Yukinobu Tatsu has a hit on his hands with Dandadan, the supernatural shonen series that sees young heroes Momo and Okarun dealing with ghosts and aliens alike. Set to start its anime adaptation this October, the franchise has become a hit long before the bizarre story hits the airwaves, thanks in part to the artwork from creator Yukinobu Tatsu. Originally an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, Tatsu’s dynamic style perfectly compliments the surreal manga that might be the “next big thing” in the shonen world. In a recent interview, Yukinobu went into more detail regarding his art style that brings Okarun and Momo to life.
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To start, Tatsu was asked about the “detail” that went into the drawings of the manga, as the mangaka dissected his approach in bringing the supernatural series to life, “I try not to make the screen look fake. I value the realism of the work, and I try to make sure that the character does not say or do such and such. I think that even a single false background can reduce the reality of the work, so I try to pay as much attention to the background and props as possible.” Earlier in the interview, Yukinobu listed the likes of Berserk and Akira as inspirations, which are certainly two examples of detailed manga stories.
Dandadan’s Bizarre Monsters
Stemming from this, Yukinobu was asked about the creation of the monsters that populate the series and what inspired their designs, “I like Toru Narita, who is known for his Ultraman designs. When I was in elementary school and saw Ultram reruns during summer vacation, I simply thought it was a heroic story but when I looked at Toru Narita’s designs again as I got older, I found that they had an “Oh, he’s an alien after all…” rawness and creepiness that I really liked.”
Dandadan’s anime will arrive on October 3rd, streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu. Here’s how the streaming services describe the franchise, “Momo Ayase strikes up an unusual friendship with her school’s UFO fanatic, whom she nicknames “Okarun” because he has a name that is not to be said aloud. While Momo believes in spirits, she thinks aliens are nothing but nonsense. Her new friend, meanwhile, thinks the exact opposite. To settle matters, the two set out to prove each other wrong -Momo to a UFO hotspot and Okarun to a haunted tunnel! What unfolds next is a beautiful story of young love…and oddly horny aliens and spirits?”
Want to follow the story of Momo and Okarun? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on Dandadan.
