadan’s seventh episode takes several minutes to explore the past of the villainous Acrobat Silky. While the nefarious spirit might appear terrifying, her past is one that allows audiences to empathize with her plight and shed a tear for the hardships she once faced. In a recent interview, animators at Science SARU explained creating this scene and how the approach was different from the original manga from creator Yukinobu Tatsu.

So what was Acrobat Silky’s origin story? Before the villain became a monstrous spectre, she was a normal mother trying to make ends meet for both herself and her young daughter. During her day to dat, she appears to take money from a pair of criminals to make sure her daughter has at least some novelties in her life. Unfortunately, the gangsters want their money back, putting some serious harm to the future Acrobat and kidnapping her daughter. Thanks to the injury the mother receives, she dies never managing to find her daughter and becomes the vengeful ghost that we see today. Despite her villainous intentions, Acrobat Silky’s origin is one that made anime viewers empathetic to her circumstances.

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Science SARU Animators Talk Acrobat Silky’s Origin

Recently, Anime News Network took the opportunity to speak with Shuto Enomoto, an animator on Dandadan who has worked on several big series including Heavenly Delusion and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken. To start, Enomoto discussed the changes made to the anime to the spirit’s backstory versus the manga, “Acro-Silky’s memory sequence in episode 7 actually isn’t that long in the original manga so director Fuga Yamashiro expanded it quite a bit by having Acro-Silky become the focus of the episode. I drew the storyboard with director Yamashiro’s ideas in mind, but to be honest, some of them were quite difficult to work with, and I was worried whether I would be able to complete it or not.”

Enomoto also stated the approach to bringing Acrobat Silky to life, “I hoped to illustrate a battle that gives the impression that Acro-Silky herself is imprisoned by her own hair. With that in mind, I also struggled with how to make the battle between her, Momo, and Okarun meaningful. I spent the entirety of episode 7 drawing out storyboards while thinking about which animators I should give the task to. The most emotional scene for viewers in episode 7 will likely be the final scene with Aira, as she tells Acro-Silky, “I won’t forget. I swear.” The heightened emotions you feel continue to linger even after the credits.”

Dandadan’s First Season Splash

Dandadan will reportedly have twelve episodes total for its first season, meaning that anime fans are over halfway through the introduction of Momo and Okarun’s story. While a second season has yet to be confirmed, Science SARU will have plenty of material to pull from if they are looking to continue the television series. Yukinobu Tatsu has created well over one hundred chapters of the manga to date, meaning several more seasons could be on the way for the supernatural shonen series.

Want to stay up to date on the hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking adventures, of Momo and Okarun? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Dandadan and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via ANN