Dan Da Dan episode 9 is a good old-fashioned creature feature with three creatures to feature. Stuck in a void erected by the Seropians, our heroes struggle to fight off enemies from all sides. Let’s hope they brought their swimsuits.
Balance Between Action and Romance in "Dan Da Dan" Episode 9
With her newfound Silky Form, Aira goes toe-to-toe with the boxing alien. The fight scene is wonderfully choreographed. Aira’s acrobatic agility makes dodging the alien’s punches easy and flashy. Similar to Okarun’s change in personality in his Turbo Form, Aira in her Silky Form reflects a more formal upbringing. This makes her infatuation with Okarun all the more comical and her overbearing flirting breaks up the action nicely.
As the fight drags on, Aira is caught in the Serpoain’s kinesis and the boxing alien lands a devastating blow. Okarun, stark naked at this point, steps up to join the battle. Unfortunately, the three Serpoains combine their power and lock Okarun and Aira in place. Just as the boxing alien is about to finish off Okarun, Momo appears and uses her psychic powers to give Okarun an opening for his signature headbutt.
The Serpoians, dissatisfied with the other alien’s performance, mutate him into a more powerful form resembling a mantis shrimp. The battle resumes, with Momo on defense and Aira and Okarun on offense. Even in a life-or-death situation, there’s still time for comedic banter. Momo still suspects Okarun of making a move on Aira. Okarun tries his best to clear up the misunderstanding. And Aira continues to flirt with Okarun and antagonize Momo. At one point, Okarun and Aira end up in a bizarre partner dance routine, which drives Momo crazy.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work?
Just when the Serpoians get the upper hand, the aquatic alien that stalked Momo (Okarun identifies it as the Loch Ness Monster) appears and alters the space around them, turning the floors into water. The new terrain makes fighting difficult for all sides. Okarun can’t use his speed, the mantis shrimp’s punches are powerful underwater but he needs air to breathe, and the Serpoains end up getting caught in the aquatic alien’s attacks. Momo is able to mount Okarun and propel him through the water using her powers. They regroup with Aira and try to make a plan. However, the last remaining Serpoian combines its body with the mantis shrimp’s and Nessie’s to create a whole new monster.
Momo, Okarun, and Aira struggle to combat the monster’s long-range water blast and its close-range punches. One by one, they’re taken out of the picture until it’s just Momo facing down this alien amalgamation. The monster winds up for one final punch. At the last second, Momo uses her powers to disperse the water around them. Without the external water pressure, the monster’s arms shatter from the sheer force of its own strength. The monster attempts to corner Momo with its water blast, but Aira’s prehensile hair shoots out and strangles it. This gives Okarun the perfect runway to go all out. Momo uses her powers to clear the water away and Okarun finishes the job with a super-speed headbutt.
Final Thoughts
With the final Serpoian defeated, the school goes back to normal. Unfortunately, this means Okarun, Momo, and Aira’s nakedness is on full display. The episode ends with them running through the halls as the other students jeer and laugh at them.
Dan Da Dan episode 9 was great, action-packed episode that perfectly implemented the shonen battle formula. The protagonists’ powers are on full display. Also, they come up with inventive ways to counter their foes. There’s even a little time to address the misunderstanding between Momo and Okarun.
That said, the premise of the series kind of worked against itself in this episode. Implementing three new supernatural entities all at once is absurdly fun, but a lot of details end up flying over the audience’s head. The situation, as chaotically enjoyable as it is, ends up padding the story to make way for the next real arc.
Occult Corner
The Dover Demon: Though it’s never named in the episode, the manga identifies the boxing alien as a cryptid called the “Dover Demon.” First sighted in 1977 in Dover, Massachusetts, it’s described as a short humanoid with glowing orange eyes and a watermelon-shaped head. The alien in the episode certainly matches the description, with the orange color filter reflecting the eye color, but the similarities stop there.
It seems to draw from several inspirations including the aforementioned mantis shrimp and an enemy from the Ultraman series, the Alien Baltan. There’s also heavy Japanese salaryman theming given the constant talk about pay cuts, the tie and business suit it wears, and how boxing is a common stress reliever. Plus it references the pop group ABBA and sings the song “Regain,” which was used to promote an energy drink popular during the Showa Era (1926-89).
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