Dandadan Really Disappointed With Season 1’s Finale

Dandadan easily became one of the biggest new anime arrivals in 2024, thanks to Science SARU’s amazing animation and the story forged from the brain of creator Yukinobu Tatsu. Over the course of the first season’s twelve episodes, viewers had the chance to get to know Momo, Okarun, Aira, and Jiji in their lives that are now fit to bursting with both supernatural and extraterrestrial threats. While the Turbo Granny hit the ground floor running with this first season, we can’t say the same when it comes to how Dandadan decided to wrap its first season.

Warning. If you have yet to see Dandadan’s first season finale, episode twelve, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory. Ending on a cliffhanger is always a bitter pill to swallow for many pop culture fans, a fact that was apparent with the recent season two finale of Squid Game. This same choice was made for Dandadan, albeit in a way that felt vastly inferior to the popular Netflix live-action series. While anime fans won’t be waiting too long to dive into the second season focusing on Momo and Okarun, this doesn’t change the fact that the season one finale picked quite a terrible moment to end its story.

[RELATED: Dandadan Named Best Anime TV Series for 2024 (Golden Issue Awards)]

The Mystery of The Hole In The Wall

The twelfth episode certainly ended in a troubling spot for Momo as she was surrounded by several sinister villages at the hot springs, but Jiji and Okarun’s final moment was a strange one. While manga readers might already know what this moment is building up to, the same certainly can’t be said for anime viewers as said mystery is one that doesn’t have the heft necessary for a season finale. It had to be a difficult decision as to when to end season one in relation to the source material, but it doesn’t help but feel like the ball was dropped in the final moments.

As mentioned earlier, the second season will arrive this summer though it begs the question whether or not Dandadan should have waited to unleash a “full” season with twenty-four episodes and missing a 2024 debut. The new anime adaptation most likely still would have been a hit even if it had arrived in 2025 in full, potentially presenting a far more complete story and dodging this disappointing finale. Ultimately however, the season finale is a minor quibble in an amazing first season as Momo and Okarun have taken the anime world by storm.

Want to stay up to date on Momo and Okarun’s wild adventures? 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.